Blogmas Day 18: The Christmas Tag

1. Favourite Christmas Movie?

Either Elf or The Santa Clause. Both are so nostalgic to me. 

2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Morning, always. We'd always beg our mum to let us open one on Christmas Eve, but "it's not Christmas yet. It was always worth the wait, though. 

3. Favourite Christmas memory?

I don't have one specific memory, I just always remember waking up super early, my brother running into mine and my sister's room, and we'd just sit and chat, while opening our stockings, waiting for my mum to get up. 

4. Favourite festive food?

I touched on this in Blogmas Day 10, but I love a good Christmas dinner. Pigs in blankets... *salivates*

5. Favourite Christmas gift?

I was very lucky as a child to be given loads of really cool toys, but the one that really stands out to me was a Bratz runway catwalk thing. Their shoes would fit onto plastic clips that you put on the runway, and when you turned it on, they would literally walk down the runway. It was pretty damn cool. 

6. Favourite Christmas scent?

I love sweet candle scents like Yankee Candle's Christmas Cookie, but for an actual real-life scent? The smell of the Christmas dinner cooking!

7. Christmas Eve traditions?

We'll usually get some form of takeaway, watch a Christmassy movie, and when we were younger, would always leave out a mince pie for Father Christmas and a carrot for the reindeer. 

8. What tops your tree?

We always have an angel at the top of the tree. 

9. As a kid, what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant gift you always asked for but never received?

I don't remember anything specific, in fact, I don't remember ever being disappointed that I didn't get anything. 

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?

Being with my family. It's just so nice to sit around, chatting, and eating good food with the people you love the most. 

If you do this tag, feel free to send me the link, I'd love to read it! 7 days to go! 

Blogmas Day 16: Birthday Thanks

Welcome to Blogmas Day 16, which just so happens to be my 21st birthday *happy dance*! I intend on spending the day with some of my favourite people, so unfortunately this post isn't too exciting. Tomorrow's however, should definitely make up for it! 

I just wanted to use today's post as a way to say thank you, to all of my friends and family, for every card, present, or well-wish I've received today. I feel like I don't say it enough. So thank you. I'm so lucky to have people in my life who care about me enough to do these little things. 

Take time out of your day to thank someone. Whether it's your parents, a sibling, a boyfriend/girlfriend, a friend, anyone who you appreciate. Just say thank you for being a part of your life.

Lastly, I want to thank you. Thank you for reading my rants. Thank you for every view, every like, favourite, retweet or follow. I'm grateful to each and every one of you. So thank you. 

Blogmas Day 8: Stress

For today's post, I thought I'd get a little deep with you guys. I won't lie to you, the last few weeks have proved majorly stressful for me. The pressures of "the future" have gotten a little too high, and I've realised just how quickly things have come around. 

I've got 4 months until my final essay for university is due in, and 7 months until my graduation. I've known for a while that I wanted to do a PGCE course after uni to become a primary school teacher, so the last few weeks have been a rush of completing uni deadlines, writing my UCAS teacher application, making sure my references are completed, and booking skills tests (before you can undertake the course, you have to have completed a Literacy and Numeracy skills test). To be frank, it's been utter chaos. I've never been used to this much pressure at one time. What if I'm not accepted? I have no backup at all, as much as I love it at home, there's no way I want to go back to living with my parents. 

With Christmas around the corner, I was expecting to be full of festive cheer, not struggling to find old GCSE certificates, spending money on train tickets for interviews and tests, researching current educational issues and curriculums, planning presentations, trying to focus on essays, all while trying to remain cheery for Christmas. It's hard work, and something I wasn't prepared for. 

It scares me; the idea that in just 8 days, I'll be 21. That by January, I'll know whether or not I'll be starting my PGCE in September. That in 6 months, I'll be leaving Canterbury, and all the amazing friends and memories that I've made here, not knowing how long Mr T and I will last outside of uni. That in September, all going well, that I will be starting a year-long intense teacher training course that will see the beginning of my planned career. That in 18 months, I may become a qualified teacher, and enter the "working world"... It's all hit me at once, and it's made me realise that I'm really not prepared for these changes. 

I don't want to grow up... 

I promise tomorrow will be more of a cheery post, but I just needed to vent a little. 

Blogmas Day 7: Things That Make Me Happy (Christmas Edition)

1. Christmas Trees
Is there anything more Christmassy than putting up the tree as a family?

2. Christmas Lights
I walked through Canterbury City Centre the other night and was amazed at how beautiful the lights were!

3. Mistletoe
I've never even used mistletoe, but I like the idea of having a cheeky peck with someone special, just because a plant tells you to.

4. Wrapping Presents
Nothing gets me in the spirit more than wrapping gifts with colourful paper, string and bows!

5. Christmas Shopping
I love picking out the perfect gift for everyone I love.

6. Food
Christmas dinner, pigs in blankets, Toblerone, After Eights, MatchMakers, Ferrero Rochers... Need I go on?

7. Fairy Lights
I have fairy lights in my room all year round just to feel that much cosier.

8. Christmas Jumpers
*see previous post*

9. Advent Calendars
Is there anything more exciting than opening a new window each day?

10. Winter Coats
I recently bought one with a faux fur lining. best decision of my life.

11. Limited Edition Products
LUSH's Snow Fairy and Yankee Candle's Christmas Cookie are my favourites.

12. Fleecy Pyjamas
I bought some from Primark a few years ago with penguins on them - they're still going strong!

13. Family Time 
Everyone reunited in one room again with food, gifts and laughter.

14. Christmas Songs
They just make me so happy!

15. Christmas Films
I could literally watch Elf the whole year round!

What are your favourite things about Christmas? 

Blogmas Day 6: Christmas Playlist

There's only 19 days until Christmas. NINETEEN! If you weren't excited already, then now is a perfect time to blast out the perfect Christmas playlist to perk you up as you put up that tree! GO, GO, GO! 

1. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (Michael Bublé) 

2. Driving Home For Christmas (Chris Rea)

3. Do They Know It's Christmas (Band Aid 84)

4. Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End) (The Darkness)

5. Baby It's Cold Outside (Idina Menzel & Michael Bublé

6. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day (Wizzard)

6. Fairytale of New York (The Pogues)

7. All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey)

8. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (The Jackson 5)

9. Let It Snow (Frank Sinatra) 

10. Real Love (Tom Odell) - I just had to...

What songs would you have in your playlist? Until tomorrow, my loves! x

Blogmas Day 2: Dear December

Dear December, 

It always seems like the year passes so quickly, in a complete blur, just to get back round to you. This year, you bring my 21st birthday, which I hope to celebrate over a few days with my closest friends, family and boyfriend. The last two birthdays have been a bit of a disappointment, but I have hope that this year, you'll make it worthwhile. 

December, you bring bitter weather, rain and winter coats, but also bring festive cheer and merriment among even the grumpiest of people. You make people happy with bright lights, decorations, and Christmas songs, and bringing people together to celebrate as one. 

Although I hate the cold, I love the excuse of being able to spend the day cuddling up in a blanket with the fairy lights on, watching Netflix and drinking hot chocolate. You give me that excuse, December. 

I know that this month is going to whizz past, and soon you'll just be another memory. But I also know that 2015 will be a quick one, and it won't be long until I see you again. 

Until next year,

A Few Of My Favourite Things

Hello, you lovely lot! My blogging schedule's been all over the place lately, with essay deadlines, personal statements to write, and generally just being a bit scatter-brained. So to make it up to you guys, I've decided to undertake Blogmas this year! I'll be blogging every single day from the 1st December until the 31st *squeals in excitement*!

As I'm sure you'll be seeing plenty from me very soon, I thought I'd do the "A Few Of My Favourite Things" tag! There are 20 categories, with 3 answers for each, so here it is! 

1. Products 

Snow Fairy shower gel - literally my favourite scent, ever!

Soap & Glory's The Breakfast Scrub - the best exfoliator I've ever used.

L'Oreal's Extraordinary Oil - to leave your hair soft and shiny!

2. Foods

White Chocolate Toblerone - just mmmmmmmm...

Pizza - so many flavours, so much taste. 

Passionfruit - my favourite flavour!

3. Places

My family home in Essex - no matter how long I'm away for, that'll always be my real home. 

The Chocolate Cafe - one of my favourite chill-out places in Canterbury. 

Florida - I miss going here every year </3

4. Things You'd Miss

My phone - I'd be pretty lost without it!

My boyfriend - sorry to be cringey. 

My family - again, cringe, but I don't know what I'd do without my mum, sister and brother!

5. Things You Do When You're Bored

Scroll through social media. 

Blog!

Read.

6. Things You Do When It's Sunny

Go for long walks

Sunbathe (if it's hot, of course)

Have a drink in a pub garden.

7. Films

Fight Club

Black Swan

Love Actually

8. Songs

Blackbird - The Beatles

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

Thunderstruck - ACDC

9. Brands

LUSH

Rimmel

Soap & Glory

10. Outdoor Things That You Like

Wild Flowers

Squirrels 

Buskers

11. Events 

Christmas

Halloween

My Birthday

12. Cartoons

Frozen

Finding Nemo

The Little Mermaid

13. Buildings

Canterbury Cathedral

London Bridge

The Eiffel Tower

14. Anything in Everyday Life

Catching up with friends

Date nights

When things go right

15. Traits in any person, not just partners. 

Honesty

Loyalty

Sense of humour

16. Influences 

I've drawn a complete blank here, sorry...

17. Drinks

Cocktails

Still lemonade 

Mountain Dew

18. Experiences 

Getting into university 

Climbing the Acropolis in Athens 

The view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower

19. Things to watch 

Breaking Bad

The Walking Dead

Orphan Black

20. Bloggers 

Student Life

All I Know Now 

Rebecca Coco

If you guys want to do this tag, leave the post in a comment below and I'll be sure to check it out! I'll also be attending the Bloggers Love Hub event on the 24th November, so if you're attending too, feel free to come and say hi! 

Stay beautiful! x

New Beginnings

I've been slacking pretty badly with my #2014BloggerChallenges lately. I'll get the email with the topic, and completely forget to write it up. Bad, I know, but hey, I've been pretty busy lately! But here's this week's post about new beginnings.

I wasn't sure how to approach this. I'm entering my third and final year (not including my post-grad course next year) of university, and I didn't think that much had changed in comparison to the last two years. But I was pretty wrong. A LOT has changed in this past year that for months, made me an emotional ticking time bomb. One minute I'd be perfectly fine, and the next, I'd lock myself in my room and just cry to myself.

There was so much confusion with Mr. T. I went back to uni with no intention of getting back together with him at all. I wanted him to regret his choices, of course, but I didn't want to give him a second chance. He'd lost that right. But that changed when I saw him, and every memory I had with him came flooding back and sent me into a state of confusion. I didn't want to give him another chance. He'd hurt me, yet when he came to me wanting to talk, saying how he was also confused... I couldn't help but talk to him, and figure out what we wanted to do. I didn't want to jump back into a relationship, but I didn't want us to not try. It was one of the most confusing times for the both of us, and for about 5 or 6 months, I still didn't know if it was going to go anywhere - was it even a relationship yet?

And then in October, me and my then best-friend had a HUGE fall-out, one that I've been unsure about whether or not I should go into detail at some point on here... I've never argued with anyone that much before, never felt like I was being victimised (even though I know she felt the same way towards me). It was one of the most stressful times of my life. I just wanted for us to be friends again (she was like my sister), but I didn't want to give up my position and to say that I was in the wrong, when I genuinely didn't believe that I was, and I still don't. It didn't help that I had to live with her for the next 8 months, either. I've always been scared of confrontation, and this put my limits to the test, big time.

So this time, I'm looking forward to a new beginning, in a way. My relationship with Mr. T is the best it's ever been, and I'm so happy with him. I'm finally at a point where I feel stable. And I'm looking forward to living with two of my favourite people, with as minimal drama and arguments as possible *she says hopefully*. I have a part-time job to keep some money coming in so that I can save up for the costs of living next year, and I'm looking forward to just enjoying my final year at Kent with the people I love.

Summer Bucket List

This weeks #2014BloggerChallenge, was to write a summer bucket list! I love this challenge so much, and came up with a list of 20 things I want to do before going back to uni in September!

1. Go on holiday 

I've booked flights to stay with my friend Alison (you can check out her blog here) in Greece in the middle of August, so this should be pretty simple to complete!

2. Do different things when Mr. T visits

Mr. T being "the boy" (thanks Betsy, for helping me come up with an online name for him! T is the initial of his first name!). I've been trying to come up with a list of things that we could do when he visits Essex to make things more interesting. So far I have "Southend-on-Sea" aaaaaand, that's about it! I'll keep working on this one!

3. Make ice cream floats

I used to make these ALL the time! Ice cream and coke... It sounds disgusting, but the result is a perfect concoction of fizz and cream.

4. Go on a road trip

A few friends, just go for a drive and end up somewhere we've not been to. Simple.

5. Eat ice cream at the beach

This could probably be achieved if me and Mr. T end up at Southend, but there's just something satisfying about watching the waves while eating an ice cream.

6. Visit uni friends

In particular, my friends Kirstie and Beth (my current and future housemates!), who both live around the Cambridge area. I've been promised a night out that I'm determined to fulfil this year!

7. Have a London tourist day

Simple, really. I've lived near London for my entire life, so I never get to do the whole "tourist" thing, like taking pictures outside the big landmarks and just taking in the scenery.

8. Go to somewhere new

This is again, quite simple. I want to visit somewhere I've never been before.

9. Swim in the sea

Believe it or not, I've never actually swum in a sea. I don't trust the English waters, but I'll 100% get to fulfil this wish when I'm in Greece! Clear waters and sun!

10. Bake more

Cupcakes, brownies, cookies, you name it, I want to make it!

11. Get a decent tan

Easier said than done. I want to be brown, not bright red, after my holiday!

12. Read more

I've actually just placed an order on Amazon for £55, purely on books, so this should be easy!

13. Go to a theme park

I haven't been to a theme park in years! Thorpe Park or Alton Towers is calling my name. I just need a car and friends willing to go!

14. Take more pictures

I've been pretty good with this lately, as I've really started getting into taking pictures for my blog, but I want to have a load of photos that I can look back at in a year or two.

15. Start yoga

It's so relaxing and beneficial, but for some reason, I can never be bothered to start!

16. Dip-dye my hair

Last summer, I dip-dyed my hair both purple and blue, and loved the results. I'd like to try that again.

17. See my friends more often

Last summer, I was too busy moping around or complaining about money to go out with my friends. I want that to change.

18. Clean out my junk

Get rid of all the unnecessary crap lying around in my room!

19. Summer-ise my wardrobe

Cut jeans into shorts, tie-dye some stuff, just make it more summery!

20. Make juice ice cubes and add Sprite

Super simple! I saw a Pinterest post, and you literally freeze fruit juice into ice cubes, and add Sprite. Sounds delicious!

What's on your summer bucket list?

99 Pointless Questions

I had a sudden realisation the other day that this very blog will have its first birthday next Saturday! A whole year since Confessions of an Essex Girl reached out onto the interwebs to rant about boys and uni and every life problem you could imagine! So obviously, a very special post will go live on Saturday! But until then, I thought you lovely lot would enjoy these 99 Questions That Nobody Asks! 

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
    Closed. I hate leaving doors open when I'm sleeping!

2. Do you take the shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?
    I very rarely stay in hotels, but I don't bother taking them if I do. I find that they're not really         very good quality anyway.

3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?
    Out. I wriggle around a LOT during the night, so by morning, my bed's a state!

4. Have you ever stolen a street sign before?
    I personally haven't, but over the last two years at uni, my boyfriend and his housemates have       accumulated a wet floor sign, a barrier and a tree after drunken nights out...

5. Do you like to use post-it notes?
    I like to think I do, when really, I just have a shit-ton of unused post-its in a draw.

6. Do you cut coupons then never use them?
    I get sent vouchers and things, put them in my purse, then completely forget they exist.

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees?
    I'm not too sure... A bear would pretty much kill me instantly, whereas I might survive a bee         attack (or have a really slow, painful death), but I'd be scarred for life...

8. Do you have freckles? 
    Over summer, I get freckles down my nose and weirdly on my hands...

9. Do you always smile for pictures? 
    It depends on the circumstances. If it's just a normal picture, I'll smile. But on a night out,             there'll be smiles, pouting, and silly face-pulling!

10. What's your biggest pet-peeve?
      When people don't use manners. Is it really that hard to say please or thanks you? And people       who eat with their mouths open. And slow walkers... A lot of things!

11. Do you ever count your steps when you walk?
      I walk a lot, so I definitely wouldn't have the patience for that.

12. Have you ever peed in the woods? 
      I don't think so, no!

13. Pooped in the woods? 
      Definitely not.

14. Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing? 
      I do that quite a lot actually...

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils? 
      If I'm bored, I'll chew the end of my pen, sure.

16. How many people have you slept with this week? 
      Little intimate... Um, I have a boyfriend?...

17. What size is your bed? 
      I have a double at uni, and a single at home in Essex.

18. What is your song of the week?
      Nobody To Love - Sigma.

19. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?
      I don't see why not. A light pink shirt could look pretty attractive on a guy if you ask me.

20. Do you still watch cartoons? 
      I wish I did! *goes to binge-watch Powerpuff Girls*

21. What's your least favourite movie?
      Suckerpunch. The only movie I've actually walked out of the cinema early for.

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had any? 
      My freezer. No-one would suspect a freezer.

23. What do you drink with dinner? 
      It depends where I am. Sometimes squash, sometimes water, or if I'm out, maybe a bit of             wine.

24. What do you dip chicken nuggets in?
      BBQ sauce, always!

25. What's your favourite food? 
      Pizza.

26. What movies could you watch over and over and still love?
      Mean Girls, Despicable Me, Frozen & Bridesmaids.

27. Last person you kissed/kissed you?
      My boyfriend.

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
      Nope.

29. Would you ever strip/pose nude in a magazine?
      I'd say no, but there's that whole never say never thing. Maybe if it would raise a lot of money       for charity or something then I'd be more inclined to do it.

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
      I wrote a cute note to Lily & Ella for our Valentines box swap?

31. Can you change the oil in a car?
      I don't drive, but I probably could...

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
      I don't drive...

33. Ever ran out of gas? 
     ...

34. Favourite type of sandwich? 
      It sounds so strange, but banana... It's SO good!

35. Best thing to eat for breakfast? 
      Poached egg on toast and Pop Tarts are my thing right now!

36. What's your usual bedtime? 
      Probably sometime between 12 and 2am... Unless I'm working, when it's like, 6am!

37. Are you lazy? 
      Unfortunately so!

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress as for Halloween? 
      I was a witch every year!

39. What's your Chinese astrological sign? 
      A rooster, I think.

40. How many languages can you speak?
      Just the one. I used to speak French quite well until I took it for A Level, hated it, and lost all       passion I had for it!

41. Do you have a magazine subscription?
      I haven't bought a magazine in over 2 years...

42. Which are better, Legos or Lincoln Logs? 
      Legos, I don't even know what Lincoln Logs are?

43. Are you stubborn?
      Oh yes!

44. Who is better, Leno or Letterman?
      I've never seen one of their shows the whole way through.

45. Ever watch soap operas?
      Nope!

46. Are you afraid of heights? 
      If I'm behind glass, I'm fine, but there's still that little twinge of fear!

47. Do you sing in the car?
     All the time!

48. Do you sing in the shower?
      More often than not.

49. Do you dance in the car?
      Nope.

50. Ever used a gun?
      No, and I wouldn't want to!

51. Last time you got a picture taken by a photographer?
     If club photos count, then about 2/3 weeks ago. If not... Probably a photo-shoot me and my          friend did about... 4 years ago?

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy? 
      No way! I love them!

53. Is Christmas stressful?
      Not at all. I love making sure I've picked the perfect gifts, and the relaxation of the actual day.

54. Ever eat a pieriogi? 
      I have no idea what that is!

55. Favourite type of fruit pie?
      Cherry.

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?
      Teacher, fashion designer, model... I was a strange child.

57. Do you believe in ghosts?
      No.

58. Ever have a deja-vu feeling? 
      All the time!

59. Take a vitamin daily? 
      Yep!

60. Wear slippers? 
      I prefer fluffy socks...

61. Wear a bath robe?
      As in a dressing gown? Sure, every morning after my shower!

62. What do you wear to bed? 
      Either an oversized shirt and pants or, uh... nothing? ;)

63. First concert?
      S Club United. Oh yes.

64. Wal-Mart, K-Mart or Target?
      Sainsburys. Good ol' UK!

65. Nike or Adidas?
      Neither.

66. Cheetos or Fritos? 
      I used to LOVE Cheetos! Do they even sell them in the UK anymore?

67. Peanuts or sunflower seeds?
      Ew, neither.

68. Ever heard of the group Tres Bien? 
      Nope...

69. Ever take dance lessons?
      From the age of 3 until 17!

70. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse to have?
      Not at all, nor do I think it even matters.

71. Can you curl your tongue?
      Nope. I don't have any weird talents like that!

72. Ever won a spelling bee? 
      We didn't have any, but I used to ace my spelling tests ;)

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?
      I have this weird thing where I can't cry in front of people. But I've had a moment on my own       where I realised that everything in my life was going so well, I got a little overwhelmed...

74. Own any record albums?
      Nope.

75. Own a record player?
      Nope.

76. Regularly burn incense? 
      I burn candles a lot.

77. Ever been in love?
      Yes.

78. Who would you like to see in concert?
      McBusted, Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift.

79. What was the last concert you saw?
      McFly. For the 5th time!

80. Hot tea or cold tea?
      I don't like hot tea, but I do like iced fruit teas.

81. Tea or coffee?
      Coffee.

82. Sugar or snickerdoodles? 
      What's a snickerdoodle?

83. Can you swim well?
      I can swim, but I wouldn't say well!

84. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?
      Can't everyone?

85. Are you patient?
      Not particularly!

86. DJ or band at a wedding?
      I haven't been to a wedding since I was 8, so I haven't experience them, but I'd say DJ?

87. Ever won a contest? 
      A few. My first was a drawing competition when I was about 6. I won a felt colouring set.

88. Ever have plastic surgery. 
      Again, never say never, but I'd like to think not.

89. Black or green olives?
      Neither!

90. Can you knit or crochet?
      Nope, I used to be able to cross-stitch though.

91. Best room for a fireplace? 
      Living room, definitely .

92. Do you want to get married? 
      At some point, sure.

93. If you're married, how long for?
      I'm 20... No plans for that anytime soon!

94. Who was your high school crush?
      I had a few, but my last one ended up in a relationship with me for 2 and a half years!

95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?
      Not quite that extreme, but I'm pretty stubborn. Silent treatment's my favourite.

96. Do you have kids?
      Ohhhh no. It still shocks me that so many people I went to school with have kids now.

97. Do you want kids?
      Not right now, but when I'm older, settled down, and feel like I can let my independence go,         sure.

98. What's your favourite colour?
      Aqua blue.

99. Do you miss anyone right now?
      A little. Which is sad considering I saw them this morning! <3

Well done if you got this far! Thanks for reading, and watch out for my special post next week! 

100 Happy Days Challenge

I took part in the 100 Happy Days challenge on Instagram, where you post a picture of one thing a day that's made you smile, for (you guessed it) 100 days! Although I wasn't the best at it (there'd be days where I wouldn't post because I'd simply forget to!), I really enjoyed the challenge and now have little snaps of what's made me happy over the last few months! I've also discovered that almost 50% of what made me happy was food/drink... So here they are for you, my 100 Happy Days!

 1) The Wolf of Wall Street - Leo. 'Nuff said! 2) You can never go wrong with some Thorntons chocolate! 3) Me and the girls took our housemate for dinner at Zizzis for her birthday! 4) Followed by a later birthday meal at Prezzo with the boyfriend.

5) I was clearly on a fruit high that day! 6) Nutella Fudge - the consistency was all wrong, but the taste was SO good! 7) Nothing like a selfie with the girls! 8) I actually ventured to a pub to watch the Superbowl. Me. Watching the Superbowl!

9) A cheeky little blog catch up ;) 10) This was my excitement at getting to read Sherlock Holmes for my degree! 11) These dogs are just adorable, are they not? 12) Watching Sherlock on the big screen <3

13) A bar served me a coconut flavoured beer... IN a coconut!!! 14) Banana and nutella french toast roll-ups! 15) I love these girls <3 16) Two of my favourite cheeky snacks! Ooh, how healthy!

17) My favourite drink - EVER! 18) This was my excitement at getting 69 at Flappy Bird... 19) The lovely box swap I got from Lily & Ella! 20) Are you seeing a theme here?

21) I was rushing through campus to beat the thunderstorm, turned around and saw this! Absolutely breathtaking! 22) BAFTAs night with the girls! 23) The night I discovered I can pull off hats! ;) 24) I can't express enough sadness that they've stopped selling these for another year!

25) White hot chocolate from The Chocolate Cafe <3 26) My blog post about the Valentines box swap! 27) A beautiful day in February! 28) Raspberry chocolate brownie, again, from The Chocolate Cafe... I may be a bit of an addict!

29) Reminiscing of my trip to Paris in November! 30) After 6 months of living with a broken lock button, I got a new phone :D 31) A chocolate crepe from *cough* The Chocolate Cafe (I promise I am in NO way sponsored, I just love the place way too much ;) ) 32) Obligatory night-out selfie. 

33) My boyfriend text me that he'd beaten my previous Flappy Bird score. This was my excitement when I beat him again! 34) My productivity (for once!) 35) Camp Takota! 36) One of many Nandos trips with the boyfriend!

37) Nutella pancakes for Pancake Day! 38) There's no better relief than uploading an essay! 39) My very own Nutella hot chocolate! 40) My first ever Wagamamas!

41) Our (pretty shabby) attempt at the OSCARs selfie. 42) Mini Eggs are perfection! 43) Apparently I took a picture of the menu instead of the actual pizza... 44) A lunch catch-up at Mungos! 

45) The most amazing smelling body scrub EVER! 46) A random cat that likes to wander into my boyfriend's house! 47) But first, lemme take a selfie. 48) A lovely day at the beach with my mama <3

49) Treats from my mum's trip to Florida! 50) My oh so healthy snack drawer! 51) Mine and Alison's scrumptious red velvet cake! 52) The necessities for a 3 hour screening ;)

53) Film and wine night! 54) This picture still makes me laugh! My little weirdos <3 55) These were my favourite sweets as a child! 56) How I Met Your Mother catch-up. 

57) The night I discovered I could recreate the Elsa braid (Frozen) 58) My excitement at seeing my best friend! 59) Back in Essex for the weekend! 60) This needs no caption. 

61) Me, my mum and brother on Mother's Day. 62) My (way too many) purchases from my trip back to Essex! 63) My 9am start was brightened by this beautiful day! 64) Alison made Nutella cupcakes! <3

65) My first attempt at real American pancakes! 66) The sunset from my window <3 67) A mirror selfie, coz why not, right? 68) Cosmos never grow old! 

69) Game of Thrones season premiere at the pub! 70) I made my boyfriend watch Frozen. He loved it! 71) Oh look, more Nandos! 72) Chocolate, strawberry and raspberry crepes with Chantel! 

73) The last night of second term! And possibly one of the best! 74) Dominos between two girls... 75) Back in my box room in Essex <3 76) A trip to the Olympic Park! 

77) I got to go pick up this beauty with Rebekah and her parents. Cutest puppy ever! 78) Skype date! 79) Pub catch-up with one of my oldest friends! 80) Free wine at Bingo! 

81) When in doubt, play The Sims! 82) Easter!!! 83) Made my brother watch Frozen. He also loved it! 84) The Amazing Spiderman 2... SO DAMN GOOD!

85) I took my housemate to the Olympic Park. 86) Another trip to Wagamama! 87) The best part about babysitting is when the kids go to bed ;) 88) Gaby's 21st <3

89) My Breaking bad shirt! 90) How cute is my boyfriend's parent's pub? 91) A cat named Squirrel. I want one. 92) Finally got to visit the Dunkin' Donuts store in Cambridge! 

93) My boyfriend told me to post this as my "Happy Day", to tell everyone that he made this burger from scratch, and it was "the best burger you've ever had in your life". 94) I got over-excited at the amount of candles my mum owns. 95) I was missing these lovely ladies! 96) Revision involves colourful post-it arrows and Harry Potter. Seriously, I love my degree. 

97) BBQ! 98) It's completely necessary to take a selfie after a haircut! 99) And another one before a night out! 100) And finally, my last Happy Day! Being back in Canterbury with my lovely double bed! 

Hope you guys enjoyed this post! Feel free to check out my Instagram, I feel way more motivated to post more frequently after this! I may even be tempted to do a little Instagram round-up each month! Until next time, m'lovelies! 

Home Is Where The Heart Is

I have been SUCH a bad blogger recently. I haven't posted in a bout 2 weeks, and I even missed the last #2014BloggerChallenge topic. So to make up for it, I'm posting this week's challenge a little early (and the fact that I've had such a good weekend I feel the need to write about it!).

This week's challenge is to show my week/day in pictures. I opted for the weekend instead, as I spent the weekend visiting my hometown for Mother's Day. I have a very love/hate relationship with this place. I live on the border of East London/Essex, in a pretty shoddy area! I mean, they say that the public transport is amazing, but when I opted to walk home instead of waiting 7 minutes for a bus from the station, not one single bus had passed me on the 20 minute walk. Win for me. Loss for TFL.

I got the 12:25 train on Friday from Canterbury to Stratford International, and had an obligatory stop at Westfield on my walk through to the other station, where I bought some loooooverly flowers for my mum (I also cut them and put them in a vase for when she got home!).

After a little bit of retail therapy, I got the train to my local station, and walked the 20 minutes home, with just my music and this cat for company!

Some of the best things about this walk is seeing the TFL bus stops and buses, instead of the regular ones in Canterbury, There's just something about a red bus... And of course, the out-of-business Blockbusters shop that's been closed for the last 5 years and still hasn't been replaced!

One of my favourite things about being home, is the big TV in the living room, and the ability to watch programmes other than what's on Freeview. In my case, that's non-stop Friends episodes on Comedy Central! 

After spending a mere hour in the comfort of my home, I was rushed out to a night of yet more retail therapy to Lakeside (and IKEA!) with some of my favourite people from home; my friends Rebekah, Jaymi, Sophia & Jordan. Believe me when I say we're a very strange group of friends...

After taking our #100HappyDays pictures for the day (you can check out my progress on my Instagram page!) , I got one of my favourite smoothies from Boost, Strawberry Squeeze, which I always miss very dearly when I'm at uni! It's like a fruit party in your mouth!

After a long day of travelling and shopping, I turned in for the night in my childhood bedroom. Although I'm now used to the luxury of a double bed at uni, there's something comforting about sleeping in your old room...

I was picked up on Saturday morning by Sophia, where we treated ourselves to ANOTHER shopping trip! Apparently I was feeling quite frivolous this weekend! Though I did buy some really lovely summery things... And Marvel... 

We then got Chinese in the evening and watched Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (a weekly tradition when I was younger!), and evened out the junk food with a yummy bowl of strawberries and cream! 

And now for Sunday: Mother's Day! My sister couldn't make it down until Monday, so me and my brother took my Mum to Westfield for something to eat. We decided on the Chicago Rib Shack, which is basically an American diner-style takeaway that specialises in BBQ food (ribs, chicken wings and burgers!). I ordered ribs and wings with homemade lemonade. Honestly, it baffled me that it was part of a food court - it was worthy of being a real restaurant!

I had such a lovely weekend at home - I hadn't been back since Christmas! As much as I love uni, it's nice to just get away from that atmosphere for a while, and spend some quality time with my old friends and family. I also managed to get my mum involved in some selfies! ;)

How did you spend your weekend? I hope it was as lovely as mine was! 

The Great Gatsby

For the third topic of the 2014 Blogger's Challenge, we've been given the chance to write a book review, something completely different for my blog in particular. I've always loved to read, and I was that kid who instead of coming home and playing outside or running riot, I'd be curled up on the sofa, reading a book. I'd go to the library every two weeks and pick out an armful of books that I would get through until my next visit. Although I don't read as much now, I still love to pick up a book every now and then, and just lose myself in another world.

As you can probably tell from the title, my review is going to be on the classic The Great Gatsby. It was written in 1925 by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a truly fantastic writer, I might add! Every sentence is like poetry. I first read this book for my AS English Literature exam, 3 years ago, but recently re-read it for my Film & TV Adaptation module for uni. I completely forgot how beautiful this book is.

I can't do the story justice, but a brief summary would be that it follows Jay Gatsby's longing to relight the flame between him and now-married Daisy. Gatsby is without a doubt one of the most beautifully flawed characters ever written, in my opinion at least!

I wouldn't be able to do the story justice by reviewing it, so instead, I'm going to write some of the quotes from the book, subtle life-lessons from Fitzgerald:

"Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope"
"I like large parties. They're so intimate"
"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired"
"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the Fall"
"There is no confusion like the confusion of a simple mind"
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly to the past"

If these aren't reason enough to read it, I don't know what is! And the best thing? You can download the book for FREE from the Kindle store on Amazon. You can download it onto a Kindle device, or with the Kindle App on smartphones, PCs or Macs (my preference; it has a bigger screen!). I hope you all love it as much as I do!

New Year, New Beginnings

Happy New Year, and welcome to the first post of the 2014 Blogger Challenge! For the first challenge, the topic we have been given to discuss is New Years Inspiration. Now, I'm not the kind of person to believe in the whole "New Year, New Me" thing. Instead, I believe in new beginnings, making new memories with the people you love.

"The beginning is always today" is one of my favourite quotes. The way I see this, is that no matter what happened in the past, if you've had a particularly bad day, or something's happened to you that made you miserable, brush yourself up and don't dwell on it, for tomorrow is a brand new day. 

I've had times in the past where I've been miserable, and let things get to the point where I sit at home on my own for days on end, not wanting to go out and do anything because of my mood. But I look back at that now and think why? Why would I willingly prevent myself from being happy just because I've had a bad experience? What's the use on dwelling on things beyond your control?

If anybody reading this is having a tough time, I'm truly sorry. But don't let that stop you from living your life. Take a day to yourself, but once you wake up the next morning, treat it like a completely new day. Get up, go out, have fun! Because a new day sparks new beginnings. 

P.S. Here's the link to Gaby's blog, explaining the 2014 Blogger Challenge, with a list of all the other girls involved!