November | A Month in Review

Okay... so I may have missed a 'month in review' for October, but alas, I am back to chat about what's been happening in November and what some of my favourite things were this month.

I also want to preface this review with a reminder that we are now well and truly entering the 'silly season', a.k.a my favourite time of year, where wearing Christmas baubles as earrings, singing carols and eating significant amounts of food is completely acceptable (or in my case, is acceptable all year round). I may even have a Christmassy blog post idea in the works.. so stay tuned.

I guess you could say that November has been a rollercoaster of a month. 

It started with me officially finishing my 3 year Communications degree, which I still can't quite wrap my head around. Then came the amazing final results from the postal plebiscite, showing that a large portion of Australians said 'Yes' for same-sex marriage - #lovealwayswins. 

Source: SBS

Throughout the month I was also offered an opportunity to intern/work at an amazing public relations company in Sydney - which I then had to make the hard decision of leaving behind. This was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make in a very long time. In fact, coming to that decision could be an entirely separate blog post. So, ultimately, November has been a heck of a ride.

Coming now into December, I feel like everyone often takes a moment to reflect on the year that's been, the lessons they've learnt along the way and things they want to do differently in 2018. I would love to hear your reflections, as I will share mine with you, but for now let's get into the favourites...

Bits & Bobs 

Clinelle Pure Swiss HydraCalm Cream

At this point in time you're probably starting to see a pattern in my favourites. 

Yes - I. love. skincare. 

As someone who has always, and continues to, struggle with easily irritated, acne-prone skin I reach for anything that will help calm that situation down. 

Luckily, I was introduced to Clinelle whilst interning at Portobello PR and quickly fell in love with their range of products.

Their mission is pretty pure and simple: happy skin is healthy skin, and that can only be achieved with the right ingredients.

Clinelle's products boast a no artificial colouring, artificial fragrances, lanolin, mineral oil, SD-alcohol and comedogenic ingredients list, which my skin has been very thankful for.

Like with all skin products, it may not work for everyone's skin type, but I highly recommend you give this cream a try, as it has really helped smooth out my skin and reduce red hyper-pigmentation - so it gets a thumbs up from me.

I've been binge watching...

The Good Doctor | Season 1

Source: blackgirlnerds.com

I will be the first to admit that I'm not a big hospital drama fan - with the exception of viewing Grey's Anatomy, purely for Dr. McSteamy and Dr. McDreamy (I mean, you can't blame me for that 😉)

The reasons being;

1. I can't handle handle the graphic imagery of oozing wounds, protruding organs, blood spurts, etc.
2. They can often come across as very cheesy and unrealistic - packed with the romance of a soap opera.

The Good Doctor, however, has become an exception.

What I find most fascinating about this series is that it is captured from the perspective of it's main character, Dr. Shaun Murphy, a surgical resident with autism.

For people who are unaware, autism is a developmental disorder that often inhibits peoples ability to communicate and develop social skills in the same way as regular people. However, it can also make people extremely high functioning, giving them the ability to digest knowledge and put that into practice in very proactive and intuitive ways.

This is the case with Shaun, and as I have seen throughout the series, we are able to see how his brain ticks and the ways in which he tries to solve problems, despite the challenges he faces with acceptance from his peers, his patients and himself.

I personally think this show is very clever in its delivery and think it's also a great way of giving some recognition to people with autism, showing them that your condition doesn't have to hold you back. Plus the show has been renewed for another season - airing in January 2018 - so it must be alright.

PS: Dr. Melendez is also pretty hot too 😉

Where to watch: Channel Seven - Tuesday 8:30pm, Thursday 8:30pm. 



Alias Grace | Television Mini-Series

Source: CBC

Boy oh boy... where do I even begin to start?

Alias Grace has got to be one of the best period drama series I have seen in a LONG time. Right from the get-go this show had me hooked - the plot, the characters, the costuming, everything, was so god damn good. So without giving too much away, I will tell you a little bit about it...

Alias Grace is based on the novel of the same name, which was first published in 1996 by Margaret Atwood (the lady that gave us The Handmaiden's Tale - another amazing book & television series). It follows Grace Marks, a young girl who was convicted of murdering her master (Thomas Kinnear) and housekeeper (Nancy Montgomery) in 1843, a story that is actually a real one.  

Things turn more fictional with the introduction of Dr. Jordan, an American psychologist who has been summoned to write a report on the condition of Grace Marks in an attempt to pardon her from her lifetime imprisonment and subsequent death sentence.

 In order to do that, Grace must recall the events of her life and this accounts for some juicy storylines and interesting plot twists, whilst also accounting for the interesting relationship that occurs between her and Dr. Jordan (I promise you, this is no love story).

All I can say is that I've watched it twice already and still feel like I need to go back for more - if you blink, you will miss something - details are everything in this show and the attention they gave to them is stunning.

Where to watch: Netflix 

Flipping Through...

Turtles All The Way Down - John Green 

An unintentional pattern that I've seen emerging in this favourites is a focus on mental health and disorders, with this book now becoming an addition to that very subject manner.

I think recently, or at least in the past couple of years, we have begun to see a lot more texts (books, television series, movies, music) focusing on the obscurity and truth that is often hidden behind mental health issues and disorders.

John Green, I know, has never been one to shy away from being completely and utterly honest on the topic of mental health (and life in general) in his previous books, however Turtles All the Way Down has taken things to a brand new level. A good level - just to be clear.

The book follows the inner-monologue of teenager, Aza, who struggles admittedly and upfront with obsessive-compulsive-disorder (OCD), which is captured in what I can only describe as a uniquely honest, uncomfortable but real dialogue - a breath of fresh air for many readers.

Aza is caught up in the recent disappearance of an old friend's (Davis) billionaire of a father (Russell Pickett) whilst also navigating high-school life, feelings of love/lust and managing to maintain her friendship with fan-fic loving best friend, Daisy as well as fighting the voices in her head that are often pinned against her.

It's real, it's honest, it's bloody intense, but it's also a really great piece of young adult fiction.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 stars

Listening To...

I'm gonna have to say that my pick for the fave track of November is 'Lemon' by N.E.R.D feat. Rihanna (a.k.a bae 😉). I had no doubts that when Pharrell decided to release a track with N.E.R.D again that it was gonna be a banger - so he truly did deliver. 🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋

PS: I really want to learn the 'Lemon' dance - and yes, it is a thing. 

Overall though, November was a pretty good music month with some of my favourites in the playlist below. 

What have been some of your faves this month? 

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