Category Archives: Media

Social Media. TV. Radio. Magazines. There are many forms and all that interest me will be found here.

TEN more Favourite Doctor Who Episodes

Posted in Geeky, The Telly by

A while ago I posted ten of my favourite Doctor Who episodes. Since then, I found a lot more that I liked. So here’s another list of ten favourite Doctor Who episodes.

Note, spoilers!

Asylum of the Daleks

asylum

The Story: The Doctor, Amy and Rory meet Oswin Oswald – who later becomes important to, and is one of my favourite characters on, the show. Along the way, the Doctor helps to fix Amy and Rory’s marriage.

Why I love it:

  • The story of Oswin and her humour. “Is there a word for total screaming genius that sounds modest and a tiny bit sexy?”
  • Also, the first time we hear “Run you clever boy, and remember.” (>>)

The Snowmen

thesnowmen

The Story: One of the Christmas specials where we meet Clara Oswald, a governess in the Victorian Era.They investigate sentient snowmen and the Doctor starts on the mystery that is Clara.

Why I love it:

  • More Clara, I love her as a companion, she’s spunky and a bit of the Doctor’s equal. I also loved that she doesn’t swoon over him!
  • Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax – love these three!
  • Victorian England (>>)

The Day of the Doctor

dayofthedoctor

The Story: The Doctor and Clara are taken by UNIT where they receive a message from Elizabeth 1. The 10th incarnation of the doctor and doctor prime(? original?) also make an appearance. This episode focused a lot on the time lords and Gallifrey.

Why I love it:

  • I liked the glimpse into the time war.
  • I loved that this had a little bit of everything, from future travel to past travel.
  • Also, David Tennant. (>>)

Listen

listen

The Story: What if there was an entity that was so good at hiding that you never realised it exists? Also, what’s that under your bed?

Why I love it:

  • Thoroughly frightening – at least in the beginning.
  • Loved the way the stories ties to the nightmare of someone hiding under the bed, ready to grab your feet.
  • Peter Capaldi’s portrayal of the doctor in this episode is great. (>>)

Time Heist

timeheist.jpg

The Story: Think Ocean’s 11, but the most dangerous – and well protected – bank in the galaxy. Along with memory-wiping worms.

Why I love it: 

  • The “smartness” of the heist, especially when we find out why it happened.
  • The way some of the past Doctor  Who episodes were referenced.
  • Overall thrill of the episode. (>>)

Kill the Moon

moon.jpg

The story: After crash landing on the moon in the future, the doctor, Clara and one of Clara’s students, Courtney, try to figure out what’s going on on the moon before astronauts can blow it up.

Why I love it:

  • There is only one reason I love this episode, and that’s because the moon is a dragon in an egg, waiting to hatch! (>>)

notes: images taken from bbc.co.uk/doctorwho

~*~

 

Five Things (16)

Posted in Athletic, Fashionista, Media, The Telly by 
Miles ran: 14 | Miles cycled: 0 | Steps: 146,506

I’ve gone and done another crazy thing …

— Thing One —

This week, while complaining about signing up for a half marathon, I decided to sign up for the 5 Boro Bike Tour. I think I’m sabotaging myself. I did it six years ago, on a borrowed bike, having no training, so I don’t believe that it would be a problem. At least, this time, I do cycle some (though no miles logged this year).

I’m riding with a team, a total of seven people. I’m certain it will be great. (She says, as she tries to convince herself that riding forty miles, after a few weeks of running thirteen would be great).

— Thing Two —

The Symphony Chorus is back in rehearsals, and my heart is happy! Last October I joined this group of singers and instrumentalists, all volunteers who sing in churches across New York (and other places). A friend of mine introduced me to the group and the first time I sang in a concert with them, I felt a strong sense of contentment. I’m looking forward to our Spring concert and the other concerts along the way.

12346268_170292293325287_778140980_n

— Thing Three —

I had the pleasure of breakfast with friends. Getting up early and running is one thing, but getting up earlier to run so that I could meet with a friend for the best meal of the day is pleasing. I’m not a morning person, but I can get behind meeting people for pancakes, or omelettes.

I’ve also had the pleasure of sharing a free lunch with colleagues. We ordered from Maple; I got the chicken with roasted carrots and quinoa. It was delicious. I’m certainly going to order from Maple again. If you’re in Manhattan I suggest you check them out!

12547567_1632943663636159_1792183557_n

— Thing Four —

In an attempt to continue using products that contain ingredients that occur naturally, I found a site, Meow Meow Tweet,  that makes deodorant creams. I can make my own, but seeing as I just finished the batch that I made, I thought I’d try their version. So far, I like it! I think I might try to use shea butter in my own mixture when I decide to make it again.

I found the deodorant cream in (what I can only call) an alternative pharmacy – which is a new favourite place of mine – called Stanley’s Pharmacy. I tried their sore throat tea – it was delicious – I think I’ll try others from them as well.

— Thing Five —

This week in pop culture, I saw the first two episodes of the new Shadowhunter series and the new Tarantino movie, Hateful 8.

I liked the little changes they did (from the book) in the Shadowhunter series; I think it was a good move. A lot of the story (in the books ) focused on the romance than the rich and vibrant world of the Shadowhunters – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, I don’t think it gives a film/show much material to work with, so adding a some new characters and stories fleshes things out a bit more.

Moving on to Hateful 8. It sits at #4 in the list of six Tarantino films I’ve seen, but it still had all the key factors that make a Tarantino film great.  He does an excellent job with the visuals and the directing, as well as in the stories that he created.

~*~

 

The Year in Books

Posted in Bookish, Social Media by

2015 was a terrible reading year for me! I spent a lot of my commute looking out the window as the city zipped by, instead of reading as I usually do. January started off brilliantly, but then February happened, and it was all downhill from there for a few months. I did pick up in November, but by then it was much too late to do any significant damage to my TBR pile.

Of the ones I read, three good reads (across different genres) were, Defying ISIS – a book about the issues that we’re facing globally, and what Christians can do. A lot has happened since this book published, but it’s still a great read.  Food Rules, for anyone who is interested in overall healthy eating, and, The Day the Crayons Came Home, companion to The Day the Crayons Quit – which I will read out loud to you if I corner you in a bookstore.

Screen Shot 2015-12-29 at 12.47.16 AM

*One book missing from this pile is Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One’s Looking) by Christian Rudder, which was also an insightful read.

~*~

Year in Music: 2015

Posted in Geeky, Media, Social Media by

Just like last year, Spotify has launched their Year in Music site with displays a breakdown of what you listened to, when, and how many times (as well as a few other things).

Imagine Dragons was my top artist this year (out of 463 artists listened to), all due to the Adobe Marketing Summit where they performed, and we got their CD in our welcome bag. (Notable mention goes to Zella Day and Andy Mineo for making the top 5).

Top track this year was “push pull” by Purity Ring. I heard a small preview of the song on the Relevant Podcast and recently started listening to more of their songs – Fineshrine anyone?

Not caught by Spotify, but a few more notable mentions: Alison Wonderland -I Want U, Derek Minor – Who You Know, Travie McCoy – Golden ft. Sia (liked the music video as well) and Chairlift – Ch-Ching.

~*~

If I were Mayor of Night Vale

Posted in Geeky, Media by

Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts. I’m still trying to find ones that work me, but here are a few that I’ve enjoyed immensely.

Relevant Podcast: A weekly podcast released every Friday by the Relevant Magazine folks. This was my gateway podcast. They are hilarious, usually have one or two interviews from authors or musicians and there isn’t an episode that doesn’t leave me laughing. They have also introduce me to a lot of good music.

Mystery Show: This is a relatively new podcast that solves strange mysteries, like a missing video store or what is Jake Gyllenhaal’s actual height, which I know sounds a bit strange, but the best thing about the show is Starlee Kine’s storytelling ability.

In addition to Mystery Show, some other great storytelling shows that I enjoy are The Moth, This American Life, True Story and StoryCorps. These are shows where different people form all walks of life share their true stories.

TED Radio Hour: Each episode is mainly a synopsis of a series of related TED talks, and it has lead me to discovering some talks that I probably wouldn’t have found on my own.

Finally, the odd, hilarious, and oh so imaginative, Night Vale podcast, a bi-monthly radio show that gives its listeners an update on the goings on and the mysteries of Night Vale. I would suggest starting from the beginning for this one.

 

~*~