Chatty Life Update (Uni, Break Ups and Fitness)

(This post was originally written as a video script, I have tried to adapt it but if there are any errors I apologise)

Okay, let’s settle in cause this might be a long one.

I imagine you’re like, “who the hell is this that has just popped up in my feed after 8 months without posts”. The answer is me. Aimee. Hello there.

I uploaded to my YouTube channel on the 18th of January a chatty life update. Well we’re doing that again, but in blog form. Cause it’s been 8 months and life sure has happened.

So I am just about to go into my third year at university. WOO (celebrate). Cry. Panic.

And summer now over! Cry. And it’s been so damn HAWT and then so damn rainy. Me and the weather aren’t friends anymore. It’s a saga.

In my video I was like, “I’ve been uploading videos every two days and now that I’m back in uni I’ll be doing them every week cause that’ll be manageable!”

Well what a joke that was. BUT I do have legitimate reasons, which we’ll get into.

First Imma respond to some things I said in the video!

1. I was talking about getting grades from the autumn term back, and I am pleased to say they were very good! I had three units and I had two firsts and a 2:1. So that was top.
2. I spoke about Jordan coming to visit, who you’ll know if you have watched any of my other videos or if you know me irl. He did come visit, which was a reason for my not making videos cause at the time I was more focussed on beginning the new term and spending time with him.
3. Beginning of the new term! I had another 3 units this term and I got 2:1s overall in all of them, which I’m relatively happy with but to be honest I’m quite disappointed because I know they could have been better if other aspects of my life hadn’t gone so terribly wrong. I’ll get on to that.
4. Book. Jesus, went out the window. The reason is coming.
5. Also I finished Gilmore Girls, if you were wondering.

Kay so, life after the video. So Jordan came to Southampton, spent two weeks, it was ight apart from a few silly arguments over food (literally).

And then it was February. And life was going so good, and I was super happy and super busy. I was in my Drama and Performance Society’s Cabaret and that was great, great fun! And then, We got to the end of Feb. And we were days away from opening night of Titus, when Jordan and I broke up. After nearly 6 years. And that’s where everything kind of went wrong. Or at least it felt like it.

I will not go into the details of why, YouTube, or any type of social media is not the place for that. But as a disclaimer, we still talk, we’re still friends. It’s chill.

But even though where we are still isn’t perfect, it’s taken a long time to get here and it was difficult, so, so difficult. But for the best and I wouldn’t change it.

But that’s why everything else in my life halted. In the weeks after I really, really had to focus on my priorities, a lot of things fell to the side because I just didn’t have enough energy to deal with what was happening and continue life as usual.

Reading, YouTube, Writing, all things like that suffered. I was putting all of my energy into self-care, university and the people I had around me. I have to say it’s really payed off, because I haven’t felt so good about my social life, ever. Not only did helping me through bring me closer to the friends I already had, but I’ve made so many new close friends since then and I’ve also recently began to reconnect with friends from my past and it feels so good to be focussing on these people in my life.

And it’s only really in the last few months or so that I’ve really began to feel like myself again and it’s really showing in the things I’m putting my time into. I don’t feel so constantly tired and emotionally drained anymore, I started reading again, I started gaming again, I started making videos, I’m making this post! I’m in the process of hopefully getting a new job and I’m exercising. Yes, you heard that right. Me. Exercising. Voluntarily. At a gym. I’m serious. I haven’t done proper exercise since school, and even then I constantly tried to get out of it and put like zero effort in so this is huge for me.

So, overall things are looking up. I’m feeling good.

Videos are probably going to be put on hold for a while because filming in my uni house is awkward and the lighting’s rubbish But I’m thinking of making the switch here for a bit? Because blog posts don’t take nearly as much effort so maybe I’ll be able to maintain it better? Who knows!

I’m not guaranteeing more videos or posts cause every time I do that it goes down the drain. So whether this is my last post or one of the first. Thank you so much for reading and have a beautiful day!

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Anticipated Books 2017

There are a few books scheduled for release this year that I am very excited about so I thought I’d share them with you!

1. Untitled (Throne of glass #6)
   This will be the final instalment in Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series and I am both super excited and super dreading it. Excited because Celaena/Aelin is my favourite literary character ever and Sarah is my favourite author ever and so reading this book will be literal heaven for me. But dreading because it’s the last book in the series and I just don’t even what I’m going to do when I turn that last page!
   It’s scheduled for release in September 2017.

   [This book does not yet have a cover]

2. A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3)
   “Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

   As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

   In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.” – Goodreads

   This is the third book in the series again by Sarah J. Maas, and I am so insanely excited for this because the last book, A Court of Mist and Fury, was phenomenal! It was left on such a cliffhanger and I’m dying to know what happens next!

   It’s scheduled for release in May 2017.

3. Perfect (Flawed #2)
   
   “Sort of like The Scarlet Letter meets Divergent, Flawed and Perfect are set in a future society where perfection is valued above humanity and “flawed” people who commit acts of disobedience or rebellion are branded with an F.” – Goodreads.

   This is the second in the ‘Flawed’ series by Cecelia Ahern. I read Flawed in December and LOVED IT! This was Ahern’s YA debut and she nailed it!

   I don’t want to spoil anything about this series because it speaks for itself, I highly recommend you go and read Flawed so we can be excited for this sequel together!

   It’s scheduled for release in April 2017.

Those are the 3 books that I am most anticipating in 2017! Here’s some honourable mentions that were released in early January.

Under Rose Tainted Skies

“At seventeen, Norah has accepted that the four walls of her house delineate her life. She knows that fearing everything from inland tsunamis to odd numbers is irrational, but her mind insists the world outside is too big, too dangerous. So she stays safe inside, watching others’ lives through her windows and social media feed.

But when Luke arrives on her doorstep, he doesn’t see a girl defined by medical terms and mental health. Instead, he sees a girl who is funny, smart, and brave. And Norah likes what he sees.

Their friendship turns deeper, but Norah knows Luke deserves a normal girl. One who can walk beneath the open sky. One who is unafraid of kissing. One who isn’t so screwed up. Can she let him go for his own good—or can Norah learn to see herself through Luke’s eyes?” – Goodreads.

I’ve seen this book making the rounds in the BookTube community recently and people seem to love it! I loved Sophie Kinsella’s ‘Finding Audrey’ which also centered around themes of mental health and anxiety so I am excited to see what this book has to offer. I just hope we don’t run into a case of – girl has crippling anxiety, girl meets boy, they fall in love and of girl’s problems go away. Cause that would suck.

Frostblood (Frostblood Saga #1)
“Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a fireblood who must hide her powers of heat and flame from the cruel frostblood ruling class that wants to destroy all that are left of her kind. So when her mother is killed for protecting her and rebel frostbloods demand her help to kill their rampaging king, she agrees. But Ruby’s powers are unpredictable, and she’s not sure she’s willing to let the rebels and an infuriating (yet irresistible) young man called Arcus use her as their weapon.

All she wants is revenge, but before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to take part in the king’s tournaments that pit fireblood prisoners against frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her and from the icy young man she has come to love.

Fast-paced and compelling, Frostblood is the first in a page-turning new young adult three-book series about a world where flame and ice are mortal enemies—but together create a power that could change everything.” – Goodreads.

This is Elly Blake’s debut release which I once again found out about from the BookTube community. It’s already bought and downloaded on my Kindle. Amazon compares it to Sarah J Mass’ ‘Throne of Glass’ series, and that’s pretty big claim so I an very eager to read this and see if it lives up to its expectations.

Thank you for reading. x

Review: Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer *SPOILERS*

“Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.” – Goodreads

In this second instalment of Marissa Meyer’s “The Lunar Chronicles” series, Cinder, who has recently discovered that she is the missing Lunar Princess Selene, embarks on a journey to France in an attempt to discover more about her past. Meanwhile, we are introduced to a new character, Scarlet, a farmhand who teams up with an unusual ally in a desperate search for her missing grandmother.

The key characters in this novel are Cinder, Thorne, Scarlet and Wolf.

I enjoyed Cinder in this book, I feel that her character was very strong both in terms of depth and her personality. She took charge of a lot of situations in this book and I really enjoyed the way she acted and reacted to other characters and situations throughout. A major improvement from the first book in the series where her character was a little flat for me.

I also enjoyed Thorne’s character, I feel as though he was a brilliant character to challenge and push Cinder. He was written in a way that he complemented her extremely well without any sort of love-story intertwined. He also added a little comedy into the book, a welcome break from the rest of the characters who are all very serious and focused.

Scarlet, I loved, from the start Scarlet’s character really appealed to me. At the very beginning she was set up as a very sympathetic character in the way she reacted to pub-goers making fun of the ‘cyborg girl’ who made a fool of herself, “Scarlet rolled her eyes in disgust”. However, these sympathies did not make her a weak character in the slightest. She was also portrayed as a little bit hot headed, I very much enjoyed moments such as “Scarlet’s fingers twitched with the fantasy of chucking the sandwich as the back of his head”. However, she kind of lost this characteristic towards the end of the book, I would have loved to have seen a few more moments like these further on.

Wolf’s character for me lacked at the beginning, he felt very childlike and I’m not sure if this was intentional but it didn’t feel right. He was supposed to be this scary professional fighter who was very dangerous and the childlike demeanour given to him felt somewhat confusing and out of place. I think the aim here was to create a certain innocence to him, but it was overshot a little.

As Kai and Cinder had no contact whatsoever in this book, their romantic subplot could not be furthered. However, the romantic focus was switched instead to Scarlet and Wolf. I really liked the development of this romance, even though she started developing strong feelings for him in a short space of time, it didn’t feel too insta-lovey. Apart from one moment that felt weird to me. At one point in the book it is being drilled into us that Scarlet doesn’t completely trust Wolf and is even slightly scared/wary of him after seeing him fight but then she reaches over and puts her hand on his leg to stop him from bouncing it. I suppose that this was to start hinting towards a romance between them, but surely if you don’t trust someone and are slightly scared of them, the more natural path would be to ask them to stop bouncing their leg rather than to reach over and stop them from doing it yourself.

The main issues I had with this novel were the odd wording or grammar slip-up. I’m no expert but there were a few sentences I had to re-read a few times to fully understand what the author was trying to get across. Also there were just a few areas of personal preference where things were written in a way that I felt could have been simplified and would have sounded better simplified. For example, “His legs stayed still – for the time, at least-” For the time? For me personally this just doesn’t sound right, I would have replaced this with “for now, at least” or something similar. Again, this is me being picky, but there were a few moments in this book where I had similar thoughts.

There was also a moment where Scarlet said, “Can I controlled?” which obviously makes no sense, it should have been “Can I be controlled?”. Minor errors like this really annoy me but the overall story was good enough that I could overlook it.

One thing that I was happy about in this book was the descriptions, they improved so much for me from the first book and I could really feel the places the story was set in this time. I loved the descriptions of the run-down part of Paris and of the farm.

I am going to be continuing on in this series, I’ve already started actually, and am enjoying the next book even more than this one.

If you’re thinking of starting this series or if your not sure about continuing I personally recommend you do as the characters, plot and writing are all getting better and better for me with each book.

Kindle Edition | 464 pages

Goodreads rating: 4.31      Published: 05/02/2013 | Feiwel and Friends

My rating: 4

Review: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

“Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.” – Goodreads

In this China-based retelling of the beloved classic, Cinderella, Linh Cinder is a gifted mechanic of New Beijing who’s life starts to spiral out of control after a deadly plague reaches the market where she works. Oh, and she’s a cyborg.

This is an extremely popular series with a lot of hype surrounding it and although I am continuing on in the series, I wasn’t blown away by this book.

My favourite books are ones with extremely well-developed characters and intricate believable worlds and although this book had a lot of good ideas, it lacked details for me.

Cinder didn’t particularly excite me as a character and I didn’t really relate to her, I feel as though this is because there wasn’t a hell of a lot to her. She’s cyborg, people dislike cyborgs… for some reason. She’s earns money as a mechanic which all goes to her guardian and her only friends are her step-sister, Peony, and an android named Iko. And that’s all we really know about her in the beginning. She did grow a little by the end though and I much more enjoyed Cinder’s character in the second novel in the series.

Prince Kai (the love interest) is the same for me, and now that I think about, so are most of the characters. They started off pretty flat for me but seem to improve by book two.

As mentioned above, the book is set in the city of New Beijing, with is ruled by an emperor who has a son called Kai. And again, that’s all I can really tell you about this place because were not told much else about it or how it came to be. Once again I feel as though this improved by book two. This setting did affect the story a little bit, mainly in the sense of names. Even though the main character’s name is Cinder, she is referred to as Linh Cinder when her full name is used, as is typical in Asian countries.

The book didn’t incite any particularly strong emotions for me but the concept and plot was interesting enough to keep me reading, and I’m glad I did as I am enjoying the second book even more.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in fairy tale retellings and anyone who is looking for a fantasy book that’s a little bit different. The cyborg/lunar storyline is undeniably interesting.

Kindle Edition | 400 pages

Goodreads rating: 4.15      Published: 03/01/2012 | Feiwel and Friends

My rating: 3

Top 100 Songs 2016

Spotify gave me a playlist of all of my top songs of 2016.

I think you can tell a lot about a person from their music taste, so I thought I’d share mine with you!

Listen to the full playlist here.

Here we go!

1. Zero To Hero – From “Hercules” [Ariana Grande]
2. Be Alright [Ariana Grande]
3. A Spoonful of Sugar – From “Mary Poppins” [Kacey Musgraves]
4. I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song) – From “The Jungle Book” [Fall Out boy]
5. Moonlight [Ariana Grande]
6. Oxygen [Tonight Alive]
7. Get Down On Your Knees And Tell Me You Love Me [All Time Low]
8. Sometimes [Ariana Grande]
9. Spirits [The Strumbellas]
10. To Be Free [Tonight Alive]
11. The Hard-Knock Life [Annie]
12. Eyes Wide [Meadowlark]
13. Agree To Disagree [Meg & Dia]
14. I Just Can’t Wait to Be King [The Lion King]
15. Perfume Melody [Pentatonix]
16. Backseat Serenade [All Time Low]
17. Boys And Buses [Hayden Panettiere – Nashville]
18. My New Philosophy [You’re A Good Man Charley Brown]
19. Two Worlds [Phil Collins – Tarzan]
20. Fade Into You [Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen – Nashville]
21. Focus [Ariana Grande]
22. Marvin Gaye [Charlie Puth feat. Megan Trainor)
23. A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes [Lily James – Cinderella]
24. Sexual – Oliver Nelson Remix [NEIKED, Dyo]
25. Something That I Want [Grace Potter]
26. Prologue: Into the Woods [Company – Into the Woods]
27. Everybody Talks [Neon Trees]
28. Honey, I’m Good [Andy Grammer]
29. Why Do You Let Me Stay Here? [She & Him]
30. All My Loving [The Well Pennies]
31. Are There Giants Too, In The Dance? [Meg & Dia]
32. Why Should I Worry [Billy Joel – Oliver And Company]
33. Ho Hey [The Lumineers]
34. One Jump Ahead [Brad Kane – Aladdin]
35. The Mirror (Angel of Music) [Andrew Lloyd Webber, Simon Lee – The Phantom of the Opera]
36. Telescope [Hayden Panettiere – Nashville]
37. Unbelievable [Owl City, Hanson]
38. No One Is Alone [Anna Kendrick, James Corden – Into The Woods]
39. Love Is an Open Door [Kristen Bell, Santino Fontana – Frozen]
40. Undermine [Hayden Panetierre – Nashville]
41. On The Steps of the Palace [Anna Kendrick – Into The Woods]
42. Nothing [McFly]
43. The Phantom of the Opera [Andrew Lloyd Webber, Simon Lee – The Phantom of the Opera]
44. Barton Hollow [The Civil Wars]
45. Home [Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros]
46. I’ll Be Okay [McFly]
47. Shout Out to My Ex [Little Mix]
48. All About Us [Owl City, He Is We]
49. Thunderstruck [Owl City, Sarah Russell]
50. I Won’t Say (I’m in Love) [Hercules]
51. True Love’s Kiss [James Marsden, Amy Adams – Enchanted]
52. Blurred Lines [Robin Thicke, T.I., Pharrell Williams]
53. #SELFIE [The Chainsmokers]
54. If I Didn’t Know Better [Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen – Nashville]
55. The 20th Century Fox Mambo [SMASH Cast]
56. The Gospel Truth [Hercules]
57. Hug Me [Meg & Dia]
58. The Greatest [Sia]
59. Me Too [Megan Trainor]
60. Bills [Lunchmoney Lewis]
61. All About You [McFly]
62. What’s This [Flyleaf]
63. Wasted [Tiësto, Matthew Koma]
64. You’ll Be In My Heart [Phil Collins – Tarzan]
65. Four Five Seconds [Rachel Potter]
66. Dreams And Disasters [Owl City]
67. Na Na Na [My Chemical Romance]
68. All I Ask of You [Andrew Lloyd Webber, Emmy Rossum – The Phantom of the Opera]
69. Dirty Paws [Of Monsters and Men]
70. The Worst Pies in London [Helena Bonham Carter – Sweeney Todd]
71. I’ve Got This Friend [The Civil Wars]
72. With You [Cast – Ghost]
73. I Love It [Icona Pop, Charlie XCX]
74. The Morning Report [The Lion King]
75. Tonight You Belong To Me [Josh Ritter, Blake Hazard]
76. Runnin’ [Gabrielle Taryn, Joshua David Evans]
77. Problem [Ariana Grande]
78. Loving You Is The Only Way To Fly [Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen – Nashville]
79. Your Song [Ellie Goulding]
80. Dream [Priscilla Ahn]
81. Country Song [Seether]
82. A Daydream Away [All Time Low]
83. Can’t Feel My Face [The Weeknd]
84. Fixer Upper [Maia Wilson, Cast – Frozen]
85. Kiss Me Again [We Are The In Crowd]
86. Letting Go of the Monster [Amy Can Flyy]
87. Bad Boy [Laura Bell Bundy]
88. Revolting Children [Matilda the Musical]
89. Dementia [Owl City, Mark Hoppus]
90. Ring of Fire [Home Free, Avi Kaplan]
91. Hey There Delilah [Plain White T’s]
92. Kidnap The Sandy Claws [Nightmare Before Christmas]
93. Still Into You [Paramore]
94. Moon Pride [Sailor Moon]
95. Intertwined [Dodie]
96. Good Company [Oliver and Company]
97. All The Pennies [Mindy Gladhill]
98. Never Give All The Heart [SMASH Cast]
99. Fathoms Below [The Little Mermaid]
100. Don’t Stay Low [The Good Mad]

Thanks for reading x

2017 Goals

I have become pretty addicted to BookTubers and YouTubers who make videos about writing this year and one thing that is quite common between them is the way they organise their goals.

Jenna Moreci gives herself between 10 and 20 goals, every three months with the intention of completing at least half of them, and I’ve decided to give this method a try.

At the end of three months I’ll release another blog post to review my progress and set goals for the next three months. As this is my first time attempting this I’ll be setting just 10 goals as a test run.

So with that said, here are my goals for the months of January, February and March 2017.

1. Read 8 books.

Last year I read 31, this year I wish to read 32! To achieve this goal I need to read 8 books every 3 months.

2. Get a job in a book shop.

If you didn’t already know, I want to go into a career in publishing when I leave university, working in a book shop can only help me towards that goal!

3. Get more firsts in uni.

In second year around 30% of my best grades from the year will be put towards my final degree which is why I want to aim for the best grades possible.

4. Get work experience at a publishing house.

I have been sending in applications to publishing houses all year with no luck. This year I need to step up my game and somehow get that work experience.

5. Leave my current job.

My current job has served me well but is in no way related to what I want to do in life, I’d like to make a conscious effort to be moving my life in the right direction.

6. Read The Copyeditor’s Handbook

I want to be an editor/work in publishing someday and a video by MollyReads on YouTube told me that this book is extremely good for gaining knowledge in that field, so I intend to read it in hopes of improving my writing, grammar and editing skills.

7. Start Reading Harry Potter

I am ridiculously behind on this trend. I think I read the first three books at some point, but I really really need to commit to reading the whole series.

8. Read at least one non-fiction book

I read a lot of YA Fantasy, and I’d like to broaden my horizons.

9. Complete character sheets for my WIP

If you didn’t already know, I’m attempting to write a book. I’m taking it very slowly but I would like to make some progress by March.

10. Do some serious world-building for my WIP

I’m writing a fantasy novel and I truly feel like I can’t start writing properly until I know the ins and outs of my world, so that’s something I’d like to work on in the next few months.

So there you have it, my goals for January to March 2017!

Thanks for reading x

 

 

 

December Favourites

I’ve decided to shake up the way I do favourites! In the past I have listed my favourites through categories e.g. ‘beauty’, ‘fashion’, ‘TV’, ‘books’ etc.

BUT THAT’S BORING.

So, I’ve decided to pick just five things that I have loved in the month of December and share them with you.

So, in no particular order.

1. This Scarf
   
   From M&S, bought for me by Mum and Dad for Christmas! Knitted scarves are my absolute favourite and the ones I had were getting a little shabby. So my parents bought me this new one! It’s sunny yellow, a perfect colour to brighten up a winter day, and long enough to wrap around my neck twice to keep me toasty warm.
2. This Ring
   
   From Pandora, bought by Jordan for Christmas! If you’re a girl you’re probably already familiar with this one. It is the ‘My Princess’ ring and I got it in rose gold. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
3. These Shoes
   
   From Kurt Geiger, also bought by Mum and Dad for Christmas! These are the ‘Sneak’ boots in the colour wine and I am obsessed. I’m also treating them like precious jewels as I’m terrified of scratching them!
4. Game of Thrones
   Bought by me for Jordan for Christmas! We began watching this on boxing day and have been flying through it, we are currently on season two. I knew there was a lot of hype surrounding this series but I really didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I am!
5. The Kindrily Series
   

   

   

   This is a book series by Karen Amanda Hooper and this December I read it for the second time. It’s a fictional trilogy which centers around ideas of reincarnation, soulmates, magic and memory loss. It’s one of my favourite series of all time, the plot is unique and gripping and the characters are well developed each with their own distinct voices. I love this series and would highly recommend it to others.

So there you have it! Five things that I was loving in the month of December.

Thanks for reading! x