May has come and gone and with it came some chilly weather - waking up early for work when it's 3 degrees outside can be quite a challenge. In saying that, I absolutely love the colder weather - so I am embracing the coming days of winter by putting together this blog post in the comfort of my sweatpants under cozy blankets. This is what I call living people. 😜
May started off in one of the best ways possible with Mother's Day. My brothers, my mum and I ventured out to the beautiful Hunter Valley and enjoyed the day eating incredible food at Baumé at Ben Ean, having a few wines (tasting and whole glasses) and enjoying the delicacies at The Smelly Cheese Shop (if you're a foodie, this place is a must). Overall, it was a beautiful day and I hope that your Mothers Day was equally special and that those, without a mother or severed ties, were supported on this difficult day.
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| This was just the start of the food being brought out to us at Baume, pictured was this lightly coated salt and pepper calamari with lemon aioli, mushroom and cheese arancini balls with a herbed aioli and spiced chicken wings with an olive caper salsa - it was to die for. |
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| Then came the mozzarella pizza, which was sooooo good. Like if you're looking for pizza that has a beautifully thin but crunchy crust and has a cheese pull like no other, then this is where you need to go. |
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| Considering I detest being in most photos, I was behind the camera for this one. This was taken just after lunch at Lindeman's Estate. |
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| So, I didn't get away from the camera for all the photos, unfortunately. This was taken prior to lunch by some friendly stranger at the Hunter Valley Chocolate Shop, just beside Peterson Champagne House (where we definitely made a visit). |
Now let's get into some of the things I've been enjoying throughout May...
Bits & Bobs
'Unfold' | App
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For a very long time I envied bloggers who were able to make their InstaStories so aesthetically pleasing and come across like a 'mini-blog'. I simply put it down to the fact that for bloggers it's their job to make social media as pretty as possible and that they spent a lot of time working on Photoshop to create collages and very aesthetic images for their stories.
Then, one day I was like, "surely, they don't have time to do that everyday", so I looked it up and came across 'Unfold'. Which has now become an obsession and makes me want to upload more content to my stories, just so I can use it.
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| This is an example of the types of things I particularly like using the app for. It just makes it much easier for people to follow and it's very aesthetically pleasing too. |
The app is full of 'frames' that you can put your photos and videos into, as well as options to add text if you wish to caption your photos or explain what's going on. I regularly upload recipes onto my InstaStories, so this has made it so much easier for people to read, follow and save for later. I love it and it seems other people do too. I was asked so many times about the app I use and now I am sharing it with you.
'RecordIt!' | App
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Another app that I fell in love with this month is 'RecordIt!', which is a screen capturing app that works easily from the shortcuts on your phone. The reason I downloaded this app is because, once again, I had seen bloggers and YouTubers with videos of what they were listening to on Spotify and I wanted to be able to do the same.
Once you download this app, you are able to capture video of you using your phone - which is great if you're trying to show someone how to do something, or you want to capture how an app works, what you're listening to on Spotify, etc. This app, combined with 'Unfold' - now that is a match made in heaven.
As a massive foodie, I absolutely love putting time aside to watch cooking videos and TV shows. It's my equivalent of watching sport. With more food publications optimising their online platform and uploading video content, this has introduced me to a brand new world of cooking videos. Bon Appétit, is currently my go-to - they provide the goods each and every time.
Even if you're not a huge foodie or into cooking videos, I feel like you could get on board with these. The editing is amazing, as they always take the mickey out of whoever is cooking at the time and the banter on the screen is hilarious. The 'It's Alive, with Brad', is probably my favourite segment to watch, but honestly all the videos are so great and creative. Especially their 'Gourmet Makes' segment with Claire Saffitz, who takes regular snacks and lollies from the store and tries to recreate a gourmet version of it.
The most recent one I watched made me crack up so much... you can check it out below.
I've been binge watching...
Handmaid's Tale | Season Two
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--------- SPOILER ALERT ----------
After watching the first season of the Handmaid's Tale, I knew that the ride would be bumpier the second time around. So far, I want to even go so far as saying there is a lot more confronting scenes and themes, which seriously make you think of what could happen for women today if supreme order took over the country.
Season 1 of the Handmaid's Tale was based on the best-selling book of the same name by Margaret Atwood, however, this season had to be made up from scratch, as Atwood never made a follow up to her classic. So, this season so far has a lot of surprises - for fans of the original book and for those who have come along for the ride with the TV series.
Season 2 presents Offred (June) attempting to escape the confines of Gilead with the help of Nick, who was her closet confidante/lover from the household she was assigned to. This, however, comes with its set of triumphs and challenges. This time around I'm being kept on my toes more than ever.
Riverdale | Season Two
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--------- SPOILER ALERT ----------
I got on board Riverdale in season 1 and now I think more and more people are admitting that this show is a bit of a guilty pleasure of theirs. This season is one that I personally rank as superior to the first - it takes a much darker turn and the mystery bubbles to a boiling point that then smacks you right in the face.
Granted, there were moments that made me really angry (Jughead being beaten up and almost killed) and then finding out that Hal Cooper was one of the black hoods, well boy oh boy that shook me. A whole lot of stuff leads up to these points, which just further intensifies the experience.
Plus, Hiram is by far one of the most evil (and sexy) characters, who has a whole lot more evil work up his sleeve. I'm also keeping an eye on Polly, that girl is up to something. I'm eager to see what happens in Season 3 - just gotta wait 'till October for that one.
Flipping Through...
Lenny Letter
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If you're someone that likes to read quick short essays and creative pieces that tackle modern feminist, economic, social & political issues, I think Lenny Letter will quickly become a new love of yours.
I began subscribing to Lenny Letter a few years ago, but never really gave the essays much of a chance (mainly 'cause they were competing with a whole lot of mail spam). However, that was only until recently. I have since read several pieces on feminist issues, with one in particular that gained my interest, as it was regarding females and their pre-conceived notions that body hair is 'dirty' and needs to go (which is absolute BS). The article can be found here.
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| Source: Lenny Letter - Illustration by Juliana Vido |
I think these articles are a great way of shifting the dialogue and changing up conversations around some very important topics. It's great to see and know that the young women and men of this generation will grow up with these sort of conversations. This is what moving forward looks like.
I've been listening to...
Well... well... well.... where do I even begin to start with what I was listening to in May? This month a whole heap of music came out that rocked my world (positively, negatively and indifferently). |
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First things first, one of my favourite bands of all time, Arctic Monkeys, released their much anticipated album, Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino, and I gotta say it was pretty underwhelming - which I hate to say. It had its redeeming qualities, as you will notice from my review, but overall - it didn't live up to it's predecessor AM, which was insanely good that it makes it hard not to compare.
The next thing worth mentioning, and has been spoken about by ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE, is the Childish Gambino video clip for 'This is America'. Now, yes - this video clip is extremely confronting and provoking, but it's been executed in a way that is incredibly clever and pure genius.
There are many layers of meaning in this video clip, especially surrounding the history of gun violence within black communities in America, gun violence in general, police brutality, modern day rapper cultural tropes and so so much more. If you ever get a chance to look through the many layers, you'll realise why this video is far more than just viral clickbait. Childish Gambino has done it again and of course, he pulls out the big guns (quite literally) with what will supposedly be his last album.
As for some of the music I was playing on repeat, well you will find that in my 'May '18' playlist on Spotify below (it's a big one this month - so enjoy!)
What did you enjoy throughout May?
