Prime Book Club Live

Hi,

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Amazon Prime's Book Club Live event a few weeks ago at Sydney with the stars of The Summer I Turned Pretty; Lola Tung, Jenny Han and Rain Spencer as well as the author of the Culpa Mia series, Mercedes Ron present. 

The Summer I Turned Pretty is a young adult romance novel adapted into a TV series that follows Belly (Lola Tung) caught in a love triangle between her childhood friends. It claimed #1 globally on Prime Video during the first week of the newly released Season 3. It is also one of the most watched TV shows among women aged 18-34, sparking an interest for the stars to appear at fan events like these, with most of the audience present female. 

The event was very popular with tickets gone in minutes and it took almost 10-15 minutes to get in. Book Club Live consisted of panel talks with the cast and authors, as well as interactive photo opportunities with many different backdrops. We got to hear about behind the scenes content, new hints about the upcoming episodes as well as the audition processes behind their characters.           

Taken By Najwa M

Taken By Najwa M

                

The stars of TSITP: Lola Tung, Rain Spencer and Jenny Han discussing the final season as well as content that happened off screen. We also got given flowers to pose with throughout the event.

Taken By Najwa M

Taken By Najwa M

These were two of the many places we could take photos at. After the first few interviews had been conducted, they even allowed us to take one free book each from the bookshelves, though we had to navigate our way through the crowd. Plus, a lot of The Summer I Turned Pretty themed backdrops. They had dedicated photographers for each, which I think is a nice touch as even people that went solo could get photos without having to ask for someone and they took the best shots. 

I had an amazing night and I am so grateful I got the chance to go! 

things to do on your birthday!

Hi, I have compiled a list of great events you can do for your next birthday. It can be pretty hard to plan stuff to do when you gather people around so here are some fun ideas!

• Painting Party. Invite all your friends over, order some food and provide canvas + brushes. This is a pretty enjoyable event which can go in many directions. You can change boards or paints every ten minutes, you can give prompts/suggestions and if your party has a theme, you can continue it with your canvas. Painting can be a little messier as you may need to provide more equipment but it may be a more collaborative activity that can be held for a few hours.

• Time Capsule. Provide some paper and invite your friends to give a written prediction about your life that could happen in the future, whether it be ten, twenty or thirty years. Then you can seal the box, opening it when you turn that age. It could be even more exciting if you offer a prize to who may be the closest or the one you deem the 'best'. 

• Decorating Table. Another idea is to buy craft supplies and cheap novelty items which guests can decorate like glasses, bags or bandanas as a keepsake from the party. Provide a disposable camera as well. This idea also works if you want a photobooth so guests can decorate their items and use them when taking pictures.

• Food Making. There are so many ideas with cooking where you could make pizza and decorate toppings or bake cupcakes/cakes then frost. This solves the problem of food at a party and is a fun activity to do with friends as well, no matter what time it is.

• Board Game Night. Nothing beats playing board games with friends! This is usually an activity people turn to when they run out of ideas when its late in the night. However, it is still a very exciting one, bringing out the competitive spirit in most people. 

• Dinner. A themed dinner can be very fun, exploring different options that go along with a particular theme. It may not seem as fun as the others but can work with other activities and you can make it as creative as you want to. 

Here are just some ideas you can do for your birthday and I hope you enjoy :)

The Drowning

She paces the bridge, her chest heaving with every sob and her hair flung carelessly to one side, appearing forlorn and unkempt. The abandonment of her lover seems to unravel her, her mind leaping from incredulous laughter to searing rage, shifting with a cruelty so swift, it pulls her deeper into madness, into insanity. 

Unsure how to proceed, I carelessly grab her coat that she had cast aside, wrapping it around her as buckets of rain beat around us. Parchment paper falls upon the concrete, darkening as droplets of salted tears fall upon from the heavens above, staining it. I reached down to retrieve it and upon sight, she seemed to awake in a violent fury. 

I am frozen, paralysed by the weight of something I cannot name, unable to grasp the shape of whatever is occurring. I try to reach for her, but my hands are stone, my body a ghost and I can barely breathe. The hand of fate itself had closed around me, its fingers cold, its grip unyielding. I was wrapped in silence, it had forbidden me to interfere and I was an observer to catastrophe. 

The scene unfolds like a nightmare, the slow, agonising descent. Whether she leaned too far, or the world simply tugged her too hard, she plunges into the depths with the speed of a falling star. Her body jerks once before the water claims her, her arms flail in a desperate dance but there is no salvation in the cold grip of the current. Her hands reach for anything but it is too late.

My heart slams against my ribs, a frantic rhythm that cannot keep time with whats occurring before my eyes. I see her face, frozen in terror, eyes wide, mouth open in a soundless scream but the noise is drowned, lost in the depths. Her shape dissolves in the dark as her body sinks, legs kicking in a frantic search for something, anything, to hold on to but the water devours her, swallowing her whole like a lover's embrace. It was as if she never existed. 

Gracie Abrams; Sydney Night 2

Hi,

Gracie Abrams has started her run of shows on The Secret Of Us Tour around New Zealand and Australia with her opener, Ashe and I was lucky enough to attend the second night of the Sydney leg. We bought the tickets when they were first released last year so this has been a long and exciting wait.

When we first arrived to the venue, all I could see was bows, skirts and pastel blues/yellows. This is to fit Gracie's aesthetic. I too was wearing a navy blue shirt, striped blue & white pants, red converses and a red bow in my hair. The crowd surrounding the outside of the arena had a very homely feeling. It was mostly teenage girls and they were conversing with one another, often rather excitingly despite having never met before. Multiple girls asked me to take photos of them while I did the same. Though I was not General Admission, I did wander over there and those in the line were trading bracelets as well as discussing their fangirl moments, even if they had probably just met each other a few hours ago. It probably felt like one of the safest spaces and it honestly was like one big friend group. 

The merch line was also relatively simple to get through. I arrived later than I normally do to a concert and upon sight, the line wasn't enormous with the staff exceptionally friendly. I got a Secret Of Us Tour hoodie (very good quality) and I am definitely wearing it as we approach winter. I also had some nachos next to the merch tent and while it was expensive, they gave us so much sour cream and guacamole, that it was worth it.

After we passed security checks, with our bags making it through smoothly, we arrived to our seats to find we had an amazing view. I was honestly closer than what I imagined and could see the B stage covered up. When Ashe arrived, even through my terrible phone zoom, you could still spot exactly where she was on stage. She was amazing! I only knew a few of her songs but I definitely recommend checking her out. Ashe got us hyped and ready for Gracie as well as singing a cover of 'Vampire' by Olivia Rodrigo to make the audience go wild. 

Gracie, or her team, picked out some amazing songs while we waited for her. She knew her target audience and most people were singing along so loudly, that you might have thought the concert had already started. When she did arrive, the cheers got so amplified and I thought my ears were going to pop. She hasn't even arrived yet and the stage hadn't given any indication she was about to start, but those down the very front could see some movement and started cheering, so we followed suit. 

Gracie sung a two hour setlist with some incredible songs on it. I lost my voice at the third because she played Blowing Smoke, which is one of my absolute favourites. I was up on my feet for most of it, and of course I videoed the whole thing. Most people say it ruins the experience of the concert but I prefer having them to relieve the experience. I just hold my phone but still sing, vibe and even if my videos come out shaky and not instagram-worthy, you can still look back on them. I prefer the ones where you can hear me screeching because you know I had a good time. 

During her surprise song, she sung 'This is what the drugs are for' from Good Riddance. I had been discussing what song she might do before we entered the arena, as she had only done covers for the Aus/NZ leg of the tour so far, and I said, Good Riddance. When she started introducing the song, saying, 'its from Good Riddance', you better believe I screamed 'I called it'.

When she had wrapped up, with 'Close to You' to get everyone on their feet, and actually left, I was left with a sense of astonishment. I always end concerts with the feeling of 'it actually ended?'. Then we were caught up in the crowd of everyone trying to escape as well as the loud voices ringing around dissecting the concert. Made it home right on midnight.

I had one of the best times ever at TSOU tour and Gracie sung, danced and entertained us for a massive two hours with some banger songs (still hoping that one day I can hear Best live) and I only have half a voice left the next day.

Here's a video of Gracie singing, 'That's so True', (video owned by me):

Until next time!