Exams, Star Wars, and Christ-Marx

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..)

How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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Return of the Trews, the squad reassembles, and protesting

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.

five.
My friends from home came to Brighton to visit me and it was so much fun - one thing I learned, do not buy £3 rosé, you can get a lot of alcohol on the cheap but don't skimp on the rosé.

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!

How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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Back to the Future Day, vegan baking, and trashy TV

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)

How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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First fortnight at Uni, film themed freshers, and freshers flu

one.
I've moved into my house for uni now and the way I've decorated my room makes it quite difficult to see whether I'm a student in 2015 or 1965 - #Beatlemaniac.

two.
I feel like I've become extremely corporate with the amount of Starbucks I've been having - you see there's a Starbucks on campus that my new #squad like to go to so to be sociable and not at all awkward I have to sit in there but I'm also like this is the most capitalist place to be in, what would Marx say??? (A question we all must ask in our day to day lives)

three.
I'm finding it strange having talks about my modules for my course because it feels like it's been a lifetime since I was doing education, I went onto study leave in about May so to suddenly be thrown back into this world where I have to read things and make notes about stuff feels a little bit strange.

four.
I'm really happy to say I'm getting along with my housemates really well (I already knew Meera, and you may know her from some of my vlogs, i.e this one) but my other housemates are really cool too - we're planning on getting an ironic Margaret Thatcher poster or cardboard cutout for our living room, I had to clarify it with them that it was ironic but it is indeed.

five.
Me and my housemates haven't really been out clubbing much (I say much, a couple of us haven't been at all y'know not about that life) but we have been watching quite a few films - we watched Amelie, Lost in Translation, Howl's Moving Castle (may have had a bit of input on this choice), and Jules et Jim and I'm generally really glad I'm living with people who would prefer a film to a club.

six.
Freshers Fair was quite the experience, I signed up to loads of societies (feminist society, music society, film society, literature society, anime and manga society, drama society and the Uni newspaper). I'm looking forward to going to some of the society meets, I feel like you're a lot more likely to meet like minded people through a society than going to a club where the music is frustratingly loud and you can't hear what anyone's saying.

seven.
I've been living solely on pasta-based foods since I got here, I feel like I really need to branch out and find some other things to cook but pasta is just so easy . . .

eight.
We threw a little house parties with all the hipsters and it was so much fun, it was a really nice housewarming sort of thing, and it's where our first house selfie was taken, although it probably wasn't the best photo because everyone was a little bit not sober.

nine.
I'm really enjoying my course so far, I'm doing Applied Psychology if you're interested. There's a lot more Philosophy in it than I thought there'd be and there's a whole unit on social inequalities and prejudice in society and all that jazz so I'm really looking forward to the year (famous last words I'll bet)

ten.
Inevitably, I ended up getting a cold and I actually ended up losing my voice (I've had laryngitis before so I knew what to do to sort it out, but it was a bit of a pain - fellow singers, you'll be familiar with the warm salt water trick, right?) so I've been a bit pooey on the whole blogging/uploading videos regularly thing, but hopefully things should resume to normal soon enough.

How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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Cacti naming, loving Lana, and the last supper

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 . . .

How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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New album releases, the final meetups, and #JezWeDidIt

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.



How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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Visiting Brighton, self-care, and being the annoying vegan friend

one.
After getting my results and finding out I'm getting into my first university choice in Brighton, me and my family decided to go away for a few days to check out the area a bit more and look at the accommodation sites (as they didn't come with me on the open day, although I ended up rejecting the accommodation I was offered) and I'm really looking forward to living there now, not that I wasn't before like I knew Brighton was a lovely place hence why it was my first choice but visiting it again knowing that I'm definitely going there sort of reinforced that. Also, there were quite a few record shops (#hipster) and a mahoosive guitar shop which me and my Dad spent a rather lengthy amount of time in.

two.
I went round to a friend's house to watch American Horror Story (although we watched one episode and then ended up watching Orange is the New Black because I still hadn't finished it, but I finished it now!!) and I established that I am crap with directions. Literally it took me an hour and a half bus journey to do a trip that should've been less than half that time, I knew I wasn't so good in directions on foot but I've honestly hit a new low . . . (Damon Albarn voice: this is a looooooooooow)

three.
I went to go see the Bad Education movie with a few friends and it was so funny, if you like the series you're going to love the movie and it's really nice way to end the series. We also went to Costa afterwards - I've gone vegan again so it took me a while to order (I had to go online and check what was vegan on the menu, yes I'm becoming the annoying vegan friend . . . )

four.
I was feeling really down so I decided to ignore my phone most of the day and play piano all day, I find it so therapeutic and ever since finishing grade 8 I've been majorly neglecting the piano, but it has such a positive effect on my mood I really should find more time for it - I feel like I'm being productive by learning new pieces and I just generally like playing the piano, so it's definitely one of my favourite forms of self care.

five.
I decided to watch Harold and Maude again as it's been a few years since I first watched it, and whilst I really enjoyed it the first time, I really really loved it the second time round. The whole film is about control and enjoying life, but not it's not at all cheesy like how you would expect a film which essentially expresses #YOLO to be. Definitely one of my favourite films and an exquisite, cult classic.

six.
I'm not sure if I've vocalised this many times but I am a massive Saved by the Bell fan. I used to watch it a lot when I was younger (I must've been really young and they must've been re-runs, but I do remember watching them with my older half-sister) and then I found them all online a while ago and watched the series a few times, then I was given the box set for Christmas one year and I return to them a couple of times a year and it's time - I've been speeding through it, I've watched quite a couple of series in a matter of days. I'm enjoying myself profusely, but it means Breaking Bad has taken a backseat once again.

seven.
I went to go visit my future home in Brighton and I'm looking forward to moving in now, it's nothing special like it is your average student house, but I really like Brighton and I think the change would be good for me.

eight.
I've become re-obsessed with Everybody Loves Raymond. This used to be one of my favourite shows when I was in primary school, right up there with Friends, because it used to be on about 7:30am and in primary school it didn't take so long to get ready in the morning so I had time to watch it, and I do actually own a series on DVD that I revisit quite a lot, but it had been a while I had watched it on TV and I've actually been recording them (TiVo wishlists are a Godsend), so I've been watching series 9 and it's become one of my favourite things to do everyday. Nothing better than starting your day with some porridge, a cup of tea, and a couple of episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond - I'm pretty certain I am Robert, like I'd love to think I'm Ray, but if I'm honest I'm Robert.

nine.
I got round to voting in the Labour Leadership election (as well as the one for mayor and a bunch of other ones that I didn't know I had to vote for) and I'm sure it's no surprise to you that I voted Jeremy Corbyn as leader - I've said it once and I'll say it again but Jeremy Corbyn has been the only thing keeping me optimistic regarding politics since the election, I'm really hoping he wins.

ten.
I went round to my friend Ma'Suma's house with Isabella for one last sleepover before we go off to University (well I don't really leave for another few weeks but Isabella leaves in a few days, she's a big leaver) which was cute. We watched a lot of Friends and A Hard Day's Night, if you haven't watched any of The Beatles' movies you really need to, even if you don't like The Beatles' music they're such funny boys with a dry sense of humour. I personally think Help! is their best film but I do love A Hard Day's Night, just avoid Magical Mystery Tour at all costs . . .

How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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Lots of pizza, the apocalypse, and joining the Labour Party

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.

How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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Sleepovers, ciders, and new obsessions

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?

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MMFD, OITNB and my holiday to Lytham . . .

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.

How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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Bowling for Soup, Milidaddy, and the last week

one.

I have been listening to Bowling for Soup so much recently, I used to love them when I was younger but I stopped listening to them for some reason - but I'm back and the love is stronger than ever.

two.

In the space of a day, I danced around a tree singing A Theory of Justice with my Philosophy class (at the expense of our dignity in front of the year 7s) and by the end of the day my Psychology teacher thought I had a Daddy kink (seriously, you can't get away with saying things like Milidaddy these days) - also karma did us all good in the sixth form.

three.

My first exam is out of the way and it was a Psychology retake. I actually was only a few marks away from an A in that unit when I did it first time but it's worth 30% of my overall grade so it made more sense to retake that one than my other As unit - think it went better than last year which is good!

four.

We had a fictional character dress up day at sixth form (doing cute end of year things for the whole last week) and me and my friend Isabella who I've mentioned countless times in posts/videos came dressed as Cher and Dionne, I know what you're thinking - As if!! It was pretty darn awesome, although I was scared people were going to mistake me for a slutty school girl the entire day. My friend came as No Face from Spirited Away and scared the hell out of practically everyone she saw - it was brilliant!

five.

We had a cute little indoors picnic with the sixth form, it was really nice to be with all the people there because my sixth form is pretty small and we're all pretty friendly with each other so it was cool to all sit down together and play Chinese whispers and Truth or Dare with them.

six.

On a Thursday I don't have any lessons, just free study periods, and the people I have them with are pretty brilliant so it was kinda emotional knowing it was the last time we were all going to be together - it's been pretty cool having a group of people who are always open to singing High School Musical (we do get some work done, promise)

seven.

I really enjoyed Leaver's assembly (which turned into a bit of a disco afterwards). Our Head of Year made us a cute video which had a bunch of pictures of us from like Year 8 because he's only been with us for a year and he said he wanted to know what we were like when we were younger (bit cringey, but massively funny) and my friend made a really top notch video which had messages from teachers and pictures of us all, my favourite messages from teachers definitely were the ones from my Philosophy teachers (we had two last year so they both did messages) and they spoke about the pranks we pulled on them and how we gave one of them a limited edition Kate Bush vinyl for Christmas (definitely the best present we could've gotten him) which brought back great memories - I reiterate, I'm really going to miss my Philosophy class

eight.

After the Leaver's assembly finished, me and my friends took some of the leftover food (it was offered, it's not theft) and came back to my house and watched Notting Hill which was super cute, we were really overwhelmed and exhausted after the last week of school so it was nice to have a bit of chilled hangout sesh.

nine.

I can't even begin to express how much I'm going to miss my Philosophy class. My teacher is the best teacher I've ever had (he recommends the best films and music, and he's spoken to me about Morrissey and/or The Smiths multiple times which is all you really need to do if you want to become my friend) and the actual class is so closely knit (minus one person, but let's not get into that). We've created a Whatsapp group chat to stay in contact, and we've made it abundantly clear that we have to go out for a cheeky Nandos at some point over the Summer. We made our teacher a video to say thank you for the past couple of years, which I could show you but I don't know if you'd understand the private jokes involved - it included us skipping around trees singing to a song from a Philosophy related musical, and a Dalek relaxation tape at the end.. I couldn't even begin to explain. I decided to read through some of the messages in my year book, and I'm not going to show you all of them but my Philosophy teacher's one was so good I have to share it - told you he was awesome.

ten.

Now that all the hype of Leavers is over, I'm cracking back onto revision and editing the vlogs of this week in my breaks (also watching TV shows, even though I've now finished Peep show which was amazing might I add)

How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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Childhood nostalgia, my first election, prom and vlogging

one.

Okay so y'know how in my last one of these posts I was saying that I was planning to book a holiday? IT'S BOOKED! We're going near Blackpool and I'm so excited, this caused me so much stress in trying to find a place to accommodate such a large group which wasn't so expensive but y'know what it's booked now which is just great.

two.
It was my friend's birthday so we went out to Westfield on the weekend and for a meal at Fire and Stone, and it was really lovely (obviously). One of the people who came is actually one of my closest friends and she moved away a couple of years ago so I don't really her much anymore, so it was really nice to see her again. Then a bunch people left, and the remaining people all went to Starbucks for a little catch up and that was super cute too.

three.
I have fallen in love with the app Hatchi. Since getting my new phone, I have been able to download a bunch of new apps (my old iPhone had half the amount of space so sometimes downloading things was a bit of a pain - having to delete 100 photos to update an app? No thanks) and Hatchi is one of them. It's like a Tamigotchi (nostalgia attack) but on a much bigger, brighter screen. I'm yet to have any deaths yet, and I've been taking great care of Ringo and Kanye - I'll be sure to keep you updated!

four.
I decided to re-watch all of the Spy Kids films over the space of about 4 days and it's been so lovely to have, after revision or homework and whatnot, a bit of time just to watch something a bit childish. I have to say since watching them I've wanted to start implementing the phrase 'oh shit-ake mushrooms' into my everyday language.

five.
I feel as if I mention one of Marina's video in every addition to this series, but the topics she talks about are so important and I want to do at least something to bring awareness to it. This video is about how being 'colourblind' is racist, and I think this is important because I know people who I actually consider myself to be well acquainted with who don't see why it's problematic to not see race, and it is because it basically gives the illusion that racism doesn't exist anymore - which it does.

six.

I had my sixth form prom and in all honesty, I didn't love it. There were bits of it I enjoyed, but my anxiety was at an all time high. I felt very awkward most of the time and essentially felt like I couldn't breathe for about 2 hours by which time I had retreated to the toilets to sit on the floor and try to calm down and I didn't feel comfortable coming out for nearly an hour. One of the reasons I went was because I really wanted to be able to do a 'screw you anxiety' moment because I was super anxious, another reason I went was because everyone around me was pressuring me to go. I don't blame them, it's not their fault if they don't get how anxiety works, I'm just annoyed with myself.

seven.

The election... bloody hell. I'm fortunate that in my constituency I got a Labour MP, but we have a majority Tory government and the thought makes me feel sick. Also, my Philosopher teacher pointed out that the Conservatives and UKIP combined got half of the votes which means half the country voted for these far right parties, and that terrifies me. My parents tried to make me feel better by telling me the first time they voted Margaret Thatcher got into power and they had a Tory government for 18 years (which is arguably worse) and that this is a good election to lose because the economy is not doing well and is only going to get worse, so if that happens under a Tory government we'll probably have a Labour government next time. It's just strange, I wasn't all that optimistic for the election after the election poll, but I feel very powerless right now. Also, Ed's stepped down as leader which makes me sad because I genuinely believed he had what it takes to be a good leader. Although, Nigel Farage didn't get his seat so I suppose that's a silver lining of sorts.

eight.
Why didn't I continue with Peep show when I watched the first series a couple of years ago? I've managed to binge watch the first three series in the space of a week, it's just hilarious (and it actually makes me not look awkward)

nine.
I've returned to the world of vlogging and I decided to vlog election day which was also my prom day, it's not the most cheery vlog but there's a lot of comic sans in there so it's all good.

ten.
I've been listening to Ben Folds and Nick Hornby's album Lonely Avenue pretty much non-stop this week, I don't actually own it unfortunately (thank goodness for Spotify) and it's just great. Nick Hornby is one of my favourite authors and Ben Folds is one of my favourite musicians so the collaboration is brilliant, I've been listening to 'A Working Day' a lot because there's one line in it that really makes me laugh:

'Some guy on the net thinks I suck and he should know, he's got his own blog.'

I just wonder whether David Cameron says that about me when I complain about the government.

How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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Exams, Philosophy related musicals, shopping, and rediscoveries

It's that time where I do 'Ten Things and Ten Blogs' but I've decided to change it up a bit. I've decided not to showcase ten blogs anymore, not because I don't think they deserve recognition, but because I'd rather be able to give a massive spotlight to one or two blogs I've really been enjoying ('tis a bit more meaningful and all that jazz) so if I am really enjoying a blog you will still hear about it, just not in the same way as before, cool?

one.

Only Dan and Phil could make me laugh about revision (I'm in the midst of my second round of A Level mock exams and I'm just hating every second)

two.

I'm not sure how many of you reading care about Star Wars, but I am a massive fan of Star Wars and I just need a moment to talk about the new trailer with Harrison Ford and Chewbacca - ultimate fangirl moment!

three.
Since the mini-post above, my mocks have finished - huzzah! Philosophy hasn't finished being marked so I can't tell you a grade for that, but I was really happy with my History and I got an A* and an A in Psychology which is what I'm probably going to be doing in University so that's pretty good.

four.
After mocks, our Philosophy teacher decided to give us somewhat of a break and show us a musical called A Theory of Justice (you can see the trailer here), which is actually a university production musical. He always said he would show it to us and we didn't know when, and in all honesty none of us expected anything amazing, but it just is. It's just hilarious, it tells the story of John Rawls and Robert Nozick developing their theory of justice but they travel through time learning about different philosophers' theories of justice. My personal favourite moments were Karl Marx saying 'that's so bourgeois' as that's something I say almost on a daily basis, and Emanuel Kant being portrayed as a fairy godmother - absolutely brilliant.

five.
Me  and my friends decided to go for a mini shopping trip and meal out as another small celebration of the end of mocks, and as it's probably the last time we'll be able to do anything like that before the real exams. I picked up a couple of beauty bits (not enough for a haul though, sorry! Sure you'll see reviews though) and we went to Pizza Express, then we went back to my friend's house and we watched Into The Woods whilst eating a lot of Reese's peanut butter cups and Tangfastics - such fun!

six.
I've become re-obsessed with the app QuizUp. Around exam season, I always tend to get more into apps probably because I'm spending more time on my phone than my computer, and all my friends have this app now which makes it all the more time-consuming!

seven.
Whilst we're on the topic of rediscoveries, I need to mention How I Met Your Mother. I was watching this obsessively over the Summer (and the odd episode throughout 2013) but I hadn't really watched much of season 9 as I already knew what happened in the last episode (what the heck man) and I had generally heard from people that it ruined the series. However, my friend has been pestering me to finish it because I need to be disappointed too and so far, so good, but I am not looking forward to the end.

eight.
Me and my friends are in the process of trying to organise a cottage holiday for the summer, y'know those sort of crappy British holidays pensioners tend to do, hoping it does go ahead because I'm looking forward to it! (We're hoping to do a ouija board and a seance)

nine.
I read and rewatched Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (book review here) and for the past few days I've had So Long and Thanks for All the Fish stuck in my head, which has been annoying as I don't know all the lyrics and it's a bit of a silly obscure song so I can't even sing it out with anyone - #FirstWorldProblems

ten.
Marina from YouTube Channel marinashutup uploaded a video about the evolution of Rape Culture which I thought was so interesting and well worth a watch.

How have the past couple of weeks been for you?

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