End of a Chapter, Start of a New Book

Hi There!

So 2015 has ended and it has been such a mix of emotions for a year. There have been moments this year when I have been so elated I don't think I could be any happier, and then moments this year when I have felt so defeated I had no idea how things could improve. 

There have been so many things this year that I have been happy for. I guess the main thing that has happened is that I made it into university. Surviving 7 years at the same secondary school some people would think of as torture, for me though, it was where I have made the most memories. I met people there that will hopefully stay in my life, and heck, hopefully people I will never have to see again! Getting past GCSE's, AS Levels, and then finally A Levels with good enough grades that I got into the university I wanted made me feel on top of the World! It gave me that bit of confidence that I can do something! 

Also this year I went on my first ever girls' holiday to Ibiza, and again, this was one of the best experiences ever. As a group of friends, we know each other so well, we are able to just get along for a week, in a heatwave, by the pool, and with cocktails. Having the freedom to do what we wanted, when we wanted, was amazing. Ibiza is a beautiful island as well! It is definitely somewhere I want to return to, be that to party or sight see ;)

I guess this was also the year however my life turned upside-down. Everything was so rushed and happened all at once, our family was hit head on. As a family, we lost the most important member to us, and 4 months on, I'm still trying to pull myself together. I lost a best friend, someone who I would phone most days for a gossip and share secrets. Someone who helped raise me. I have never felt so heartbroken in all my life. But I can hear her speaking to me. It might sound crazy, but if you are as close as a family as mine is, you are definitely know how people will react and what they would say in certain situations. That's what keeps me going. Every time I find myself getting upset, I know full well she'll be saying "Come on now, no more tears. Have a drink on me and have fun. But more importantly, GET YOURSELF A BOYFRIEND!" It may sound silly, but that is what keeps me going. 

I've decided though instead of the whole, 'the start of a new year is a new chapter', I don't want 2016 to be a new chapter. I want it to be a completely different book. It seems like from this point on, I want to start achieving dreams and improving as a person. I guess that's what everyone says as a New Years resolution, but it is something I need to do. These past 18 years of my life have been amazing, but they are going to be completely different from this point onwards. University means meeting new people, my family has a hole in it, and I need to embrace this.

Life is never going to be the same year to year. Some years are going to be amazing, and others awful, but these things happen. You shouldn't let life keep you down because the thing is, the number of days we have on this Earth is already determined. We never know how long we have left, a day, week, month, year, but we do know life can change in a second. You can't always be prepared for it, but I guess that makes it exciting. 

So here's to a new year, and a new book!

Girl Without a Plan, Making Plans

xoxo

14 Days Later...

Hi there!

So two weeks have past since I last posted on here, and I need to find a way to change that. I want to try and find a way to blog every week to tell you what I have been up to, but if I'm honest, my life isn't too interesting so that wouldn't be much of a read haha. I don't really know where this post is going to go, but let's just see hey.

So what has happened, well Tuesday the 3rd of November 2015 I submitted my first bit of university coursework AHHHHHHHHHHHH!! I have to admit, it was one of the scariest things to do. I don't know if it's because I'm just a constant worrier and I'm afraid everything I do isn't good enough, but if I fail that piece of coursework, I actually don't know what I'll do. I know you're all thinking, gosh just get over yourself and deal with it, but chill guys, it's scary for me. I only have 1 and a half weeks of waiting left to get a mark, and I guess that is going to take a long long time to go past.

What else, ooooo, my friend came back from university for just under a week and it was sooooooo good to see a familiar face! We went on a dinner date, saw some fireworks, it was so nice to finally see her again! We have never been apart so much so it's so weird not seeing her everyday. But my whole group of friends are coming home this week for a school thing, so it will be nice for the whole group to be reunited!

My auntie also had a baby!!! I guess that has been the big thing that has happened these past two weeks. I have always been the youngest in the family, and Saturday the 7th of November 2015 I lost that title. I'm so excited that there has been a new addition to the family, I'm definitely going to be on baby sitting duty for the rest of my life aha!

I guess that has been the past 2 weeks. In 14 days, this is all that has happened personally in my life! I guess in 14 days I really need to find a way to make my life more interesting! On a final note, I would really like to express my concerns to the people of Paris. It is horrendous what has happened these past couple of days. It is disgusting that there are people out there in the world you want to create chaos and petrify people. But horribly, that is the world we live in today. We should not have to accept this! As people of the world, we need to try and find a way to stand together and show that together, we can get through everything. My prayers are with you Paris.

Fille sans un plan, faire des plans

xoxo

Book Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Hey There!

'He kept making her feel like it was safe to smile.'

I loved a majority of this book I have to admit. I made me want to start reading lots of young romance novels, even though these are books that I normally stay away from. I would rate this book 4.5/5. 

If you haven't read this book, it is focused around 2 main characters; Eleanor, who is the new girl with big ginger hair and a random sense of style, and Park, who is the Asian kid at school who likes to keep himself to himself. They end up sitting next to each other on the school bus, and from here their relationship is able to grow through a mutual love of comic books and mix tapes. They both have issues to deal with, Eleanor more than Park, but these issues allow their relationship to build. It is through different point of views we are able to understand how both characters are feeling and how much we are able to empathise with them. 

For me, I really wanted to give this book a rating of 5, and within the first hundred pages I knew I was going to. But for me, the ending really let me down. It definitely came as a shock to me, but don't get me wrong, I still loved this book, and there is the possibility to read it again. I loved the way we were able to go on the awkward journey with these characters. We were able to be happy for them through certain parts, and then want to cry along when things were going wrong. The way this book was written was absolutely stunning. There were moments on nearly every page that you were able to remember, and be able to take a quote and feel something inside that just made you fall in love. 

I would recommend that every teenager and young adult read this book. It perfectly captures the awkwardness of falling in love at a young age, and the complexity of family life. And I can't stress enough, be prepared for a shock ending!!!!!!

Girl Without a Plan, Making Plans

xoxo

Uni Life...

Hi There!

As I'm writing this, I am sitting on my bed, with the smell of Christmas Cookie Yankee Candles and watching old episodes of The Walking Dead. I have to admit, this is the most relaxed I've felt in a while. That doesn't mean I'm not drowning in work (because believe me I am!) but I have finally settled down into uni life.

So back on the 21st September, I stepped into the University of Westminster, and I have to admit, I don't know when I have ever felt so nervous. My summer ended like shit, there is no denying it, and I was definitely feeling lost. My 'Freshers Week' wasn't exactly partying, it was more getting used to travelling everyday. I didn't really talk to anyone because I'm not exactly the most outgoing person in the world. And it was then when I thought 'uni life, maybe I'm not suited to it'. I don't want to spend the next 3 years just walking around by myself, doing the work, and then straight away going home. I wanted to have friends, build relationships, go out for lunch. But now, over 1 month in, I think I have all that.

I have started to make friends. They aren't exactly my besties, they are hardly going to be over a short period of time, but they are people that I can now go and talk to if I need to. We go for lunch, we have long conversations, and I can finally admit that I have 'uni friends'. The workload here is unbelievable, like I can't believe how much stuff I have to do already! I understand why they say 'chucking you in the deep end' because uni is like a 60 foot hole that I'm still trying to climb out of. You have to be so self-motivated to actually get anything done, and this something that is going to take some work.

One of the biggest changes for me with the transition from school to university is the boys! Now that might seem strange to you, but going to an all girls school for 7 years and then now spending the next 3 years with boys, a definite effort has to be made to keep up appearances ahaha. I had no idea that boys actually do the whole open the door and let the lady walk through first, and offer to carry some stuff if your hands are full. I honestly believed boys didn't do that in real life. I think I need to be brave enough to strike up a conversation with them though, I'm definitely feeling the need for some winter cuddles ;)

Anyway, I'm going to be keeping more up to date with this blog now. I know it has been a long break, but some serious crap has been happening around here, and maybe at some point I'll share it with you, but right now, I don't think I can write it down. I'll keep you updated on the boyfriend hunt as well, maybe it's my turn to finally have someone to love me. Anywhooooooo

Girl Without a Plan, Making Plans

xoxo

Book Review: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Hi There!

'You are all the colours in one, at full brightness.'

This book for me is definitely a solid 4.5/5   It was a wonderful read for me and definitely made me go through a whirlwind of emotions. There were moments when I wanted to laugh, and then moments when I wanted to cry and I felt like my heart was being ripped out. It has definitely made me want to wander and explore the town that I live in to find some hidden treasures.

So the basic outline of this story. It is written from two different points of view. Firstly, a boy called Theodore Finch who wants to kill himself, and secondly from a girl called Violet Markey who is suffering the after effects of the loss of her sister. They both meet at the top of a clock tower where Violet is debating taking her own life. Finch manages to talk her down and the story goes from there. There are ups and downs in their relationship and as a reader you feel as if you are third wheeling the whole way through as you are experiencing the same feeling as they are. 

The main focus of this story is mental illness, and more specifically on depression. The way that Niven describes the feelings of depression and people who know others who have depression show she has first-hand experience, and she is trying, through her writing, to help others who may be dealing with the same issues. One of the key moments of this book I found was Finch's chapter about 'Quicksand'. In this chapter Finch explains the 8 stages of trying to survive 'Quicksand', and this can be related to trying to survive the drowning feeling that you have when you are tackling an illness like depression. Being able to compare the two circumstances makes it easier to understand how, as a character, Finch is feeling. 

Overall, I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone. Not only does it highlight key issues to do with mental illness, but it has you hooked from the first couple of pages as you want to know what happens between Violet and Finch (and believe me, you need to know what happens!). 

Now everyone, GO AND READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!

Girl Without a Plan, Making Plans

xoxo