Hi all!
Welcome to my March Favourites for 2017. I’m posting this on a Friday rather than a Monday because in April (tomorrow), you will be subjected to my second 30 Day Blogging Challenge – this one entirely Disney themed! March was the beginning of autumn in Australia but it was still incredibly warm and packed full of adventure. I read touching books, went to Adventure Time Live and saw the live action film Beauty and the Beast which I had been looking forward to for so long. It was also really exciting to know we were getting that much closer to our epic Europe trip! I hope you enjoy the following list:
THE BEST OF MARCH:
1.) Audio Book – Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
A book has to blow me away for it to make the favourites list and this story was no exception. I had read so many positive reviews about this YA novel by Rainbow Rowell and was not disappointed in the slightest by it. The plot revolves around the magic that surrounds teenagers in their first serious relationship. Meet Eleanor, a chubby, unpopular redhead that dresses like a man and comes from a dysfunctional home. Meet Park, a half-Korean cool kid that loves music, comic books and lives a privileged life. It is told from both perspectives over the course of a whole school year. The pair are forced to sit next to one another on the bus every single day and despite their obvious differences, they fall head over heels in love. What I loved about this audio-book was its ability to make me laugh and cry at the same time. It was so touching in parts and irrevocably sad in others. Rainbow Rowell is such a raw and edgy writer. This made me want to continue reading more of her works. I really enjoyed the build-up and transitions from the two main characters initially hating one another to not being able to breathe when they were apart. Both Eleanor & Park prove that opposites do attract and love is worth fighting for no matter what is against you. Read or listen to the book. It’s wonderfully perfect.
2.) T.V Show – This is Us
Oh my gosh how I love this show! Do yourself a favour and start watching it if you haven’t already. It is so unbelievably touching and well-written. I don’t want to give too much away but the story revolves around four different characters all born on the same day and the connections they share. Firstly you have Jack Pearson and his pregnant (with triplets) wife Rebecca Pearson. The couple are nervous about the upcoming delivery of their three babies and how this significant change will uproot their lives. Secondly you have Kate, an overweight woman struggling with her body and confidence. Thirdly you have Kevin, an attractive actor that wants to be taken seriously in his career and fourthly you have Randall, who has just located his biological father who left him at a fire-station when he was born. The show confronts many themes of diversity, race, parenting, love, forgiveness, acceptance and so much more. It’s definitely the best series I’ve watched this year so far. Watch it if you loved Parenthood and/or The Gilmore Girls.
3.) Workout – Cardio Boxing
Now that I work at Melbourne University, I have access to their enormous gym and all their discounted, cheap classes from Monday to Friday. I’ve always been curious about boxing and when I saw they held Cardio Boxing on Tuesday’s during lunch, I decided I had to try it. Luckily, this class welcomed all levels and it wasn’t long before I was loving the full-body workout. I don’t know what I love more about boxing: the way I get to release any and all frustrations or feeling like a badass. The warm ups include high-intensity skipping, push-ups, sit-ups, squats and running in between so you really feel spent by the end. Surprisingly, as an introvert, I also enjoy the partnering-up aspect. You get to have a laugh and watch each others progress. I’m very lucky to have this workout available to me and to have found something that suits my exercise routine. Have you ever boxed before? What did you think?
4.) Restaurant – Red Sparrow in Collingwood, Victoria.
Red Sparrow is a 100% vegan pizza restaurant in Collingwood, Victoria. You do need to live in or visit Melbourne to eat there. It opened late 2016 and in March 2017, I finally got to eat there with Francis and my best friend Graham. The pizzas were absolutely delicious. From top to bottom, we ordered the vegan ham & fig, the hummus and the vegan sausage. The vegan cheese was nice and light, the pizzas weren’t super oily and the crusts were fresh. It made me so happy to see yet another vegan option popping up in Melbourne. These kinds of restaurants prove that vegan food is not boring or bland but rather full of flavour and much healthier. If you live in the area or plan to visit, go to Red Sparrow!
5.) Creative Outlet- ‘Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Already Taken’- A Guided Journal for Introspection & Self-Discovery by Studio Oh!
If you read my blog, you know I love creative & guided journals. My December Favourites 2016! featured my Positivity Journal which I completed in February and really enjoyed. This journal however, is all about you. It is split into 3 parts: a.) Your past, b.) your present and c.) your future. It is also filled with inspiring and self-loving quotes along the way. You get to fill out your family tree and note down all your little quirks, dreams and goals. One question asks what happened on the day of your birth. I asked my mum and she sent me a nice, long paragraph detailing everything about that fateful day on May 23rd 1989. It was really fun learning more about myself and recording a keepsake for our future children. I think these kind of journals are unique and a great way to explore the inner-workings of your mind as well as your incredible life-journey so far.
6.) Game – Quantum Break
I had been in a bit of a gaming slump for the past couple of months due to a game I really wasn’t enjoying but for some reason forcing myself to play. I finally gave up on it and purchased Quantum Break, a game I had been interested in ever since it was released. Five minutes in and I was immediately hooked. This is exactly my type of game. Anything that involves time-travel excites me and in this story, not only do you get to witness time-travel, you get to manipulate time itself. Protagonist Jack Joyce is overseas when he receives an urgent email from his old friend Paul Serene to come and see him at Riverport University. When he arrives, Paul shows him his latest experiment: a time-machine. However, when they go to test it, a miscalculation occurs and they both end up absorbing abilities that allow them to freeze time and see into the future. What I love about this game is it’s incredibly action packed and you get to make decisions that affect the storyline depending which path you go down. The characters faces are adapted from the actual actors voicing them and after each act, you get to watch real-life episodes to witness the consequences of whichever action you chose. I would highly recommend playing it. It’s so much fun and a great concept.
7.) Movie – Beauty & the Beast (Live Action)
As mentioned above, I had been dying to see the live-action film of Beauty and the Beast ever since I had heard it was coming out. On March 30th, my family and I went to see it at Director’s Suite as a.) it is a special movie and b.) we didn’t want the experience to be ruined by lots of people with kids. It’s really hard to write in words how much I loved this film. I pretty much cried throughout the whole thing. It stuck so true to the Disney film. The songs, the costumes, the scenery, the acting, the love…all of it so perfect. I wanted to see it again straight after the credits rolled. I highly recommend seeing this movie. It just reinforced my love for Disney and all things magical.
8.) Memory – Best Moment of March 2017
On March 10th, I went to Adventure Time LIVE at the Melbourne Town Hall. The voices of Finn (Jeremy Shada), Jake (John DiMaggio), Princess Bubblegum (Hynden Walch) & Marceline (Olivia Olson) came together for an exclusive evening of table-reads, Q&A’s and to show us an exclusive, never before seen episode of Adventure Time. It was really fun and I loved seeing my favourite characters in person making everybody laugh. I truly adore Adventure Time. It’s about Finn the human and his best friend Jake the dog who live in the land of Ooo and have crazy adventures together. I’m so happy I went to this once in a lifetime event. Definitely the highlight of March for me.
TOTAL BOOKS I READ IN MARCH 2017: 6
– All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – 5/5 STARS
– Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell – 5/5 STARS
– Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon – 4/5 STARS
– Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler – 3/5 STARS
– Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas (Book #3 of the Throne of Glass Series) – 3/5 STARS
– Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – 5/5 STARS
Thank you so much for reading my March favourites. Let me know what you thought below. Tomorrow begins my 30 Day Disney Blogging Challenge! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Peace & Love xoxo
Disclaimer: This post contains links to my Amazon Affiliate which helps fund my blog, I am not being paid or sponsored for this post/products – all my thoughts/opinions are my own