Friday Favouries - A day in Cambridge

Yesterday I went to Cambridge for the first time for a Sixth Form Classics trip. The day was good with the exception of the typical British weather. Honestly it did not stop raining all day which was not fun considering we walked everywhere. Despite this we were able to take shelter in the museums, café and bookshop.

Firstly we visited the Fitzwilliam Museum which contained Greek and Egyptian sculptures and paintings from different centuries, I particularly liked looking at the French impressionists as they link to what I'm currently studying in art. However the architecture of the building itself is amazing. The whole group was in ore and decided to have our group photo over the balcony inside the building.

After this we were given free time to explore Cambridge. With the horrible weather we didn't get much of a chance to stop and look around as we seeked shelter. But this did cause us to find Heffers, a huge bookshop in Cambridge. I could have spent all day there. If it were not for the idea of carrying the books around for the rest of the day I would have spent all my money in that shop. I managed to restrain myself to only buying three books though.

The teachers also told us about a cake shop which was worth a visit. They encouraged us to go in and bought cakes before we headed to the last museum of classical sculpture. Here we listened to a guide explain the stories behind the sculptures and discuss how the style of Greek free-standing sculpture changed and progressed. This was also another opportunity for many group photos before we walked back to the train station.

This was a fun school trip with great friends. It was a small group of us which meant we could all walk around everywhere together and had the chance to speak to each member of the group. I definitely want to go back to Cambridge and have a proper look around when the weather is better. I didn't take many photographs though but I have included some here for you.

Friday Favourites - A day in London

Yesterday I went on a history trip to London with friends from Sixth Form. The weather was really warm and the sun was shining, which is a nice change for the British weather. We had a walking tour of London which started at St. Pauls Cathedral. We walked to some beautiful and peaceful areas that I had not visited before. I took a few photographs below, but I decided not to take many and just enjoy walking in the sunshine.

We then walked back over the Millennium Bridge, which was a good stop for group photographs. We spent some time sitting on the grass in front of the Tate Modern, then walked to Embankment to get the tube to travel to the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was entertaining watching my friends who had never been on the tube come to terms with the ticket machine and the rush to get on the train.

As I've said before the V&A is one of my favourite places in London, so I was happy to spend two hours wandering around the exhibitions and sitting outside. After that it was back on the tube to Oxford Circus to meet the other group and get the coach home. We waited at a café in Oxford Street which was surprisingly quite. We all liked talking and watching the world go by.

The day was full of laughs, good company and sunshine. We all did well considering we were awake at 5am, got stuck in traffic and reached school at about 11pm. The journeys are usually a highlight with music, photographs and laughter. It's fair to say our group enjoyed the day. But we were tired today after our busy day.

Singin' in the Rain

The other week I went to see Singin' in the Rain touring show with some friends. I have wanted to see this stage show for a while and I was not disappointed. The staging and storyline were similar to the much loved original film. It was a light hearted show that caused the audience to join in singing and even included 'rain' recreate the iconic scene in the film.

The main thing to bare in mind is that the show is not exactly the same as the film. Due to staging or the length of the show, some certain scenes were missed or new scenes were added. But overall it does not drastically change the overall storyline of the film.

I have a lovely time with some great friends and had the songs stuck in my head for the rest of the week.

Tumblr Favourites - June 2014

Here are some of my favourite posts from my Tumblr this month. You can look at my favourites from last month here.

This month I have had the usual inspirational quotes, humorous gifs and pictures of Benedict Cumberbatch. I usually share any gif from F.R.I.E.N.D.S and any funny play on words, such as the first two images below.
However this month I have mainly been blogging about artists and landscapes. On Tumblr you can find artwork by some amazing artists who have created some stunning pieces.
The landscapes I reblog are usually of iconic buildings or streets in cities, such as New York or London. But I also like to reblog photographs of skylines. I have always liked looking at the sky during different times of day to see the change in lighting and the cloud formations. I have noticed them even more since my art exam when I focused on painting clouds. This is probably why they have featured a lot on my Tumblr this month.

 

 

 

Friday Favourites - My NCS Experience

Last year I took part in NCS (National Citizenship Service) which was a scheme that allowed people from schools across areas to join together in team activities and charity work. At the start of Sixth Form I was and still am very quiet. I wanted to improve my confidence and decided to join the scheme. A good coincidence is that some of my friends also joined the scheme, which is good as at least I knew some people. The scheme took place during half-term which gave us a break after the start of A-Levels. I thought I would share some of the memories with you.

We went on a residential and were put into groups. At first I only knew one person in the group, but by the end we all knew each other. We took part in a range of activities, such as team trust, archery, rifle shooting, raft building and quad biking. I was also lucky to have a good group of people in my room, who I can call friends. There were eight girls in a room sharing one small bathroom... bit of a problem at times but we coped. We called ourselves the Narnians as we were in the 'Narnia room'. Each night we all sat in our room play card games and sharing sweets. Once we all laughed so much that we were heard by the rest of the group. It was a great way to spend the evening and most of us didn't miss having internet or phone signal.

One of my favourite memories was when we had no electricity for over twenty four hours. We spent our final night surrounded by the light of candles and torches. The caters at the camp even started a bbq as there was no other way to cook. We all started to sing spontaneously and very loudly, which started by one table singing 'We will rock you' by Queen.



An edit made by another member of the group

After the week had ended we started work on our charity projects. Our group met up once a week to discuss and organise our event. As a group we organised a fun run at a football ground which took place in December. Unfortunately the British weather was not on our side and it rained most of the evening. But that didn't dampen our spirits. A group of us were outside all evening motivating the people who were kind enough to run in the rain. We still enjoyed the event, even if some thought it could have gone better. We still managed to raise over £300. Not bad for six weeks work.

In January everyone was invited to a graduation where we received our certificates and watched videos from the scheme. It was good to meet up with people again, although some didn't attend graduation.

Overall I am glad I took part in the scheme as there are a lot of funny memories and private jokes that we still laugh about. Since taking part in the scheme my social skills have improved and my family noticed a good change in my confidence.

Most of the group at graduation

Friday Favourites - Disney Concept Art

I have enjoyed watching Disney films from a young age. Some of my favourites are Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Mulan. I like watching the more recent Disney princess films and each Disney Pixar film.

Although I enjoy watching the films, I find it interesting to learn about the process of creating the films. I have a particular interest in the art aspect of the animation and find it fascinating looking at concept art used to help make the final scenes and characters within the films. It's good to look at the different illustration styles of the artists who work on the concept art. The examples below look at both character representation and the staging of important scenes in the films.

What is your favourite Disney film?

The Fault in our Stars Advanced Screening

Last Thursday I was lucky enough to go to The Fault in our Stars Advanced Screening. I can honestly say the film is amazing and I have never seen a film that is so close to the book. The film stayed true to the book, which was helped by the author John Green being on set for filming, and the actors had considered the importance of the characters and their relationships.

Although I have read the book and know the storyline, I still managed to cry. The acting and setting kept the audience engaged and some people were crying within the first five minutes. I know that this may seem like a strange selling point, but I think people cried because you become attached to the characters and the story of growing romance. Then you become sad when you realise the story is taking a sad and upsetting path. But the film and book handle the situation beautifully and is sensitive to the circumstance.

When we arrived at the cinema we were given a special The Fault in our Stars poster and lanyard. I have included photos of the items and the special screen inside the cinema. This is a film that myself and my friends enjoyed. The book is slowly being pasted around our group of friends and has been a huge topic of conversation.

If you are also in the UK there isn't long to wait. The film opens on tomorrow and you will not be disappointed, just be prepared to cry though.