Netflix: What We're Watching | 30th Post

Hello beautiful people!

Welcome to mid-year break! Finally we have time to unwind a little and not feel guilty about spending all day watching Netflix (or what ever method you use to watch hours upon hours of the one tv show). To help you out with this, and basically encourage your binge-watching efforts, we, with the help of a few of our friends, are here to provide you with our top picks. All of these shows are available on Netflix Australia. Even if you don't have an account yet, the introductory free month is probably sounding pretty good right now. Enjoy watching! And don't forget to exercise every once in a while. 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

"If are in the mood for a feel good comedy and love Andy Samberg, then 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' is the tv show for you! Set in the 99th NYPD Precinct in Brooklyn, the show focuses around the antics of the detectives and their precinct's captain.
I had only heard a small amount about B99 before Netflix landed in Australia. However, I did catch one episode on SBS 2 while channel surfing one night and I was hooked. I have already watched all of the episodes twice over! Not only does this show feature a diverse cast, it is genuinely funny. With the multitude of political dramas around and the 'dramedy' genre becoming a thing, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is refreshing. It definitely fills the sit-com void we have been needing to fill with the end of 'How I Met Your Mother', and the realisation that we have watched the complete series of 'Friends' 10 times. I am recommending this show to every one I talk to. It is just too, too good." -Grace


Friday Night Lights

"Originally a movie from 2004, the drama show follows the town of Dillon, Texas, their high school football team the Dillon Panthers and their coach, Coach Eric Taylor. Quaterbacks, game-plays, Boosters, pressure to get to State, relationships, college, scholarships, life. It's all here. 
'Friday Night Lights' might be about Texas high school football, but it is one of the most earnest shows I have ever seen. No character is perfect. All are flawed and complex and have their ups and downs, but it is so realistic. You can see a piece of yourself in everyone. The soundtrack is perf, and while I'm new to the world of American football, the game scenes were some of my favourites. This earnest show about a small southern town obsessed with it's football is, in a word, beautiful. 10/10, would recommend." -Claire

"If you are still not convinced, check out this video. It makes both of us want to start from the Pilot again." -Grace


The IT Crowd

"I've been a bit late to the party with 'The IT Crowd', but nevertheless, I do not regret watching all four seasons in an entire weekend. This British comedy revolves around three workers in the IT department of a large business who are all very different people. 

First there's Jen, the head of IT, who hasn't got a clue about computers. Then there's Roy, the laid-back and lazy Irishman who will do anything to get out of work. Finally there's Moss (my personal fave), the socially-inept geek who lives with his mother. The three get up to lots of mischief and there are many memorable moments and one-liners which have made me chuckle in public just by only thinking about them. This show is the perfect pick-me-up and at only 24 episodes, it is very easy to consume. Also, Noel Fielding makes several appearances, so how can you not?" -Cecilia

Orange is the New Black

"OITNB is very funny so you’ll laugh very hard at it but it can also be very sad and reflective, and you’ll probably cry. You so rarely see a television show where the female characters’ central plotlines, development and personality don’t revolve around a romance with the main guy so it’s very refreshing to watch. It can take a few episodes to really get into it but once you do, you’ll be binge-watching whole seasons with the rest of us." -Emily

The Office (UK)

"The original series of 'The Office' from the UK unfortunately seems to be lesser known than the American version, but it's just as delightful. Thankfully Netflix is going to change this.
The show has the same premise as the American version; a camera crew records life at Wernham Hogg Paper Company and the antics the staff and manager David get up to. You'll find yourself cringing constantly at Ricky Gervais' character David, but it's that wonderfully dry British humour that makes the show so special." -Miriam

Sense8

"'Sense8' has by far been my favourite show of the season. It’s a new Netflix original, which is great, as it means you can binge watch it! Less great, however, is the fact that there’s only one season at the moment, and it ends on kind of a cliffhanger. 

Sense8 is, in a nutshell, about eight people from around the world who suddenly become able to share senses and communicate with each other. The show is made by the Wachowskis, who you’ll recognise from 'The Matrix', 'V for Vendetta' and 'Cloud Atlas', so naturally, it’s filled with lots of action and plot twists, while still being quite intellectual. What is also amazing about Sense8 is it is super diverse! Among the main characters are a gay Mexican actor, a transgender woman in a relationship with another woman, a Korean businesswoman, an Icelandic DJ, an Indian pharmacist and a young bus driver from Nairobi, none of whom are vilified.

Sense8 is an amazingly diverse ensemble show, and all the actors really step up to plate to deliver amazing performances, leaving you loving every single character and desperately wanting more." - Alice

"I watched all 12 episodes in two days, and then I immediately started re-watching them. It's that good." - Claire

Jen Kirkman – I’m Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine) 

"What I really love about Netflix is all the comedy specials available! I absolutely love stand-up comedy, and Jen Kirkman is one of my favourite comedians. In her special 'I’m Gonna Die Alone (And I Feel Fine)' she talks about her divorce, single life, her friends having kids and growing older. What I love about her is the energy and vivacity in the way she tells her stories; she really throws herself into her show. Throughout the special, Kirkman is able to cut through stereotypes of a forty-year-old divorced woman to expose the societal demands on people to perform certain roles. She uses long-form stories in vivid details to really entertain and illustrate to the audience her points, in many comedic angles. She is hilarious and I cannot recommend her stand-up enough, as well as her podcast 'I Seem Fun'." - Stephanie

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We hope you enjoyed our 30th Post! We have also passed 5,000 page-views, which, for a blog jsut starting out, is a pretty good number. So thank you all for your support and interest. It means the world to us.

Stay gold, 

Grace and Claire.

DISCLAIMER: We have not in anyway been approached by Netflix or any of these shows for promotion. This is all out of our own personal recommendations and experiences. we aren't getting paid for this.

Graceful and Claire also do not own any of the images used in this post.

A Day In the Life: SWOTVAC Edition | Grace

Follow Grace around as she conquered a day of SWOTVAC, or as we like to call it, swot-WHACK. (I know, we're very funny), through a series of snapchats. And when you're done, give our individual snapchat accounts a follow for more looks into the daily lives of uni students living that Melbourne life.

Okay now... go!

I started work at 7am and it was freezing! I don't mind the early start, though. It means that I can get a lot more done in the day. 

After work I went home and changed, then Claire and I went into the city and met our fabulous friend, Miriam, for some lunch. We decided to try out Journal, which is next to the Melbourne City Library in Flinders Lane. I ordered a pot of English Breakfast because I don't usually have time to enjoy my morning cup of tea in the mornings I start work early, and the mushroom bruschetta, which was one of the specials for the day. I am so obsessed with mushrooms right now. I cannot get enough! 

As exams are coming up, we decided that we should actually do some study today, and hey, studying isn't so bad if you do it with friends! So we went to the Starbucks across from QV in Swanston St, where we set up camp like the other Uni students that were there studying, and did some work for a few hours. I was working on my American History revision essay/exam, just going over what I had written the day before and editing here and there. Something casual as I knew that I would probably get distracted being with Miriam, as she is one of my best friends. 

Then of course, there is the multiple journeys on the Melbourne Metro service. Nothing too exciting here.

(Boots: Target, two years ago (similar) | Boot Socks: Cotton On | Jeans: Cotton On, last year)

Also, totally not planned was me rushing to the bank at 4:30 in the afternoon trying to sort out an issue with my online banking. I totally felt like a real adult though, guys! I did not freak out at all and I handled the situation very maturely. Our Mum is so proud. Go Grace!

And of course, because it is SWOTVAC and today was a kind of Treat Yo' Self kind of day, Claire and I finally decided to satsify our multiple-weeks-long craving for donuts, and bought a Krispy Kreme each to enjoy as a dessert. Of course, while doing more studying. 

And there you go! Thanks for following along. Let us know if you enjoyed it and would like to see more posts like this. If you just CANNOT POSSIBLY WAIT (wow, enthusiasm), for another post to see what we get up to during our days, you should probably add us on Snapchat, because we post many many snaps a day. 

Grace: gracefulwhitex

Claire: clairencew

Until next time,

Stay gold!

Grace

Spandau Ballet: The Soul Boys of the Western World Tour

While growing up, it is not unusual to be exposed to your parent's (or whomever is raising you) favourite bands/music, reminiscent of when they were younger. For most, it was The Beatles or Rolling Stones, Meatloaf and Fleetwood Mac. For us, it was Van Halen and Spandau Ballet. What a contrast, am I right? 

When you grow up with one thing, you can either get over it once you are older, or you can appreciate it more. Spandau Ballet is an example of the latter, much to our mother's enjoyment. (She's their number one Australian fan, the Original Fangirl). So, when it was announced that the British 80s New Romantic band was returning to Australia in May 2015, our mother was quick to purchase tickets for herself and our dad. However, what she forgot to do was ask to see if we would like to come! However, in the end, after expressing how we would love to see Spandau Ballet in concert (after watching their new documentary, Soul Boys Of The Western World, with her), we purchased our own tickets. 

Now, you may not have heard of Spandau Ballet, but you may know their hits "Gold" (a favourite of the 2012 London Olympics) and romance classic "True". 

An Intro to Spandau Ballet: The Soul Boys of the Western World trailer

As it is an 80s band, and we weren't even alive when Spandau Ballet were in their prime, we expected to be the only people our age actually attending the concert. And we were correct -- at least from what we could see. The only people we saw younger than us, were children who came along with their parents, probably without a choice. We were joking that our presence made sense when we were walking around with our parents, until we split up as we had different seats from them. Then people probably thought that we were lost or something. Let me tell you, we were not lost! (Update: Claire saw plenty of boys our age afterwards. Hello, where were you hiding?)

In our seats we took our Instagram pics, started the obligatory "I'm at a concert" snap story on Snapchat, sung along to the 80s jukebox playing over the speakers, discussed our favourite 80s song** and hoped they would play our favourite songs. We're pretty sure we were given questionable looks from the Gen X audience members around us, but who cares? We're fans as much as them (a bit late to the party, but still.)

The concert itself was amazing. Those men are in their 50s but they still got it! Big props to Tony Hadley, the lead singer, who could still hit those high and long notes after all these years, and to the musicians Martin and Gary Kemp, Steve Norman and John Keeble for their simply electric energy.

Highlights include our (and our mothers) favourite song Round and Round, which, half-way through the song, included old footage from their 80s days played on the screen behind them. This was a very heart-strings tugging move for us, especially when you think about the line "We were the news" from the song and then the old footage form their hey-day/the height of their frame. It gave us SO MANY EMOTIONS (which is quite astonishing for two people who weren't even alive back then. Thanks Mum and the Spandau Ballet documentary movie for making us feel like we were also fans in 1985). 

Graceful and Claire does not take ownership of this photo. Source: Spandau Ballet (Official) Facebook page.

Another favourite was when they did their homage to the Bliz Kids of their past (and looking at them now in their suits, you would not have known they were so outrageous/Blitz kids/founders of the New Romantics back in the 80s, honestly) with their funky neon BLITZ sign. The first time Gold was sung was a beautiful acousitc version where us, the audience, sang most of the words. When a whole arena of fans all sing the same song at the same time is a truly magical moment. The second time was their second encore, the perfect ending.

Overall, it was a stellar night. The music of Spandau Ballet for us is like a warm, comforting hug. It reminds us of our childhood, plus who doesn't feel all fuzzy inside listening to some smooth sax? 

Stay Gold,

(not even sorry)

Grace and Claire

**  (We both agreed our favourite 80s song is If You Leave by Orchestral Manouvres in the Dark, from one of our favourite movies, Pretty in Pink. It just gives us The Feels. Snaps to that music video #classic.)