Sunday 29 January 2012

What a wonderful week

I've had a lovely first week back at uni. I can't believe I'm actually saying that. Despite the majority of my lectures being casual introductions to my new topics of study, so far I'm finding everything quite interesting! Again, I've got the same story to be telling you, I've been taking care of myself and trying to get as much sleep as possible and it really has paid off. Our flat has stayed in all weekend (sounds boring) but we're all going out tonight (on a Sunday!) as it is 'Cops and Robbers Carnage' in Leeds which I'm really excited for. I'm going as a robber, I will hopefully post a photo of my outfit sometime next week!

So instead of going out this weekend, Friday night some of us from the house went down to the common room armed with endless cups of tea, cosy blankets and other bed attire to have a serious film fest. I love nights like this! Then Saturday, me and two of my flatmates went into the centre to get our outfits sorted for Carnage. We managed to run past Starbucks, (trying to save every last penny right now) get our outfits and then head straight back.

After dinner, having had such an enormous bag of carrots in the fridge for well over a week, I decided to make my very first batch of soup. I phoned my dad and asked for advice, looked up a few recipes online, got all my ingredients together and then got cracking. Soon I was feeling like a kitchen goddess as everything was going super smoothly...until it came to blending. I poured my first batch of soup into the blender...to find it splurging all out of the bottom, all over the worktop and all down the front of me. Two of my flatmates who were sat in the kitchen keeping me company burst into complete hysterics, and so did I. I quickly ran to the sink, blender in hand, sloshing hot carroty liquid everywhere in attempt to save some of my soup. After this fiasco, I cleaned everything up and went in for round two of blending with my now depleted stock of carrot soup. This went much better after having screwed the bottom of the blender on properly (ahem) and a smile crossed my face as I saw the sludgey liquid turn a beautiful golden orange colour. I had made my own soup, yay! And it actually tasted really good!

After such kitchen related dramas, I was ready to relax. So my flatmate and I decided to get on our pyjamas, make a big mug of hot chocolate, get into my bed and watch Dreamgirls. I had the most perfect night singing along to all the songs and taking part in a rather loud and extravagant rendition of 'Listen' by Beyonce...lovely! Hope you are all well and having a good weekend, what are you getting up to? Emily xoxo

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Settled and serene

Firstly, I'd just like to let you know that after hours of trawling through dull websites, brochures and grotty excuses for houses we have finally found our house for next year! Already I'm feeling very excited and nervous about living in a proper house like a proper grown up. More about this at a later date!

So I've been back at uni now for over a week and I'm feeling a lot happier about being away from home. And I think the main reason for this is because I'm looking after myself. I've been to the gym, eating healthily and getting enough sleep. And before now, I never really understood how important it was to take care of yourself. It really reflects your mentality - I'm beginning to think more positively about everything in general. Nothing is impossible, not if you put your mind to it.

I'm excited to get my final exam out the way on Thursday and start a fresh term next week with different modules to study. I'm hoping it will bring me that little bit more inspiration I need to get 'back on top' and potentially decide if I'm actually doing the right course?! (I can always dream!). I've been feeling creative this past week which is another sign I'm feeling much happier. I really want to bake but we have no cake tins or trays in our flat, I may have to invest! I've also been reading ridiculous amounts of health, fashion and beauty blogs whilst drinking copious amounts of tea recently, which has left me feeling very lady-like and inspired. I just want a blog like that, I'm starting my camera fund immediately! Hope you are all well and a feeling a little refreshed like myself! Emily xoxo

Tuesday 10 January 2012

I never meant to do you wrong

So I'm almost settled back in to my little room at uni, with a bucket of tea (literally the biggest cup I've ever seen) and enjoying a relaxing moment to myself with nothing but Coldplay for company. It's so lovely to be back. I got back Sunday and barely even bothered to unpack, I just spent the day catching up with some of my amazing flatmates and neighbours. After long chats with everyone about Christmas, New Year, a lack of revision and an excess of eating, I managed to clear a space on my bed for me to collapse into and have my first night back at uni.
Today I had my first exam, it didn't go to badly (won't bore you with details), just another three to go now! I've got my room nicely back in order with cute additions such as pictures on my wall and another set of feathery fairy lights (super cute) so hopefully I will get some photos maybe tomorrow if it is bright enough! I was right about what I said in my last post, being back here I'm surrounded by other people who make me feel at ease. They are such wonderful distractions to being alone with your own mind for too long, and I couldn't be more grateful. I just got off the phone to my mum, I'm missing home a little today and trivial things that I take for granted there, but after speaking to her I know I will be fine once I get back in the swing of things here. Have any of you moved back to uni, how're you finding it again? Family and friends are only a phone call away, it's amazing how listening to somebody's voice can calm you instantly.

Saturday 7 January 2012

I gave you all

I return back to my halls tomorrow in Leeds which I'm very excited about. I'm really looking forward to seeing my new friends again, hearing about their holidays, and just catching up in general - accompanied by bucket loads of tea of course! I'm particularly excited to settle back into my little room. I've got lots of new additions to add to it thanks to some beautiful little trinkets I got for Christmas and other bits and bobs I collected during my week in the Big Apple. I know I have my own bedroom at home but their is something different about my own little space at uni, it somehow feels more personal and grown up! So hopefully I'll get a few photos of my cutesy room if I ever get some decent lighting!

There is always somebody around to chill out and have a chat with in my halls. I'm really hoping that helps me take my mind off all the things I seem to be dwelling on of late. Being at home has been so wonderful to see family and old friends but I have often found I have too much time alone to think about the past and mistakes I've made. So a little message to myself and to you: Life is a beautiful thing and to waste precious time getting upset over mistakes is a trivial thing to do. The learning process of realising you made a mistake helps you to make better decisions in the future. So don't worry about the past. Never worry. Emily xo

Wednesday 4 January 2012

My goals for 2012

So, as promised from yesterday, (p.s thank you for your lovely comments considering I'm still finding my feet in the blogging world!) here is a list of my goals for 2012. I will cross things off as I do them and most probably add things throughout the year that I've currently forgotten about.

  1. Blog more often, at the very least twice a week! (I've got a mind brimming with ideas, it's just my usual problem of putting them into action! Oh and the fact I don't have a decent camera...)
  2. Read 25 new books (including The Hunger Games triology and The Lord of the Rings series)
  3. Watch 25 new films (I'll document both films and books in either this post or a separate one)
  4. Treat myself more often! I'm way too harsh on myself... (clothes, beauty products, magazines etc)
  5. Make more time for my family and stay in touch with all my friends in general
  6. Work out what I truly want out of my career (the fact I'm currently doing a degree in Biology, which my heart is most definitely not in proves a slight problem...more about my failures in another post)
  7. Keep up to date with music and attend gigs/festivals, sometimes I forgot how much I adore it and how there is always something to compliment my mood
  8. Expand my culinary repertoire, which is currently lacking incredibly
  9. Keep experimenting with my style (and make more of an effort on a daily basis, lazy!)
  10. Organise lots of things well in advance so I have things to look forward to!
I think that will be all for now, I can think of plenty more but I really don't want to overwhelm myself because that's always when I become disheartened and give up! (No.11 stop giving up so easily?!) What are some of your goals for 2012? Emily xo

Tuesday 3 January 2012

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a wonderful new year and I hope that 2012 brings you all that you wish for! I'm currently writing this from the comfort of my own bed, accompanied by my first cup of tea of the day and the beautiful sounds of Bon Iver. It's really blustery and miserable out, so I took this opportunity to return back to the warmth of my duvet and write my first post of 2012. This year, with regards to resolutions, I have established a more 'baby steps' approach to changing my life. Usually I'm straight in there being Mrs Boot Camp with my life, involving strict detox regimes amongst other unachievable goals. I've started by setting up a personal diary in which I record the positive and negative things I do each day. For example 'positive things' are things like going to bed early, eating fairly healthily, doing some exercise. 'Negative things' are things such as eating chocolate, drinking alcohol and dwelling too much on the past (probably my biggest problem). And so day by day, I aim to make the good list by far outweigh the bad list. Just one step at a time. I still haven't properly thought about my other goals for 2012 (am I behind?) but once I have a more clear image of what I want to happen in the year ahead I will share everything with you. What are your resolutions for this year? x