Hello!

I'm back in Durham. It feels like an age since I was here last. It's very strange indeed to be back, as if I've stepped back 2 months. I forgot what it felt like to have nothing to do! Not sure I'm into it.

Well I had a truly wonderful trip to Australia. Just fantastic. I went back about a year ago and for some reason didn't enjoy myself nearly as much as I did this time. I guess my outlook must have been completely different because my impression of Sydney before - boring, empty, not-quite-cool - was the complete opposite of my experience this time. I just loved it.

Fact is, when I lived in Sydney, I was not a fan. It had its good bits but they paled in comparison to London, and the UK in general. I now know that they are just different places with their own pros and cons. Neither one is vastly better than the other, and which one you prefer depends entirely on what you are looking for. I've found that having lived in the UK for a few years and having been to a few different places in Europe, Sydney is actually pretty great. It's fun, beautiful and exciting. I feel so lucky to have grown up there. While I doubt I would ever move back (for the pure reason that you only live once and I'd rather experience somewhere new), I have to say that Sydney would be a pretty damn fantastic place to spend your twenties. Or your life in general! Also, I had almost no gross insect experiences... except one cockroach and one massive moth (outside the house so easily escaped from). Yeah!

Apart from Sydney specifically, it was also nice to spend time in an actual city. Because I lived in Brighton for a couple of years and now live in Durham/next to Newcastle, I think I forgot what it actually felt like haha. It's pretty great.

Because I have so much to say and I'm still waiting on photos from friends, I'll separate all my Sydney-related ramblings into a couple of entries. This post will be mainly based around what I have access to at the moment hoho.

Breakfast is great in Sydney. Well, all food is great in Sydney but I can't even count the number of times I went out for breakfast while I was away haha. A ridiculous amount. And it was always good! Casually posting Elena's breakfast because mine was not quite so photogenic hoho. Apparently this place is very popular because there was quite a big line to get a table. Another fabulous thing about Sydney is that even in winter it's warm enough to eat outside... and the weather is always great. I should have photographed all my breakfasts!

Another great thing about Sydney (or certain parts of it) is the number of fun, independent stores and designers. We found this place down some stairs off Crown St, Surry Hills and it was just filled with awesome, 60-ish clothes all made by the daughter of the shop assistant. I wish I could remember what it was called! Argh! There are also a bunch of fabulous Korean clothes stores in the city, the equivalent of which I just can't find in the UK. I'm definitely going to try to save up for clothes for next time I go.

Outfit!

A whole bunch of Asos stuff and a hat from OMGFashion.co.uk!

N'aww.

So yeah. I actually have a lot more to post but won't do it all at once. For now, I'm going to go home, relax, make dinner, and go to Newcastle - the closest thing I have to a proper city here (still fond of it).

Bye!

Rambling, York & outfit post

This whole Google Friend Connect malarkey is a little confusing. My followers still appear on my blog so... who knows? Well, anyway, just in case it does shut down (apparently it will) please follow me on Bloglovin! You can import all the blogs you follow here (:

HI guys. Hi. Hello. Currently writing this in a window seat on a semi-sunny day w an iced americano and some popcorn. It's pretty good. Hope yer all well!

Past couple of weeks have been weird... but I'm recovering! Apparently I don't deal well with having nothing to do. It feels like I'm never resting because I was never actually active in the first place. Home has turned from a cosy nest into a kind of hell haha. I lost all motivation to make myself look nice which means I feel even less comfortable with myself and even more like 'what is my life'. Luckily, over the past couple of days I have had quite a few things to write on my to do list and now feel a lot better! Thank goodness! I got up early today, made myself look okay (I think), crossed a couple of things off my to do list, and am now outside, writing this blog post, listening to a disco playlist (thanks BBC) and feeling kind of like a real person!

Other than that, in general things are pretty fantastic! I feel more 'myself' than I have done in a very long time. Time really does heal all wounds. I mean, it's a kind of silly thing to say. It doesn't make you feel any better when you're wounded, and by the time you've healed it's simply irrelevant. But... it is true! It's a beautiful thing to know you went through something monumentally shitty and you were strong enough to come out the other side. And it's great to know that the whole experience made you an even better person. It's like in comparison to how low I know I can feel, feeling 'okay' doesn't just feel okay anymore, it feels awesome. I don't have to lie to myself about how I feel anymore. I don't have to tell myself 'don't think about it, stop thinking about it, think happy thoughts' because it just doesn't hurt me anymore. This is all compounded by the fact that I managed pretty damn good exam results considering how shitty this year has been for me! YEAH! So, life lesson for me - never stop working!

Alongside milling around and doing little bits and bobs here and there, I went to York the other day! My friend had been a million times so we could wander freely without worrying about getting lost or anything. Always a plus. It was really, really lovely. Definitely going back, especially because of how close it is to Durham.

First we went to the Railway Museum, because why not? It was actually pretty fun. Reminded me of being a kid. I remember going to a railway museum when my family lived in the UK the first time around (we moved to Australia when I was 6) and thinking they were magical. Something about those huge machines and the smell (is that weird) and idk. I tried to take photos of the royal coaches but they didn't turn out that well so... you'll just have to go check it out yourself.

York Minster was just gorgeous, of course. Love me a good cathedral hoho. Wikipedia tells me its Great East Window is the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. Whaddayaknow? Because they're always restoring / cleaning the stained glass, they have a 'stained glass of the month' type thing where you can look at the designs up close and read about them etc. ...it's pretty kewl. I'd recommend. Is this starting to sound like a tourist website?

My friend had a sudden hankering for ice cream so we went on a quest to find the perfect parlour. We found this store. Isn't it cute? There seemed to be a lot of cute places to eat / sip in York. We had lunch at this other cafe I don't remember the name of, but it was really nice. Fond as I am of Durham, there are very few places to get good coffee here, so it was especially nice. Will definitely try to document where exactly I go next time I take a York trip. There seemed to be a bunch of places worth checking out next time. If anyone has any recommendations, please let me know!

So sad I didn't get good photos of this. It's the Shambles! Part of the two rows of houses have slumped so close together over time that two people leaning out of either window can shake hands, apparently. I've heard it's especially nice at Christmas.

The river! Unfortunately a little more impressive than Durham hoho.

What I wore hoho. 

Some other pictures from the past few days?

I love these little Edwardian arcades. There are a couple of them in the middle of Newcastle I think. They remind me of the ones in Leeds! The thing about Newcastle is that it has such incredibly gorgeous buildings (Grey St has the second highest number of listed buildings in the UK) but they are kind of ruined by what is put underneath them. I mean, the other day I was sitting in Savannah Cafe watching some guys paint part of a stone building navy blue. Perhaps repainting? I don't know. But at some point... it was painted navy blue  for William Hill haha. There are so many gambling shops in the UK, it's really unfortunate. BUT ANYWAY. The point is, the center of Newcastle has some really beautiful architecture. I'm a fan.

I also went to 9 Bar Coffee for the first time yesterday, despite living in the North East for almost two years now! I love it! I can't wait to go back and try the food because it looked seriously good. In fact, the whole place looked seriously good. It's a shame we've had no real summer this year because it seemed like a great place to people watch outside.

Also bought some new fabric. I have no idea what to make. Possibly could be used for a dress but may be a little heavy. I have to decide soon because I'm off to Brighton for a few days at the end of this week and then straight off to Sydney! Thought I might make a pinafore kinda thing but I'm worried that soon I'll have seen so many of them on other people that I'll be totally sick of them and not want to wear it. Dear oh dear.

Another outfit. Whenever I get bored of my wardrobe (like right now) I tend to revert back to outfits I've been wearing for literally years haha. Sometimes its good to wear tried and tested outfits. At least you know you feel like you.

Thankyou Will for photos! Do go check out his new blog. I know little about film but if you're a film person, you should follow him!

Thanks for reading guys (:

Bye!

How to get out of a study rut (one lady's view)

Hi everyone,

So a few days ago I received an email from someone asking for study tips! I sent them a massively long rambling email back and since realised that maybe if I condensed it, it could make a good blog post haha. So here goes. It won't be for everyone but I hope at least some of you find it useful.

As a bit o' background, I have not always been a good student. In fact, I was a bad student for so long that no matter how well I'm doing today, I still feel like a slacker/liar/truant haha. I had to go back to school to get out of my rut, and even now I'm at university I go through bad patches every now and again. So here is how I try to stop myself sliding down that slope.

1. Stay motivated
   Don't compete with your peers, compete with yourself. It'll distract you, give you a false sense of security and ultimately limit you! Try not to even think about what other people are doing. Some people find it helpful to work with others. I don't! If someone invites you to study together, go once or twice and see how it goes. If it doesn't help you or puts you in the wrong mindset, don't feel bad about not going. A good way to study with other people is to just... study physically together, but without discussing things or worrying if you're doing the same topic or whatever. That way you don't risk spending valuable time working in a way you don't find useful.
   
   Find someone who has already 'made it' (or a type of person / career) to look up to. Think about what you want to be doing in 2/5/10 years. Be super ambitious. Think about what kind of person you want to be in the long term and always have that goal on your mind. Put their picture on your bedroom wall so you can look at it every morning and remind yourself of why you need to work today. Sometimes, if I'm having a bad day, I like to Google that person and kind of remind myself of the bigger picture / remind myself of why I'm here! Never get caught up with the little things. Always keep your focus on that big goal.
2. Be organised
   But don't let organisation distract you! Make sure you are always aware of your deadlines and commitments. I have a OneNote page I keep updated with seminars and essays, and any marks I get back. Anything where you can see everything at once is ideal. Try to keep track of how far along you are in whatever you're studying, how much more you have to do and when your exams are. Make sure that what you're studying is going to be useful in your exams, and that you know how you might end up using it. Your exams should always be at the back of your mind!
   If you miss lectures or don't entirely finish seminar reading, CATCH UP. Don't leave it! You want to minimise your exam time stress by making sure you've actually done all the reading / notes beforehand.
   Something I find useful when I have to write notes from a textbook is reading through the chapter first and underlining relevant information with a pencil, and then going back over it and turning the underlined sentences into notes. That way you're reading the text twice + you will have a better idea of what you actually need to make note of because you'll be more aware of the context.
3. Avoid distraction
   If you don't need the internet, study in places with no wifi. If you do need the internet, try to get through at least 2 hours of solid work before allowing yourself to go on Facebook or whatever you want. Your breaks shouldn't really be any more than half an hour. If you have to study at home, avoid having too much snack food in the house. It will distract you. Don't work on the couch or your bed, work at your dining table or desk! If you have to tidy your room (I know it always makes me feel a lot better to study in my room when it's tidy), get through it as fast as you possibly can and don't do anything that isn't immediately necessary e.g. vacuuming.
   
   Don't obsess over making your notes pretty. They only need to be clear. Anything more than that is a distraction. If you feel yourself slipping, refer back to your goal and try to get some perspective. Remind yourself of why it's crucial that you keep working. Also, be aware that any fun thing you could do later will be a million times more satisfying if you know you've earned it!

Above all, just keep at it and don't give up. Don't tell yourself you can't do it so there's no use in trying. If you put in the hours, you will reap the rewards. No matter how intelligent you are, you will get nothing if you don't work for it (unless you are rich/have family connections that is :|) so start working now. DO NOT let your past failures define you. 

And now... outfit post.

Hat: vintage // Jacket: Sugarlips // Brooch: Topman // Shirt: Primark // Shorts: Forever 21 // Belt: vintage // Boots: Asos

Thanks to Sugarlips for this jacket! I'm not sure if it quite comes across in the photos but... it's shimmery! Hey! I like to think it adds a little extra to whatever I'm wearing, even if it's simple enough to go with pretty much anything. I'm a fan.

I also want to tell you guys about my friend Cecilie's new Etsy store LuneLuer!

She is Norwegian so, of course, she makes warm things. Hats, to be precise! I have personally witnessed her knitting these with love and care haha. So please take a look (:

Bye!

Oh hey, TMI post.

So, my blogging has become less and less frequent, despite the millions of times I've said I'm going to make a real effort to post more. I guess it's felt like I've been so busy. And I have! I still don't quite understand how some bloggers seem to find the time to go to university and blog every week. But it's not the whole story. Part of it is having a lot to do, part of it is lack of organisation, part of it is lack of motivation, part of it is feeling like I never have anything interesting to tell you guys haha. And over the past few weeks I have been going through some pretty dark times.

I guess I'm learning some valuable lessons about myself, my life, my attitudes to other people, and my future (prepare yourself for this! haha). Here are three of them!

1. Never, ever, lose sight of your dreams and who you really are. That sounds so cheesy but I am telling you now do not dismiss it. Because it is crucial. Not that you know me, but I do not really talk about this kind of thing... so yeah, I'm really being serious haha. Dismissing these things has been a genuinely huge mistake of mine. Never get too comfortable in any situation. Things change and you have to be prepared for that. Even if you aren't prepared for it, no matter what, you have to make sure that at the end of the day, YOU are there for you. YOU should be the most important thing in your life. If you are not, or you feel like you are putting other people first, you are leaving yourself totally vulnerable.
2. The above applies to all of your relationships. I felt that I already 'knew' this in terms of people I didn't care about that much, but all the while I had completely taken for granted my relationships with people closer to me. I've spent the past few months trying to be someone I'm not, thinking I will have a better life and I will have better relationships. No! Mistake! It does not work! Never try to be anyone other than you. Never alter your personality for the sake of keeping someone around. Because any relationship produced from that is just not real. All that happens is that you come out of it realising that you never even knew each other. Just be 100% yourself, because if you have to suppress any part of your amazing self for someone, that person is probably not as amazing as you are haha
3. Thinking you need to be different is really just down to you feeling dissatisfied with yourself in other ways. This is a problem I definitely have. If I feel bad about myself, I will sometimes try to make myself feel better in ways that do not do anything to address the actual problem e.g. seeking the approval of others, trying to maintain a relationship that you know is not ultimately what you want. But at the end of the day, you will never be happy unless you reach your own standards.

But anyway, above all, everything has just reminded me of how awesome I am. SO, I'm celebrating. On this blog. Even if it's not very good, even if I update like once a month, it's my creation. I'm fond of it. Yay!

If anyone wants to talk, email me. I'm in the mood for talking nowadays haha.

Here are some photos! 

lul

Sry this is very instagrammy. I cut my hair! I had actually been vaguely considering it for ages and it only ended up happening when I spontaneously decided to cut off my split ends and it ended up like this. Tears were shed. But then I realised it looked better with hats and I got over it. YEAH! Apparently 'long bobs' are trendy nowadays anyway... so maybe I just got cooler. 

We went to Leeds last weekend to stay with my Aunt and Uncle. They lived in a really beautiful area, I'm sad I didn't get more pictures! Anyway, it was just nice to see family and be in a real house in a real city.

Leeds has so many pretty shopping arcades. SO nice. They remind me of the QVB, only better looking haha.

They also have American Apparel hoho. Not sure why Newcastle doesn't have one but there you go.

We didn't just window shop though. We also went to the wonderful museum. I didn't take that many pictures haha, but when you're in a museum you just want to look around. We didn't get to go to the Art Gallery in the end but... I can at least tell you the building looks amazing.

Haha the children in the background. MY OUTFIT on one of the days. Jacket from Vivilli.com!

And finally, communal reading glasses in The Reliance. Nice idea.

So, anyway. I'm back at uni. Applying for work schemes and things. Trying to get things done. Going on a trip to Middlesborough next Saturday haha! No idea what that will be like, but still. Nice to get out of Durham. 

I hope you're all well. I've been terrible with replying to emails recently but actually I do really appreciate it haha, so feel free. I will endeavour to reply to everything. Another thing I have learned: be there for people. If you suspect someone is sad, spend time with them. They will appreciate it, even if they are not able to let you know at the time.

Bye!