Sunday, April 26, 2015

Begin Again Movie Review + A YA Book Pairing

Movies about music are some of my favourite types of movies. It's not even strictly musicals, just movies about music in general. And one of my favourite movies that has a strong focus on music is Once (which yes, is also a musical). I probably watched it for the first time about two years ago with my mum and immediately fell in love with the story and the music. It was just such a sweet movie with great music.

Being such a fan of Once, I was automatically interested in seeing Begin Again, written and directed by the very same John Carney who wrote and directed Once. Plus it stars Keira Knightley (ultimate cutie for life), Mark Ruffalo and Adam Levine! Pretty hard to say no to that...

Begin Again is similar to Once in some ways: it's written and directed by the same person, both have a strong focus on music and deal with a musical collaboration between two people to create a record. But that's where I would say the similarities end. It's clear that Begin Again has a bigger budget and with well known actors (Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld) and a well known musician (Adam Levine), a LOT more star power. And furthermore, Begin Again seems to place a much greater importance on developing the story and each of the characters than Once does (I feel bad for comparing the two but I feel like it is inevitable). That's not to say that Once had a shit story and characters but I just feel the focus lies in different things in the two movies. In Once, the songs were written first and then the story was created around those songs which makes sense. The music takes up a lot of the movie and it's made abundantly clear that it's the true focus of the film. In Begin Again, I would say there isn't as great of a focus on the music. And I'm unsure whether or not the songs were written first but it definitely feels to me like a movie where the story came first and the music later on. Which is okay, I liked it all the same. The two films have totally different feels in my opinion and seek out to achieve two totally different things. If I'm in the mood for a more music-leaning movie, I would go with Once. But if I'm in the mood for something that's a little more spread out in terms of priorities (like I was on Saturday when I watched this film), I would go with Begin Again. 

OK maybe I should talk a little more about what Begin Again is actually about. Okay so it deals with two primary characters, Gretta (Keira Knightley) and Dan (Mark Ruffalo), as they work together to create a record. Gretta is an aspiring musician (whose boyfriend, Dave Kohl as played by Adam Levine, is quickly climbing up in stardom) who sings an original song at a bar one night and immediately catches the attention of a very drunk Dan, who's a record executive in a bit of a rough stretch. The two end up working together to create Gretta's record and then things happen and it's all so wonderful.

I never knew Keira Knightley could sing but her voice suited all the songs very well. Having said that though, I'M SORRY I LOVE YOU KEIRA but I wasn't the biggest fan of her voice. I know that sounds contradictory but while I could see she was a good pick to play Gretta because of everything from her composure to her voice, I just didn't really like her voice at all. But anyway I enjoyed the songs nonetheless and I actually wish they had created a Gretta record for the movie. Like in the film, Gretta and Dan record all of her songs all over New York LIVE with no additional editing and a ragtag bunch of super fricking cool musicians and I'm like THAT SOUNDS SO COOL UM EXCUSE ME CAN I PLEASE GET THIS ALBUM. 


Also Mark Ruffalo was great (like fricking amazing) and Hailee Steinfeld was fabulous and JAMES CORDEN I WANT TO HUG HIM. WHY ARE YOU SO ADORABLE. OH MY GOD.

And finally... Adam Levine as Dave Kohl. It was very amusing seeing him in this film. I don't think he did a bad job at all but I just couldn't picture Adam Levine as his character at all. Even with his glasses at the beginning and then his dumb mustache and then his dumber beard, I was like wow hey it's Adam Levine looking funny, not Dave Kohl. But maybe for people who aren't as in love with Adam Levine could do a better job than me picturing Adam Levine as Dave Kohl. Plus I also liked Adam's rendition of Lost Stars a lot more than Keira's. Also I really enjoyed all the songs that Adam sings. It kinda brought me back to his early Songs About Jane stuff which I adored.

Anyway, I thought Begin Again overall was a very great movie and one I know I will be rewatching very soon and probably most likely even getting a copy of it on DVD because that's how much I enjoyed it. It was truly such a sweet and uplifting movie. Highly recommended!

And now you might be wondering, what about the YA book pairing you mentioned in the title? Well, just you wait a second. 

I wasn't initially planning on including a YA book to go with this post. It was going to solely be a Begin Again movie review / gush but then after watching the movie, I was struck by the most perfect YA book to go with this film and instead of making another post for it, I decided to squish the two together even though I'm going to end up with a super long post but YOLO because all my posts are super long anyway so what's another few inches?

So what is the clever YA book equivalent I thought of for this movie?

I read this book last month and although the cover and the rave reviews it got made it seem very promising and one I was sure to like, I actually wasn't too crazy about it (for reference, it got 2.5 stars from me). But it's one of the cases where I acknowledge that the book probably is very good, it just wasn't suited for me because I can see all the qualities in Everything Leads to You that would have a lot of people fawning over it. It's only that for some reason, it didn't click with me. 

But anyway, even though I didn't like this book all that much, I also do realize that it is quite a good pairing for Begin Again (not to toot my own horn too much though). Where Begin Again deals with a ragtag group of musicians teaming up together to make a record, Everything Leads to You is all about a ragtag group of film industry professionals teaming up to create a film. And in the same way Begin Again explores the wonders of New York City, Everything Leads to You explores Los Angeles. Although there isn't quite the same "mystery" element in Begin Again as there is in Everything Leads to You, I think you'll find the overall tone to be quite similar. Both deal with themes of heartbreak and love and family and friendship and being really passionate about something and bringing that to life.


Now tell me: have you seen Begin Again or read Everything Leads to You? What were your thoughts? And if you've both read the book and seen the movie, do you think they pair well together? What other book do you think might go well with Begin Again? And conversely what other movie do you think might go well with Everything Leads to You? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Things That NEED to Happen in Queen of Shadows

Having recently finished Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas, I am now fully caught up with the Throne of Glass series (minus the Assassin's Blade which I'm saving for when the wait for Queen of Shadows gets too agonizing) so yay for me for finally being on board with the train. Woot woot! I mean, I know I'm still MONTHS late to the party but maybe you guys will entertain me with this post for a bit?

Queen of Shadows isn't coming out for another few months and we all know the wait is going to be agonizing... so I thought why don't we have a little Heir of Fire discussion until then and chat about what we'd like to see happen in Queen of Shadows? Typically I don't like musing about the next installments in a series too much because that's practically setting myself up for disappointment but I have too many feels about Celaena and Throne of Glass that cannot be physically contained. Thus, I'm going to be using this post as my place to shout and squeal about everything I want to see happen in Queen of Shadows.

Obviously, there will be spoilers for Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire so if you haven't read them, please don't read past this point. And if you do, don't say you haven't been warned...

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Series Review: Anna & The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

The Anna & The French Kiss Series Review
Anna and the French Kiss (Book #1) | Lola and the Boy Next Door (Book #2) | Isla and the Happily Ever After (Book #3)


general overview.

What is the series about?
For all you standalone lovers, you are in LUCK. Because this is not a series you need to read chronologically as they're all stories that stand well on their own. Of course... I still suggest you do read them in order to get the full experience as old characters are reintroduced in each book but you definitely don't need to! The books are totally different from each other, following the arcs of different characters but they're all amazing contemporaries with great writing. In Anna & the French Kiss, the story's centered around a girl named Anna and her adventures in Paris. Lola & the Boy Next Door follows Lola in San Francisco and Isla & the Happily Ever After is about Isla in New York. So there're fun destinations, great characters and amazing writing all around.


How did you hear about this series?
Most likely from the blogosphere although my memory is shaky so I could be wrong but seeing as I learn about most books from the blogosphere anyway, I'm probably right. At the time I first learned of book blogging in 2012, I don't imagine that Anna was out for very long so was probably all the rage then and me, being in love with contemporaries set abroad, would have most likely been all grabby hands for it.


What attracted you to the series?
First and foremost, it's a contemporary. And I LOVE contemporaries. Favourite genre, hands down. There isn't even any room to consider competition. So chances are, if you're a book labelled as a contemporary, you're already a ballot in the race. And if you're a contemporary set abroad? That's another ballot added for you, Mr. Book. And if it's in a place I've wanted to visit for AGES? With the promise of an adorable romance? With a lot of people already singing your praises? Well then that's pretty much a done deal for me.


series breakdown.

Anna and the French Kiss (Book #1) | See my review here
I read this book over two years ago but I still remember my reactions crystal clear. Practically tailored to be a favourite of mine forevermore. The writing was hilarious and easy to read. The characters were awesome - I loved the gang at the boarding school. Anna and Etienne were also super easy to root for even if they did get themselves in a rather sticky situation that maybe wasn't very smart on their part. The setting was fantastic; Paris was truly brought to life in this book and I LOVED that. It's always a disappointment when a book is set in such an interesting location but there is very little to no effort made to really bring that setting to life and utilize the full potential of it. But luckily, there is none of that in this book. There really are very little faults I can find with Anna, even two and a half years later. So what else do I need to say?

Lola and the Boy Next Door (Book #2) | See my review here
In many ways, Lola was a book I loved even more than Anna, if that was even possible. Lola as a character just stood out to me more with her outgoing personality and eccentric fashion sense. I found myself really being able to relate to her. And HER DADS. Family is such an important part of daily life, I'm sure, and I love reading about it in YA especially. And in Lola, there's such a strong sense of family with her two amazing dads that I just loved so, so dearly. Then there's Cricket who you cannot possibly hate. And just MAN what a wonderful book.

Isla and the Happily Ever After (Book #3) 
Isla and I got off to a rocky start even before I had read it. I was so excited when it came out, I literally ran to the bookstore first thing in the morning but then once I had gotten it, the fear settled in. I call it the final book syndrome when I'm just so scared about how things are going to end that I push the book aside. And that's exactly what I did. For over a year. I pushed Isla to the side until I finally read it and... loved it. Isla was a refreshing departure from Anna & Lola: a different look at a relationship and a more mature voice. Although I did also have qualms with Isla and Josh's characters, I also thought Isla was a great ending to the series, particularly because it had me wanting to reread the series all over again - something I think should be a hallmark of a great final installment. 

What was your favourite book?
NOPE. NOT DOING THIS TO MYSELF. Although I'd probably say Lola because I think I had the strongest reaction after reading it. But maybe also Anna? It's hard to rank these books but I know Isla would not be my favourite as a fact - it'd probably be somewhere in the middle - so it's either Anna or Lola. But probably Lola. SO HARD THOUGH. They're really so close in level of affection that the difference between each one is minuscule. Like you'd have to get a super high power microscope to see the difference. So seriously, don't even take this section into consideration. It's pointless.

What was your least favourite book?
Tough decision once again but I would probably say Anna, simply by virtue that it was the book I have the faintest memory of. Because really, how could I pick any of these books over the others? I have so much love for them equally that it's nearly unthinkable. But say, if this were a life or death decision, if I was being held at knife-point until I gave out an answer, Anna would probably be my choice.


in detail.

What was your reaction upon finishing the series?
I'M NOT READY FOR THIS TO BE OVER? WHAT. But seriously, why did it have to be over? I would have been so content with Stephanie Perkins never writing anything else but these books. Like Meredith? I could so get behind a book about Meredith. And Josh's ex who's name I'm blanking on? And KURT? How fantastic would a Kurt book be? (So fantastic.)


Was the pacing good?
Since these books all pretty much stand alone by themselves, pacing is basically a non-issue. 

Was the ending satisfying?
Well... I mean... I LOVED Isla & the Happily Ever After (as much as the other two is still up for debate) so I would say I'm pretty satisfied. You could definitely see the progression in narration and characters and story by Isla and I loved that. Plus I was super happy with how all the characters ended up so yeah. A ton of lovey eyes all around.


What did you like about the series?
Freaking everything! The characters were amazing. I loved Anna and Lola and Isla. I loved Etienne and Cricket and Josh. The secondary characters were all so great as well. The setting of each book was great and sated the inner traveller in me. And the writing is so easy to read and so funny and MAN, these books are just the epitome of the ultimate pick me up read. They're just so wonderfully sweet with great characters and interesting storylines. If you don't end the series with a goofy grin on your face... I don't even know who you are.


What didn't you like about the series/what could have been better?
Honestly, I just want MORE. MORE MORE MORE. (In other words, this question is impossible. Anna is PERFECT. There is no answer to this question.)


final thoughts.

Who would you recommend this to?
If you're a fan of sweet romances, this is the perfect series for you. It's witty, it's interesting and there is never a dull moment with Anna and the gang. I would highly recommend this to fans of Emery Lord, Rainbow Rowell, Jenny Han... just to name a few authors. But seriously, read this series. One of my favourite YA series of all time. And if you're a contemporary fan, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK. You must. You must.


Final verdict?
READ THIS SERIES. That is it. If I haven't convinced you by now, I don't know what else to do! This series is fantastic; YOU SHOULD READ IT. (But probablyyy most of you already have. So let's reminisce together on how amazing Anna was.)

Monday, April 6, 2015

The Seven Deadly Sins Book Tag

Back with a tag! Mostly because there are two drafts in my folder right now for rather long posts that I should finish but don't want to. So I figured, there's no better time than the present to do the Seven Deadly Sins tag! I was tagged quite a while ago by Ebony and Veronika so thank you both!


The Seven Deadly Sins Book Tag.


GREED - What's your most inexpensive book? What's your most expensive?
I don't think it'd be fair to count free books or ones that I've been gifted for the first question so I'm left with... The Water Mirror by Kai Meyer which I paid roughly six dollars for, including tax. (Clearly I am not a bargain hunter when it comes to books.) As for my most expensive book, that would definitely have to go to all the copies of the Guinness World Record books I own. They were each around twenty to thirty dollars. 

WRATH - What author do you have a love-hate relationship with?
Let me just preface this by saying I am using hate very lightly. Mostly in spirit of this question as I don't actually harbor any hard feelings towards any author at all. With that in mind, Sarah Dessen would probably be on my love-hate list. This Lullaby and The Truth About Forever are among my favourite YA books but some of her books that I've read have just faded into one book, with similar main characters and predicaments and none of them making a particularly lasting impression on me at all. Another author that I'll name is John Green. I did thoroughly enjoy The Fault in Our Stars when I first read it (though I have an itching feeling that will not be so if I ever decide to reread it which I probably won't), however the other books I've read from him have totally disinterested me in ever picking up another John Green book ever. Nothing against him as a person, I just don't like his books at all. 

GLUTTONY - What books have you devoured over and over without shame?
There are few books I reread and even fewer I've reread more than once so there isn't a huge catalog of books to pick from here. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is one book I've already read many times and one I know I will reread many more times in the future - not so much because of my love for it but more because I will probably start my binge read of Harry Potter again many times until the one miraculous day I actually end up finishing it. Though the Philosopher's Stone is pretty great. Bras and Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski is another one I've reread multiple times, as well as Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison. Both series that I have also attempted binge reading in the past but failed at it. So I will probably be rereading them many times to come as well. 

SLOTH - What books have you neglected reading due to laziness?
The Harry Potter books, definitely. I've already read them once but I've been meaning to reread them for ages and here we are, four years later and I've only gotten so far as the second book. In terms of genre, classics are always books I end up putting off. Frankly, they intimidate me and while the ones I have read have been amazing and really enjoyable, I just cannot seem to put my prejudice aside. Those are the big two and I think I'm going to leave it at that. Let's not look at the unread books on my shelf...

PRIDE - What book do you talk about most in order to sound like an intellectual reader?
All the classics I've read which I can practically count on two hands. Obviously I don't read a lot of classics so I like to flaunt the ones that I do read and also pretend I read them on my own accord instead of the reality that I was made to read them by school. But it's not like anyone actually asks me about what I read besides my friends who already know I stay far, far away from classics so I've never had to "boost" my reading tastes. But knowing me, this would be my exact answer if the situation ever arose.

LUST - What attributes do you find attractive in male and female characters?
I like characters who can make me laugh, who are smart and who are people I can really get behind and root for (which doesn't necessarily mean they're morally good). Honestly, I can't answer their question because everything really goes by a case by case basis. Some characters may fit the bill of what I like perfectly and yet they do nothing for me while others may be the exact opposite yet somehow intrigue me. So it depends really on which character piques my interest the most although in general, I do like witty characters and ones who aren't afraid of themselves or others and kick ass.

ENVY - What book would you most like to receive as a gift?
I cannot believe this question is in singular form because one answer is not possible but I'd love a complete set of the UK edition of the Harry Potter books because I only have the complete set as eBooks. I'd also love all the Throne of Glass books and the Humans of New York book and I don't know... many many others. The list is ever growing.


Okay friends, that is all from me for today! Thanks again to Ebony and Veronika for tagging me, I had so much fun answering all the questions. Now, your turn: pick one or a couple of questions to answer yourself! And tell me in the comments below!

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

March 2015 Reflect & Renew

A monthly post looking back and reflecting on how the month went in terms of blogging and otherwise, as well as looking forward to the next month and "renewing" myself for all that's to come. (Get it?) Read on to find out what went down with me this month and what will go down next month!

what happened.

1. Finally spring? I always talk about the weather, I KNOW but can you blame me for being excited to see the beginnings of spring? I mean, you can hardly call three degrees spring but it's close, I can taste it. And I am excited. And I am ready. This winter has been one of the harshest winters I've ever suffered through and I can't wait to be able to walk out again without having to pile on the layers. I can dig out my skirts soon! And shorts! And tank tops! Clearly I am very enthusiastic about this...

2. Still drowning in books. And I'm afraid to admit but the problem might have even gotten worse. As I now have TWO books for English to finish and multiple, multiple that I want to finish before they're due at the library and on top of that, one I need to finish for a readalong and another I need to finish for my mom (she's making me read Pride & Prejudice). SO I'M REALLY STRESSED OUT ABOUT THIS. I don't even know how to begin to resolve this problem so some books will probably have to go back to the library unread, as sad as that makes me.

3. March break. March break was fabulous. Although I didn't go anywhere for March break it was still wonderful to be able to stay home and take a break from school.

4. Literacy test. This test basically made me feel better about my literacy/writing skills and compensated for all the times other bloggers and writers have made me feel like I WILL NEVER BE THAT ELOQUENT OR WITTY OR FUNNY. I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO WORD LIKE THAT. Which is to say it was pretty easy.

5. The ballet. I went to a ballet for the first time this month! I went to go see Alice in Wonderland and it was superb. The dancers were all mind-blowingly amazing with movements so fluid and breezy, it's hard to believe they're actual human beings. The music accompaniment was also great although I won't lie, the ballet did lose me for a bit during the scenes. Because there was no speech, it was hard to follow the story which led to me being incredibly confused which then led to me not bothering to pay close attention. But I did still enjoy it so there.

6. So much homework. We've only been back from March break for one week and already there is so much work. Which I guess makes sense as culminatings are only one month away and exams, two. Crazy! Where has the year gone? I still feel like it's January and there are three more months to boost my marks up before finals. But no, there is only one left. I have to say though, I'm really proud of all my grades so far so as long as I keep them up, I will be happy. So yeah, I do have quite a bit of work. Not any more as I have just completed a giant project but still a significant amount? I have an English essay on Richard III due on Thursday and a history project that's due next Thursday AND I badly need to start reading Fifth Business for English as we have content quizzes coming up. Plus, I have a really busy April coming up in terms of extracurriculars so like... EVEN MORE STRESS.

7. Training for a 5K. Heyyy, probably not going to make it but I can try right? And if worst comes to worst, I can always walk.

8. Grade 11 anticipation. It just hit me this past week that in a few short months, I'm going to be a junior. Crazy, right? And I feel like that should scare me because change and growing older always scares me but instead I'm just super excited. Even though I know the work load is so much greater than sophomore year but I'm so pumped. I selected courses I'm truly passionate about. The only thing I'm a little worried is the extracurriculars. There are so many things I want to do next year and I've started applying for some of the positions on the associations for next year but I'm nervous because I really really want them and I probably won't get them because there are like 10 000 other, amazing, fantastic candidates. Oh well. I'll just go out, do my best and cross my fingers!


monthly playlist.

Since I make monthly playlists on Spotify, I thought I'd sneak them into these posts in case you're interested in all the songs I've listened to / discovered.



latest obsessions. 

1. The Jinx. I've already written a post about this but I just had to include this in here again. Since Serial, there's been a true-crime shaped hole in my heart and The Jinx filled it. Although there has been some controversy of late about the director Andrew Jarecki's possible timeline fudging, I still thought The Jinx was an incredibly intriguing and captivating mini-series and recommend it.

2. Art journalling. This was my project for my independent enrichment study. It started out to be a great burden weighing down on me but I really did start enjoying it after I got working and I'm hoping to continue with it.

3. Kendrick Lamar. The thing about me is that I truly do love rap. Except I am so hopelessly clueless about it. When people talk about triple bar raps or good beats, I get totally lost. It's like that thing that I enjoy even though I know nothing about it except that I enjoy it. And Kendrick Lamar is one of my favourite rap artists. I loved good kid, maad city and though I haven't heard many songs off of To Pimp a Butterfly, the ones I have heard have been so great. His lyricism is probably the best out of all the rappers I've listened to (like ten so not exactly speaking from experience or expertise here AT ALL) and I love his sorta unconventional sound in this album where he mixes a lot of jazz/funk music with his rhymes and it's just really cool and I'm slightly obsessed.

4. McDonald's. I've been having intense McDonalds cravings all month long. So if you want to know what's up with me lately, that's what's up. McDonald's every week just because I feel like it.

5. Marble Slab Creamery. Best ice cream EVER. I'm telling you, they have amazing ice cream. The store near me never has any of the fun unique flavors but even their more traditional ones like vanilla and chocolate are AMAZING. The last time I went I had the butter pecan with Skor bits and it was to die for. Also does anyone else hate putting fruit on their ice cream? I NEVER put strawberries or raspberries or blueberries or anything like that (unless they've been marinated in the juice thingy) because they always freeze and get hard and not tasty. I always like going for something that won't freeze on me and that's soft enough and not too dense.

6. Pop Rocket podcast. I'm planning on writing a podcast post soon and this will for sure be included in that post but I'm too excited and I want to tell you guys now. This was a very recent find but it's already become a favourite of mine. It's all about pop culture and media. All four hosts have interesting opinions and they have some really important commentary on the news as well (recently, they had a- what I thought was fantastic - discussion on the Oklahoma fraternity and the video they put up). And it's just honestly so worth a listen. Please, go listen to it now.



currently reading.

I'm STILL reading Richard III for school but good news, I'm on act 5 so will be planning on finishing very soon. I'm also Fifth Business by Roberston Davies for school. I honestly have no idea what it's about so I'm hoping it's going to be good. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas is also on my currently reading list and I am so excited to churn through this book because I LOVE THIS WORLD. And finally I'm also reading I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk even though the writing really gets on my nerves at times. I just can't bear not knowing what happens to Angela! Oh and yeah I'm also rereading Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella as part of my Shopaholic reread and then there are TONS of other books on my TBR too...


challenge updates.

  • The 2015 Goodreads Challenge: I've jumped from being three books ahead to being 10 books ahead with 27 books read. Am I on a roll or what?
  • 2015 Debut Author Challenge: Still zero BUT I WILL WORK ON THIS.
  • Flights of Fantasy: I read one more book for this challenge (Blood Promise by Richelle Mead) which puts me at four.
  • 2015 Bookish Bingo Challenge: I have 17 but I also haven't updated it in sooo long so hopefully when I do get to updating it, my number will be much higher than that!
  • 2015 Classics Challenge: Zero but remember: Richard III and Fifth Business.
  • 2015 Contemporary Challenge: I read 8 more books so I have 11 now! Wahoo!
  • 2015 Discussion Challenge: Um...
  • 2015 TBR Pile: I read 8 more books off my TBR this month.
  • Hail to the King: SUMMER READING PLANS RIGHT HERE.
  • Popsugar 2015 Reading Challenge: Again I haven't updated this in a while so I have 20 now but hopefully more when I update it.
  • Fairytale Retelling Challenge: Sigh.. zero.
  • Reread Challenge: A Midsummer's Nightmare was this month's contribution to this challenge.
  • Dive Into Diversity: I added Everything Leads to You for this challenge because the main character is lesbian.
  • Around the World Challenge: View my map on the Challenge page as I update this regularly.


highlights of the runaway reader.



what to expect in april.

  • I have posts planned guys I SWEAR. I just don't want to say them now because I might not get to all of them and then I'll feel bad but I promise, they're coming and they're exciting!

that's my march! tell me how yours went in the comments.