Wednesday 31 December 2014

New Year Resolutions

Hey everyone :)

new year resolutions


New Year is upon us, so what does that mean for us all ...?

- millions of resolutions that will be forgotten come the 2nd of January
- hangovers lasting for 3 days
- a few broken bones
- waking up in Paris and wondering how you got there

These are all possibilities ... however this year I will be alone as I was abandoned and left to fend for myself. I have contemplated getting drunk alone - this idea makes me happy - although if I get drunk and end up choking on my own vomit - this could possibly be a problem.

I also thought about going on some kind of hate spree but there are certain policies in effect that disallow this - which is shit.

I have spend a great deal of time (5 minutes) thinking of some resolutions that I want to focus on so I can have the life I deserve - which is filled full of expensive things and sex (lots of sex).

Resolution 1 - Eat Properly (or at least try to)
I am one of the worst people when it comes to eating properly. I currently eat maybe one meal a day and drink numerous amount of Pepsi - which is not good at all. So not a big goal - but we will go with eating 3 meals a day, and lots of water.

Resolution 2 - More Sex
Self-explanatory - more sex, more sex, more sex - apparently sex opens up the gateway to our souls and we develop deeper connections with one another ... yes I say apparently - I am just in it for the sex. (I joke, if your reading this Dave).

Resolution 3 - Debt Management
I need to save ... I'm terrible at spending money on things I don't need. Plus my credit card just took a big hit with my car insurance :(

Resolution 4 - New Job & New House
 I'm combining these two as I want to move, get a new house and get a new job. Reasons being - I want to move as I am bored of the place I am in now (Hemel Hempstead), I want to move into my own house and start paying my own mortgage (with Dave) and not someone elses, and get a new job - where I can progress.

Resolution 5 - Gym
I cancelled my gym membership a few months ago to save money and because I was spending £50 to swim as I wasn't using the gym that much. I thought since Dave was away to occupy myself I could start going back for something to do.

So those are my 5 resolutions for next year. I've made them realistic so I should be able to manage them. There are some short-term and long-term goals in there so 1 or 2 I can manage straight away and others will take some time - the debt management I'm estimating will take maybe 6 or 7 months - depending on whether I can get a second job or something but more on that later.

Let me know if you guys have any resolutions or if you think I can stick to these ones?




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Tuesday 30 December 2014

December 'Christmas' Favourites

Hey everyone :)

Can you believe December is nearly over? It's nearly 2015!

I've got quite a few favourites this month - some old and some very new (as in I just got them :P )

december favourites

Nintendo 3DS: Pokemon X - I honestly don't know any kid who doesn't like Pokemon. It was popular throughout my childhood - what with the shows, the cards, the games (I could go on) so it makes sense that I would still love it now (just not so much). Last year I got a Nintendo 3DS for the second time (I got one when they first came out but sold it) and Pokemon X. I played it non-stop then decided to take a break. Recently I decided to start playing it again. Let's just say I've not been sleeping much lately ...

Sex & The City Complete Boxset - I've recently had another sore tooth (turns out if was an infection) and I went into Tesco for Ibuprofen to see if that would help numb the pain until I went to the dentist. I happened to walk past the DVD aisle and saw lots of boxsets on sale/special - this was around Black Friday time (I think it was the Saturday or Sunday after it) and the entire Sex & the City was there for £20 - DEAL!

The Jelly Bean Factory 1.4KG Tub - A Christmas present from the boyfriend! I have a bit of an obsession with jelly beans - this tub is massive and lasts me about 6 months. You can get them on Amazon.

Emporio Armani Diamonds for Men - I bought this for myself during the Black Friday event. I've worn this scent for about 4/5 years now and I love it. I can't remember where I found it or who I smelt it on and then decided I wanted it ... To describe the smell - in the first few seconds its quite a sharp smell and then as it settles its woody & bergamoty smell. Simply amazing!

Jamie's (Oliver) Comfort Food - I have been going on for months that I wanted this book and I kept saying I'll get it eventually or when it came down in the sale. But I got it for Christmas!! Which is so exciting as I really want to try all the recipes now. I'm going to possibly make a resolution for New Year and say I'll do one recipe a week or maybe a month or something.

Zoella's (Zoe Sugg) Girl Online - I love this book and have read it twice. It is aimed at teenage girls - but who cares. I still enjoyed it. I also did a blog about it - which you can check out here - it explains about the book.

Dolce & Gabbana 'The One' for Men - I have a bad habit of getting whiffs of other guys scents/smells and then I have to find out what they're wearing and then I end up buying it. This lovely scent was on one of my old school friends - Euan - I remember sitting next to him in a pub and it was this amazing spicy, citrusy, old smell and I couldn't stop smelling him (I know a little weird) and I asked him what it was and he told me ... I think I got it for Christmas that year.

Information:
Nintendo 3DS: Pokemon X - Tesco (last year)
Sex & The City Complete Boxset - Tesco (this year)
The Jelly Bean Factory 1.4KG Tub - Amazon (this year)
Emporio Amani Diamonds for Men - The Fragrance Shop (this year)
Jamie's (Oliver) Comfort Food - Amazon (this year)
Zoella's (Zoe Sugg) Girl Online - Amazon (this year)
Dolce & Gabbana 'The One' for Men - The Fragrance Shop (this year)

Hope you enjoyed the post - let me know in the comments if you have tried any of these or have similar favourites!

shoutjohn logo

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Monday 29 December 2014

My Moments of 2014

Hi everyone :)

moments of 2014

So I noticed that my blog is lacking the personal-life touch. So I thought I'd share some lovely (and not so lovely) moments from my life from the last year ...

I would like to point out that even though the 'moment's might seem odd/pointless/stupid - they mean something to me and so that's why they are a 'moment' :)

December 2013
> I got my car on Christmas Eve (best present ever)
> Many, many Nandos
> London, baby - who doesn't love a trip to London
> I bought myself a MacBook
> Dave posting my Christmas cards without stamps - horrified doesn't even describe it!

January 2014
> Minecraft, Minecraft, Minecraft!
> Kings Langley sign changed to Kings Landing for GoT - had to check that shit out.
> O2 Advisors scaring me telling me 'the world is better with beautiful people like me'
> Dave's birthday - a highlight of the year - as was the curry we had with friends.
> Lots of cooking at home - esp Chicken in a garlic sauce :)

February 2014
> More Nandos
> I was introduced to the Waffle House in St. Albans
> I discovered Cannonball by Lea Michelle
> Spent most of the month looking for a driving instructor
> My Facebook Movie came out << not worth watching!

March 2014
> I eventually (after waiting) found out what April said to Jackson in Grey's Anatomy
> Dave went on a 8 day holiday snowboarding - so naturally I was excited when he came home
> I spend most of the month watching Pokemon on Netflix (the old one with Ash & Pikachu)
> Yogscast released 'Moonquest' I played it constantly for the next 2 months
> Someone hit my car - picture an 'unamused' me!

April 2014
> Went to my first Starbucks Drive Thru in Milton Keynes
> Went and saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier - meh!
> Bought myself a new desktop so Minecraft wouldn't be slow
> Enjoyed a great night with friends for Kat and Gareth's joint Birthday!
> Spent months and months walking home from work in the dark - scary!

May 2014
> Spiderman 2 made me cry in the cinema (not afraid to admit it - I mean you heard her neck snap)
> Planned to go golfing - didn't happen - ended up going to Southend to the beach
> Went to Scotland (annual trip home to see the parents and be lectured on eating properly)
> Another highlight - went to Edinburgh castle with Dave (hadn't been there since I was about 7)
> Bought Cards Against Humanity - one of thee best games I have ever played

June 2014
> Went strawberry picking - so much fun
> Most importantly - I created this blog (www.shoutjohn.co.uk) and bought the domain
> I ranted about shag bands (or looms) coming back into fashion all of a sudden
> I discovered 'Once Upon A Time' and spent most of the month catching up on it
> I passed my driving test!

July 2014
> Diggy Diggy Hole was released by The Yogscast
> I got to play the Destiny Beta Build :)
> Enjoying a BBQ at Dave's, then it rained so we build a tent and hid under it.
> Many sleepless nights because it was soooooooooo hot!
> Going to see Guardians of the Galaxy - defo one of my favourite movies of the year!

August 2014
> I went through my grapefruit for breakfast phase
> I got myself some glasses
> Robin Williams died - which was pretty sad as I love alot of his films
> Went to Liverpool with work to count and count and count - argh!
> Making lots of different shortbread because it kept turning out wrong

September 2014
> I bought myself an (expensive) camera so I had good pictures on my blog
> iOS 8 was released
> The Scottish Independence vote - yay! I'm not an immigrant.
> I started listening to Joni Mitchell
> I started making videos for YouTube

October 2014
> New vampire diaries came out
> I bought some non-stick baking trays (any food blogger will understand this)
> Got my iPhone 6
> I dyed my hair red
> I discovered Muller After Dinner Mint yohgurt

November 2014
> We found out who Missy was in Doctor Who
> Loved the song 'These Day's by Takethat
> Amazed by the article about how if you make a circle a cat will get in it and not leave
> Looking forward to the Cinderella film that comes out next year after watching the trailer
> Taylor Swift's 1989 album was released - constant repeat (office workers not happy)

December 2014
> We had a great work meal night out for Christmas (much better than last year)
> Sadly (not a great moment) my Nana passed away
> My birthday (I turned 24) - spent it with Dave (which was great)
> Dave left and went to Canada (not a great moment)
> My car got its first service.

So that's an entire year with the best and worst moments. Looking over it - it doesn't seem that crazy. But I've had a great year I think, apart from December - which saw the loss of my Nana and Dave leaving to go to Canada but I'm getting on with my life and can't wait for next year - to see what it brings.

Let me know if you do something similar on your blog or if you have something like this already as I'd love to give it a read!

If I don't get a chance to say this hope you all did have a good year and have some great memories that will last with you :)



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Saturday 27 December 2014

The Christmas Tag

Hey everyone :)

christmas tag

This post and video might be too late for Christmas - it's currently Christmas Day but I'm not planning on releasing the video until Saturday (which is the 27th).

So, the title probably gives away what the post is going to be about ... I was reading through blogs on Bloglovin and came across a blog and she had done the Christmas Tag post. This was way back in November. I've been trying to find the blog and post so I could link her here but I can't seem to find her blog again. #sadface

Basically - there are a list of questions about/to do with Christmas and you answer them. I thought it would be a great post to do around Christmas. I also had the great idea to turn it into a YouTube video too - cos who doesn't love a good old festive YouTube video.

Let us begin with the questions:

Question 1: What is your favourite Christmas movie(s)?
A very hard question to answer - I recently (today is was) released a post on my Top 5 Favourite Christmas Films - you can check it out here. But to answer the question - my favourites (yes I have more than one) are: Love Actually, Nightmare Before Christmas, The Family Stone, Christmas with the Kranks and The Holiday.

Question 2: Do you open your presents on Xmas Eve or Xmas morning?
My mum and dad were strict with us when it came to Christmas presents - so I can't actually remember any Christmas where we opened presents early. We always opened the on Christmas morning.

Question 3: Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?
When we were younger and I lived at home with my parents - we have opened all our presents and my mum asked my brother and me to go get a bin bag so we could put all the opened wrapping paper into it - so we went through to the kitchen, then to our back porch (where the backdoor, washing machine, fridge, tumble dryer was kept) to get the bin bag and we noticed two presents on the floor. They were Gameboy Colours for us - mum still maintains to this day that Santa left them by mistake (but we were allowed to keep them).

Question 4: Favourite Festive Food?
I'd have to be predictable and say chicken or stuffing - just Christmas food in general.

Question 5: Favourite Festive Gift?
Now I can't remember if this gift was for Christmas or my birthday but it doesn't matter. Dave got me a Links of London bracelet as a present and it was the Limited Edition Wimbledon one (the purple and green coloured one) and I really liked it. Work happened to send me to another depot for a week or so and I somehow managed to loose it in the bedsheets << not a happy bunny, nor was Dave but he got me another as a replacement (not the same one) but still a really nice one.

Question 6: Favourite Festive Scent?
I love the cinnamon and apple smells. I have a Glade candle I got from Dave and it smells amazing. Also love the smells of Christmas dinner cooking. Also (american pie moment) the smell of warm apple pie just our the oven.

Question 7: Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
Not really we did what most kids did - we put out a carrot for Rudolph and left some cookies and milk for Santa. We sometimes (not all the time) watched a movie or something after we'd eaten - normally Titanic.

Question 8: What tops your tree?
We had this really old angel. I think it was a heirloom or was passed down through the family - not sure but mum always told us to be careful with it so I assume its precious or delicate.

Question 9: As a kid what present did you always ask for but never get?
A puppy! My little brother and I always asked for a dog. I can't remember a Christmas where we didn't ask for one. We never did get one as my mum hated dog hair (or I think that was the reason) plus mum and dad always worked and my brother and me were always at school - so it wouldn't have been fair on the dog. It was okay though as my Aunty had dogs most of her life and so I spent lots of time with her so I kinda grew up with her dogs.

Question 10: What's the best part about Christmas?
The food? The presents? The smells? - Are these bad answers. I know lots of people say family. Which yeah of course - that is a given. But I wouldn't say I'm terribly close to my family - so there are different things in my head - possible getting presents cos I know lots of love and thought went into choosing them, spending time with Dave (when he is here) and chilling out and relaxing as its the only real day our work is closed (we're a 365 24/7 business - the only day we are closed is Christmas Day)

I hope you enjoyed the post and the video.

Let me know if you had a similar post or video as would be cool to read it.

Hope you guys all had a great Christmas!!

Lots of love!



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Friday 26 December 2014

Destiny: The Dark Below

Hey everyone :)

destiny shoutjohn


As you are all aware - I am a bit of a gamer. Destiny just released their new expansion a couple of weeks ago: 'The Dark Below'. I have been playing this game non-stop since it was released in September. I luckily enough got Beta access so that was great and meant I got to play before lots of other people did.

I did a blog post on my first impressions and how I got on when I first started playing it. You can check that out here.

Destiny (or Bungie) have released a couple of promo videos before the release of the game. They also added in some changes to the game prior to the release. I've added one of the promo below so you can check if out if you haven't seen it already.


The expansion unlocks lots of armour, weapons and changes to existing content such as vanguard commendations, new items to upgrade weapons and armour.

The main additions are listed below. I have managed to complete all of them apart from one of the bounties which I am still working on (this opens up a new mission on the map) which I'm struggling to complete by myself.

Story Missions

Fist of Crota - this takes you to the hive tunnels where you do the first earth strike with the mesh generator. There you go against Sardon a knight with a cleaver. While fighting you are burdened with the darkness so you can't use certain light abilities. I found this quite easy just running around shooting, letting him chase you - obviously with any boss fight once his health drops to 3/4, then 1/2, then 1/4 the game spawns in acolytes and thralls. Once dead the mission is completed.

Siege of the Warmind - I did check this place out ages ago when I was in the Forgotten Shore but it was guarded by a high level Knight so I ran away and never went back. In the building high on the cliff are stairs leading into Rasputin's bunker (the warmind) mentioned constantly throughout the game. Basically the hive have broken in and are attempting to destroy him or control him. You just find them off, there are a few endless waves of hive, and green circles spawn on the floor that you shouldn't go in. Then the boss spawns an ogre named 'Might of Crota' as usual the ogre's weak spot is the same as all other ogres so after a few sniper shots he was down and the mission ended.

The Wakening - this takes place on the Moon (if I didn't mention the other two are on Earth). Deep in the tunnels near the worlds grave but a bit further on. There is a large glowing green crystal. Similar to all boss fights - you kill of all the waves then the boss can be targeted (which this time is the big crystal called: 'Soul of Crota') - he shoots energy blasts at you and spawns reinforcements in every so often. After a few rocket launches and snipers he was down quite fast. Once dead the mission is complete.

That was all the story missions completed. I should have mentioned before I started that a new character is added to the Tower called Eris Morn - her story is that she is the last remaining surviver of 6 who went down into the pit to face Crota and everyone died but her. But she couldn't get back out the pit so survived for years in the tunnels etc etc etc ...

While doing the story missions you do the bounties at the same time with her ... they run together so you follow a story with her and the story missions (if that makes sense). The day she was released 9th Dec (my birthday) - you get two bounties however one of them was to get an urn from Xur (but for those regular games out there) know that he only arrives near the weekend. So we all had to wait for him to come to see where that bounty lead us to.

That bounty was a bit of a nightmare ...

Firstly you had to collect ashes from thralls using a solar fusion rifle.
Secondly you had to collect ashes from acolytes and wizrds using void damage
Thirdly you had to collect ashes from melee attacking cursed thralls (the ones that blow up)
Fourthly you had to kill a very hard boss near Skywatch during a public event (Urzok, the hated).

Then you take it to Eris and she opens up another story on the moon for you. You must take the urn and go back to where the 3 wizards had the shard of the traveller. There is a rather larger urn and you must defeat a wave of thralls, then acolytes, then wizards, then knights (with swords and guns), then orgres. I died a few times attemtping this so I'm taking a break and doing this blog at the moment. I got up to the ogres then they killed me with their pink beam weapon-thing.

So at the moment after I eventually complete this additional story mission or bounty mission. That is all the story missions from the expansion.

Strikes

Two new strikes were added for Playstation users and unfortunately Xbox users only got 1 of them. Apparently (not sure why) the Undying Mind strike is only available to PS users until Fall 2015.

Will of Crota - this is the strike that the story missions have lead up to - the Wizard behind the story missions or the Wizard causing us all these troubles is Omnigol (someone hot-shot Wizard whom probably was having an affair with Crota) she wants to raise him from the dead and will do anything - so obviously we have to stop her.

So similar to all strikes - you team up with two other people (3 in total) and run through the strike - I thought this was pretty easy. The strike area is not new - its familir from other low-level story missions apart from where you confront Omnigol that part is newer. Your basically doing one of the story missions backwards and you end up in Skywatch and you go into the building with the seed ship sticking out of it to finish off the strike.

The strike is quite hard what with hive constantly spawning all over the place and then Omnigol shooting all the time - but I managed it with two other guys.

The Undying Mind - so this strike apparently is only for PS users until Fall 2015 - then I'm assuming Xbox people can play it. This one is set in Mars in the Black Garden (well you start there) - apparently something is trying to restart the heart you destroyed in the last mission. So you fight your way back through the last mission until you find a Hydra (similar box from the Nexus) but harder and with better shields. Again similar to other strikes - 3 people, constant mobs spawning. Managed to kill him after a bit (unfortuantely one of our party left < idiot!) and it looked like we were going to die but another joined us at the last minute and we defeated 'the undying mind'.

Raids

Crota's End - so this is the raid everyone is talking about. This is also where Eris (the new addition to the tower) was nearly killed. So I haven't gotten much information about this from my own knowledge because I haven't done the raid yet (I know shock, shock, horror, horror). I have watched several videos on YouTube - some were over 7 hours long though - god knows how some people can play it for that long just to complete a raid - but this is dedication folks! I would say I'm dedicated but not that dedicated!

So like all raids - there are 6 of you. From what I've heard you need to be at least 28, nearer 30 though. Have some epic armour or weapons to help you out, a mic is not needed but required so you can talk to your team. The normal stuff for a raid - if your a gamer - I shouldn't need to explain this :)

If you want to check out for footage of the raid - go to YouTube.

Crucible Maps

So I'm not much of a player of the Crucible - however I am trying to complete an Exotic Bounty and so I need 10,000 points to get the bounty so I have been playing a bit more of the maps.

Pantheon - is set in the Black Garden or any area near the black garden.

The Cauldron - this is set on the Moon - not sure where just somewhere ... there are cliffs, doors, a centre area ... I've played this one the most at the moment.

Skyshock - similar to the Mossyards - planes and old golden age vehicles are lying around broken.

Vehicles

EV-30 Tumbler - you get this if you bought the expansion pass before the release of the game. It's a bit better than the ones you find or get for completing a guest/bounty. It is faster (100 over the normal 70 speed) and can do a couple of tricks.

That's mostly all of the additions to the game - the next expansion 'House of Wolves' will be the next expansion to add to Destiny - but there is not much information out there at the moment :)

Let me know if you guys have played/or are playing Destiny and how your getting on.

If you are on PS3 add me - my gamertag is: johnaagnew2010



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My Favourite Spotify Christmas Playlists

Hey everyone :)

christmas playlist shoutjohn


Now normally once a month I do a favourites playlist on Spotify - don't worry I'll probably still do a December one!

In the spirit of Christmas I have recently followed a few Christmas playlists. For those of you who don't know on Spotify you follow a playlist which then you can access on your playlist quicker, whenever new songs are added it will tell you ... it's quite good!

So today I wanted to share with you some of my favourite playlists I'm following at the moment!

Firstly we have 'Holiday Favourites' created by Kelly Clarkson

> One of my favourites from this playlist is 'Underneath the Tree' by Kelly Clarkson - it's really catchy and I love the lyrics - definitely a car journey song - I've been playing it a lot on the way to work!

> Another (which at first I wasn't too sure about) is 'Hard Candy Christmas by Dolly Parton' - it's starts off slow, but then get's a bit crazy! Gotta love some Dolly Parton at Christmas Time!

Another playlist I found when searching around for Christmas songs is funnily enough: 'Christmas Songs: Old & New' by Universal Music Enterprises. I really like this playlist because as the title suggests you have a mixture of old and new Christmas songs!

> I'm loving anything by Ariana Grande at the moment and her cover of 'Santa Tell Me' is good - so listen to that.

> Obviously this song is all over the radio at the moment and definitely overplayed but that's okay because it is a classic! Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' I like this version but I also liked the version in Love Actually.

> My brother and me used to listen to this song all the time and drive my mum crazy - 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' by Jackson! 

Third playlist I have had on constant repeat is not a playlist but an album on Spotify: 100 Christmas by Various Artists

> A timeless classic - Fairytale of New York (but this is a cover version) still quite good though!

> I think this was the first ever Christmas song I bought from the iTunes store: 'Step Into Christmas' by Elton John - really catchy and fast moving.

> I love the really old hymn-kind of songs - especially 'Amazing Graze' this one by Russell Watson & Jocelyn Brown is really good.

> I remember one year I got the Girls Aloud album 'Chemistry' for my Christmas and if I remember (bare in mind this was about 10 years ago) you got a second bonus Christmas CD with it. I really loved Not Tonight Santa - that song stuck in my head for years and every time I hear it at Christmas I always think of this.

Anything these are my 3 favourite playlists (and album lol).

Have any of you guys compiled any Spotify playlists or just playlists on iTunes or something - if so let me know - send a link if you can so I can check it out and follow you!




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Thursday 25 December 2014

My Top 5 Christmas Films

Hey everyone :)

So as you grow up you notice that your family and other families tend you have 'family traditions' - such as opening one present on Christmas Eve or always having warm milk and cookies before bed, or going to church on Christmas Eve to sing hymns - the traditions are endless and I'm not going to ramble on about them but as we grow up - the traiditions I feel seem to stick with us and one of those traditions (which is probably the same for lots of people) is watching Christmas films or films that you would normally only watch around Christmas either because they are a Christmas film or are Christmas themed/set at Christmas.

I've chosen my top 5 that I always watch around Christmas and thought I would share them with you guys.

top 5 films

I'm going to try (emphasis on the try) and give a little bit about each film without giving away too much ...

1. Christmas with the Kranks
A comedy - Luther and Nora Krank see their daughter Blair off (she is going to the peace corp) and won't spend Christmas with them. They both decide that instead of spending lots of money on Christmas they will go on a cruise and not celebrate Christmas. Their neighbours aren't happy. Just before they are about to leave - their daughter calls and tells them she's on her way home. They panic and decide to have Christmas after all. So then its a big race to get Christmas back on before their daughter gets back.

2. The Holiday
I really love this film - it's about two woman who decide to take part in a 'house swap' - they swap houses, cars etc. They chat to each other before swapping houses and both are assured there are no men in the vicinity - as both are trying to 'get away from it all' for a bit. Funnily enough they both fall in love with local men however both don't commit fully as they know they will eventually have to return to their lives and this may end the relationships that have started.

3. Love Actually
The main reason I love this film is that the story revolves around nine different stories - sometimes it is hard to follow it because the film is darting all over the place to each story - but I still enjoy it none the less.

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
This is one of Tim Burton's films and I really like it. The story is about Jack who is a resident of Halloweentown and is bored of scaring everyone at Halloween. By accident he dicovers Christmastown and decides to try and control Christmas but finds out its harder than he thinks.

5. Family Stone
This film makes me cry every year. So if you don't like upsetting films - don't watch this. The film is about one of those traditional American families - they're a big family, all the kids come home for dinner - the mother is the glue that keeps the family together and everyone loves her. We then find out some upsetting news ... and I'll leave it there as I don't want to ruin the film if you plan to watch it.

So there you have it! My 5 favourite Christmas movies - are any of these your favourites? Let me know in the comments or comment me and let me know if there is any I should check out.

Merry Christmas!


shoutjohn logo



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Merry Christmas!

Hey everyone :)

merry christmas


Just a short and sweet post to say Merry Christmas to you all.

Thanks for following my blog and being with me every step of the way.

Hope you all have a great Christmas and get what you want :D

Luckily today is the only day my work is closed and so I'm going to relax, watch Christmas films and eat until I can eat no more!

Lots of hugs and kisses

-John (ShoutJohn)


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Tuesday 23 December 2014

Maybelline Baby Lips

Hey everyone :)

It's nearing Winter and it's getting chilly and there is a nip in the air.

I can tell because my lips are getting dry and unbearable. Don't you just hate it when you sitting at work - staring into your computer and chewing on your lip - next thing you feel a sting and you've tore a little bit of your skin off ... ouch! << I've done this numerous times since around the middle of November and its starting to get on my nerves!

Bring out the lip balms << the saviours!

Now I've been a big fan of Vaseline - from when I was in secondary school ... to even now where I still use it. However I always end up putting it through the washing machine and wasting it.

maybelline baby lips 3 kinds

I can't remember exactly where I saw these - it might have been an advert on television or if I remember correctly my manager uses one or two different ones.

I was hesitant at first to purchase them because they aren't cheap but you could probably tell that from the name of the brand. Although I'm not saying they are expensive either but I've saw a few of my friends eyebrows raise when I told them how much I spent on them. 

So they are £2.99 each in Boots - you might be able to find them cheaper elsewhere - but I shop in Boots so we will go with their prices. Now luckily when I purchased these Boots had their 3 for 2 deal on - which I didn't know until I got to the counter - luckily the woman told me (or it was probably her till) so I went and got a third from the shelf.

maybelline baby lips balm cherry hydrate mint fresh


I bought:


maybelline baby lips balm cherry me, hydrate, mint fresh


I really like these lip balms as not only do they give moisture to your lips but they keep them moisturised for up to 8 hours and have added SPF20 so you can take them on holiday with you or even out in the UK weather (when its actually sunny - so never) lol.

They come in a range of different flavours and colours - I only have 3 here but if you check out Boots or the Maybelline website or even just google 'maybelline lip balm' you'll see all the different ones you can get.

The main reason I went to buy another one was that I originally bought one from Boots a few weeks ago and I lost it. Or so I thought after buying these 3 (well 2) I found it in my coat pocket. It's my favourite at the moment - it's the yellow colour (intense care) which has really been helping my lips this Winter. I've also somehow managed to catch a throat/cough bug so my lips are dryer than ever but this lip balm works like a miracle.

I normally like to try out anything I've planning on blogging about for a couple of weeks so I can give an honest opinion but with this particular product - the effects were instant or more or less visible after a day or two.

So yes ... I recommended buy ... The boots 3 for 2 deal normally last ages - so get yourself down to your local Boots or order online :)

Till next time!



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Sunday 21 December 2014

Christmas Cakes

Hey everyone :)

So I wanted to do a post about some of the lovely cakes I've found in shops that come out every year at Christmas - some old and some new :)

cakes cakes cakes shoutjohn

As you can see I went a bit crazy at Asda (which is my new favourite place to shop at the moment).

I had a taste-tester-volunteer who helped me try them all - my boyfriend: Dave. So if you see any comments I'll mark his as 'D' and mine as 'J'

The first cake we tried was Mr Kipling's Festive Bakewells:

mr kipling festive bakewells

mr kipling festive bakewells

D: it's marzipanny, the jam is sweet - it was nice. 
J: jeez you can tell he'd be great as a food critic ;)
D: oiiii
J: okay so you would think it's got marzipan in it, but it's actually almond flavoured sponge - it's yummy.

The second cake we tried was Cadbury's Festive Cake Bars:

Cadbury's Festive Cake Bars

Cadbury's Festive Cake Bars

D: it's a square cadbury roll - but not a roll a square.
J: enough said ... 

The third was Cadbury's Mint Mini Rolls:

Cadbury's Mint Mini Rolls

Cadbury's Mint Mini Rolls

D: minty ...
J: yum very minty ... like an aero :) defo have another of these! munch!

The fourth was Asda's Cranberry & Orange Bakewells:

Asda's Cranberry & Orange Bakewells

Asda's Cranberry & Orange Bakewells


D: really sweet, can't really taste the orange
J: I like the cranberry jam - not sour like I was expecting :)

The fifth cake we tried was Asda's Iced Mince Pies:

Asda's Iced Mince Pies

Asda's Iced Mince Pies


D: Nice :) Might have been better without the icing and just a pastry lid like the outside.
J: Filling is very rich, pastry is crumbly - I like this though!

The sixth cake we tried was Mr Kipling's Gingerbread Whirls:

Mr Kipling's Gingerbread Whirls

Mr Kipling's Gingerbread Whirls

D: wow - catches the back of your throat
J: hmm - you think when you first taste it - it tastes bland, then after a couple seconds the spices hit you and it taste quite good actually :)

The seventh cake we tried was Mr Kipling's Winter Whirls:

Mr Kipling's Winter Whirls

Mr Kipling's Winter Whirls


D: Very sweet and yummy. It's like a smooth mince pie filling.
J: I'm not much a fan of mince pies - but I could eat all these!

The eighth and last cake we tried was Mr Kipling's Frosty Fancies:

Mr Kipling's Frosty Fancies

Mr Kipling's Frosty Fancies

D: - very, very, very sweet - could only eat one ... 
J: these are just like the coloured ones aren't they? yeah very sweet!

Details:

> Mr Kipling's Festive Bakewells
> Cadbury's Festive Cake Bars
> Cadbury's Mint Mini Rolls
> Asda's Cranberry & Orange Bakewells
> Asda's Iced Mince Pies
> Mr Kipling's Gingerbread Whirls
> Mr Kipling's Winter Whirls
> Mr Kipling's Frosty Fancies

All things I bought were £1 in Asda - I've had a look on Tesco, Sainsburys etc and they all look the same aswell. They are going quick though and as it's a Christmas item - they won't be in stock for long!

I hope you liked the post ... I wanted to do something different on a review - like a little running commentary of sorts!

Let me know what you thought in the comments below, oh and if there is any cakes you want me to try let me know too!


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Saturday 20 December 2014

Christmas Decorations

Hey everyone :)

Firstly I want to set the mood so I have some Christmas music playing on Spotify (specifically 'Santa Tell Me' by Ariana Grande), I have my Christmas jumper on, twinkly Christmas lights flashing and a cup of tea (I would have said eggnog but I'm not keen on the stuff lol).

I've been meaning to do this post since the start of December but I kept forgetting to do the pictures for the post ... I know I'm lazy!

So for those of you who don't know - I live in shared accommodation currently with 6 other people (you could say flatmates). I've lived her nearly three years come the 16th Jan (2015). It's cheaper than having a house and I'm small and don't have lots of stuff so one little room is okay for me :)

So this is my third Christmas here and the last two Christmas' I didn't decorate - mainly because I was always at work and spent more time at work than at home and because I only have my room and no other storage - all the decorations would have had to sit in a corner till the next year.

However this year we decorated our office at work and it got me in the mood and I had just gotten £25 worth of Tesco vouchers so I thought I would get some and get in the festive mood this year.

christmas decorations shoutjohn

christmas decorations shoutjohn


So I firstly found these - they are wooden N O E and L letters that you can organise how you like. I decided to put them on my window ledge facing into my room (I'm on the second floor of my house - so they won't be seen outside). I also decided to intertwine some blue/white tinsel around the letters so the display didn't look too lonely or boring.

christmas decorations shoutjohn


While shopping I saw that Glade Christmas candles were on sale so I bought a few of these and popped them at the end of each of the window ledges and wrapped the end of the tinsel around them to complete the display. I didn't want the tinsel just hanging of the end of the ledge.

christmas decorations shoutjohn

christmas decorations shoutjohn

christmas decorations shoutjohn

So because the house is shared (my room is technically the living room of the house and the largest (score!) and so I have two windows on the same wall and in between the two windows I have 3 narrow canvas paintings (as you can see above) those were looking bare so I looped some tinsel over them and behind the frames to keep it hanging. 

I also bought some twinkly icicle lights which were long enough to cover both windows, and the space in between, and then a little bit of my wall. So I started those of in one corner and pinned them over the windows. They are outdoor usable as well but I decided to keep them inside. It's a great mood setter - put them on slow-glo, pop a movie in, get some popcorn ... 

christmas decorations shoutjohn

christmas decorations shoutjohn

christmas decorations shoutjohn

As mentioned above I have two windows in my room - so the other window - again I found a centre-piece for the window - this one was the word 'sparkle' again - I think this is wood, painted white and then coated with sparkly, white, diamond-looking glitter. Again to keep the blue-theme I decorated the rest of the ledge with blue/white tinsel. You can see some of the icicle lights hanging down in the above pictures which adds to the Christmas(ey) effect :)

christmas decorations shoutjohn

christmas decorations shoutjohn

Again similar to the canvas paintings I have - I got some different coloured tinsel for my mirror and a photo-frame I have in my room. As you can see I looped metallic-purple tinsel around the top of the mirror and for the photo-frame I used a metallic-blue tinsel.

I then decided my ceiling looked pretty bare. So I then headed to Asda to look for some specific decorations I had in mind. I ended spending I think £4 (they were £1 each if I remember correctly).

christmas decorations shoutjohn

christmas decorations shoutjohn

christmas decorations shoutjohn

christmas decorations shoutjohn

So I ended up getting three different types of decoration.

I got a large red star which is flat and you just open out and hang. I like it but I feel that (as you can see in the picture) it hangs not from a point and looks like its upside down.

I also get a red snowflake which thinking about it now I should have looked for a blue or silver one. It still looks cool. Similar to the star - it is flat-packed and you open out and hang.

Now the last decoration silver snowflake ceiling hanging - my parents always had these every year at home. They string across your ceiling from two points and look cool. Only bad thing is they rip easy and break easy. I actually bought two but you'll notice there is only 1 in the photos because I broke the other one the other day when I was moving things around my room.

I decided against getting a real/fake tree this year as I go back to my reasons as to why I didn't decorate the last two years. The tree is only used for 1 month of the year and I don't want a tree box sitting in my room, taking up space for 11 months of the year.

I still think my room looks pretty festive and I'm happy with it. In total it cost me about £35 I think (baring in mind £25 was Tesco vouchers I saved up all year round) so really it was only £10 (inc the Asda spend).

Decorations and Cost Breakdown

Tesco:
Blue/white tinsel - £1 (two lots)
Silver tinsel - £1
Metallic purple - £1
Metallic blue - £1
NOEL sign - £5.50
Sparkle sign - £3.50
Icicle lights - £11.50
Glade candle (sale item) - £2

I did get some coloured Christmas lights (which are not featured in this post) if you want to see them in action they are in a background of my latest video about Zoella's new book 'Girl Online'.

Asda:
Red star - £1
Red snowflake - £1
Silver ceiling decoration - £1 (two lots)
(I also noticed the Glade candles are in sale in Asda too for £2)

That's everything :)

Hope you all enjoyed the post and/or video! Let me know in the comments what decorations old/new you have used this year.



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