In my previous post, I eluded to the fact that I was listening to the Hamilton soundtrack - since then, my love for musicals has absolutely EXPLODED. It's crazy!

When I was younger I was massively into drama and acting - now it's turned into more of a love of the theatre, although I wouldn't be averse to doing a bit of acting too. But anyways, I digress, I used to go to drama groups, take part in all the school productions and even performed in a county-wide group that I auditioned for. I originally wanted to become an actor when I grew up, but for one reason or another that left me, but I still had an absolute adoration for the theatre.

I used to go to the theatre a lot when I was at school, especially in sixth form, when I used to go to at least one show a month. When I left school, however, I just stopped going, simply because I didn't have to, not because I didn't want to. It was never something that was at the forefront of my brain when I left school but it was still something that I really longed for.

Back in June I decided to change that and went with a friend to see "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" on the Westend in London, and was absolutely blown away! There's always been some show that I want or have been wanting to see and I really just need to book these tickets and go as I hardly ever regret it.

Recently I was on Spotify browsing for some new music to listen to, and in the playlist section, I found one on musicals. PERFECT! I started listening to even more than just Hamilton and got going with all the Disney classics (which are still musicals in my books), and a load of other musicals like Wicked, The Sound of Music and Les Misérables. Hooked does not even come close to how much I've been listening to this, haha, I'm completely and utterly obsessed and I've been listening to this one playlist for ages now.

I've been making a mental note of every show I NEED to see:
⬗ Wicked
⬗ The Sound of Music
⬗ Avenue Q
⬗ The Lion King
⬗ Chicago

...and that's only a small selection of the shows on my list, and whether they're out or not is a completely different story.

What theatre shows have you seen and loved? What do you want to see?

I didn't think a soundtrack could tear me away from my beloved "Hamilton" - the musical I am yet to see, isn't out in the UK until November, but am still utterly obsessed with. However, saying that, I'm not sure I will be able to listen to this soundtrack without bursting into an abundance of tears at the very first note. La La Land shook me like no other film has ever done.

I went into La La Land being slightly pessimistic with a general understanding that it was perhaps slightly overhyped. This just proves that you need to watch things yourself and form an opinion, because to me I found it simply stunning in every single way. The acting, cinematography, symbolism, music, the feels, the chemistry, I could go on. I don't want to talk about how visually stunning the scenes were, or how the musical themes were cleverly intertwined into the storyline - what I do want to talk about is what it meant to ME.

I've never felt so personally affected by a film in my life, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I've made a MASSIVE decision in my life recently, to follow a goal that I believe to be something I have been waiting for my entire life without knowing. Although this isn't a "dream" like Mia and Sebastian had since they were young, it's a dream that has just begun. I haven't been going long, but I've already doubted myself, put myself down, and made myself out to be "not good enough". However, at the same time I'm still driven to achieving this goal no matter what it will take.

I related to Mia so much in this film; she was a budding actress putting her all into auditions and coming up with nothing, pushing and pushing, and seemingly getting nowhere. At one point in the movie, Sebastian tells her (and don't quote me on this, haha) that she CAN do it, and she WILL get the part because she is AMAZING. I teared up through a lot of the film, but I most definitely teared up the most at that part (and thinking about it now) because it's just something I've been trying to tell myself recently with my endeavours.

The themes and morals that this film portrayed were just perfect for me to relate to with what I'm pushing for at the moment, and I'll admit that I cried after the film was finished because of the impact it really had on me. Anyone can do anything that they put their mind to if they put in the hard work and effort that is needed to achieve that goal. I can honestly say I wholeheartedly believe that, and La La Land captured that message perfectly.

How delightfully obvious is it that I am posting about my 2017 goals? Well, I've got to have some nook or cranny to store them in, so I thought why not here?

⬗ Create and stick to a morning routine
⬗ Continue with my personal development and believe in myself
⬗ Feel the fear and do it anyway
⬗ Leave the house every day
⬗ Work hard to achieve my dreams
⬗ Don't forget to take time for yourself
⬗ Read 50 books
⬗ Review at least one book a month

As you can see, a lot of these are very personally based, and only I can judge on the inside whether I have been fulfilling these. They're not things that you can necessarily tick off a list, but they are things that I want to implement into my life going forth into the new year.

I do want to get a lot of reading done as well, and get back into reviewing books - I always thoroughly enjoyed it. I have been travelling for the past 2 years, so always had other things to be doing and seeing rather than reading. This year I'm back on home soil and I want to make it a challenge to up my reading game.

These are my overall goals for the entirety of the year, what are yours?