Revival!

*Throws revives*

Welcome back blog! I've decided to resuscitate my blog because (a) I need somewhere to vent about Final Fantasy XIII (which I'm replaying) and (b) to celebrate the monumental occasion that is happening next week... the release of...

TA DA!

So excited for my version to land in the mailbox next week! 

To start off with, I will be logging my Alpha Sapphire adventure. Gen III of the Pokemon games has always been my favourite (I had Ruby on my GBA, decided to change things up going with Sapphire this time.) I will, however, not be changing things with with my starter, which is a given: TORCHIC! Because -

Really looking forward to what the game has to offer. Despite feeling slightly too much like I was in Animal Crossing for the first part of it, I grew to love X's interface. The graphics really are a big jump up and I'm excited to see how Hoenn translates over.

Also looking forward to seeing if I can destroy Watson in one go this time (WHY did I always have trouble with him in the past? We'll find out now...) 

Exciting reason (c) for me restarting my blog and taking it in a general video game based direction, is the forthcoming arrival of my birthday PS4! Dragon Age: Inquisition SHALL be ordered in short time. The real wait, of course, is for Final Fantasy XIV but we'll see if that actually does end up coming out at some point next year. And let's not even think about Kingdom Hearts 3...

So basically, I'm super excited to be launching this as a platform for me to rant about things I love to rant about. I'm already very eager to post about THE WEIRDEST GAMEBOY KNOCKOFFS I HAVE COME ACROSS AND PLAYED (living in Asia has exposed me to some weird knockoffs...) 

 UM.

... as well as some detailed analysis of some of the most difficult fights I've faced (hopefully with input from others, I seem to stupidly struggle with some really simple bosses but manage to easily defeat others - each to their own, I guess!) Best villains, most shocking parts of storylines (Yes, Aeris, I know,) and most importantly, a RANKING OF THE BEST CHOCOBOS. 

Review: Lana Del Rey's 'Ultraviolence'

 It's premature, I know, but if somebody asked me what my favourite album of the whole of 2014 was, I would probably say Ultraviolence. Yes, I am super bias, being a massive Lana Del Rey fan, but given that Born to Die is one of my favourite records, I was both excited and skeptical to see whether Ultraviolence would live up.

Help! How do I gym?

FINALLY finished with exams! I'm a liar, ok, I finished ages ago. I've just been busy trying to sort my life out and now I can finally relax and do the things I like to do... there's been a lot of video games, going to the gym, and tidying. Aren't I just wild?!

Anyway, I've started going to the gym with one of my friends who has never been before and asked me if I could go with her to show her the ropes. Being sad as I am, I've spent a lot of time researching health and fitness for fun and know my way around quite well, so I've compiled a little post about what to do if you have no idea what to do!

Of course, although I'd say I was well read, I'm still definitely not a professional! If it's your first time, take it easy, stop if it hurts where it's not meant to (i.e. not the body part you are training,) and push yourself... but not too hard. These are just some tips on what I've found makes a good workout and what I personally like doing, and what I tend to recommend to friends. I've also included some resources!



Resistance Resistance Resistance!
First thing is, try not to do just cardio!!! You will also see those people who just run on the treadmill or use the cross-trainer. There's nothing wrong with cardio at all if you like it, but I've found a mix of everything is more fun, and gets you fitter more efficiently and quickly. There are loads of health benefits (2, 3, 4, yes, even for women!) to weight lifting and resistance training that you won't get with your miles.

So where to start with weights and resistance?

Circuits

My favourite is body-weight resistance based circuits. I usually do circuits in sets of 4 moves each circuit, and I do all moves twice before moving onto circuit 2. Then after circuit 2, repeat both. Body weight resistance (i.e. moves like press ups, jump lunges etc,) are good because they don't require equipment, just your body, but if you do them right you will definitely feel your muscles working! It also means you can do them anywhere, if it's a nice day, they're lovely to do outside! Google is your friend here, there are so many different moves you can do and eventually you can pick your favourite, most effective ones and build your own circuits. Tumblr, Youtube, Pinterest etc are also a gold mine of these. (1, 2, 3,)

Circuits are great because they can target certain areas, but due to the high intensity of a lot of moves, particularly plyometric (jumping) circuits, you also get some cardio in. WIN, WIN. Because you will usually be changing up your moves every 30s - 60s, you don't really have the time to get bored as well.

Machines 

Most gyms (pretty sure I've never seen one without,) will also have weight machines to use. They're also a good way of targeting certain muscle groups depending on the machine. Make sure you know how to use a machine before you try, and don't overdo it on the weight you're lifting! Ask someone who works there if you're not sure, and make sure you read the instructions. Watching other people use them and copying them helps too - as long as they're using it correctly!

Combination / Changing it up
In order for me to feel like I've had a good workout, I like to do all of the following:
(1) Cardio warm up / Cardio Session
(2) Resistance Circuits
(3) Stretches/Yoga
This means I get my cardio in and heart rate up, work on my muscle groups, and get to stretch it out and cool down a bit with stretches (usually the best part in all honesty.) This also stops your workout getting BORING.

Warm Up 

For a cardio warmup, it can be anything steady-state that gets your heart going. Most gyms will have rowing machines, treadmills, cross trainers, stationary bikes, stair masters and all the like (they're usually grouped together as well.) All of them are different and target different areas, but as primary cardio machines, they'll be good for burning calories and fat and getting your heart rate up. Try 15 minutes running on the treadmill/cross trainer, or you could walk, row, or cycle. Up to you.

Resistance Circuits  

The main thing with circuits is to plan ahead. Know what circuits you'll be doing ahead of time. The point of circuits is that they're a fast, efficient workout, so you don't want to be letting your heart rate constantly drop by standing there figuring out what to do next. Write them down, get some pictures on your phone, tablet, whatever. Then you can find a space, get the equipment you need and smash out a quick but effective workout.

Yoga / Cool Down 

I've never done yoga properly, but I like looking at moves and picking a few I'd like to try and that I think will stretch me out nicely. What stretches are best depend on what you're trying to stretch really - legs ones are always good if you like to run (like me,) and if you're working on overall flexibility, try a whole range and mix it up often! Find a little space and a mat, and print out a sheet or get some helpful charts on your phone etc and copy them.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
 HIIT workouts are growing in popularity. Like circuits, they constantly change it up, are quick, and efficient workouts. As the name suggests, HIIT consists of a certain amount of high intensity cardio, followed by a rest period, and repeated (intervals.)

HIIT can be done with basically any cardio machine. You can cycle madly for 1 min, and cool down for 2, you can go hard on the cross trainer for 30s and rest for 30s, or you can sprint 30s on the treadmill and stop completely for 20s. Variations are endless.

HIIT is great because it transforms what would be a long workout into a much shorter one. 40 minutes of running could be replaced by 20 minutes HIIT running - I personally do a 30s sprint, then 30s jump-onto-the-side-of-the-treadmill and rest. It's exhausting, you will feel it.

Rest Days / Eat Properly!
Finally and most importantly, make sure you have the time and resources to recover! It's great to push your body, but you need to make sure that you give it time to recover or your poor muscles will tear instead of grow. Even worse, you could damage them for the long term. Here are some resources if you want to read why it is important. (1, 2, 3) Even if you don't read them, just know this: your workouts will be FAR more efficient if you rest. When you are hurting the next day? That's good! It means you worked your muscles and they are trying to grow... but they can't unless you let them rest. If you have done a legs-heavy workout the day before, give them a break for a day or two minimum!

This means, if you are doing circuits - try sticking to them 3/4 times a week. I never exceed this because on the days in between, I need to give my body a break. Some light cardio is fine, but make sure you don't overdo it on resistance!

Just as important as resting is fuel - you need to fuel your body properly so it can recover and grow. Not only do you need to watch what you eat before a workout (brown carbs, bananas, high energy but slowly releasing is key here,) you need to bear in mind what you eat after, and your best friend here is protein. Protein helps your body recover and therefore it is essential to making sure your muscles are growing and toning properly. Protein shakes and supplements aren't for everyone, and even though protein bars are huge in range and actually really tasty in my opinion, protein is pretty easy to get. Chicken and turkey are both really high in protein, as is a lot of fish. For vegetarians, eggs (egg whites are allegedly the closest source of pure protein) are the way to go, and tofu also contains a lot of protein. Do a little research and try and eat at last a post workout snack within an hour (but not within 20 minutes) of your workout for optimum recovery.

That's about all the advice I have to give, any questions / any corrections on any advice I have wrongly given out, (although hopefully not!) feel free to leave a comment!

Everyone should watch Anime / In defense of "cartoons"

 I have vanished off the blogosphere and the face of the Earth for a few days, and coincidentally in that time I have watched the first season of Attack on Titan and in doing so, have subsequently ceased to care about anything else. Unable to fill the series hangover that is well into its ... eighth day or so, I've compiled here a little read about why anime is actually wonderful and why everyone needs to watch it. (Look at me here, trying to dictate tastes. I'm even bossy in blog posts.)


 I find Anime is usually dismissed for a few reasons. The first is that like foreign films, people fall under the assumption that it requires an acquired taste, for those who enjoy subtitles (please love yourself and don't watch badly dubbed anime!!!) and for those who care about Japanese culture. The second is the medium itself - everyone knows cartoons are for children. The third is that the terrifying fanbases can put people off, which links to both the first and second reasons - Anime is only for people who are crazily obsessed and who often cross the border.

 Whilst I'll admit I have grown up with it on TV as the alternative to Disney Channels and so on, and therefore probably have a better cultural knowledge of it that makes it more accessible to me, I'll make a case for it actually being really accessible to anyone. A lot of the humour and stylisation of anime (despite the huge range of subgenres, there are definitely conventions to the medium itself,) might seen very - wait for it - foreign to nonviewers, but it's (a) not particularly... difficult to follow or make sense of, and (b) you really do become more accustomed to it the more you watch.

 I'll also suggest that these conventions are what make anime series really good. Series can last anywhere ranging from 6 - 400+ episodes so it really depends what you're after, but because most of them are based on long-running manga series, there is plenty of character and plot development that can take place. Flashbacks and revelations through flashbacks are a really popular device, and the best series utilise plots within plots to give you a really in depth understanding of the characters and the world they inhabit. To touch upon the fictional worlds as well, anime diegeses are usually incredibly complex. Due to the long runtime of series and detail the manga is able to go into, the fictional world and its coherent rules and established and understandable, often expanding as we learn more about plot x and y. A lot of it does require commitment to a series, its characters, and its rules, but that's the joy of 20 minute episodes that there are a LOT of. Easy and fun to consume!

Attack on Titan, found on google.

 Although it's a cartoon and therefore for CHILDREN, anime is actually not for children. Well, some of it is, but a large majority of popular ones that people on the internet rave about (because that's the judging factor we are using here apparently,) are for a teenaged + audience. Plots are thus gory as heck (Attack on Titan being one of the goriest I've seen...) and complicated enough for an intellectual audience (again, depends on the actual genre / anime you choose.) It's pretty easy to get sucked into a series with good characters, promising plot, and a believably set-up yet mysterious fictional diegesis, right?

Ouran High School Host Club, found on Google.

 As said, however, all of this depends on the genre of your choosing. If you prefer romantic-dramas, you'll probably prefer a shoujo anime like the hilarious Ouran High School Host Club (my favourite!) or Toradora, and if you like Sci-Fi you might like mecha like Gurren Lagann or Code Geass. Horror fans might like series such as Elfen Lied, and if you like straight up action, there are ninjas (Naruto,) death gods (Bleach,) and brothers on an epic quest to bring their mother back to life (ish) (Full Metal Alchemist - watch Brotherhood over the normal though.)There is of course, a huge extensive collection of all subgenres within anime so these are just a few off the top of my head, and some of the most well known ones as well.

 Of course, I'm recommending Attack on Titan to anyone for messing me up like few others have done before. Rarely are TV series so expendable on their characters (yes, I do watch Game of Thrones as well,) and the battles are wonderfully gritty and exciting. Predictability is a feature you do need to be wary of due to Anime (or more realistically, the manga they are based off)'s conventions. New series keep things fresh however, and Titan is a huge contender for one of the best things I've seen pretty much ever.

 In short, give something a chance if you're bored. There's a series for everyone, and most of them incorporate all elements into their stories; I've laughed in horror/gory/intense action animes just due to the ridiculous humour and convention and have been left weeping over endings (Chrono Crusade, I'm looking at you.) Either way, it's easy to watch, easy to find, and offers something a little bit different. OH, but it's really addictive. I guess that's why there are so many rabid fans.

Some Good Revision Playlists

I can't just listen to any music when I revise. It needs to be intensely instrumental and inspirational at the same time. I know so many people who listen to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack whilst they work, but as amazing as it is, I usually gravitate towards game soundtracks of my favourite games just because they make me happy. Even if you don't know any of them though, here are some youtube playlists of my favourite ones. They're all beautiful, beautiful pieces of music.

Sometimes I get distracted and insist on humming along to all the instrumental parts.
*Aggressively tries to sing 3 different notes at once*



Final Fantasy IX Piano Collections
Although I literally love ALL the music in all of the games basically, FFIX may be the winner for most of my favourite songs. The piano collection is great because it's got songs of all tempos and they sound beautiful.




Spirited Away Soundtrack
Half the songs on here make me weepy. One of my favourite films of all time as I'm obsessed and grew up with Studio Ghibli as my Disney so half the time these are on I drift into nostalgic memories. The other half, I'm productive.




Suikoden Complete OST
Another game that has a special place in my heart. There is some really gorgeous music on here, and a lot of it is perfect for concentration. And like the others, a change in tempo to get you PUMPED to revise!




Final Fantasy VIII Piano Collections
I tend to gravitate towards the piano collections as they're a bit more relaxing without the multiple instrumental arrangements going on. FF8 has an amazing soundtrack (Fisherman's Horizon is one of my favourite songs ever,) and like IX, is lovely to listen to in the background whilst you be productive.




Anyway there are four of my favourite ones! I will stop making lists of youtube videos and posting them as "blog posts" soon. I also like keeping these up here because now it's easy for me to find them all... Happy revision!

Revision Season

 Favourite time of the year has once again spring upon us. To be fair, I think it gets a little hate. Once I get into the happy zone where I feel like I'm being productive, I don't mind it too much. I like creating my own schedule.

That being said, I think the record attention span I've held in the last few weeks has been about 15 minutes, so it's not really going as well as it should.

Anyway, here are some photos from the last few weeks.



I honestly didn't get up to anything (even less than usual,) except for a little trip down to London. And of course, as with every single time we go, we went to Constancia for Good Friday dinner! Constancia is an Argentinian steakhouse a short walk away from the flat in Bermondsey, and even though we usually drop 3 digits in the bill, it's never a disappointment. Mind, I wouldn't know, because I eat the exact same thing every time.

Nice weather making me happy! I'm still smashing through my circuits, even if I'm hurting for longer as they get harder. So nice doing them outside, although I renewed my gym membership and went this morning. I know it shouldn't matter... but I am a bit conscious regarding people watching my silly repetitive actions (probably doing the difficult ones wrong too) with raised eyebrows!

We get to walk past this every night on our way home! Tower Bridge is so pretty when lit up. Of course, it's nothing on the lights of home... been feeling really homesick lately.

CONSTANCIA!!! Even thinking about it is making me want to go back so bad. The sad little bowl of porridge I just had can NOT compare.

We went to watch Need For Speed per Joe's request at the Odeon before a Chinatown dinner on our last night. Food was good, even if I kept dropping into Chinese at certain points when ordering. (Didn't want to seem like I was showing off or anything....)

Anyway, I've been nominated by Lauren over at Tangible Treasures for the inspiring blog award which is pretty cool. I'd love to do more proper blogging and networking but really don't have the time to at the moment (I could, but I know I wouldn't stop,) but I'll put it my seven facts and recommend you go and read her blog!

FACTS (In no order)

1. I love, love, love classical soundtrack music. My favourite composer is Joe Hisaishi who is most known for his work on a load of Ghibli films. I also have all the Final Fantasy piano collections on my iTunes for when doing work/revision/relaxing.

2. I hate onions to the point where it's basically a phobia. I won't eat one and won't have them anywhere near me.

3. I get really bad collector tendencies. I had huge collections of beanie babies and pokemon toys and all the such as a child, and I have to be really consciously careful to not start 'collecting' stuff (running tops is a pretty weird one.) 

4. South America is the only continent (if you are the type to count it as one) that I haven't been to (excluding the arctics...) I love traveling.

5. My family on my mother's side doesn't speak English.

6. I really really want to run a half marathon either next year or the one after. Just to do it.

7. I can't do anything in my room if it isn't tidy. It drives me SO MAD.

That's about it for my facts then! Tried to pick ones people wouldn't know. Although if you've dined with me you probably know I'll cry if an onion is near me.

Good luck with revision everyone, you'll be delighted to know my next post will be about my next new Pokemon obsession! (No, I never stop.)

Top 10 Favourite Disney Moments

Okay, I keep opening up new posts, start writing some stuff and ending up staring at the screen blankly, uninspired. I guess I need to just start writing about things that really interest me - there are a few topics that will get me rambling on for hours, and most of them are to do with pop culture. I was sitting happily revising as usual in the living room (that sentence has two lies in it...) when the TV, which my boyfriend had put on for "background noise," suddenly changed to a program about the 30 best Disney moments and I instantly tuned in and forgot about everything else in the world.

I've turned into a massive sop lately and recently watching things has been a nightmare as I find myself getting very overly attached and emotional at the most non-emotional things (pokemon tv series battles for example,) but anyway, here are my favourite moments. There's barely an order, and there isn't really a list of factors asides from "makes me feel mushy inside," but I figured if I'm happy to write about this, I may as well post it.

YES all of these are musical numbers. I love a good musical number and Disney really does the best ones.



10. Be Our Guest - Beauty and the Beast

I can't do a French accent except for when I'm singing along to this. Weirdly, I only noticed the magic of this sequence the first time I saw the Disney Philharmagic Orchestra 3D show at Disneyland, but it's so much FUN! Lumiere is one hell of a performer and you can't say that kitchen utensils singing and dancing doesn't warm your heart. It's just as well they stop there and don't animate the food as well cos I could imagine that would get very dark suddenly.

09. Everybody Wants to Be A Cat - The Aristocats

 This is a collection of some very talented felines, and I definitely wanted to be a cat during this sequence. Isn't Thomas O'Malley the coolest? I remember I had this song on one of my Disney sing-a-long tapes when I was younger and I definitely wanted to be Thomas O'Malley. Big dreams for a six year old girl, huh.

08. Prince Ali - Aladdin
 Another shout out to my Disney sing-a-long video tapes. Aladdin is chock full of amazing songs and musical sequences but Prince Ali was always my favourite. Just look at all the THINGS in it! Robin Williams does a phenomenal job singing as the genie, making this number so fun and energetic. I love Jasmine's eye roll and dismissal at all this spectacle, because I would have been very impressed. (I guess that's why she's such a cool princess.)

07. He Lives In You - The Lion King 2
 I love the Lion King 2. I don't care about its lack of critical acclaim, it's got a decent story, Simba, Timon, Pumbaa, and some beautiful songs. I couldn't actually choose which musical number was my favourite but I picked the opening because (a) I heard it live quite recently watching The Lion King at the West End and (b) it's so emotional. Given that Mufasa's death was one of the most touching and emotional fictional deaths ever probably - I used to cry myself into hysterics and was banned from watching The Lion King at one point - having a whole song dedicated his memory

06. I'll Make a Man Out Of You - Mulan
Is there a more motivational song? Boxing, fighting, sports films of all kinds have used training montages since the very beginning but nothing pumps me up more than seeing Mulan go from useless to her kicking Li Shang's BUTT. A definite crowd pleaser, I can't count how many times someone suddenly starts belting it before a physical task.

05. You Can Fly! - Peter Pan
Disney's Peter Pan is the ultimate story for kids who never want to grow up - pretty much everyone. Transforming the lives of the Darlings and taking them from their ordinary lives in London to Neverland via FLIGHT was absolute magic on the screen.

04. Zero to Hero - Hercules
This number was mainly chosen because of the Muses. I would happily watch any film with them narrating. I wish more Disney films were animated in the style of Hercules too - the colours are absolutely astounding throughout and this number is no exception. Another song chosen for how fun and uplifting it is. Can't help but cheer for Herc, even if Hades is a whole lotta fun.

03. Let It Go - Frozen
 Everyone's probably heard this song one too many times recently, but you can't deny it's not going to go down as being one of the most iconic Disney moments. Frozen was a massive achievement in animation and its Oscar winning song is proof of that. The moment of catharsis that happens just as the chorus kicks in is amazing and it's so beautifully animated. Also helps that it's a great song too, just saying.

02. Colours Of The Wind - Pocahontas

Not only is this song beautiful, but it sums up such a great message. I absolutely love Pocahontas, as unaccurate as it is. It's relatively simple in story and has a great - even if overly obvious - environmental message. Colours of the Wind is beautiful in both song and animation.

01. Be Prepared - The Lion King

Okay, so I've included a Lion King 2 song and a Lion King 1 song that isn't the circle of life... but just listen to this! Disney has some pretty amazing villains who I love almost more than the protagonists (I'm looking at Hades and Cruella in particular,) but Scar has got to be the winner here. No one seems to have as much fun as he does being evil, and he does it with such an attitude. PLUS, Be Prepared is clever in lyrics, great fun to sing and is beautifully animated... even with the third reich of hyenas. I would watch a whole film where it's just Scar singing about being evil.


There are so many other amazing films I haven't mentioned and an abundance of Disney songs that I frequently sing yet have not included, but if I was to include all my favourites it would pretty much just be the whole Disney musical number catalog! Hope this gives you a bit of inspiration to go onto youtube and waste away a few hours just watching musical numbers like I frequently do!