Pokémon | Top 5 episodes of series 3 | The Johto Journeys

Round 3! 

Gosh, I haven't posted in a while... I'm off to Winchester tomorrow to visit my boyfriend for the week so I figured I would get this post out now!

Episodes based in the Johto region seem to receive a lot of negative comments and I can understand why. There are a lot of "filler" episodes which aren't necessarily relevant to Ash's journey but some of them are great.

Last month, I posted my top 5 episodes from series 2 (read here) and the month prior to that, I gave you my top 5 from series 1 (read here). Now, I'm going to give you my top five from The Johto Journeys! I can't begin to tell you how long these posts take to write up. I really should plan them in advance or write them up over two days or something... The funny thing is, I'm pretty certain none of you guys enjoy reading these posts but I just love writing them.

The plot sees young Ash Ketchum on his journey to become the world's greatest Pokémon master. Pokémon (Pocket Monsters) are like animals but you can catch, train and battle them. Team Rocket (the bad guys) are constantly causing trouble throughout the course of the series and they are my favourite part! #teamTeamRocket

Due to the high level of filler episodes, I really struggled to pick my top five. We say a kind of temporary/kind of permanent goodbye to two main Pokémon (one of these episodes has made it into my top 5).

Before I begin, please note that when I say the episode number, eg. 136, I mean the 136th episode ever. There are only 41 episodes in this series but I'm taking into account the first and second series and all banned epsiodes up to this point as well (there are 2). So episode 136 is known as 134 everywhere but Japan... Does that make sense? Probably not.

So here we go!

WARNING: I will be giving away good portions of each plot. If you don't like spoilers, don't read ahead!!

5. Episode 157: Forest Grumps

An Ursaring's (Pokémon which look like bears) hyper beam attack saves Ash, Misty and Brocks Pokémon from being captured by Team Rocket but sees both groups being chased into the forest by an angry pack of these Ursaring (you'll find out at the end of the episode why they are aggitated). After escaping the Ursaring, they realise they have all been split up. Jessie is with Ash, Pikachu and Brock while Misty and her Togepi are with James and Meowth of Team Rocket. Each group is forced to make a truce. This switch-up is the reason Forest Grumps made my top five! I love watching the "enemies" work together. I won't give away much else but we get another little surprise from Togepi right at the end and James' Victreebell uses vine whip for the first time!

4. Episode 148: Tricks of the Trade

 Ash, Misty and Brock meet a young trainer who is having trouble trading his Wobbuffet at a Pokémon Swap Meet. Again, I don't want to reveal too much but this Wobbuffet becomesa pretty important character from this episode onwards! I have a little soft spot for Wobbuffet which is the reason this episode made my top 5. We say goodbye to two pokémon in this episode.

3. Episode 129: Once in a Blue Moon
The mission to get the GS Ball to a Pokéball expert is interrupted when a Quagsire takes it and swims away. We eventually find out that the reason reason the Quagsire took Ash's GS Ball was because it was spherical, and during this time of year, the Quagsire take round objects, swim upstream and then send them back down the river. The tacken objects are said to be good luck, especially the last thing to float down the river. I just love the whole story of the Quagsire ritual. I thought it was quite sweet.

2. Episode 131: Ignorance is Blissey
 I nearly gave this episode the number one spot but changed my mind at the last minute. Although it sits in second place, I probably prefer it to my number 1 choice in many ways. A  ahuge Team Rocket fan, any episode which has a focus on their history really excites me. Ignorance is Blissey sees Team Rocket and the three kida wind up at the same Pokémon centre where a very clumsy Blissey works beside Nurse Joy. Whilst stealing food, Jessie is tackled to the floor by Blissey and realises that they both went to Pokémon Nurse School together and were friends. The rest of the episode shows not only Jessie's love and friendship towards Blissey but also James and Meowth's friendship with Jessie as they back her up and sacrifice the food they stole. I love this episode so much that I teared up the first time I watched it! What can I say? I'm emotional!
 

1. Episode 136: Charizard's Burning Ambition
This episode is a pretty significant one. We finally say goodbye to one of Ash's oldest Pokémon, Charizard. I love Charizard and the whole story behind him. Ash hears about a place called Charicific Valley and believes that visiting it will help Charizard's spirits. However, when they reach the valley, all the dragons are far bigger and more powerful and we see Charizard's pride get wounded. Another reason I chose this episode is because although we see a miserable Charizard, we also see his determination and I really admire that in this Pokémon.

Music tag

Music is one of my biggest passions. I know a lot of people say this but I don't know where I'd be without it. I haven't actually been tagged to do this but I saw it on tumblr and figured it would be a nice thing to pop on my blog since no one really knows anything about me.

1 - A song you like with a colour in the title? White Riot by The Clash

2 - A song you like with a number in the title? Vermillion Pt. 2 by Slipknot

3 - A Song that reminds you of summer? The Joker by Steve Miller Band

 

4 - A song that reminds you of people you would rather forget about? Say Goodnight by Bullet For My Valentine

5 - A song that needs to be played loud? Thou Shalt Always Kill by Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip

6 - A song that makes you want to dance? Ever Fallen In Love by Buzzcocks

7 - A song to drive to? When We Were Younger by SOJA

8 - A song about drugs or alcohol? Because I Got High by Afro Man

9 - A song that makes you happy? Peace Sign by LIGHTS

10 - A song that makes you sad? Skyscraper by Demi Lovato

11 - A song that you never get tired of? Raise Your Weapon by Deadmau5

12 - A song from your preteen years? I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! At The Disco

13 - One of your favourite 80’s songs? Call Me by Blondie

14 - A song that you would love played at your wedding? Everlong by Foo Fighters

15 - A song that is a cover by another artist? Tainted Love by Marilyn Manson

I tag anyone who wants to do it!

Jeffrey Campbell Platrane Shoes || Unboxing

My Office parcel arrived!

Anyone else get insane satisfaction from ripping open these kind of bags? Ugh. It's nearly as good as stroking a cat - but not quite.

And speaking of cats, look how amazing the box is! This is my second pair of Jeffrey Campbell shoes. I bought Lita Spikes a few years back for my sixth form prom. I love the Jeffrey Campbell boxes. Last time, it had a drawing of a face on the front with loads of beautiful colours in her hair. Inside the box, I found details of the artist. I have to say I prefer that box but I still LOVE this one - mainly for its cat element. The profiles for some of the cats inside this box literally killed me: "Widowed down to earth tabby seeks housebroken similar female for late in life cat romance and friendship" hahahaha. "Seeking a bad boy who can pamper this uptown feline".

These are the Jeffrey Campbell Platrane shoes in a UK7 (yeah, I have big feet for a 5ft 5 girl). I love how distressed they look because they appeared to be plain black on the Office website! I know I go on about my student budget a lot and how broke I am but how could I pass up on these when they were only £60 in the sale (usually £135)?! I have now put my bank card away and I don't intend to get it out until I next have to pay for driving lessons!

Click here to buy.

Please excuse my pasty legs and recovering shaving rash. I don't false tan and I avoid the sun so I'm constantly a clinical shade of white. Campbell shoes are so unbelievably comfortable and I'm all about the comfy life. They have so much cushioning on the soles that they almost feel like slippers.

It's incredibly difficult to take photos of yourself without a tripod so you will have to excuse all my photographs. My boyfriend is the only person that I have told about my blog and he lives at the other end of the country so I have no one to assist me right now.

I'm not sure why I look tanned, 'cos I'm not. Anyway, as I said before, it's really hard to take photos of yourself without a tripod but I have teamed my Platranes with:

"London" t-shirt from H&M: £7.99 (old)

Crochet shorts from Topshop: £24.00

Silver coin charm bracelet from River Island: £3.00

Cresent moon necklace from Black Moon: £7.00

Crystal necklace from Black Moon: £6.99 (can't find link)

Lord of the Rings ring from eBay: 99p (can't find link)

I have absolutely no regrets buying these. I absolute love them and I will be wearing them to death this summer.

I'm definitely going to invest in some fishnet tights and socks when I can afford them!

June Favourites

Before we get too far into July, I wanted to get this post out. 

 I can't stop using these two backpacks at the moment!

The green one is from Glastonbury 2013. My auntie gets to go for free every year and she bought me it as a gift. I'm currently using it to carry my Macbook around. 

Swagger Jagger by Cher Lloyd just came on my Spotify... I don't know how to feel about this but I felt I had to let you know.

*Changes to Misfits*

The other bag is from Topshop. I bought it back in April with my birthday money. Does anyone else love the month that their birthday falls into? April is my favourite month of the year and I love being an Aries. I think about it all the time - it's kinda weird actually.

Mm. Freddos. Freddos are like 20p in my local shop now. Total rip off but I love them.

I've also been loving the Options Additions hot chocolate. It comes in two sachets for 20p in Asda. The first sachet contains a creamy Belgian chocolate and the second sachet has the exciting bits - milk chocolate flakes, marshmallows and milk chocolate crispies. Oh god, it's good. Indulgent but lovely (especially with a Freddo dipped in).

I have only been drinking from my Adventure Time Marceline mug for a while now. I love it so much. Hot drinks or cold drinks - it's all I'm using.

You may or may not know that Company is my favourite magazine. I've loved it for years and the rebrand just made it 100 times cooler. I'm a subscriber so I got my copy just before the end of June. I read it in one sitting over hot chocolate and a freddo with a lyric-less guitar playlist. It felt so peaceful.

 Say "hello" to my little friend!

I've been after a ty Pikachu for a while but they are all quite rare and selling for at least £30. I got this cutie for £10.60 on eBay! It sounds really sad but he is causing me many a sleepless night. I keep waking up, noticing him on my bedside table and just staring at him with a huge grin on my face for ages. It's really lame.

If you have a pet, you may have lifted them up to a mirror to show them what they look like... I find myself making sure Pikachu can see himself when I watch Pokémon.

I'm ashamed to have admitted that but I'm not going back now. NO SHAME.

My favourite film is A Clockwork Orange, directed by Stanley Kubrick. I have owned the book for a while but I finally decided to read it and oh lordy, is it good. I haven't quite finished it yet though. I love A Clockwork Orange so much that I went as Alex (the main protagonist) last Halloween (see below). I love this photo. I don't look great and my lipstick has pretty much rubbed off but look who I'm with?! Zoidberg! God, I was drunk that night and it was great.

I subscribed to Elle this month in an attempt to save myself a bit of dough. I don't want to miss an issue and I'll save a few quid and get prettier covers. With my subscription came this 30ml bottle of Lacoste Eau de Sensuelle. It is described as having a floral scent so I was all prepared to give it away but I absolutely love it! It's the first floral perfume I have come across that doesn't give me an instant headache! For those of you who understand perfume technical talk, here's the low-down:

Heart notes: Turkish Rose, Sweet Pea, Gladiolus Inflexus

Top notes: Pink Pepper, Tart Blackcurrant

Base notes: Nougatine, Amber

Scent: Floral

Feel: Elegant

Heart notes? Base notes? What? I don't get it but I can totally understand the "elegant" part!

My trusty old Gok Wan specs broke the other day. I was expecting it. I've had the same pair for about 4 years and they were too weak for me anyway. Unfortunately, I'm not in the greatest financial position right now and I really begrudged having to spend money on these but I guess I need them sooo...

They were £152 with the lenses and student discount from Vision Express. I could've opted for a cheap pair but I didn't like any of them. There was a Versace pair which were just beaut but I decided that black was too harsh for me so I went for these Ted Baker ones. It feels great to be able to see again so that's why I put them in my favourites.

I've always struggled with foundation. I have quite sensitive skin and most foundations turn me into one big rash. Just after turning 19, I found a powder foundation by MAC which is totally fine with my skin. I've been using it ever since - until I found this little baby. This is the YSL Le Teint Touche Éclat foundation. I personally prefer the finish that a liquid gives so I was super excited to start using this. My favourite thing about it? You don't need a lot to get good coverage but it still looks really natural. I use the shade BD40. I think I may have found my soulmate...

It retails at £30.50 and honestly, I think it's a bargain.

People always ask me why I like YSL so much. The answer? Everything is just perfect. I have tried so many different eyebrow pencils and gels and creamy horrible things and I just hate the way my brows look when they are penciled in. I don't wear makeup often so it makes me feel even more stupid. But this is amazing at £19.50. I've used it several times but as you can see, it has barely gone down... And it's two in one: a pencil on one side and a spiral brush on the other.

I have been loving (and I mean really loving) the MAC Viva Glam II lipstick (£15) and the Boldy Bare lip pencil (£12.50). They go so well together. I usually wear bright colours but it's been nice to opt for a more natural lip. MAC lipsticks are so creamy and the smell reminds me of the doughnuts on the Blackpool Pleasure Beach (an amusement park in my hometown).

The final thing I have been loving is this Tea Tree Oil from The Body Shop. Summer causes me to breakout in millions of tiny spots on my nose and forehead. I never get cheek spots but I've had about 5 this past month. I have been using a tea tree face wash for a while but I haven't had a pot of the oil for about a year and I have definitely noticed the difference. This stuff is great.

What have you guys been loving this June?

☾ Black Moon review ☾

 I don't know if I'm just being fussy, but all independent online stores sell very similar stuff: which is all very well (I love druzy rings and moons and stars and pentagrams and... *sighs*) but they have the audacity to sell them at ridiculous prices. I don't mind paying £30 for a ring if it's real silver but usually, it isn't. 

Instagram has opened up a whole new world for me. It is chocka-blocked with small companies trying to promote what they have to offer. When I came across Black Moon, my heart gave a little leap of joy. I found mystical crystals, pentagrams and chokers and it was cresent moon galore - and

all at reasonable prices! So of course I entered their Instagram competition...

... and won!

I never win anything so I was super excited and promised to upload a photo when my things arrived. Unfortunately, this competition was for both my best friend and I but she is coaching football in Chicago all summer so I haven't been able to give her the pieces yet. So in the meantime, I decided to blog about this little gem of a shop.

Cross Tibetan Grunge Choker: £3.00

Moon Man Spirit Crystal Necklace: £6.99

Healing Quartz Adjustable Ring: £9.99

Cresent Moon Silver Necklace: £7.00

I can't seem to find the ribcage jumper on the website so it must have sold out - but I believe it was around £22... I could be wrong though. The coat hanger makes it look a little funny shaped but it isn't at all.

Whatever the case, I cannot believe how student-budget-friendly Black Moon is! The jumper and crystal necklace arrived together after only a couple of days. There was a slight delay of a couple of weeks for the competition things but I was informed of this straight away by email.

Black Moon offer free shipping on orders over £30 and my goodness, you could get a lot for that!

☾ Thank you, Black Moon! ☾

Visit Black Moon here.

Visit Black Moon's Instagram here.

 

And here is a photo of my bestie, Abi (in pink) and I (in blue).

Pokémon | Top 5 Episodes of Series 2 | The Orange Islands

I'm really excited to be writing another of these posts, as childish as it may be. Last month, I posted my top 5 episodes from series 1 of Pokémon and now, I'm going to give you my top 5 from series 2, The Orange Islands!

Read my Top 5 episodes of The Indigo League here.

The anime evolved (no pun intended) from a series of games. The plot sees Ash Ketchum on his journey to become the world's greatest Pokémon master. Pokémon (Pocket Monsters) are like animals but you can catch, train and battle them. A lot of people say it encourages animal cruelty but I think this is ridiculous. It's just a game and TV show etc and actually, the Pokémon are usually more than happy to battle!

The Orange Islands says a temporary goodbye to the much loved character, Brock and hello to Tracey Sketchit who I find has similar traits to Brock, such as their love for girls and good knowledge of Pokémon.

Before I begin, please note that when I say the episode number, eg. 114, I mean the 114th episode ever. There are only 36 episodes in this series but I'm taking into account the first series and all banned epsiodes up to this point as well (there are 2 in series one). So episode 114 is known as 111 everywhere but Japan... Does that make sense? Probably not.

Before I confuse myself further, here are my top 5 episodes from series 2!

5. Episode 99: Tracey Gets Bugged
The trio arrive on Murcott Island, famous for its bug Pokémon. They come across an injured Scyther who is unwillingly taken by them to the nearest Pokémon centre. They discover that Scyther lost leadership of its swarm from battling a younger Scyther challenger, forcing it to live in exile unless it wins another leadership match. As you may have guessed, the kids try helping Scyther regain his self-esteem. What I loved about this episode was seeing Scyther's personality and pride. I like getting to know a bit about different Pokémon attitudes and mannerisms and seeing this emotionally hurt Scyther fight back was weirdly touching and I admire its strength. The relationship between this Scyther and the Scyther it lost its leadership position to is really interesting - but I won't give too much away.

4. Episode 114: Enter the Dragonite

I had a real hard time picking between this episode and 113, Hello Pummelo. The two episodes are connected and part of one long pokémon battle. But, the reason I chose this episode is because of the dragons and the immense battling! Ash finishes his battle with Drake for the Orange League Championships. We see Drake's Venusaur and Electabuzz and Ash's Tauros and Bulbasaur followed by Drake's Dragonite and Ash's Charizard. Dragonite is pretty strong and Ash has to use various other pokémon in his battle against it. Of course, Team Rocket plot to capture the Dragonite once weakened... We all know how much I love Team Rocket so I just constantly wait for their scenes! I don't want to give the ending away but it's definitely worth a watch and if you listen carefully, Ash give a little clue to an event in a future episode!

3. Episode 98: Meowth Rules!
I love Meowth. This episode sees him abandon Team Rocket for a life of luxury as leader of a group of human Meowth worshippers who believe he is the Great Meowth of Bounty and will use Pay Day to bring them good fortune. Meowth keeps it secret that he doesn't actually know Pay Day so he doesn't have to give up his new life. We see him pretend he doesn't know Team Rocket and gets them kicked off the island. But again, Team Rocket show they really do have good hearts deep down (way deep down). When Meowth is put into a ring with a Nidoking and then an Onix in order to encourage him to use Pay Day, Jessie and James try to save him by throwing James' precious gold bottle cap collection to make the villagers think Meowth is the Great Meowth of Bounty. I just love how much Team Rocket care for one another. They may argue a lot and can be quite selfish in most episodes, but when it comes down to it, they always look out for one another.

2. Episode 106: Bound For Trouble
As mentioned before, I'm obsessed with Team Rocket and Pikachu is my favourite Pokémon. Team Rocket use reverse psychology to trap the kids. Meowth fastens a belt around Pikachu's waist that is connected to one around his own waist for which Jessie holds the key. But a giant Pidgeot swoops down and picks Meowth and Pikachu up and carries them away. The rest of the episode focuses mainly on Pikachu and Meowth. Why this episode? The relationship between the two Pokémon is adorable. Of course, the arguments begin and Pikachu constanty has the threat of Thundershocking Meowth in order to get him to follow his lead. I don't want to give away all the cute scenes but there is one part where Pikachu shares his apple with Meowth and I just... EEK! I get all excited like I've just been given a kitten!
If you enjoy TV errors, then you might notice that when Meowth and Pikachu land after the giant Pidgeot drops them, they are not wearing their connectors!

1. Episode 107: Charizard Chills
The trio meet Tad and his Poliwrath who puts Pikachu to sleep in a battle against Ash. Ash chooses to send out his disobedient and untrained Charizard who of course does not listen to Ash and refuses to battle. Poliwrath then freezes Charizard with Ice Beam. Ash and his friends spend the whole evening trying to heat the fire Pokémon up so his tail flame doesn't go out (which would lead to his death). We get a really touching speech from Ash and when Charizard recovers, he has new found respect for him. Ash's Charmeleon evolved in episode 46 in The Indigo League and has completely ignored all commands since. This epsiode was a long time coming and I absolutely loved seeing their relationship grow and to again see just how much Ash cares for his Pokémon.

The problem with VOGUE

Like most other magazines, VOGUE has adapted itself throughout the years to accommodate its ever changing audience. We are modern. We are not the women of 1892, when Vogue was founded. This is the twenty-tens...

But nowadays, British Vogue has mostly celebrities and the occasional model on its cover. I cannot comment on the U.S, Parisian, Italian or any other editions of Vogue, but I can comment on the one in my country. As beautiful as Claire Danes (November 2013), Kristen Stewart (October 2012), Beyoncé (May 2013) and Adele (October 2011) looked as Vogue cover stars, I cant help but pine for models.

I'm an avid Elle and Company reader. I can't get enough. I love their mix of cover girls. I love how Company has bloggers, young new models, singers and actresses on its cover - my feelings are the same towards Elle. Both contain intelligent copy, great items of clothing and luscious beauty products and I love them for what they are. Yes, they have changed over the years. In fact, Company had a massive design change, seeing its size, paper and content (both written and visual) adopt a younger, edgier feel. For some reason, I can accept these changes.

I picked up this month's issue of Vogue (July 2014) and couldn't put down the glossy until I had read every single page. Why? It's simple. The cover star.

Christy Turlington.

For those who may not know, Turlington is a 45-year-old American model who represented Calvin Klein for 20 years amongst many other campaigns, including Versace. Oh, and if you have your belly button pierced, you can thank her for bringing hype to the piercing at a 1993 fashion show.

A model. Turlington is a model and for that, July 2014's Vogue was 100% amazing.

I'm aware that I'm probably in the minority when I say this, but I firmly believe that actresses and musicians should not make it as cover stars on this glossy. That job should be left to models. To me, they are fashion. They are beauty. They are VOGUE.

 In all fairness to British Vogue, they have had a fair few models on the cover lately but I want more. I understand that Vogue needs to change. It needs to keep its readership and most women of today are interested in celebrity fashion and news. For this reason, I understand the move. I can also accept seeing actresses or musicians inside the magazine... But not the cover.

Do you agree that Vogue is a model's world or do you like the beaut celeb cover girls?

Let me know what you guys think in the comments and please excuse the little hot chocolate stain on my desk in the second picture! I didn't notice it.