Florrie Elizabeth.

For some today may be a sad day; for some, today may be a day much awaited for and, for some, today may be a day like any other. It's nearly at its end: 2015 has come to a close. Personally, I see 31st December of each year as a day to reflect on what has happened over the year; whether that be places that I've visited, days that I have put behind me or food that looked so good it was worth taking a picture of. Here is a round-up of my highlights of 2015: Attraction of the Year: The Sky Garden, 20 Fenchurch Street, London Found right at the top of the "Walkie Talkie" building in London, The Sky Garden offers a restaurant, bar and cafe with some of the best views of London. The first thing about this place? It's free to enter, as long as you book in advance. Restaurant of the Year: Brasserie Zedel, Piccadilly Circus Hidden away at the corner of Piccadilly Circus, this brasserie oozes class and sophistication, whilst serving truly delicio...

I am that type of person who likes to celebrate their eighteenth birthday with a trip to the Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden- more commonly known as the home of Harry Potter- so that is, of course, exactly what I did. If I haven't made it blindingly clear already, I am a fairly (erm, massive) fan of the J.K Rowling series and subsequently have watched the film adaptations of the novels about 18343823 times. Therefore, the opportunity to see everything that went into the making of the movies wasn't one I was going to miss. Following the release of the final film adaptation, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2', in 2011, Warner Bros. opened The Warner Bros. Studio Tour- London. The studio opened four years ago and has racked up an impressive 16681 'excellent' reviews on TripAdvisor since then. As a result, I had very high hopes for the tour. Did my visit fulfil my expectations? Yes- and then by so much more. Before the introductory talk a...

This week, the movie adaptations of young adult dystopian 'The Hunger Games' come to a end, with the release of 'Mockingjay: Part Two'. Despite the book series that these movies are based on being a trilogy, it was announced shortly before the release of the first movie that the final novel was to be split into two parts. This follows the footsteps of 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn' and 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows', with both conclusions being split into two. Although fans of the franchises may believe that to have an extra movie is a good thing, has the Two Part phase become an expectation? The obvious cause for two-part movies is the economic value of having two films released instead of just the one. Whilst Part One of the Deathly Hallows took in colossal $960 million at the box office, the last film of the series became the eighth highest-grossing film ever, with an intake of $1.34 billion. An extra billion dollars for a split in the final nov...

Not many artists can say that they've had five number ones before releasing their debut album but one 25-year-old can. Known for featuring in the song of 2014 ‘Rather Be’, Jess Glynne has come a long way since her rejection from The X-Factor ten years ago. Her album, ‘I Cry When I Laugh’, retains the dance vibes she has become renowned for from her singles, but also experiments with softer sounds, notably on album track ‘Take Me Home’. Citing her influences to include Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin and Frank Ocean, the album diverts away from the typical pop regime, with elements of R&B featuring in the tracks. For the album, the London girl palled up with fellow British artist Emeli San d é  t o collaborate on “Saddest Vanilla”- an appropriate name choice for a song so lackadaisical. Despite the docile pace of the song, this track stands out- for all the wrong reasons. I can appreciate the fact that Glynne wanted a mix of tempos on the album but the dreary track merely ...

Deciding where to continue your education after GCSEs can often put you in a difficult and stressful situation. Although further education isn't right for everyone, many people decide that they want another two years of studying. The question is, however, where should you go to do this? The two main options are sixth form or college. Despite the limited number of options of where to go, I was in this very stressful situation this time, last year and felt that it was only right for me to share the pros and cons of each from my perspective, in the hope that none of you have to go through the trauma of deciding where your next place of study lies three days before your due to start, like I did. Last September, I started at my school's sixth form centre. Obvious choice, yes? Well, actually, no, not in the slightest. For the twelve months prior to the 8th September 2014 when I would have to start my A Levels, I had been completely undecided of where to go. For most of my childho...

The first week of the summer holidays is over and what a week it has been. Usually, the end of the summer term means that hours and hours of relaxation are to follow but, for me, not this year. Less than 24 hours after finishing for the year, three friends and I jumped on a coach to Lille, France for a week of language-advancing work experience. Yes, the prospect of working completely alone in an environment where not one person speaks the same language as you was fairly daunting and, yes, I had questioned over and over again why I had put myself up to it. Nevertheless, we got on that coach with optimism and were eager to start our journey to perfecting our Français. Despite the four-and-a-half hour delay that our trip was subjected to due to increasing pressure on channel services, a sing-a-long to Mamma Mia and Les Misèrables meant that we arrived at the hotel raring to get out into the evening air for some dinner. One hour we had to find a place to go and eat. One hour it took ...

On this planet, there are all sorts of people. People who do things at the spur of the moment, people who organise things months in advance, people who... write lists. I write a lot of lists. Anything from shopping lists to lists of hours of revision I have done. At any opportunity, I will write a list. So what better occasion to write a list than to write down everything I wish to do in my lifetime. I gathered that these things are probably more likely to occur if I write them on this blog, out somewhere in this interworld, broadcasted for everyone to see, so that some day, someone can message me and say "Hey, Florrie, swam with dolphins yet?" And, I will rush to book myself into a session with a dolphin just so that I can say yes. So, here is my list so far... Become fluent in French Eat a stack of pancakes at least 6 pancakes tall Go to New York Work in France for a period of time Attend Glastonbury Festival (again) Raise money for a dog-related cause Do the Warner...

Whilst flicking through music channels on the TV the other day, I came across a video that I had not seen before by Little Mix. The video was of their latest single, 'Black Magic', which is their first taken from their forthcoming album, 'Get Weird'. The song itself is one of those 'mehh' tunes: not one of those tunes that makes you want to grab the radio (or TV, in this case) and hammer against a wall until the machine is entirely dysfunctional, but not one that you just cannot resist whacking on full volume and belting out the lyrics to when you're in the car. However, what really caught my attention was the characterisation in the video. 'Black Magic' is based at a college. Perrie, Leigh-anne, Jade and Jesy are the college's 'uncool' girls. In fact, they're so uncool that two of the clan are glasses-wearers. Stumbling (literally) out of the school entrance, the girls are wearing some shocking outfits as, obviously, every girl w...

Gucci Tommy Hilfiger This summer, the fashion industry is all over denim. On the S/S 2015 catwalk, the likes of Burberry and Gucci demonstrated just how denim should be worn- but that doesn't mean you can't rock it too. Having spent a few hours longer than I probably should have internet-shopping this week, I have selected my top picks on what you should be wearing this season. Fendi Burberry Perhaps my favourite find of all is this gorgeous shift dress. Paired with some boots and a flower headband, this dress would be perfect for one of this summer's festivals. Monki: Stella Denim Dress, £30 You can simply never go wrong with a shirt. Wear as a jacket, tuck into a skirt or just wear with a pair of leggings, the probability of buying a denim shirt and regretting it is very, very unlikely. TopShop: MOTO Fitted Western Shirt, £29 Arguably the most popular choice of denim attire at the moment is this skirt, with buttons lined down the fro...

Renwick McAslan You may remember when, back in September, I became a blogger for the Roundhouse , London. Well, as part of my duties, I was commissioned to write an article on getting into the advertising industry so I travelled into Central London to interview Renwick McAslan from  BBH Advertising . After getting over the initial nerves of my first interview with someone, I managed to carry out a twenty-minutes-long session. Later, I transcribed and edited the interview to then be submitted to the coordinator of the Roundhouse Bloggers' Project. Having checked the website, I am now very excited to announce that the interview has been published... Click here to check it out! I highly recommend checking out the other activities going on at the Roundhouse as there are some remarkable opportunities to be had there. It truly is more than just a good music venue. Florrie x .