Ad-Jen-t Calendar 2015 - Day 10

A film that I watched fairly recently is 'Her'. It's set in a future where having a personal AI is the norm; basically everyone has their own Siri that they use all the time. The story follows one particular guy and the trials and tribulations of his love life. I know I'm really not selling it very well at the moment, but I'm trying to contain myself from raving about it too much. I didn't know much about the film before seeing it, but I totally did not expect it to be so heartwarming and heart-breaking-ly beautiful.

On top of that, the soundtrack is also amazing. I still listen to it frequently and, in my opinion, it makes great background music for life in general ;p

Ad-Jen-t Calendar 2015 - Day 9

If I had to choose one song or piece of music to listen to for the rest of my life, I'd choose Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. There's just so many different sections to this piece, all of which I adore. I particularly like the piano version and would very much like to be able to play this one day :) Take a listen for yourself:

Ad-Jen-t Calendar 2015 - Day 8

Last Sunday, I played Skyrim for the first time. Thank goodness Wicks was present to capture some of my most noob-ish moments in style...

All art by Simon Wicks.

Note: We are not affiliated with Skyrim.

Ad-Jen-t Calendar 2015 - Day 7

For the past 2 weeks, I've been on a mission to find the perfect shortbread recipe. So far I've tried 4 different ratios of ingredients, and still the search continues. I particularly enjoy putting chocolate chips into the mix. Here's a sample that I made a week ago, they don't look quite so radioactive in real life, I swear it's the lighting in this photo :p

If you have a favourite recipe then be sure to post in the comments!

Ad-Jen-t Calendar 2015 - Day 6

Christmas Favourites #2:

http://www.thorntons.co.uk/product/Chocolate-Toffee-Fudge/Chocolate-Bars/Continental-Viennese-Bar/pc/2198/c/2200/12.uts

These Thorntons chocolate bars are such a Christmas staple for me. I don't know why, but my mom and I always got them when we were out shopping together, now I feel like I need them at this time of year. My favourite flavours are Viennese, Sicilian Lemon and Cappuccino.

Note: We are not affiliated with Thorntons.

Ad-Jen-t Calendar 2015 - Day 5

Christmas Favourites #1:

Photo: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/marys_christmas_genoa_32386

Last year, my mom made this Genoa cake and I've been a massive fan ever since. Naturally, I requested that she make it again when I go back :)

Ad-Jen-t Calendar 2015 - Day 4

Thought I'd share with you a film that I've recently seen :)

A few weeks back, a friend and I went to a local independent cinema, which was most quaint and cozy, to see the eponymous Steve Jobs biopic. Being quite interested after seeing the trailer, I was excited to witness the whole thing myself.

It was no disappointment. The format of the film was unique and the story was told in a clever and creative way. I adored Kate Winslet's portrayal of Joanna Hoffman; such a strong and witty character.

Overall, I'd very much recommend that you see this at some point.

Have a good rest of the day :)

Ad-Jen-t Calendar 2015 - Day 3

Last weekend I made some little desserts that were much appreciated by the housemates. Here's my recipe for these choc pots :)

Chocolate Ramekin Desserts
Makes around 6

Ingredients
300g chocolate (any type you like) + a little extra for topping
300ml double cream
20g butter
10 Oreo biscuits (or you could use Bourbons, any sort of sandwich biscuit is good)

1. Break up the chocolate into small pieces and place into a container (I find a measuring jug to be easiest for pouring out of later on).
2. Heat up the cream and butter until it's just bubbling. Pour this straight onto the chocolate and start stirring to combine the two together until you get a nice smooth consistency.
3. For the base, crush the biscuits (probably easiest in a food blender, or just put them in a bag and bash 'em with a rolling pin). If you prefer it to stick together a bit more, just add a little melted butter.
4. Now to assemble it... Put down your biscuit base and really pack it down in the bottom of the ramekins. Then just pour your chocolate mix on top. Chill in the fridge for as long as you can bear (20 mins will do). Serve with a little cocoa powder dusted on top and/or some chocolate shavings.

You're welcome :)

Ad-Jen-t Calendar 2015 - Day 2

Mornin'!

As promised, here I am again to deliver more (low) quality entertainment :p Today's topic is music; basically I just wanted to share with you my favourite things to listen to around Christmas.

Currently my go-to album has to be Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker' for two main reasons. One being the fact it makes me feel Christmas-y, and the other is that it reminds me of when I was a lot younger, perhaps 7 or 8 years old, and how I always used to watch the VHS of the ballet. It was, and still is, an absolute favourite of mine :)

Out of all the pieces, I'm a particular fan of the Waltz of the Snowflakes. To me, it just paints a wonderful snowy scene in my head. Take a listen for yourself:

Until tomorrow, have a lovely day :D

Ad-Jen-t Calendar 2015 - Day 1

Hello everyone!

For this year's advent calendar I thought we'd do something a little bit different. Gonna be honest here and say that we don't have many quotes unfortunately, but I still really wanted to keep up this Christmas tradition. So, the plan is to post every day leading up to Christmas. There should be quite a range of stuff, basically just me sharing whatever I can think of...

To start off, I thought today's post could just be a bit of a catch-up, since I haven't really shared what I've been up to. Thinking about it now, I don't even know where to begin! It's been a busy few months where I've met a large number of new people, started a course that I'm really enjoying at the moment (found out I actually quite like stats and business law, who knew) and also learned to write Hiragana in my Japanese classes.

It's been a surreal and wonderful experience, which has also messed with my mind a little bit; I'm not quite sure any more how time works... It feels like a long time since I moved away from Localville, yet the past weeks have flown by so quickly and now it's nearing Christmas already... I guess the only appropriate word to describe it all is 'crazy'.

But back to the present, this is a pretty busy week; I've got a test on Friday, which I'm not looking forward to and stressing out about (only a little). There's this habit that I've sorta gotten into during exam weeks where I tend to eat cereal at night. I need to shake that one off, not the most healthy thing to be into.

Apart from the test, I'm going to a carol service with some friends tomorrow night. Should definitely get me into a Christmas-y mood. My current attempts at being festive are quite pathetic; a dark green jumper and my Christmas socks (basically socks with a pattern of stockings... sock-ception much?)

Anyways, that should probably be it for today. Look forward to something different tomorrow.

Until then, have a good day :D