A while ago I read a post from Lily Pebbles in which she said she had started a bullet journal, and since then I did a whole load of research on what it was and how to make one of your own, and for a while I didn't want to make one because I'm the sort of person who starts journals and planners and never carries on with them, but I think this time will be different..
The notebook I am using is an A5 squared Moleskine, which is was bloody expensive but I absolutely adore it and organising my life was something I wanted to invest in. I did have to research first whether Moleskine was vegan as I thought it was literally mole's skin, but I assure you it's not - I'm sure everyone else knew that but I'm stupid.
Firstly, I have an index - this is the core to the bullet journal, numbering your pages so you can refer back to them.
Following that, I have a key - again, another key (forgive the pun) to the bullet journal so you can clearly see what everything you've written means. I've also put a few post-it notes here so I can easily access some if I'm on the go and want to make a little note - I like using post-it notes to write little notes to myself that aren't important enough to make tasks out of but something I need to see.
After that, I have a page dedicated to questioning authority, the great thing about the bullet journal is you can be as creative as you want and just have filler pages like that where you can just do what you want, and I just happened to have some sheep stickers so it's nice to flick past that everyday and be reminded to question authority.
Then, I have a few lists I want to complete of 'albums to listen to before you die', 'books everyone should read', and 'greatest films of all time' because whilst I think I'm fairly cultural in terms of the art world, I definitely feel I should explore more and it's nice to have an easy to find list to refer to.
Next, I have about 30 pages with pictures of me and my friends, because I tend to forget I have friends and that people actually don't mind spending time with me sometimes, so I like having photos of me with them so if I do get into that bad headspace, I can try and dismiss it. Continuing with that theme, I have a page with a couple of photos of my family, and also a page dedicated to Owen Jones and when I met him, and when he tweeted me afterwards, because both of those events really made my life if not my 2016 at least.
After that is a double page spread dedicated to my favourite film of all time - Harold and Maude. There are so many amazing quotes in this film, and I'm not putting this at all lightly but this film has saved my life on multiple occasions. A lot of people put a page of inspirational quotes in their bullet journals, but I cringe when I see things like 'you can do it!' so I think this is as close as I'll ever get with that.
Finally, we get onto the actual organising kinda bit. So I've only been doing this since the beginning of March, but I have a rapid log page for March so I can put a few events and tasks in that need to get done that month, then I have daily spreads (at the moment, it seems to be 2/3 on a page because I keep migrating tasks - I am getting there with the organising promise!).
That is my bullet journal as it stands currently, I feel like this definitely won't last me the year but I'm loving doing it at the moment so I will probably continue it and buy another Moleskine once this one finishes! If you want to see more updates, I'm probably going to do these on my Tumblr which you can follow here.
Sometime in December I decided to make all of the videos on my YouTube channel unlisted and take an official (I had been on an unofficial hiatus since about September) hiatus because I just wasn't enjoying it anymore, and I didn't really enjoy the content that I had previously put out there. I was also very aware of the fact that practically everyone I knew from my Sixth Form (including some teachers) knew about my YouTube channel, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I didn't really mind people I knew watching it because they were pretty nice and supportive about it. It was more that I felt like I had put a bigger filter on what I could say (like I went from talking openly and honestly about my anxiety in one vlog to more or less just talking about beauty because I didn't want to talk about anything like that with people who I knew might call me up on it) and all these filters left me feeling very boxed in, and like the ISFP I am, I don't like being boxed in.
So, I decided to create a new channel, a fresh start. A channel where I feel like I can just dump anything I like without feeling like I can only talk about a mascara that I'm liking at the minute. To get the channel up and running, I've decided to partake in VEDIF (which is 'vlog every day in February') - I don't think it's the most common daily vlogging thang but I wanted to just create lots of content to get back into filming, and I thought daily vlogging for a month would be the best way to do that.
Day 1 of VEDIF is a 25 Facts About Me video, if you feel like watching it, you can do so down below. If not, no worries, I'm not planning on leaving my blog anytime soon so there should still be fairly regular content up on here, I just missed YouTube is all.
Recently, I helped host a little shindig for my feminist friends (a.k.a the combabes) and I decided to get a little political for the vegan treats I made.
So I made some vegan shortbread and whilst I started off just writing 'I hate men', 'girls rock', 'NB people rock' etc. I ended up with a hammer and sickle and 'kill all men' - they went down pretty well!
I didn't intend the writing to look like blood, more like a happy accident...
On the 10th January, we were blessed with a new meme and that is the phrase 'Davey Cameron is a pie', so what better way to commemorate it than with a literal Davey Cameron pie? I went for apple, even though I'm sure Cameron would've preferred pork. There's nothing more liberating than stabbing a Davey Cameron pie, as I'm sure our party guests would've agreed with.
Whilst this may not have been the most interesting post, I make myself laugh and I want as many people to know as possible than I not only bake vegan treats but I also bake vegan treats with a political message - thank you and good night.
This week has been quite surreal to me, I feel like so much happened in such a short space of time, and whilst I'd love to talk about them all, I think the events of the past week can be better summarised in 3 Davids.
DAVID CAMERON
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn's Twitter was hacked resulting in, what I believe to be, the first meme of 2016 (correct me if I'm wrong, I'd hate to be misinformed on the world of memes) and that is the tweet 'davey cameron is a pie', alongside a couple of other ones, one of them being a topical 'f*ck trident' and the other one saying 'here we... here we... here we f*cking go!!!'. 'Davey Cameron is a pie' has quickly become one of my favourite phrases of all time, so we started off well...
DAVID BOWIE
... That was until I woke up on Monday morning at 9:00am, all set to go to my lectures and have a productive day, and I go onto my phone to check my Whatsapp and I have a message from my friend saying 'OMG BESS DAVID BOWIE DIED!!!!' and my immediate reaction was that it was a hoax, and I refused to believe it. That was until I read the articles and heard it was true, and proceeded to stare at the ceiling blankly for 2 hours (I missed my lecture.. not good). This is the first celebrity death to really affect me, of course there have been other celebrities who have died and it affected me but David Bowie was one of my favourite artists. He contributed so much to music and film, as well as bringing a lot of attention to gender identity and gender fluidity and sexuality and all that jazz which was quite unheard of at the time which shows how bold he was as a person. I'm still in disbelief, I won't lie - you could say 'the stars look very different today'...
DAVID MITCHELL
This was one of the highest points of the week. I went to a recording of The Unbelievable Truth with David Mitchell (as well as other comedians like David o'Doherty... hey that's another David!) which would've been cool enough, but to top it all off, we got to sit in the front row! I can't believe I was so close to David Mitchell, like it hasn't really processed, but it was amazing nonetheless. A bunch of other cool things happened this week but they're not David related, so I'll just list 'em real quick:
- had a night of watching all the weirdest videos the internet has to offer with friends (as if I hadn't seen them before, but you can't go wrong with Shrek is Love, Salad Fingers, and Don't Hug Me I'm Scared)
- got tickets to see Marina & The Diamonds next month with a couple of friends, we've wanted to see Marina for so so long and it's finally happening so I'm super excited!
- found the house I'm moving to for my next year of University and it's 10 minutes away from the beach, pretty fab!
- got the module I wanted for next semester so I'm going to be learning about social welfare and slightly more political shiz
one.
I went to a Poetry club with one of my house mates at this quirky coffee shop, the focus was on Sylvia Plath which was awesome. I had only previously read the Bell Jar and the night before read through some of her poetry with my house mate but her poetry is so well written, and it really interesting to hear it analysed by so many people.
two.
I did a couple of exams before breaking up for Christmas which, I think, went well. Funny story, I didn't know I had one of these exams (they were online ones we could do at any time in that week but yes) so I ended up doing one very last minute, it was weird because had I not checked my e-mail on that day, I would've failed that exam and about 15% of that module - cray.. Always check your emails kids.
three.
I did a movie marathon with a few of my housemates. We watched Star Wars: A New Hope (my fave Star Wars film), The 400 Blows, and then The Parent Trap - possibly the oddest selection, but it was nice all the same.
four.
Me and my housemates did our own Christmas activities before we all broke up and went home and all that jazz. We put our secret Santa presents underneath Margaret (look in this post to get what I'm referencing) and my housemate made us a chickpea curry, and we also got out all of our remaining alcohol to finish it up before we left.
five.
I went back to London with no delays or cancellations or anything which was big, I feel after my horrendous train journey where I was basically delayed for 3 hours in getting home and I ended up getting a cab (which I have been refunded for now, thank you delay repay), I appreciate when the trains function like they're supposed to.. six.
I met up with a couple of my friends to have a catch up and a coffee which was really nice, it had been ages since just us three had been together so it was good to have a proper catchup.
seven.
I visited my old high school/sixth form with most of my old Philosophy class to say hello to our old teacher which was really nice, he's probably the best teacher I've ever had so it was lovely to see him again. It was also strange seeing the school again, so much has changed, and it was just generally weird being there and thinking the school has continued functioning without me - this sounds really egotistical but it's weird to think the school is carrying on and me and the people I knew there are no longer a part of it, it was also weird hearing school bells again, made me jump every time they went off.
eight.
I went to see the new Star Wars film (on the day it came out, #nerd) with my brother and it was absolutely amazing. I literally cried in the cinema - if you've seen the film, you'll probably know which bit I'm talking about, but for those who haven't seen it I shan't talk about it. I thought it was so well made and had loads of links to the original trilogy (in retrospect, it was extremely similar to A New Hope and even Revenge of the Sith, but I don't think this was bad, I liked how it had a mix of the old films with a slightly new storyline and characters). It also felt like a big event for me seeing a Star Wars film in the cinema because that's something I've never done before, and for a long time I thought I'd never be able to do, at least not for a new film, and I did get a bit tearful just at the opening credits because of how much it meant to me to be seeing a Star Wars film in the cinema.
nine.
The last ever episode of Peep Show happened, that was a thing - I actually missed it when it was on because I took a nap (exciting stuff..) but I watched it the next day with my family and I thought it was a good end to the show, it is one of my top five TV shows so if you haven't watched it I definitely recommend it.
ten.
Nothing says Christmas like a picture of Karl Marx on top of the Christmas tree (or Christ-Marx..)
one.
We ordered an ironic Margaret Thatcher cardboard cutout for our Uni house Christmas tree and decorated her with tinsel and a hat that says 'Bah Humbug' on it - it's quite terrifying when you walk in the room and you just see Margaret grinning but it does add something to the room.
two.
I went out with a couple of my housemates to buy some Christmassy things for the house and we stopped by Brighton Pavilion for a little meal, and it was really cute - definitely started feeling a lot more like Christmas.
three.
I ended up watching Home Alone twice on two consecutive days because we watched it together and all fell asleep, so then we tried again the next day (and still fell asleep) - funnily enough, we didn't try a third time...
four.
I had my first tofu experience at a Japanese restaurant and it was really nice - veganism level up!
five.
I went ice skating with a couple of my housemates at Brighton Pavilion and then we got mulled wine/cider - I am not any good at ice skating, I never have been, but I had improved slightly since the last time I went (although that's not saying much)
six.
I went to a local protest against tuition fees and it was really nice to see so much solidarity between students and lecturers, nothing like a good protest!
seven.
Me and my housemates decided to binge watch Friends on the projector which was really cute, we did The One with Ross' Sandwich and The One with All the Thanksgivings which are two of my personal faves.
eight.
A couple of days later I went to Reclaim Brighton which was a march against sexual harassment and violence which was good, I'd never been on a march for anything that wasn't a direct screw you to the government so it was good to broaden my protesting horizons.
nine.
I've been able to finally open my Makeup Revolution Advent Calendar which my friends bought me for my birthday (which was last month) so that's been really exciting. I keep forgetting that it's there so when I remember I can have a new makeup bit everyday, it's always really nice.
ten.
I've come down with a cold and am hating life just a little bit (I rarely get sick, but when I do I literally hate everything and become the worst person to be with - even worse than usual believe it or not)
one.
I've listened to loads of Desert Island Discs recently, mostly because of the fact that I've been travelling to and from London and trains get cancelled and delayed and tingz, but also because it is one of my favourite radio shows. Listening to the David Mitchell and Morrissey ones had me laughing out loud at the station - probably not the most socially acceptable thing to do.
two.
As per usual, I made my own birthday cake (I don't mean this to sound at all bitter, I love baking!) but it was the first year I had to make a vegan cake! I think it actually turned out rather well, who needs eggs when you have vegetable oil and orange juice? (Yes, orange juice)
three.
I had a really nice birthday, I went out to a vegetarian restaurant (with a lot of vegan options) with the family and received a lot of lovely gifts (I did pick a lot of them out on a shopping trip with Mum a couple of days prior, but the thought was still there), the best present I received was probably a Gryffindor jumper - yes, I know I'm 19 now but I'd still like to delude myself into thinking I'm a student at Hogwarts and I'm bezzies with Ginny.
four.
Something that probably excited me more than the prospect of my birthday was the return of Peep Show! If you remember some of my vlogs (oh yeah, because I used to do YouTube before I started being unproductive and stopped uploading things) from earlier in the year, you may remember that I was obsessed with Peep Show and the new series has started off being just as funny as the last.
five.
For my assignment for Uni, I have to read some rather old articles on race and sexuality - it's strange how racist and homophobic they are like I've been reading them and almost thinking they're a joke because of how ridiculous they are. I find it really sad that despite the fact they're quite old, in the grand scheme of things it's all too recent and I do worry that there are still an alarming number of people who still think in the way the people who wrote the articles did.
six.
I went out with my friends to the same vegetarian restaurant I went to on my birthday and received some really lovely presents, one of which being a super cute photo in a frame of me and my friends from when they came down to Brighton to visit me, and another one being a Harry Potter Adult Colouring Book - just to mention a few.
seven.
I had quite possibly the most horrendous train journey of all time on my way back to Brighton - loads of cancellations, delays, and I ended up having to get a cab home because I couldn't get one of my trains due to it being super late (because of all the cancellations and delays). I'm certain I did something really bad to the trains in a past life because I have the worst luck with trains!
eight.
Dodie Clark from the YouTube Channel Doddleoddle (one of my favourites!) uploaded a cover of Happy Ending by Mika which is one of my favourite songs, she and two other girls did a beautiful rendition of it with lovely harmonies - well worth a listen!!
nine.
I went to a recording of Russell Howard's Good News and would you believe I got to sit in the front row like right in front of him (check the picture above and try and spot us)!! Me and my friends were in confusion for the first 20 minutes of sitting there thinking someone was going to ask us to move - it was such a surreal, amazing experience, I love Russell Howard and I like very happy knowing that I've been 2m-3m away from him ;-)
ten.
I brought my guitar back with me when I came back from London and it's been sorely missed, I've been spending a lot more time in my room getting reacquainted.
one. Maddie from Dinner with Maddie launched her new Podcast series and from the first episode, I'm already loving it - talking about feminism, beauty and even Kim Kardashian? You can't really go wrong - listen to it here! :-)
two.
I watched Bridget Jones' Diary with a couple of my house mates and I just wanted to turn to you guys and ask, out of Hugh Grant and Colin Firth, who do you think is more attractive? We were all quite divided, whilst I love Colin Firth, I'm definitely more of a Hugh Grant girl (especially in the first film with his floppy hair)
three.
Very happy to hear that Russell Brand's Trews are returning to YouTube. Whilst I don't agree with everything he says or does, I do really enjoy the Trews and I've really missed watching them.
four.
Doctors has been so good at the moment! If you don't know what it is, it's a daytime soap on BBC about Doctors - it's the only soap I can tolerate, but it's been so juicy right now, in the saddest way but it's been so so good.
six.
I've been doing more vegan baking and I made some cookies (which I thought were rather nice and so did my house mates) so I shall hopefully get a recipe up for them on the blog soon!
seven.
I went to the demo in London against tuition fees and actually made it into the Guardian, excitedly told everyone, then I was removed from the article just a few hours later (just my luck) but I did manage to screenshot it - my glorious 2 hours of fame.
eight.
I've become really obsessed with the band Screaming Peaches - I think I discovered the song Sad Kid on a Spotify playlist and proceeded to listen to basically everything they've done, really top notch. Sort of The 1975/Arctic Monkeys kinda vibe?
nine.
Speaking of being obsessed with music, I've been really into Elvis Costello & The Attractions too - I literally listened to Oliver's Army for about 3 hours on repeat!
ten.
I've come back to London for my reading week to spend time with the family and for birthday celebrations (yet to come, it's on the 10th if you want to give me virtual gifts) - quite the journey to get here though, my trains kept getting cancelled so I was about an hour and a half later than I originally was meant to be!
one.
I upgraded to Amazon student (y'know because student life) and I now have Amazon Prime, and I just don't know what my life was before. I think when the 6 month trial runs out I may need to keep it just because it's so great having so many movies and TV shows at my disposal and it's all legal. Especially as I don't have a TV license so I can't watch live TV, so any other form of entertainment is a yes.
two.
I tried my hand at some vegan baking, which is something I've been a bit fearful of doing in case it goes horribly wrong (y'know like GBBO when they're working with alternatives), and I made some vegan pancakes - they actually turned out really well!! Expect a recipe up on the blog soon . . .
three.
I've discovered just how amazing Aldi is, I don't know whether that sounds strange or boring but if you're a vegan on a budget, you've got to get down to Aldi - it's so inexpensive and there are so many vegan foods there (including dark chocolate digestive biscuits, like I've never found any other digestive biscuits that are vegan let alone chocolate ones)
four.
I went to the Feminist Society Mixer at my University and met a bunch of great people - it was really cool to meet some like minded people, and it was also great to go to the pub, it's always great to go to the pub . . .
five.
My friends from sixth form have all bought train tickets to come visit me around Halloween and I'm really excited to see everyone again, basically gonna be top notch #bantz.
six.
I'm very happy that George Harrison's solo stuff has been added to Spotify - out of all The Beatles' solo stuff (even Ringo's) I listen to George's the least because it's not on Spotify and I don't think Dad has any on solo, so it's nice that I finally give that a proper listen.
seven.
I've been watching loads of old episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians and I feel so trashy because reality TV *shudders* but there's some addictive quality with the Kardashians - I don't really get it.
eight.
The new Don't Hug Me I'm Scared video is out and as per usual it's wonderfully weird and strange.
nine.
I did a marathon of the Back to the Future films the day after Back to the Future day (annoying, wanted to do it on the day but I was exhausted and I couldn't really stay up all night when I had lectures the next day) - I love these films so much! I had a massive phase with Michael J. Fox when I first watched the films, like I went and watched all of his other less good films and got obsessed with Family Ties, he's just pretty dang amazing.
ten.
I watched Mean Girls with a couple of my house mates which was 'so fetch' - I'm probably the most annoying person to watch this film with because I've seen it so many times and I have a tendency to say the line before the character, whoops (but yeah that was awesome)
one.
I popped into my high school/sixth form for an awards evening that a few of my friends were invited to (me and a few other friends sat in the audience cheering them on - #squadgoals) and got to say a final goodbye to my favourite teachers, who were obviously my Philosophy teachers, which was nice - I still haven't quite realised that I'm probably not going to go back to that school.
two.
I went to Ikea with my friend Ma'Suma to buy some cacti for my Uni room (very important) but I'm having a bit of trouble naming them - at the moment I'm thinking Rob, Barry and Dick like in High Fidelity (which is my favourite book and one of my favourite films) but I'm also in two minds as to whether it's a good idea to name a cactus Dick.
three.
I went to Brighton to go drop off some stuff in my new house and I got to pick my room (pretty happy with my selection which is good), only downside would be that the wifi wasn't working - y'know what it's like being in a place without a TV and no wifi . . . I know that sounds very 21st century, but if I can't go on Tumblr to reblog gifs I die (seriously though, why does Tumblr eat up so much data? One of life's many questions)
four.
I'm loving Lana Del Rey's new album - think I might prefer it to Ultraviolence, it's really nice to hear some new material from her!
five.
I went to get my meningitis jab which I've been putting off since about Results day, I'm really scared of needles and making phone calls so calling up to make an appointment was really daunting, but I've done it now so that's a small battle out of the way.
six.
I decided to do the most depressing movie night ever and watch Control and Kurt Cobain: About a Son. Watching Control has majorly gotten me back into Joy Division again which is cool because I've liked them for quite a long time but I've been listening to them pretty much non-stop since watching the film.
seven.
I met up with my friend Ma'Suma for a little Cafe Nero meetup which was nice, I'm still finding it strange adjusting to asking for soya milk in my coffee. I know it's just one extra step but I get worried I'm going to forget - #veganprobz.
eight.
I've been obsessively borrowing CDs from Dad's music collection before I go so I can rip as much as I can (like I know a lot of it is on Spotify, but I'm not paying for Spotify premium I need this shiz on my phone) so I've been constantly in and out of the music room with about 10 CDs at a time - my Dad's an avid CD collector, it's pretty fortunate that we like a lot of the same music.
nine.
I've been so obsessed with Bob's Burgers at the moment. I watched series 1 a while ago and I really loved it but I started watching other shows when I finished it, but now I'm back on it and it's literally all I can watch. I hate to sound really cliche but I am Tina, like I am Tina.
ten.
I met up with some friends for a cheeky nandos (the last supper) before I go off to University. Probably one of the best nights I've had in a long time, I was cry laughing the whole time (probably not a great idea when you're wearing quite a dark smoky eye). It still hasn't quite sunk in that I'm not going to be living in the same city as them for the next few years (they're all staying in London) but maybe that's good, means fewer tears I suppose . . .
one.
It was my friend's 19th birthday so we all met up for some drinks and some bantz, it was really nice to see some people from my sixth form who I hadn't really met up with this summer (and obviously we'll all be separating very soon) - it was my first time playing Kings, if you haven't played it, you really should, it's a heck of a lot of fun.
two.
My friend Isabella was the first to go off to University so she threw a little leavers afternoon tea kinda dealy at her house before she left which was really cute, still hasn't quite sunk in that everyone's leaving and moving on!!
three. Ben Folds' new album was put online and I think it's so so good, the album is split into two parts so you have like ordinary songs and then the second half is all instrumental with an orchestra. It makes me wonder why more musicians don't use orchestras. Ben Folds is one of my favourite musicians ever so I do pretty much love everything he does anyway, but I'm generally just a big fan of a lot of instrumentation in music so this album is a winner for me.
four.
Troye's new album's come out as well and I like it so much, it's got that same Troye music aesthetic chilled vibe kinda thing he had going on in the last album but it's all new songs so it's not like he's doing the same thing again . . . if that makes sense. Basically, he's done some really catchy shiz, and I love Troye's music - I like that his music is good in its own right and not just popular because he's a big YouTuber, and I'm not trying to throw shade at any body but I think it's good when a person's work can to an extent be separated from the celebrity around them.
five.
I met up with a few friends for a sleepover which was really cute, I'm really enjoying meeting up with groups of people before we all split off because you don't know when it's going to be possible again. We watched the One Direction This is Us film which was surprisingly pretty good (okay, lowkey I'm 1D af but let's pretend I had to be forced into this one), 10 Things I Hate About You (which is a classic) and lots of episodes of Friends - I'm pretty certain the only reason anyone hangs out with me is because I have a Friends DVD box set.
six.
I've finally gathered the motivation to start filming videos again, I'm not sure if anyone noticed but I haven't uploaded in a month because I just haven't been in the right mindset, but I filmed a few in a day and I'm starting to feel it again which is good.
seven.
It was my friend's 19th birthday so we went out for a meal at a pub which was fun - it was nice to hang out with a bunch of people who I might not see again at least for a while.
eight.
Okay, vegan discovery - vegetable and houmous sandwiches are the bomb diggity. I haven't tried any vegan butter alternatives so I don't really have sandwiches anymore, but my Mum picked me up one while we were out and yes, they were very good, 11/10 would recommend.
nine.
I'm overjoyed at the fact that Jeremy Corbyn won the leadership election, and with nearly 60% of the vote! This is the most optimistic I've been about politics since before the general election - bring on 2020!
ten.
Laci Green uploaded this video to the MTV Braless YouTube channel about celebrities being problematic and it got me thinking about how problematic everyone was, I knew before that no one was perfect but I think it's important to remember this when criticising others and it's probably something that I needed reminding of.
one.
I went round to my friend Tejal's house for a sleepover with Khushboo and Girthiga (I mention their names only because you may know them from the holiday vlogs I did) and we had a lot of fun, we watched the classic Brat Pack films (y'know The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, my faves) and played Never Have I Ever - for someone who's done very little in their life, I'm not sure how I finished my drink first. I discovered quite how unsociable I am, Tejal put on the TV for background noise but there was a thing on ITV about Queen's top 50 songs and how could I not pay attention? So for about 2 hours I didn't look or talk to any of them really (I disagreed with the order of practically everything except Bohemian Rhapsody, that had to be first like come on). The next day, Joey came round as well and we went out for a walk in the park (with the world's sh*ttest fountain) which was nice too as the weather was pretty darn great.
two.
I went out to play golf with a bunch of friends (not proper serious golf, but not mini golf, sort of an in between if you feel me) and it was a lot of fun! Got to admit I'm not great, but I came 3rd in the second game we played so not too shabby eh? It was basically lad central though so there was a lot of talk of banter, so much so that one of the people who worked there stood behind us and said '#banter' into his microphone which was a lil strange.
three.
I recently watched White Teeth with my parents and I really recommend it! It's a bit like Small Island meets Anita and Me, I thought the sections of society they focused on were really interesting and I really want to read the book now (especially as I'm sure they cut out a lot, as the ending of the series was a bit rushed although it was still overall really good)
four.
My hair life has changed all because of co-washing, which is essentially cutting out shampoo. My hair has never been in better condition and its curls/waves/kinky-shiznitz stay in for much longer - result!
five.
Tom Fletcher's videos with Buzz always make my day and he did one with Buzz singing - many cry.
six.
As a bit of a pre-results-day-out, me and my friends decided to abuse the Oyster Card system in London by taking random buses (free travel until next month) and just exploring wherever we ended up. We started off by heading to Highgate Cemetery to have a look at Karl Marx's tomb, perhaps a little bit of an odd choice for most 18 year olds but hey, me and my friends aren't orthodox - I found it quite strange that you had to pay to get in, essentially capitalising on a communist's grave? Then we went around the Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square sort of vicinity. I wholeheartedly recommend doing the whole random-bus-journey-dealio if you live in London (maybe not if you're a tourist, you may end up a bit lost and it may get a bit pricey), it's a lot of fun!
seven.
I actually got into my first choice of university (I did meet the requirements I'm just a little bit baffled, in all honesty I was expecting to fail) which means I'm moving to Brighton next month if all goes to plan - feel I should clarify, I'm not being a stereotypical YouTuber in moving there, that totally wasn't the reason I chose it (maybe just an influential factor . . . I joke I joke, but I'm looking forward to it!)
eight.
FKA Twigs brought out some new music on M3LL155X and I'm loving it, FKA Twigs has such a unique style of music and her new songs are just as good as her other ones - you'll probably like her if you're into ambient, alternative sort of music (she's just pretty rad okay)
nine.
I'm loving the return of Great British Bake Off, it's definitely been a television highlight!
ten.
I'm having a major Spice Girls moment, like don't get me wrong I've loved them for a long time (despite the fact they are a bit before my time given they started the year I was born) but I've been staying up every night binge watching Spice Girls documentaries, interviews and I even braved Spice World even though I had heard how bad it was (I know I know, how had I not seen it? And it was actually a lot better than I thought it would be!). I actually did a Buzzfeed Quiz to find out what Spice Girl I'd be and I got Ginger Spice, not sure whether I agree with that, but do the quiz and comment down below your result!
one.
Diary of a Spendaholic/Miss Budget Beauty uploaded a video about her thoughts on PR samples and I wholeheartedly agree with her, I don't think there's anything wrong with where a product has come from as long you trust the blogger and also with sponsored posts, I don't think there's anything wrong with it as long as the blog doesn't become majority sponsored posts - just thought the video was worth a watch!!
two.
Think it's pretty safe to say that I've become nocturnal, seriously I'm falling asleep when the sun is up and the birds are chirping, and then not waking up until the afternoon - it might sound fun, but there's something about waking up in the afternoon that makes you feel like you're completely and utterly failing at life.
three.
I found this old video by The Amazing Atheist on YouTube on social anxiety and I think it's well worth a watch for someone who doesn't exactly understand what social anxiety entails, or if you're like me it's good to watch because it sort of tells you the feelings you're having aren't exactly true but not in an insulting way because it's coming from someone who's having that kind of experience.
four. Jess from Rather Strange Blog did a video where she essentially recreated the videos she used to film of herself when she was about 9 and she danced to a bunch of the songs that she liked, I really loved the video, I liked how carefree in it which nowadays in YouTubing isn't something you really see too often - I really like Jess's YouTube channel and blog so do give them both a subscribe and a follow!!
five.
I've come to the conclusion that I'm a bit of an enabler, I didn't realise it before because usually if I go shopping with my friends they ask me what the bloggers general feel is on a certain product and I don't think anything more of it, but I went out with my friend Tanya just to buy a few bits and we went into Boots, Superdrug and Wilkinsons and I just realised how much of an enabler I am. She didn't really intend to buy makeup and she spent a fair bit more than she intended to based on my recommendations, whoops . .
six.
It was my brother's 15th birthday (cray, like I still remember the day he was born, well I think I do . . maybe I'm just remembering the bits we have on the home videos of that day) and we had a quiet day in, and we watched the Shaun the Sheep Movie. You'll hear about this in my next 'What I've been watching' post but my family is big on Shaun the Sheep like obsessed, but we didn't get a chance to watch it in the cinema but he got the DVD for his birthday and we watched it and it was so so good. Even my Dad who's not big on animated films quite liked it. We also ordered Pizza Hut and watched a few episodes of Peep show in the evening (slight change from Shaun the Sheep) but if you remember a few months ago, I was majorly obsessed with Peep show so it was nice to revisit that!
seven.
I've become obsessed with the app Fallout Shelter, it's a game set in a post-apocalyptic world and you pick up dwellers from the outside and get them to work in the waterworks, electrics or on food and you basically have to get these people to survive in this post-apocalyptic world. It sounds really bad, but it's so addictive - seriously, download it, because it's free and you'll be addicted in seconds . . because addiction is fun.
eight.
I joined the Labour Party! It's actually a pretty big deal for me because I've been quite interested in politics for quite a long time and the last election was the first one I could vote in and I was really upset by the Tory win (I actually captured by sadness via vlog if you want to relive the crushing defeat), but ever since Jeremy Corbyn has come onto the scene I've really become a lot more optimistic about the future of the Labour Party and I know a lot of people have been joining just to vote for him in the Leadership election. The way I see it, it's vital for Labour to move to the left if they're ever to win another election - this whole 'red Tory' persona adopted under Blair isn't ever going to work for them because they can't beat the Tories at being right wing so Corbyn is what the Labour Party need if they're ever to win again, and I personally don't think I could stand another Tory government in 2020 and I wanted to do all I can to prevent that happening. There's still time to sign up if you want to vote in the Leadership election so I urge you to join if you don't want another Tory government, it's only cost me £1 a year so I can't see a reason not to join . . . unless you're a Tory, but in such case you've got much bigger issues (but let's not get into that . . .)
nine.
I ate a pizza paid for by Noel Clarke . . . I couldn't quite explain, but long story short I was visiting a family member in hospital and I was suddenly alerted to the fact that Noel Clarke visits a lot and he had paid for a pizza party there. Sadly, I didn't get to meet him which is a shame as Mickey Smith is probably my favourite character from Doctor Who but alas we didn't get to meet him.
ten. Hannah did a blog post on festival fashion and cultural appropriation which I feel is a subject a lot of people need to read up on. I feel like I'm fairly in the loop when it comes to cultural appropriation but I know a lot of people who aren't, so please give it a read if you're a bit unsure on what cultural appropriation is so you can avoid it.
one.
I finally tried out the whole reverse washing thing that seems to be revolutionising hair washing at the moment, I have to say my hair feels hella soft so nice one beauty community!!
two.
I have been obsessed with Wayne Goss' videos at the moment, I had seen a few of his before and thought they were good but I've been watching them non-stop - definitely give them a go if you're quite interested in makeup technique!
three.
I decided to watch Across the Universe again as I haven't seen it in a long time and I'm so in love, I remember loving it the last time I watched it but it's a theatrical masterpiece. A must-watch for any Beatles fan but even if you're not into The Beatles (in which case, you are beyond help sorry*) it's just such an enjoyable film. It takes place during the 60s so it's very much focused on protests and love and revolution, and the way Beatles songs are used to aid the storyline is brilliant - especially I Want You (She's So Heavy) like the interpretation of that song for this film is just spectacular.
four.
I went out to Westfield with a bunch of friends after staying in the house for about a week post-holiday (not joking, I literally didn't leave the house) and it was really lovely to meet up with people post-exam because the whole stress factor is gone (at this point, wait until results day draws nearer).
five.
I slept round at my friend's house with a few other friends and I don't think I've laughed so much in ages, we watched Emperor's New Groove (one of my all-time favourite Disney films), The Addams Family, and Grease, as well as having an abundance of cider and playing the iPhone Charades app at 5am - I think we can establish I can't make animal noises for the life of me.
six.
At the sleepover, we did a little makeover session and made over my friends Khushboo and Joey who don't usually wear makeup - it was quite funny because they didn't know what half the products do, except now they want to give me a makeover which could turn out quite badly . . . stay tuned on my YouTube channel, you may see something there . . . *gulp*
seven.
After spending a day apart with my friends, we decided another sleepover was in order and in the duration of that sleepover I have become hooked on Attack on Titan - we watched about 12 episodes and I'm so in love. I don't want to finish it though because apparently there's a massive cliffhanger and it's going to be about a year for the next series to come out (unless I start reading the manga) - seriously, I think anyone could get into this, the episodes are short and action packed but if you're not into action, you'll probably like it, and so far that hasn't really been much romance which is really refreshing.
eight.
As well as Wayne Goss, I've become obsessed with Kandee Johnson's videos. I'm not sure what it is but I'm loving the professional makeup artists on YouTube at the moment, I always had this preconception that they were pretentious because they knew what they were doing so I always preferred watching people who did the cliche disclaimer 'I'm not a makeup artist' at the beginning of their videos, but the makeup artists on YouTube are anything but pretentious and they're really helpful so I've been obsessed.
nine.
I've rewatched the entirety of Tracy Beaker Returns in the past few weeks (y'know the spin off from the Story of Tracy Beaker?) and I forgot how good it was! Sure, it's still a bit of a kiddy show but I've actually cried at it a fair few times (as I did the first time I watched it) and it does actually talk about some pretty real issues, I've moved onto the spin-off from that which is The Dumping Ground which is also pretty good - don't poopoo Tracy Beaker folks.
ten.
It was my friend Isabella's 18th birthday (you've probably seen her if you've watched any of my vlogs on my YouTube channel) and she threw a garden party which was super cute, although the weather was a little bit icky (hey, it's England) it was a lot of fun!
*This is a very tongue in cheek comment, it's cool if you don't like The Beatles. Well, not cool, you'll come to your senses soon. How have the past couple of weeks been for you?
one.
I just discovered this YouTuber called itslinamar and I'm a little bit obsessed like I've binge watched most of her videos, she's really funny and I love to support the women of colour of YouTube to try and smash the white supremacy going on on YouTube especially in the beauty guru section . . .
two.
My Mad Fat Diary has come back for its final series and I am loving it, although there's a bit of confusion over what's going on - don't want to give too much away, but what the heck is the deal with Kester?!
three.
I finally got back onto watching Orange is the New Black and I'm really liking it! I watched the first couple of episodes a few months ago but I just left it and never really got back on it, but I decided to give episode 3 again and I am really really enjoying it - I can see what the hype's about now!
four.
I went out shopping with my friends (hauls should already be up, have a click around my blog/YouTube channel) and had a really nice time out, the highlight was probably seeing a Kanye West themed sign outside a coffee shop.. see the picture above!!
five.
I went on holiday to Lytham with 11 other friends and it started with us being sleep deprived, we met up at 4am in the morning carrying a lot of luggage (partially my fault, I couldn't survive 5 days without my laptop)
six.
On the second day of the holiday, we went to Blackpool and the weather was amazing so we just walked around the town for most of the day as well as going to Ripley's Believe It or Not. Well, half of the group dropped off and went back home but a few of us stayed around and went on the pier and generally enjoyed the sea air.
seven.
We stayed inside mostly on the Wednesday because the weather was a bit icky and I was feeling a bit anxious anyway so I didn't fancy talking to anyone for the first few hours of the day (I also got no sleep the night before so I was a bit out of it, so much to the point that on that evening I got a bit delusional and attacked a sofa and asked what country we were in)
eight.
We ordered Chinese on the Wednesday and got fortune cookies, and mine said 'you are going to have a comfortable old age . .' so any aspirations of living fast, dying young and leaving an average looking corpse may not come true.
nine.
Thursday was a humid, somewhat showery day so we went to the beach for a while but then stayed in and watched American Beauty (one of my favourite ever films), but then the weather was beautiful in the evening so we went out to the beach to watch the sunset and some of us attempted a seance. The candles kept blowing out so we used incense sticks and played a playlist in the background, below is the full playlist but we couldn't access the whole song due to internet issues, but I had a shortened version on my phone. We did a pretty interesting rendition of Beelzeboss which resulted in a man taking a picture of us and a little girl crying . . nice one.
ten.
It was really nice to get back home, I always feel a bit overwhelmed being around a lot of people so it was nice to be able to wake up without socialising, and I definitely felt like everyone was getting a bit irritated with each other by the end so I think it was good the holiday wasn't any longer, but I definitely had a great time - 11/10 would recommend.
Maeve from Thrift o' Clock gave me a mention in her YouTubers I love video and I just wanted to share her blog which I've loved for ages, and her YouTube channel is pretty great too - go check her out she said nice things about me I like her a lot!!
two.
I found this video on DIY sugaring wax and it's so strange, I've never even heard of people doing that before, but I'm really tempted to give it a go - anyone else tried it before?
three.
Anna and Johnathan uploaded a video in 360 degrees and it's mind boggling oh my gosh, it's insane that technology has come this far (I'm sounding a bit like my parents but it is!!)
four.
I'm having a major Muse moment recently. It started when I decided to finally sit down and give their new album Drones a listen, which led to me giving Origin of Symmetry a revisit, and now all I'm really listening to is Muse on shuffle on Spotify - I find it really good to revise to, is that weird?
five.
My half-sister visited us as all her exams are finished (she's doing a foundation year in University) and that was really nice, we enlightened my parents on the forest nymph vines - have you seen them?
six.
I've decided to go vegan up until I go on holiday (on the 29th June) so I will have been doing it for about 3 and a half weeks by that time, so far so good - I feel generally so much healthier! I was considering doing a post on it (it's in my drafts) which I might post if you're interested, I wasn't sure whether people would give a rat's arse about how I found going vegan though so I haven't posted it yet.
seven.
ALL MY EXAMS ARE FINISHED - HALLELUJAH! I have to say I feel some of them could've gone better but I'm just glad they're over now!!
eight.
I went round to my friend's house with a few other people and it was the first time in months that we were able to hang out without feeling like we should be revising, and we managed to prank one of our friends - yes we are all 18, but we're not past the point of pranking people.
nine.
I went to the Anti-Austerity march in London (vlog coming soon on my YouTube channel) and it was such a great experience, I'm amazed that 250,000 people turned up and the speakers were amazing as well - Caroline Lucas, Charlotte Church, Jeremy Corbyn, Russell Brand, and many more. I was a bit disappointed I missed Owen Jones but he wasn't speaking at the same time or place as the other speakers (think he was speaking at Bank at the very beginning) so I suppose it was destined for me never to see him. I can't really feel my legs and I'm pretty certain I caught something while I was out because I feel a bit ill, but it was so worth it.
ten.
My Uncle who lives in Germany is visiting for a few days, and he didn't know what Nandos was (I guess they don't have them in the part he lives in) and I said we should all go for a cheeky Nandos.. so that's a thing, but I don't think he recognised it as an internet meme, so I made myself just sound a little bit odd - thanks internet.
