Thoroughly modern millennial

Tag: 2016

  • March | In Retrospect

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    Song of the month: Soft Place To Land by Sara Barielles

    I’m gonna start this post by saying at the time of writing this I’ve just woken up from a boss nap having consumed far too much gin and chocolate because Easter. Yes. So good.

    Despite this being a much quieter month for me, the good vibes from February have thankfully carried through into March. I’m still chugging along nicely in my house, I managed to skilfully bypass a cold and got back on track – kinda – with blogging and life. The slow start to Spring has been a welcome change of pace. It also helps that I’m currently taking a welcome break from work for two weeks, the first few days of which have been spent hibernating at my parent’s house away from adult responsibilities and the 9 to 5.

    I’ve been using the past few days to really relax back into writing and blogging. The familiarity of my old bedroom and comfort of my old blogging spot (the top left hand corner of my bed with a cup of coffee fyi) seems to have flipped a switch in my brain to reinvigorate my need to create. It’s a nice feeling to be honest. My mind and body have been in serious need of a recharge and I’m trying to hold onto it as much as possible right now, especially as March almost always a calm before the storm/upcoming madness of April. This year will be no exception to that madness as I’ll be spending the first week of it my home away from home, New York, shifting about job roles at work, and of course my 24th birthday towards the end of it.

    I’ve got a lot of good coming up but sometimes it’s hard to justify this feeling alongside all the awful in the world right now. It’s frustrating and saddening that some of us can’t do more to ease the hurt in light of recent events in Brussels and Lahore. I’m a true believer there is still good in the world, it’s a small comfort but a comfort none the less.

    Ria

    This month in blogs:

    On TMM

    NYC Bucket List 2.0 // Teen Idol | Amandla Stenberg // Curating Your Online Space //Celestial | Alexander McQueen A/W 16 // International Women’s Day | 3 easy way to #PledgeForParity // Writing | Words + Music

    Elsewhere

    New updates, new genres, and new writing, Oh my!, The Unabridged Writer

     

  • The Sunday Share Out

    The Sunday Share Out

    Happy Easter and welcome to the latest edition of The Sunday Share Out! Grab your hot beverage of choice and check out which posts, videos and bloggers I’ve been loving from around the Interwebs lately.

    A R O U N D  T H E  I N T E R N E T

    • I discovered Sonia’s videos thanks to the lovely Leena’s ‘small youtubers’ list and OH MY GOD why have I never subscribed to her before? Her video style is kinda like the adorable lovechild of KickthePJ and Emily Diana Ruth, with an added ‘Thoughts from places’ element (a la old school Vlogbrothers) I seriously urge you to check her out. Her videos are so dreamy, so thoughtful and so creative. She makes me wanna make all the things! Top 3 faves to get you started? Escape, Translations, and Goodbye (tissues at the ready for that last one)
    • One of my favourite books of all time is Quiet by Susan Cain. I often cite reading it as the turning point in my life to stop thinking that my so-called shyness or introversion wasn’t a burden, but my biggest strength. And now? Cain has just started podcasting on the topic of introversion.
    • Ok favourite emotional post that I may or may not have cried at goes to the incredible Katie of Scarphelia. The post in question ‘Learning to smile on the internet’ is quite honestly one of the best posts I’ve read in a long, long time.
    • Jennie has been challenging herself to listen to a new album every day and honestly it’s a pretty genius idea. I’ve often get stuck in a rut of listening to the same albums and songs over and over again until I get sick of them. There’s been some amazing suggestions so far – I’ve already bookmarked The Japanese House, Sunflower Bean, and King to download!

    A R O U N D  T H E  B L O G S P H E R E

    & M I S C.

    • Sweet Design: Sia
    • The White Album: Joan Didion
    • Work From Home: Fifth Harmony
    • Paradise: Toni Morrison
    • Everything Changes: Sara Barielles
    • God Help The Girl (2014)

    Ria

  • Teen Idol | Amandla Stenberg

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    *image via Nylon magazine

    I’ve been putting off this post for a while, not for any untoward reason other than I find it a bit weird that I consider someone so much younger than me a personal role model.

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    If there’s one phrase that describes Amandla Stenberg I think it’s fair to say ‘generational role model’ sums it up quite nicely. Catapulted into the spotlight courtesy of The Hunger Games franchise, Amandla won hearts as the adorable and cunning Rue. Though JLaw has obviously garnered more attention, I think it’s fair to say Amandla made quite an impression with the little screen time she had.

    Nowadays Amandla is not only making waves in her acting career but at the forefront of numerous social justice movements and is a veritable social media superstar because of it. Outspoken from the outset (her casting in The Hunger Games created ridiculous controversy as many ‘fans’ of the franchise argued over Rue’s ethnicity), Amandla has never been afraid to speak out on race and representation.
    Her viral video on cultural appropriation was praised worldwide for it’s concise and powerful rhetoric, and she’s showing no signs of stopping.

    She now stands as a beacon of hope, a symbol of what powerful, intelligent yet humble teens should be. In a world full of false idols and Insta-stars Amandla and her millennial cohorts, Rowan Blanchard, Willow and Jaden Smith, Tavi Gevinson, and fellow Hunger Games star Willow Shields, stands as an alternative option. It’s been a whirlwind couple of years for Amandla already and I can’t wait to see what she does next. Socially aware, progressive, accepting and fearless, she’s my kind of role model for sure.

    Ria