Different Types of Dancers at Parties

Hello blogosphere, welcome back! Today, to keep things interesting, I thought I'd do something a little different. At the party scene, I think we've all noticed that there are a variety of dancers who decide to live it up on the dance floor, so I thought, why not post about the different kinds of groovers you may come across? Believe it or not, this post was actually inspired by my own life. I know, I've been to a party, shocker right? I find that everyone slots into their own category at these sorts of events, so identifying them will surely help you find where you fit in. Intro over, here they are . . .

The Awkward Dancer

Yeah, you know the type. Awkward dancers are generally those people who are afraid to get super into their dancing for fear of judgement, so end up just standing there half the time with no clue of how to alleviate their social awkwardness. Then, as a result, they'll either end up ditching the dance floor early, or feel pressured into doing a half-hearted bop. I feel for the awkward dancer, I really do, however I unfortunately cannot empathise, as I am certainly not one of them. Maybe, one day, if you are one of these people, you'll learn to let loose and realise that the people around you are probably just as weird as you secretly are. But hey, I won't hold my breath. 

The Clueless Dancer

I'm not gonna lie, these are perhaps my favourite party dancers. Do they have any coordination? No, not even close. But are they entertaining? So much yes. The clueless dancer is someone who tries hard to get in there and give it a go, and you have to commend them for that, however they seriously have no idea how to go about it, and their lack of basic coordination means that they end up just moving random limbs around and hoping for the best. In a way, it's actually quite beautiful to watch. You've definitely got to give them credit for their enthusiasm.

The Super Energetic, Over Enthusiastic Dancer 

This, this is definitely me. 100% me. No doubt about it, I live in this category. Super energetic and overly enthusiastic dancers at parties are those people who don't really care about anything, and just live it up on the dance floor all night. Like seriously, they don't even think about what they're doing or how they look, they're just full of energy and spazzing around for hours. Not even kidding, partying takes everything I have. It's a full blown singing and dancing extravaganza. Safe to say, these dancers definitely aren't boring.

The Sensual Dancer

These, I kid you not, are the most terrible and embarrassing dancers you will ever come across at parties. Sensual dancers are those people who try super hard to seem all alluring and attractive by dancing provocatively, and it really is just one of the most embarrassing things to have to watch. Because seriously, it never works, and it just makes you look like an idiot (and not in a fun, spazzy dancing kind of way). So to all you sensual dancers out there, please, just stop. 

The Serious Dancer

Coming in at a close second to the sensual dancer, these types of dancers are one of the worst. I'm all for being energetic and aiming to be the life of the party, but seriously, no one wants to see you whip out a hardcore, professionally choreographed solo dance routine. If you do dancing, that's great for you, but maybe leave it somewhere else. If you're whipping out double pirouettes and high kicks, I think you know you've gone too far. Because honestly, no one will be focussing on how talented you are, they'll only be judging you for trying so hard to brag. 

So that's the end of my post. Hopefully you'll be able to relate to this variety of dancers, and are able to find yourself in this list. I guess I should apologise if I insulted your party dancing styles, but guys, seriously, just start being better at life. Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx

What Even is this Weather?

Readers, hello again! Now before you judge me super heavily, I'm going to do my best to try and make this post vaguely interesting. Yes, the weather is generally a dull subject, however in Sydney at the moment, Mother Nature's totally lost it. Sure, rain is inevitable once April approaches in the Southern Hemisphere considering that Autumn brings along with it some pretty drab weather, however this is simply ridiculous. So, in order to express to you how sucky the outdoors has been to us Aussies over the past few days, I thought I'd turn to Teenage Fanatic and have a little rant about it with the assistance from some GIF's. Sound good? Hopefully, because that's what's happening. Intro done and dusted, let's get down to business . . .

All of this atmospheric crayness started on Monday. Yes, it was the first day back at school after the holidays, and yes, it was raining. Some could say it's just bad luck, but I think it was totally real life pathetic fallacy (literary techniques for the win!).

So yeah, it was raining and all, but was it totally torrential? No, not at all. It was just super annoying.

However, come Tuesday, things took a turn for the worse. It was all windy and gross, and there was literally no escaping the rain. Especially if you had to walk to school with a completely broken umbrella. So yes, not only was I getting wet, but I also had to battle with an inoperative parasol.

Can I just say, having to walk around in the wind while navigating your way to a classroom during the school day is not a fun task. I mean, the rain is bad enough, but extreme, gale force winds? It's just hectic. And no, I did not look majestic a la Pocahontas:

I looked a little more like this:

Don't you hate it when Disney lies to you? But nevertheless, I soldiered on, although you can bet I wasn't happy about it.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, we were freed from school and I returned home. Honestly, never have I cherished my house so much in my life.

But then of course, I turned on the TV in preparation for some afternoon binge-watching and low and behold, the news of the ferocious storm I'm attempting to escape from is absolutely everywhere.

While the constant bombardment was annoying, I had to say, the news that this storm was getting worse and starting to cause major flooding was kind of freaking me out. And by kind of, I mean I was in a 100%, full-on panic. Not even kidding, I was totally expecting the apocalypse.

So then I was just in bed that night listening to all the wind and thunder and lightning and rain, and laying awake like:

Finally, Wednesday morning came, and I managed to suck it up and venture out once more into the cold. But did every student in New South Wales have to? No, no they did not. You know why? Because over 100 schools were closed for the day. But of course, you guessed it, mine was definitely not one of them.

So I was just sitting there at school all day like:

Of course, the rain didn't let up all day, and at this point, I seriously became resigned to the fact that it would be storming forever, or at least for the rest of my life.

But then, completely out of nowhere, I woke up this morning, and do you know what I saw? Sun. Actual real life sun.

All in all, I really think that James Franco can totally sum up what we've all been thinking about Sydney's weather over the past few days.

So really, I guess what I'm trying to say from this excessive use of GIFs is that Mother Nature sure can be temperamental. I mean, who knows what crayness we're in store for tomorrow? I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Hang in there Sydney! Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx

'Insurgent' Review (with GIF's!)

Hello and welcome back blogosphere! Today, I thought I'd continue on with my movie reviews and give you all my opinion regarding the second instalment of the young adult, dystopian franchise 'Divergent'. Considering these big budget book-to-movie adaptations garner quite a bit of attention in the teen world, those of you who have not yet seen it must be dying to know if it lives up to your expectations. Was it any good? Did it pale in comparison to the last film? You'll just have to read on and see for yourself.

To alleviate the overwhelming anticipation you guys must be feeling, I may as well let you know now that I was genuinely impressed with 'Insurgent'. Movies that are designed to appeal to the masses I am often skeptical of, and this movie was no exception, however I'm pleased to say that I had nothing to be worried about. I was trepidatious before watching 'Divergent' for the first time around this time last year, however as you may recall, I was definitely pleasantly surprised. So luckily, despite my slightly heightened expectations, 'Insurgent' was certainly not a let down. In fact, it was a total triumph.

The movie begins where 'Divergent' left off, as some citizens are in upheaval following the war against Abnegation. As villainous Erudite leader Jeanine (Kate Winslet) is attempting to hunt down protagonist Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) as a result of her containing traits from all five factions, making her 'Divergent', she becomes a fugitive who is on the run with her boyfriend Four (Theo James), her brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and 'frenemy' Peter (Miles Teller).

After being given permission to hide out in Amity by faction leader Johanna (Octavia Spencer), the four find it difficult not to draw attention to themselves.

Upon being hunted down by Jeanine's guards, namely former Dauntless leader Eric (Jai Courtney), they all decide to go separate ways. While Peter joins Jeanine's army, Tris, Four and Caleb come face to face with the factionless, who after some initial resistance, are taken to leader Evelyn (Naomi Watts), who is seen to be planning a counter-attack.

Meanwhile, Jeanine is back in Erudite, and is in possession of an ancient box said to contain data from the city's founders and the means to the end of the Divergent problem. In order to open it, she must get a Divergent who is strong enough to complete the simulated tests of all 5 factions, however, none of the test subjects so far have survived.

As a result, Jeanine instructs her guards to track down the perfect Divergent specimen and bring them back to Erudite for testing.

And that unfortunately is where I must stop my plot retelling for fear of revealing too many more spoilers. What's in the box? How does everything go down? You'll have to purchase a ticket and see for yourself.

As I hinted previously, I was super impressed with the second instalment of the Divergent series. As with any sequel, there's always a chance that it won't live up to the original film or meet everyone's heightened expectations, however luckily this was not the case with 'Insurgent'. I wouldn't be able to tell you which film was better, because I think I like them both equally, but for totally different reasons. The first movie was all about set-up and I found the premise to be really interesting, however this film I would say had a more sophisticated plot, while also managing to focus on some crucial character development. However, although I can't decide which film is superior, I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed with 'Insurgent' whether you are a fan of the series or not.

One of the major parts of a film for me understandably is the quality of acting, which thankfully in this film is super high overall. Considering the franchise contains two Academy Award winning actresses *cough* Kate Winslet and Octavia Spencer *cough*, you'd expect that their acting be of a high standard, however this applied to every member of the cast. As I mentioned in my review for the last film, Shailene manages to portray Tris excellently in a way that never manages to verge on annoying. In 'Insurgent' particularly, her character definitely did have the potential to come off as extremely irritating with all of her antics, however this is never even close to being the case.

Theo James was also able to demonstrate the development of his character super well, as Four, who was exceedingly stoic in the last film, began to act and emote like an ordinary human, which is always nice to see. Miles Teller, I have to say, is a brilliant Peter. I mean, he is the perfect choice to inject a bit of humour into any young adult dystopian franchise, and totally manages to give us a break from the seriousness of it all. Despite the fact that he is villainous more often than not, Peter really is the guy that you love to hate.

Without giving too much away, I think perhaps one of my favourite parts of the movie was being able to go through the simulated landscapes for each faction, something which we got a bit of a taste of in the last film. All the computer design and CGI stuff was really awesome, and managed to include scenes in which Tris had to fight with a simulated version of herself. Honestly, it totally reminded me of Lindsey Lohan in 'The Parent Trap'. It all got even more confusing when there were simulated realities within simulated realities, and I seriously got some 'Inception' vibes, however have no fear, because the confusion really just added to the intrigue, and was definitely short lived as things became clearer. Getting able to see a bit more about each faction was really great as well, especially considering that in the last film, we only really got an insight into the intricate workings of 'Dauntless'.

Overall, I guess what I'm trying to say is that 'Insurgent' is definitely worth checking out while it's still in cinemas. The plot is both interesting and engaging, the acting is spot on, and the film as a whole is definitely a winner. Of course it is made to appeal to a generic young adult market, however it doesn't feel overly commercialised or contrived, which is always a plus. If you're looking for an interesting, action packed film that manages to point out the flaws prevalent within our contextual society, I highly suggest you give 'Insurgent' a go.

Well that's about all that I have to say. I hope you enjoyed my review and that it helped you to decide whether or not to buy yourself a ticket (to which the answer should definitely be a yes). Feel free to go and live your lives after being granted access to the awesomeness contained within my opinions! Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx

2015 MTV Movie Awards: Best and Worst Dressed

Hello and welcome back blogosphere! Excitingly, since my last post, another awards show has come and gone. I'm not gonna lie, the MTV Movie Awards may actually be my favourite awards show of the season (aside from the Tony's of course), because they're pretty much just an awesome, teen-centric version of the Oscars. So of course, I am delighted to be back to give you my judgements on all of the fashion that celebs came out with on the blue carpet today. And yes, I will be totally ruthless. Intro complete, let's get down to business . . .

Best Dressed

Brittany Snow

There's no doubting that 'Pitch Perfect 2' star Brittany Snow sure knows how to rock an outfit. I mean, somehow she managed to break the cardinal rule of never wearing pink and red together, but totally made it work! Her ensemble just looks super cute and fun, and manages to be both 100% age and event appropriate. Let's face it, she just totally nailed it. 

Maia Mitchell

First things first, Maia's ensemble today was absolutely fabulous! Sure, I guess it's just a simple black dress, but she totally makes it work. This outfit just proves that sometimes sticking with something uncomplicated is the way to go, because this dress is definitely a knock out. This outfit, topped off with the sleek hair and smoky eye make-up is totally awesome, and is an excellent edgy addition to the low key fashion vibe of the MTV carpet. I'm not gonna lie, I'm totally feeling some Aussie pride for this star of 'The Fosters'!

Victoria Justice

Having recently joined the MTV gang after starring in her new hit show 'Eye Candy', Victoria Justice totally killed it tonight! She took some fashion risks, but I think it's safe to say they definitely paid off. Combining fashion and geometry often results in some epic carpet failures, however the shapes just totally add to the overall affect of the dress! The dress is totally covered in sequins which is definitely another bonus, and the pops of black give it a little bit of edge to keep things interesting. All in all, a total winner. 

Katie Stevens

Hands down, 'Faking It' star Katie Stevens looked seriously spectacular tonight! Once again, this dress may be relatively simple, but boy is it effective. It just looks so young and fresh and pretty, and is totally spot on for the laid back event! Overall, it's just effortless awesomeness I say.

Shailene Woodley

Once again, Shailene seems to have taken a fashion risk, however in my opinion, it totally paid off! I mean, to what other award shows could one where this I ask you? None, absolutely none. However, for the MTV Movie Awards, this looks is super fabulous! It's quirky, it's fun, and it's one of the only times I'm going to endorse pants. I'm not gonna lie, one of the main contributing factors for Shailene appearing on this list was not only the fact that she totally rocked the carpet, but also that she practically won the entire award show! Seriously, she won Best Female Performance, the Trailblazer award, Best Kiss (admittedly, that one was shared with Ansel Elgort), and 'The Fault in Our Stars', which she just so happened to star in, won Best Movie! I'd say that tonight was an all round success for Miss Woodley.

Worst Dressed

Charli XCX

I can help but thinking that hey, it could've been worse. Charlie XCX isn't exactly renowned for her red carpet successes, and after some of her fashion travesties in the past, I have to say, this one isn't too bad. For her that is. On the scale of normal human fashion fails? This outfit really is pretty gross. That fact that she's wearing a trench coat and only a trench coat gives off some pretty pedophiliac vibes (well, to me at least), and the pattern looks as if she's snatched the fabric from a carnival dwelling clown. Why would someone want to wear this combo and look like a pervy carny? I have no idea. Sorry Charli, this look just isn't working out. 

Hailee Steinfeld

 

Why Hailee, why? I mean, she's young and pretty, and her new, highly anticipated flick 'Pitch Perfect 2' is about to hit cinemas, so why would she want to dress like a grungy, ungroomed street urchin? I honestly do not know. There's so much wrong with this outfit that I really don't know where to start. The colours are all dingy and gross, and the jagged cut of the fabric at the bottom of the skirt looks as if she got into a full on brawl before rocking up to the event. Seriously, it's just a total no. 

Emily Ratajkowski

Before I say anything, I just have to ask, where's the rest of it? I'm serious, how embarrassing for Emily, rocking up to the MTV Movie Awards with only half a dress on! It almost makes you feel bad for her, except I really don't. I have to say, this dress isn't hideous or anything, it just isn't vaguely nice. It looks as if it isn't tailored properly and the dress as a whole looks like a high school design project gone wrong. The mismatched elements just don't work at all, and if I'm being totally honest, the green fabric looks as if she's had a battle with Kermit the frog and decided to recycle the remains. Sorry Emily, but this is a fashion faux pas. 

Bai Ling

Um, I'm sorry, but what even is this? To say this ensemble is confusing is an understatement. I mean, I'm all for fashion risks, but what the hell? First of all, can somebody tell me who Bai Ling is, because I seriously have no clue, and secondly, can someone tell me why she's got a dragon on her shoulder? Mythical creatures are great and all, but perhaps maybe leave them at home, far, far away from photographers. I honestly have nothing nice to say about this, because everything is just so awful. I could nit pick every individual element I hate, but really, I'd just be wasting everyone's time, because it's all just super hideous. I'm sorry Bai, but once you reach the level of international superstardom that Lady Gaga has, then, and only then, can you dress like a maniac without judgement (well, from me at least). 

Jessie J

I hate to say this, because I really do like Jessie J, but I'm sorry, I do not like this outfit. She's giving off some serious Morticia Addams vibes, and although I do love 'The Addams Family', it's just not right for an awards show (or anywhere that isn't a dress up party). If she'd gone full on, hard core gothic, perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad, but the oversized, shapeless, sparkly black shirt and pant combo? Not a winner I'm afraid. Admittedly, it's definitely not the worst look on the carpet, however it is far from the best. Sorry Jessie, better luck next time. 

So that's about it guys! Congratulations on reaching the end of the post. Hopefully you agree with my fashion judgements, and fingers crossed I didn't offend too many people with my harsh critique. Before we go, I just want to let you guys know that you should definitely, 100% tune in to the 2015 MTV Movie Awards when they repeat it pretty consistently over the next 24 hours. Seriously, host Amy Schumer was pretty great! Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx

Hello Netflix Australia!

Readers, welcome back! Today, I thought I'd start off by sharing with you all some super exciting news. Finally, Australia seems to be catching up with the rest of the world (or, you know, America at least), as low and behold, us people down under are now privy to the awesomeness that is Netflix. There really isn't any way I could go without blogging about this mammoth event, so I've decided to outline for you all my emotional journey upon discovering this mesmerising program. I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty damn proud of our country for moving on up in the world. So without further ado, here's what went down . . .

Okay, believe it or not guys, I wasn't always totally sure that Netflix was going to be awesome. I mean, as far as I knew, it didn't offer me anything that I couldn't find for myself on the world wide web. So when it was announced that Netflix was coming to Australia, I wasn't at all sure what to expect.

So I did a bit of research, read a few reviews, all of which were positive, however I still wasn't totally convinced. In fact, I actually became quite defensive. I mean, who do the people running Netflix think they are, coming in and providing Australian citizens with a service we can already get for free?

So then as a result of my hesitance and inherent petty nature, when Netflix finally came out about a week and a bit ago, I was firmly encouraging everyone not to use it.

However, as expected, that wasn't exactly a success. So of course, everyone around me became hooked during the school day and was constantly talking about the wonders of Netflix, while I continued to be stubborn as ever.

But yeah, as you probably guessed, that didn't last for long. My curiosity finally took over, but I still wasn't particularly happy about it.

So reluctantly, I succumbed to peer pressure and checked out Netflix using the free trial my dad had signed up for on his fancy Apple TV.

But boy, I was actually so wrong. Netflix, I kid you not, is actually super amazing. I don't even know what I was doing with my life before this!

I mean, just looking through the list was pretty awesome, but I actually got so pumped when I was magically able to find this late 90's show called 'Freaks and Geeks' with Seth Rogen and James Franco, which, I'm not even kidding, I had been searching for over the course of about 4 years.

Like I mean, I don't think you get it, I waited four entire years for this!

And guys, I didn't even have to wait for it to load or deal with a slightly pixelated image, it was super fast and in HD and everything! Let me just say, I felt super classy and important.

That's not even all of it. Not only did they have the show that I'd been searching for, but Netflix is basically just a database of everything you could ever want. For example, I've just started watching 'Parks and Recreation', but stopped for a while, because I got lazy and couldn't be bothered to get each episode individually. Well bam, problem solved! Netflix has my back.

So basically, what you should get from this post is that Netflix is the absolute best. Not even kidding, my life is totally complete now.

That's pretty much all I have to offer you guys. In case you haven't already got the message, all you Australians reading should definitely, 100% get the Netflix free trial. If your country has had Netflix for ages and the novelty has already worn off, I apologise for this post, because I probably seem super insane. Nevertheless, I must bid everyone adieu, as I go and spend the rest of the afternoon in a television coma. Til' next time . . .

Annabel xx