Christmas 2016 (Tag)

Christmas 2016 is finally upon us, and as I was kindly tagged by Joanna from JoannaVictoria.co.uk to answer a few Questions, I thought it the perfect time and opportunity to write about my favourite things about Christmas.

What’s your favourite Christmas Movie? Not a Christmas film per say, but I'm going to go with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I remember there being a period when I was younger where I would watch this every Christmas. Some of the film is of course set at Christmas time, and the beautiful images of Hogwarts in the winter make this film have the perfect Christmas feel.

Have you ever had a white Christmas? I don't remember ever having a white Christmas, but a quick Google search tells me there was one in England 2009! Not sure if it was the case in London or not though!

What is your favourite Christmas song? This is a really difficult one. But 'I wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday' has been stuck in my head for the last few days, so I shall go with that one.

Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve? Yes. Me and my Mum have a tradition to open our Christmas presents for each other on Christmas eve, and the rest of the family's/friends we save for the actual day. Though this year I've suggested opening them after midnight, so it will technically be on the 25th!

Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? I mean, probably not. But let's try. Prancer, Dancer, Blitzen, Rudolph, Dasher. Yep, that's all I can do!

Is your Christmas tree real or fake? We unfortunately don't have a Christmas tree this year. But we usually change it up, sometimes we have real ones and sometimes we use a fake tree. 

What is your all time favourite holiday treat/food/sweet? When it comes to the Christmas meal itself my favourite part is 100% the roast potatoes. Treat wise I like Gingerbread men/cookies.

Be honest, do you like giving or receiving gifts better? I think now that I'm an adult and I am able to buy things I want for myself throughout the year I actually look forward to giving presents more than receiving (though of course receiving is also great!). 

What is the best Christmas present you’ve ever received? I'm very lucky to have had things like iPhones bought for me as presents in the past. Also concert tickets!

What would be your dream place to visit during the holiday season? I've heard New York is a great place to be at Christmas time, so maybe there. 

Are you a Pro present wrapper or do you fail miserably? I like to think I'm okay! I'm pretty happy with this box of presents I wrapped and arranged for my Mum. Though I feel like when I'm no longer a student I'll probably get more extravagant when it comes to wrapping and the like!

Most memorable Christmas moment? I remember spending one Christmas in Spain when I was younger. It was memorable because it was a bit different to the usual set up of having Christmas in London! 

What made you realise the truth about Santa? I remember once finding the same wrapping paper that Santa had used stored in my mum's room. That was one of my first hints!

What makes the holidays special for you? The fact that the atmosphere is completely different around Christmas time. People are happier and there are pretty lights everywhere! Also getting to spend quality time with family.

Thank you Joanna for the tag, I now tag Eden at edenmarkl.com, Sarah at thissideofme.co.uk and Helen at mummytothemax.co.uk to also answer these questions (also anyone else who happens to be reading)!

I hope you enjoyed reading my answers to these Christmasy questions. What are your favourite things about Christmas?

Amani x 

My Favourite Epic Movies

I'm a huge fan of film. My taste is also very versatile. I can love anything from a low budget indie flick to a Hollywood blockbuster, so long as the film is captivating and has substance. The films I've listed below are my favourite 'epic' films - that is, films that have beautiful cinematography and scores, and enthralling twists and turns that keep you fully immersed from start to finish.

Inception

Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordon Levitt, Inception is a thrilling film with beautiful cinematography, gripping twists and phenomenal acting. This innovative and thought provoking film truly enamoured me the first time I saw it, and it remains one of my favourite films of all time.

The Dark Knight

Okay, so I really like Christopher Nolan movies. This classic Batman film is another all-time favourite of mine. Like the majority of the films on this list, I saw this film many times in the cinema. Everything from the pivotal acting scenes to the intense action sequences make for an irresistible cinematic experience.

Les Misérables

Movies don't get more epic than this. Based on the world famous stage production about pre-revolution France, 'Les Mis' takes the play's beautiful songs and tragic story-lines and accompanies them with beautiful visual scenes of 19th Century France. Making - in my opinion - one of the most amazing films of all time.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Here's one film that I would say is rather underrated. This unique short-story adaptation starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett tells an epic love story featuring a man who ages backwards. Truly beautiful cinematography and a poignant, emotional story-line combine and make this film one of my favourites.

Sweeney Todd 

As already evident by Les Mis's place on this list, dark musicals are sort of my thing. Sweeney Todd is a Gothic tragedy with both beautiful music and imagery. The Gothic visuals are perfection, even the blood in the film (there is a lot of it) is creatively stylized to be a unique shade of red. Sweeney Todd remains my favourite Tim Burton film.

I was able to enjoy all these films in the cinema (often multiple times). But now thanks to current day technology, having a great movie experience doesn't have to end when a film has stopped playing in cinemas. You can now get that epic movie experience at home with the Ultra HD 4K TV Panasonic. These TVs play films (and more) in spectacular, never before seen high-definition, and are an amazing way to bring great movies to life. They feature professional cinema display and were even tuned by Hollywood filmmakers.

I personally hope to watch all the movies on this list on this TV!

Amani x



This post has been kindly sponsored, but all views are my own.

Summer '16 In Pictures

The summer of 2016 was a pretty eventful one for me, and of course I documented it through pictures - so here's what it looked like!

A boat part to start the summer off!

Aand back in London for the summer holidays.

I went down to the beach for some soul-searching during a difficult period in July.

Just a summer selfie.

Home comforts.

I attended London Film & Comic Con with my mum. The highlight was seeing a LOST panel. 

A Cafe Rouge Lunch.  

Enjoying city life.

The definite highlight of the summer (and year) was taking a tip to America to meet my dad's side of the family for the first time!

My amazing hotel room in South Carolina, and some hotel selfies.

On the road. 

Pretty Richmond, Virginia (and my even prettier hostel).

Ending my trip in Wasginton D.C.!

Back in London Hampstead Heath in the summer.

Two different kinds of steps.

Back in Nottingham and uni's looking pretty in the summertime. 

Another major highlight for me was attending my best friend's wedding! 

I spent the end of the summer back in Nottingham, often cooling off by the fountain in the town square.

Amani x

My Youtube Channel

source

The time has come - I can officially say that I have branched out onto Youtube! I have so far only uploaded one video, but have a lot more lined up - these will include vlogs as well as sit-down videos. So if you have any interest in me as a person and what I have to say then head over and subscribe :)

You can also take a look at my first video below, where I document bits of my recent trip to the U.S.

     

And I have of course not forgotten about this blog, so stay tune for more posts soon!

Hope to see you over on my channel :) 

 Amani x

April & May '16 In Pictures

As my uni assessments are finally behind me - and as we're now in the depth of summer - it's long overdue for me to post about how my Spring was. Here's what it looked like!

April

The first day of sun.

A derelict road sign in Hampstead.

I went to see The Last Shadow Puppets at Hackney Empire (the gig was amazing and the venue was beautiful). 

Just a dog in a coffee shop.

A taxi ride in London.

My mum recently moved to Highgate, so we explored the area!

Victoria sponge cake at my grandmother's house

 A very tasty meal at Pizza Express.

I finally visited the enchanting Highgate Cemetery for the first time. 

 A pretty pastel house in Highgate.

Goodbye London.

Hello Nottingham.

I travelled to Birmingham to see Troye Sivan live.

May

 Springtime on Campus.

 I received a beautiful wedding invitation from my best friend and her fiance. 

I'm lucky enough to live near Nottingham Castle - the surrounding area is pretty in the Spring.

There were a few end of year events this month which I dressed up for!

A pretty shop window in Nottingham.

I hope everyone had a great Spring!

 Amani x