My 2017 Goals: Revisited

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Monday, 12 June 2017

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It's about half way through the year, so I thought it would be an ideal time to see how I was getting on with my goals for the year.


1. Visit 4 museums


So far, I’ve visited one: The British Museum, on a trip with my college in March. Hopefully, I can find some more perhaps a bit more locally to me, or maybe some of the free ones in London.


2. See 3 shows


Completed! I saw the UK tour of Billy Elliot in February with a group of friends, and it was incredible! I then saw 3 shows that my friends were part of: Consensual, Alice (as in, Alice in Wonderland, except a dance version) and Tomb with a View. Later on, in July, I’m going to see the UK tour of the Addams Family with some friends and I am so excited!


3. Finish my Silver Duke of Edinburgh


This one is nearly certain. I’ve nearly completed my 6 months of volunteering at my local library and, later on this week, will be going on my final expedition. Then I am done with D of E for good.

4. Have a final draft of my novel


Ha! Yeah, okay...

5. Visit a city I’ve never been to before


So far, this hasn’t happened. But in a few weeks I’ll be in Berlin with my college and later on in the year I’ll be heading to a least 4 new cities to visit prospective universities, all of which I can’t wait to explore and discover!

6. Finish my GoodReads book challenge


I seem to be on track for some of these ones, being already past the 50% mark. This should be easier with wider reading for my A levels and books I’ve been sent by some publishers for review along with my ever-growing TBR list.


7. Wear only makeup that is cruelty-free


I’ve done pretty well with this so far. I have only bought cruelty free makeup (a may do a post on that later on) and have got to know some of the good brands quite well I think, although I’m always open for new recommendations. I am still using up some old lipsticks and eyeliners that I had before, but eventually those will be finished (it will take a while for the lipsticks) and my makeup bag can truly be cruelty free.



How are your yearly goals going?




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May 2017 | Monthly Wrap Up

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Wednesday, 31 May 2017

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May came and went. How is it June??

Favourite part?


I went back to Wales for the first weekend of the month, and got to snoop around my favourite bookshop and see some old friends, which was lovely, as always.

I’ve spent a lot of time with friends this month, whether that has been in college playing frisbee in the sun, at a party, or just helping out at a family member’s birthday party. I love you all to pieces.


On the last weekend of May, a group of us went to Common People for the day. It was my first festival and I have to say it was such a good day spent with great people. Definitely going back next year!

Best read?


I’ve read quite a lot this month, admittedly quite a lot of it was college related, but it’s still reading. First, I read Everyday Sexism by Laura Bates, which I would recommend to anyone. If you know anyone who is in doubt about the existence of sexism, send them a link to the hashtag. I also read Honourable Friends? by Caroline Lucas, the current co-leader of the Green Party. I genuinely love everything she and her party stands for and can't wait to see what they do in the future. I then read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley due to the parallels it has with The Wasp Factory, which I am studying for my English A Level coursework, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it so much! Currently, I'm re-reading Darcy's Story by Jane Aylmer as a way to relax and calm me in exam season.

Favourite tunes?


Harry Styles’ new album. Oh my word, it’s so good. It’s a great new sound from him, and in all honesty, he’s the only member of 1D whose new music I actually like. Keep on doing what you’re doing Harold.

Favourite watch?


This is a new section I’ve decided to add as I find that films and TV shows often end up in ‘any other favourites?’ and that, seeing as I watch a fair bit of TV and a few film, that I would give it its own chance at the spotlight.

This month, I’ve continued watching Downton Abbey again, which seems to have become a ‘run up to exams’ tradition. Do I have to tell you how much I love this show? I’ve also started watching Sex and the City, and am now onto the second season. It’s just a chill watch, to be honest and I have to say I love it (although I have seen the film so I know what happens to the characters in the end).

Ooh! And my La La Land DVD arrived 2 days before its release date, so I spent the latter part of a Sunday which had been quite stressful, watching Mia and Seb sing and dance and fall in love. My advice to anyone: watch one of your favourite films when you’re stressed.

What did I learn?


That I just need to relax when it comes to exams. I also realised how bad my diet was. I need to be a bit healthier. 

 Not to go in the middle of a crowd during a headline act at a festival. I panic and it’s not good. It’s fine to dance at the back with your friends with plenty of space.

 And terrorists will stop at nothing, remaining as cold and callous as ever when children become their targets.

What’s happening next month?


My last 3 exams in the space of 3 days. That’s going to be fun. My final D of E expedition, starting my second year at college, a whole load of stuff. It’s good to be busy, right?

What’s been on my mind?


Exams. I had my first one this month and have been in full revision mode for most of the month. Then also the stress that comes along with that and trying to give myself a break and doing well in my exams at the same time.

Favourite blogger/vlogger?


I’m not too sure on this. I have to admit I haven’t been reading so many blogs/watching so many vlogs this month, mostly because of the revision I’ve been doing for upcoming (and already completed) exams. I’ll tell you something I have been loving though: the amount of political discussion I’ve seen between bloggers online. It makes my heart swell with happiness, we just need to bring more of that into the real world, as I feel we may be preaching to the choir a little bit.

Favourite post?


My most popular post had by far been 5 Things to do in Pembrokeshire, which I wasn’t expecting. Personally, my favourites were The New Songs of Beauty and the Beast and My Experience With Classics AS, as they both gave me chance to reflect and discuss my thoughts on things I either love or find really interesting.

Biggest inspiration?


Mostly the fear of failing my exams. Ooh, the sense of inadequacy that haunts us all.

Any other favourites?



Greek yoghurt, granola and fruit compote/raspberries. Ask anyone I know, I’m obsessed.




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Time | A Poem

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Monday, 29 May 2017

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Original Picture Credit


Time ticks by and lets us bleed.

In pools, it collects the blood, pours it into miniature glass vials,
Each person labeled and stored,
Placed up, on a shelf, high above
The crystal winking at the collector
In sheer glee
Laughing at the dents in the souls
That still lingered in each red blood cell,
Waiting for them to explode,
A ticking time bomb,
Gloopy, dark, congealed
On the cracked work surface –

Dripping from the stained wood,
Beaten and worn
Clotted.

One drop contains a hundred snorted laughs
Over coffee shop catch-ups,
Ten blushed-smiles from across the room,
Barely able to meet eyes.

Too many goodbyes to count,
Each as painful as the other, stabbing me in the eye again and again
Splintering the skull, crumbling the brain
As each neuron splits from its neighbor
And jumps away,
Throws itself off the cliff landing, crunching onto the rocks underneath,
The ones with white-horses cantering over its jagged top,
The pink bloody mush strewn across the rock-face
To be torn apart by starving seagulls
Ripping, gulping, screeching
As they aim for their wobbling food
As it crawls into the sea, and drifts
Further downwards – spiraling
Spiraling
Spiraling
Out of control
So that the salt darkness
Climbs into every crack and pore,

Waiting for something to filter it out.
When it’s stuck there.

A piece of gum under an initial-scratched exam desk
That welded there during the sweaty summer boredom,
Listening to the clip-clop of invigilator heels,
Patrolling through your manufactured intelligent thrown into an answer sheet,
Staring at the clock for the final

Tick.


Tick.



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5 Films I've Watched Recently

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Friday, 26 May 2017

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I’ve watched a few films lately. Why not have a chat about them?



1. The Iron Lady


I watched this film as ‘research’ for my upcoming EPQ on Margaret Thatcher (for those of you who don’t know an EPQ is basically as mini dissertation), so I was hoping it would have an interesting take on her, but overall I felt that she was portrayed quite neutrally but provoked a lot of sympathy for the watcher. This was mostly due to the fact that she was seen to struggle with dementia. And on that point, I researched the film afterwards and found that it was released whilst Thatcher was still alive and suffering from dementia in reality. Whilst I did enjoy the film and thought it was very good, I have the strong opinion that it was wrong for the film to have been made whilst she was still alive and potentially living through some of the scenes included in the film, even if they had consent (I’m not sure if they did, I’ll probably look this up). Despite that, Meryl Streep and Jim Broadbent are amazing and there are so many well-known British actors featuring.

2. Dream Girls


I’ve been wanting to watch this for ages - especially after having seen one of the songs sung by Amber Riley in Glee. I really enjoyed it and thought all of the actors were incredible! The characters I thought were so interesting and having watched this has made me desperate to see it in the West End – I can just tell that Amber Riley is an amazing Effie.

3. Rebel Without a Cause


I have to admit that the only reason I watched this one was because of the huge number of references to it made in La La Land. Oops, ah well. I have some mixed opinions about this film. Overall, I think I did like it, although I wasn’t sure when I immediately finished it. I think I felt maybe a little bit underwhelmed because I’d hyped it up in my head, having thought it would be INCREDIBLE after having been put on such a podium in La La Land. I think I may need to watch it again to establish some more opinions about it. I did find it very interesting, particularly as it was spanned over such a short space of time and I think the mixed representation of the police which I think it quite realistic in general. The characters intrigued me a lot – each showed how a person’s family can mess them up and affect them in ways that the person in question can’t control. I would love to talk to someone who knows more than me about the representation of mental illness in this film as that’s an issue that is central to it.

4. Runaway Bride


This was recommended to me by my dad, who knows how much I love a good cheesy romcom. We watched it as a family on a weekday night and it was a 'rom-commy' as you can get. A reunion of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere a few years after their iconic appearances in Pretty Woman and all the predictable plotlines and tropes of a stereotypical romcom? You can count me in!

5. La La Land



If you’ve read basically any post on my blog before, you’ll undoubtedly know that La La Land became one of my favourite films about 5 minutes in to my first time watching it. As a fan of Old Hollywood and musicals, I knew I was going to love this film and I think that the first time I saw this film will be one of the ones I will remember for a long time. I had pre-ordered it on DVD and it arrived 2 days before its release date, so I was obviously giddy with happiness. As it is coming up to my AS exams, I have been really stressed, so the arrival of one of my favourite films really helped calm me down in time to do some revision that may actually count towards something.





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OOTD // College Day

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Monday, 22 May 2017

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Having started college in September, this past school year has been the first of mine to be without a school uniform, and I've loved being able to wear what I want.


Top - New Look
Jeans - M&S
Necklace - family heirloom (soz about that)
Shoes - Converse
Socks - Topshop









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