This post is about Cloud Atlas, a book I just finished reading. And, rather controversially according to reviews, I have to say I actually enjoyed the film more! I went to see the film when it came out just as something to do and because the trailer looked intriguing; I knew little about it except for the fact that it has lots of actors playing multiple characters and that it is not based on a book written by one half of Mitchell & Webb. This post does not contain spoilers

Having sat through 172 minutes of epic and often bizarre storytelling, I sat in the cinema for 30 or so seconds when it finished in awe. My boyfriend turned to me and said “What the hell did I just watch?” and I replied “I LOVED IT!!!!” Now I did enjoy certain segments more than others, as I’m sure most did. I found myself deeply invested in Sonmi-451’s story set in Neo-Seoul, a dystopian setting (my FAVOURITE TYPE of setting) where Koreans are divided into cloned Servers and human Consumers. I felt that this story in itself could quite easily warrant its own novel, or even series of novels, or films. Without giving away any of the plot…. I cried at the end of this segment. Okay, to be fair I cry at every other movie or tv show I watch, but still. It really moved me. And the rest of the segments I thought were well-acted, suitably dramatic and humorous, and were woven together in a way that you kind of understood how the stories linked but also got that David Mitchell didn’t intend it to be some kind of clear, the-penny-drops type of conclusion wrapping it all up neatly. And sometimes I like films that leave it open at the end as it hands it over to the audience to get what they want from it.

So after the film I immediately downloaded the book onto my Kindle and started reading it during the Easter holidays. Now I have to admit that I didn’t read any for 10 or so weeks as it was my final term of Uni… I had exams and stuff which were slightly more important so I had to re-read books about men turning into bugs (Kafka obvs) and depressed, repressed women (every book on every literature degree ever). This probably contributed to the fact that I found the book a little more disjointed. I think it was also because the sections were so long and there were only about two sections on each different ‘story’ within the book so I felt that after finishing one section, I’d start another the next day and have forgotten about the previous one and feel as if I was reading a different book entirely. The fact that the whole experience wasn’t compacted into three hours also made it feel more disjointed to me. I also often found myself skim-reading certain sections such as the far-future post-apocalyptic-caveman-type-story chapters as they were written in a way that I was just too lazy to bother to read properly (my fault, I know!); think Trainspotting and its strong Scottish phonetic dialect or A Clockwork Orange with its  half-invented language. Again, because I knew that the Korean story was my favourite, I found myself counting down the pages until I could return to Neo Seoul.

Anyway, according to many film critics I read up on, the film did not quite live up to the book’s efforts despite its brave attempts. Maybe I can have a more unique perspective on this one by the fact that I adored the film first and went on to read the book second. I whole-heartedly recommend  both but I promise you that the 2012 film will leave you speechless, especially if you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into!

I leave you with this Polyvore creation (I said I was obsessed) which I entered into a competition based on the book you are currently reading. I tried to capture some of the visual wonder of the film with my object and clothing choices, a preview of which you can see from the film stills at the right of the collage.

The title of the post, “Travel far enough, you meet yourself”, is a quote from the book which, despite my complaints, is beautifully written.

Here’s another: “A half-read book is a half-finished love affair.” Every book is worth finishing, people!

So this could be a thing, you know like a regular thing? Where I round up the music I’ve been listening to for the past week or so? This is a thing.

The 1975 – So Far (It’s Alright)

If you haven’t heard of them, now is your chance to get to know. You’ll probably have heard Chocolate on the radio; it’s catchy and I love love love it. But it’s the EP tracks like this and Anobrain, for example, that make this band unique and more than just a standard poppy indie kinda band. Give it a listen.. they have some actual deep lyrics that aren’t about your car smelling of chocolate (though they have those too). 

Alt-J – An Awesome Wave

Because if you haven’t listened to this album, STILL, you’re an idiot. So here it is in full. Just listen. It’s genius. And I’ve been listening even more obsessively than usual this week before their impending tent headliner at T in the Park next weekend, which anyone with any sense will be dying to watch rather than Rihanna on the main stage. If you haven’t guessed by now, I don’t like Rihanna.

The Strypes – Route 66

Like most of the country (world?) I was watching Glasto last weekend, all weekend. And this band were mentioned a good few times, notable since they are all around 15-17 in age which just makes me depressed because… well, catch their set and you’ll see how cool they are. And talented. It’s not fair!!! And this song just had to go on here as it’s a Stones cover (yes I know they didn’t record it originally, I do my research, this is a very serious blog) and they are rightfully the talk of the week… don’t get me started on how cool Mick Jagger is. Even aged 690. For the record, no I don’t own a Rolling Stones t-shirt from Primark and yes I did have over 50 of their songs on my ipod before I even knew they were making the comeback rounds this year.  

That’ll do for now. Happy listening!

So. I don’t really know what the purpose is the blog is as of yet. One day I’m sure it will be full of purpose. But for now I guess I’ll just post about what is at the forefront of my mind right now and that, ladies and gentlemen, is T IN THE PARK!

Yes, despite the fact that I live in London with so many festivals within touching distance (the South is great like that), I have chosen to hike it up to the moors of Kinross with fields full of drunk Scots. And by hike I mean a lift to the station if I’m lucky, a tube, two trains, an overnight stay in the land of the North before two more trains and a Scottish CityLink coach. It sounds more complicated than it is.
My life is made easier by the fact that I have a Northern boyfriend who conveniently has similar music taste to me (as if I’d date anyone who liked Rihanna or Black Veil Brides) so I can stay at his house the day before the festival to make the long journey up to Scotland a little easier on my body and soul. So that’ll be where I am in a week’s time. For now, though,  I have been doing the productive thing: SHOPPING. Yes, I have a new bag, new raincoat (it’s Scotland so, yeah) and…….. pink knee high socks to go with the pink fluffy pig hat I have just ordered off of ebay. That’ll probably make a lot more sense when

I tell you that Friday at T is Fancy Dress day, and the them is Heroes and Villains. Tenuous link, I hear you cry, but my boyfriend and I wanted to do something outrageous and not turn up as Batman and the Joker BUT instead use the power of fairytale and go as the Big Bad Wolf and one of those three little pigs. Via the medium of a Primark onesie (we’re students we cannot afford real fancy dress shops).

To get to know me a little more I should tell you that last night I had a dream that I got to TITP, although it didn’t look like it but trust me, it was the place (in a dream YOU JUST KNOW). And I got into a panic because I didn’t brin
to sleep for 20 minutes or so before someone else drunkenly yelled out across the campsite and took a dump next to our tent causing me to wake up again.g enough jumpers with me so I had to go shopping in the mall…. on the festival site, obviously. This may stem from the fact that my previous festival experience, Reading 2010, was the mudbath to end all mudbaths. A 16-year-old me woke up in the middle of one night, after every single inch of my bag and clothes inside were soaked through so I was forced to live and sleep for four days in the same outfit, pack-a-mac included. I woke up because I was cold. So very cold. I woke my friend up and said, “I’m really cold. Like, really cold”. I lay there for a while contemplating going to first aid (I dunno, maybe they’d give me some foil or something like after the Marathon? Does that warm you up or cool you down?) Then I decided that I’d be warmer in my sleeping bag. And that I’d better get

So, basically, I’m expecting the worse next week. This time, though, I’ve learnt to wrap all my clothes in bin bags and bring an extra jumper in case of emergencies. In case there isn’t a Westfield shopping centre in the middle of Balado Park, Kinross.

P.S. You will soon learn that I have decided to put my A-Level Media to use… I got an A* which is why I’m so good at Photoshop, obvs.