Noah & The Whale: There Will Come a Time

"And I've got to say... well done. Not many people have done what you guys have done y'know."

Noah & The Whale are back, and it looks live they've swapped their velvet suits for police uniforms as they reveal their new album and film. There Will Come a Time gives us a glimpse into the Orwellian "Teenland", a detention centre for all teens (not half as fun as the theme-park imagery I had in mind).

The single itself isn't half as catchy as L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N., the first single they released from Last Night on Earth, but as always it's going to be a case of locking myself in a room with the album once it's out before I can really make a judgement. What with a chameleon-type attitude, it seems that every album has its own style twist, with Heart of Nowhere being no exception.

For now though, it seems this new direction is a cross between Last Night on Earth and Arcade Fire's Scenes from the Suburbs. For me, I'm pretty sure the beautiful film accompaniment to The First Days of Spring will remain my favourite, but I'm still excited to see how this new film plays out! Looking forward to the full release!

21 Things Before 21

For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you'll know that this past weekend was my birthday weekend where I magically transformed from a teenager to an adult (this is of course, sarcasm, except I did get a full fringe!). Being 20 hasn't really felt that different (yet), so I've decided to shake things up a bit and set myself some adventures and challenges for over the course of the year. I'll keep you updated as to when I tick things off the list - here goes!

1. Sleep under the stars
Well, I've never slept outside without a tent before...
2. Get the next plane train to anywhere
Planes are a little out of my budget right now!
3. Buy a lottery ticket
I never have, and it could just be my lucky day
4. Graffiti
Watch out, I might be the next Banksy
5. Get my fortune told
I don't believe in fortune tellers, but it'd be fun
6. Live a month without TV
I'm pretty sure I'd get a lot more done
7. Knit something worthwhile
I'd love to become a prolific knitter (granny-ish, perhaps...)
8. Paint a picture and hang it
I've painted before, but never hung anything
9. Become a better chef
Moving to France = learning French cuisine
10. Karaoke
I'm so shy about my singing voice!
11. Send a message in a bottle
Someone might stumble across it someday
12. Take up meditation
I really think it'd be good stress relief
13. Give blood
Possibly the scariest challenge, but I would love to do it
14. Complete my novel
It's been ages! I apologise!
15. Eat a steak
Never ever had steak. Ever ever.
16. Stay in a five star hotel
Yes please!
17. Stay in a one star hotel
For the comparison!
18. Disappear from Facebook
Forever and ever. I hate Facebook.
19. Read LOTS
I ought to read more. In French and English.
20. Volunteer
Do something charitable
21. Commit random acts of kindness
We'll see how these come along over the year...

Westfield Merry Hill S/S13 Fashion Show!

So, I can now let the cat out of the bag - last night I was invited along to Westfield Merry Hill to see an exclusive S/S13 high-street fashion show! Apart from getting a little lost in the huge - and when I say huge, I mean H-U-G-E - shopping centre, the night was a great opportunity to see some of the upcoming trends (and from my point of view, what I shall be donning when I start working in Paris!).

I've got to admit, I'm still very much a girly-girl at heart (my wardrobe is at least 70% dresses) so it was the Blurred Splash Print Maxi Dress from Warehouse that really caught my attention, along with the bright floral outfit from Oasis. I've got a nice little pink blazer of my own which fits right in to the S/S trend, but it's the maxi that's now on my wish list - possibly a winner for the Uni Grad Ball this year.

Other trends included daring monochrome from New Look, sports couture at Internaçionale and that indie-kid look that a lot of people are rocking these days at Vero Moda and Jack Jones.

To go alongside the enormous Merry Hill shopping centre, there's a huge discount event going on this weekend (Friday 8th - Saturday 9th March) with up to 20% off over 30 stores - perfect for that last minute Mother's Day present or seasonal wardrobe revamp! For any shopaholic in the West Midlands, it's definitely worth a day trip (you'll need that long to get around all the shops!). To get your voucher booklet in advance, click here - I hope you have a good time if you go along!

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Art

1 ~ 2 ~ 3 ~ 4 ~ 5 ~ 6 ~ 7 ~ 8

Zissou fever is catching. I must invest in a red hat some time! Or, at least, a little Team Zissou ring. Oh that would be a great idea, I bet someone's Etsy'd that already. In the meantime, here's a few incredibly artistic tributes to the amazing film that is The Life Aquatic. Wes Anderson, you god.

This Week's Stumbles

It's my first try at writing a weekly round up - with a pretty busy lifestyle I find it hard to make time for pure writing, which is a real shame. So as a way of remedying this, I've decided to keep a weekly write up, to let you know about the top five little wonderings and deserved things I stumble across. This week:

1. I was given my first ever romantic bouquet of flowers; some beautiful chrysanthemums that faded from purple to yellow. They were the closest thing to a bouquet of daisies, my favourites!
2. On my daily walk to University, a man randomly stopped me, shook my hand and said he hoped I had a good day. I'm not sure why, but it certainly did keep me smiling. Random acts of kindness are very, very lovely!
3. I won some #MarsTweetShop Pedigree Dentastix... their promotional vending machine was a great PR stunt, even if I couldn't eat my prize.
4. Feeling a bit peaky, I watched the wondrous The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and as such cemented my love for Wes Anderson and all his films, whilst also encouraging me to give Owen Wilson more credit than I normally do.
5. I also found my old wooden watercolour set - time to experiment with some painting!

I will let you know how it goes, and what a get up to over the next week soon enough!

- Besma x