The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Movie Review

Aloha, 
Now, I went to the cinema twice this week and both times I have been The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. Don't get it twisted and instantly assume that I am a Hunger Games fanatic (I enjoy the franchise but not to an excessive degree), I just have two sets of friends who both wanted to see it with me and I couldn't say yes to one and not to other.

Now that I have cleared that up, let's get down to the review. I have to put a disclaimer in this because I really did not like the last book in The Hunger Game series- I thought it was overly rushed with very little description in order to create enough imagery in the reader's mind. I am very big on taking it slow and really describing events in depth and I really did not have a clue what was happening in the books so I didn't really have that much of a high expectation.
I was completely disappointed with the Mockingjay Part 1 film, which I thought was boring, slow and lacked any real storyline to make it a stand alone film. All I saw when I went and saw that film was a money making tactic by splitting the last book in 2. So, when I did sit down in the fairly empty cinema, I didn't really know what I was going to expect.

What I did find was a film that was okay. It wasn't anything spectacular but it wasn't a bad film. I think they made the action scenes really well- there was a good amount of suspense whilst the film was still very predictable. It was pretty jumpy in some places and credit to whoever made those mutts because they were quite simply terrifying.
Overall, it was definitely better than the Part 1 film and I did enjoy both times I saw the film so it wasn't a waste of money. The biggest part that got to me was the storyline with Finnick. At the beginning of the series, I didn't enjoy his character but I have come to love him. I will not spoil it if people haven't seen it but that definitely was a good part of the film for me.

Also, in this film, I really grew to like Cressida. She always had a star in the films but I didn't really take notice of her but I enjoyed her very much! Also, she rocks her hairdo and looks flipping amazing doing it, which I think not many people could pull off so kudos to her.

I think if you have seen all of the other 3 films, you have to go and see it but if you haven't bothered; I wouldn't run to the cinema to see it. If this is anything to go by, I was less disappointed by this film than I was for Breaking Dawn Part 2. So The Hunger Games, you win on this one!
If you have seen the film, let me know what your thoughts are about it down below!
As a final word, it does make me want to watch the first film again - which I think is my favourite simply because I enjoyed the concept of The Hunger Games. I think as the series went on, they overplayed the concept perhaps too far... But that is my opinion, 

My Nail Treat

Wow, hasn't it been a while. 4 months to be exact. My life always gets a little bit crazy and when it does, the things I love to do the most are usually put on hold- hence my hiatus from this blog.
Now, the one thing that I wanted to share today was a misconception that I hate that people have. For about a year now, I have been going to the nail salon on and off to have gel nails on. I initially started with nail extensions because I love long nails but the nature of my job meant that as soon as they got long enough, one would chip and break leaving my nails looking gross. I have now moved onto overlays on my natural nail to make them stronger. Anyway, I have had people comment on how this is such a waste of money and how it only adds to the idea of a vain materialistic girl and I wanted to share my thoughts on this.
To some people paying £15 a fortnight to go and have your nails refilled and painted is a waste of money but to me, it is well worth it. My life revolves around being a teacher, where I essentially work for the benefit of someone else- I plan, resource, mark and get up in the morning for my lovely children in my class. I give up evenings and my Sunday every weekend to make sure that I have planned great lessons for my children. It means that I give up a lot in my life- I don't necessarily treat myself to anything.

Getting my nails done is my treat. It is a chance for me to have an hour out of my busy schedule to not think about anyone else but myself. It gives me a chance to make myself feel valued and actually feel like a human being. I have always loved painting my nails and have always felt that if my nails were painted, it didn't matter what the rest of me looked like because I felt complete.
I adore getting my nails done and I think that if anyone looks at me one day and I seem a little out of sorts, at least I have beautiful nails to fall back on. It's my treat.
Here is a montage of just some of the colours I have had on my nails:

It is something that is just for me. I have always been told that I put everyone else before myself and now, I'm taking back something for myself. So next time you want to make a comment about someone's personality and integrity, stop and think because that might be the one nice thing they have done for themselves that week. Who are we to judge someone else's choices?
Maybe you'll see me around again soon?!

June Challenge: 30. First Regret

FIRST AND FOREMOST, I MADE IT!!!!
*victory dance*

Now let's get down to business! (Side note: to remember how to spell business, I literally say busy-ness... I can't remember it otherwise. I'm a dork, I know!)

30. First Regret

I never normally regret life because I am a strong believer that whatever happens to you has a plan . It may suck at the time but it happens for a reason, however cliched that is. I really truly believe that it does. Although saying that, I have regretted things in the past but as I look back on them, I no longer regret them still and so I guess I'm not going to count them because at the time that regret is just clouded by all your emotions of whatever the situation is.

My first lasting regret that I still have now is stopping my daily blogging. I went a good year and a couple of months blogging every single day and although some days it really did feel like a chore, I absolutely loved it. I loved being able to share my life and build a little community- which I feel I really have. I always look at my blog and see that people are still looking back at blogs I wrote a year/2 yeras ago and it makes me really happy to know that people are still enjoying  my content.

I absolutely love writing and when I found blogging, it gave me an outlet and I wish I hadn't given up my streak of blogging everyday because now that I don't have that length, I'm not as committed...

I just have to keep finding new challenges to encourage me to blog everyday to you beauties.

This is a pretty good blog to end my 30 day blogging challenge on and I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has joined me on this journey and have finished it with me.

I also want to give a shout out and a congratulations to my friend Hollie for finishing it aswell. If you want to learn a little more about her, I will link you her blog that you can read her challenge answers.. she's has some awesome blogs. Please check her out :)

Hollie's Little Treasures Blog

I love you all as always. And I'll see you again, real soon!

June Challenge: 29. First Time in Hospital

29. First Time in Hospital I have been in A&E a couple of times over my life. One of the times that I can remember is thinking I got plastic stuck in my foot- which I didn't but I never really have stayed in hospital, other than when I was born. Two years ago, however, I was almost admitted to hospital because I had been bitten by a spider. This has a really funny story to go with it and a really disgusting picture to match as well. I blogged about this and so will link you to that blog as well but even then I didn't stay in hospital. I guess I've been really lucky to have avoided that!
I LOVE how much detail this blog goes into: http://nicolespearlsofwisdom.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/holiday-drama.html

June Challenge: 28. First Death

28. First Death:

I literally hate everything about having to write this blog- from having to reliving the horrible memories of this to the fact that I have such a strong and still raw reaction to this experience right the way to even having this first experience.
I don't think I will say much about it in this blog but when my first death happened, I have blogged about it before so  I will link you the blog/blogs that I did that will better explain my experience with my first death. 
In this blog, I will express how lucky I have been that I was quite old before I had my first experience of death. Sure, I had people die in my beforehand like my Big Nanny but I was so young that I remember her but I don't remember her death from where she went from being there to not being there. My first proper experience of death was when I was 19 and it was a very long drawn out death that literally tore my whole life to pieces. I have never felt the pain and complete and utter devastation than when I lost my Nan.
I was also so close to my Nan and so seeing her slowly deteriorate was the worst. One of the worst parts about her death was that I was at Uni. It was my first year so although I was home when she died, I missed out on a lot of the months where I could've spent time with her and even to this day I regret it...
Here are some blogs that explain things a little better if you wish to read them: 1. Reliving Nan memories and explaining what happened: http://nicolespearlsofwisdom.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/two-years.html
2. How I responded to my first death: http://nicolespearlsofwisdom.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/grief.html
3. Missing Nan: http://nicolespearlsofwisdom.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/i-miss-my-nan.html
Reading it all back, it literally makes me cry :'( so I'm going to stop there.
I bloody hate this part of life!

June Challenge: 27. First Kiss

27. First Kiss

Oh this old chestnut... This is probably one of the ones that I was least excited to write about- not because I don't want to share it but because your first kiss is never that great, is it? I remember my first kiss was when I was in high school and I'm not going to name any names but I was always close friends with a bunch of other people and it sort of became a case of everyone hooking up with everyone. I have to say, this did not last long as they never do in high school but it was my first kiss. 
The kisses that were to come were a lot better although I did have one time when I had an unexpected kiss at 17 and I was not expecting the tongue that he slipped into my mouth which meant I was shocked and might have bit him by accident... Oops. The good thing was that after that I said sorry and he didn't hold it against me! Oh the joys...

June Challenge: 26. First Pet

26. First Pet
My first pet was one that l don't really remember because Mum and Dad had got her when I was younger. But she was still alive for about 5 or 6 years after I was born so I do remember her. My first pet was a cat and she was all black. Her name was Sukie (S-oo-k-ee) and we all loved her. The best story about my first cat was that my Nan had bought her sister and so we had them both, which I thought was cute! 
I remember my Mum telling a funny story about my first cat where one day she lifted up the water bowl that she kept outside for her but when she lifted it up, she got a rather big fright.It is well known that cats kill and bring animals home for their owners but Sukie didn't kill them, she trapped them... So when my Mum lifted up the bowl, she ws most surprised when a fat toad jumped out from underneath!!
Unfortunately, Sukie got very sick as she got older and she had to be put down, which was very sad for everyone. I don't know if we have any pictures of her but I can't find any which is a shame :( 
She was my first pet and although I didn't know her as well as I know my pets now, she'll always hold a speciak part in my heart.

June Challenge: 25. First Thing You Do When You Get Home

25. First Thing You Do When You Get Home
The first thing that I normally do when I get home is drop my millions of bags on the floor and say hello to my family before I collapse on the sofa. My days are really long because I leave the house at 7 in the morning and on a Thursday, I don't get home until at least 7 at the very earliest. After I've collapsed onto the sofa, it really depends what I do next. Here are the two scenarios: sometimes Jacob is here and then usually when he sees me, he gets really happy and crawls over to me so I generally have a long cuddle and play with him and then start my work. OR if Jacob isn't there, I usually start by either marking the books that I have brought home from school or reach for my laptop and either plan or resource for the next day! It's not very exciting...
I had totally written this part of the blog thinking that I had something to do on this night but I was a week early so in actual fact, I am doing exactly what I had briefed above... What a boring life.
I felt annoyed though and so I decided to keep this in an change the details to make sure that I could keep it in and not have wasted my time writing it... 
Next Thursday, I am going out for a meal with my school because we recently had an Ofsted inspection, which was really stressful but we got the highest grade, which is Outstanding. The governors of my school wanted to treat the whole staff with a celebratory meal and so the first thing I expect I will do when I get home that day is collapse on the sofa from part from exhaustion and part feeling so bloated and full.
Until tomorrow my little ducklings!

June Challenge: 24. First Sport

24. First Sport I have spoken a little about my sporting past with my first love blog post but I shall expand a little bit on this now. When I was younger in primary school, I loved running and I was very good at it- I was fast and that was something that I was proud of. When you're in primary school, there are always children running around and this makes you so fast that you don't even realise you're sort of training yourself in a sport. The only time that I realised running could be classed as a real sport was when I was selected to take part in a sporting competition against other schools at our leisure centre. Now I know you're probably thinking, why is that such a big deal? It wasn't that much of a big deal in itself as being a sporting competition, the big deal came when they announced who was being involved with the sporting competition. That day I got to meet Colin Jackson- now if you're not from the UK or you don't know anything about sport, I will give you a big of background information about Colin Jackson.

Colin Jackson is a Welsh former sprinter and hurdler who specialised in 110 metre hurdles. He won the Olympic silver medal and became the World Champion 3 times so he was quite a big sporting person, especially back when I was younger- pre 2000. He now does a lot of presenting and commentating for sporting competitions including the Olympics.

It was quite the experience getting to meet him and I can always remember that day with immense pride that I was chosen from all the children in my school to compete. I also have a signed t-shirt somewhere in the house. I have no idea where but it is here somewhere!

June Challenge: 23. First Wish

23. First Wish

Now, this one is a little bit of a fluffy blog for me because I've had many of wishes in the past but they aren't necessarily my first ever wish so I thought that I would give you a little more with this blog and let you know some of my wishes that I had over the past:

1. When I was a little girl I wished to be a teacher. I would create paper registers that I would be able to use when I was teaching my class. I would line up my teddies and dollies and pretend that they would answer the register when I called their name. Now, although this is normal the next part of my story I don't think is very normal- whatever I was being taught at school that day/week, I used to create sheets of work for the teddies and dollies to complete whilst I stood at the front teaching them what they had to do...

2. The next wish that first popped into my head when I thought about my big wishes in life and this is a little bit of a morbid wish because when my Nan, Grandad and Aunt were unwell (at separate times) I would also wish that they would be okay. This was especially when my Nan was dying because it was a long time where she slowly deteriorated. I remember spending hours in the toilet crying my hours out and wishing for her to not die- wishing that she would stay with me forever. Unfortunately, this wish never did come true and even now it breaks my heart! I also wished something similar at the start of this year when my Dad was having his heart attack and thankfully my wish did come true because he is now okay!

3. The last wish that I am going to talk about today is a wish of many people- this is the wish that no matter what happens, I wish that I will find someone who will love me and want to share my life with them. I wish that I find someone funny, handsome, honest and loyal to love me the way that I wish to be loved. I wish to find The One.

What do you wish for? Let me know!

I love you all