'How do you measure, measure a year?'

My, oh my, 2013 you've been a crazy one haven't you? The year has whizzed by so fast, I'm left reeling as if it's all been a wonderful (okay, mostly wonderful) dream. 
As the festive season draws to a close, I've found myself reflecting on the metaphorical rollercoaster ride 2013 has been. I feel that I've accomplished a lot this year; 2013 has seen me begin many new chapters of my life, as well as improving on others. 

So, what better way to document and share with you my personal highlights of the past twelve months than a big smushy let's-get-overly-emotional-and-talk-about-all-the-good-things-that-have-happened type post!   

University

2013 has seen me complete my First Year at university, and dive headfirst into the stress that is 'Year Two'. I was apprehensive when beginning university as I was still in my home town, living with my family. I didn't move into Halls of Residence, I didn't have flat mates. Therefore, I was forced to put myself out there even more in order to make friends. This scared me for a number of reasons. Was I still going to get a good experience without having as much independance as those students that do move away? What if I couldn't make friends in a lecture because I'd be too busy scribbling down notes? Of course, as always, I was worrying far too much. Luckily, I met lovely people on my course and soon found my feet. 
I know it's super cliched to say but, University has quite frankly changed my life. I've learnt a lot, I've partied a lot, I've laughed a hell of a lot, and I've had a smile on my face an immeasurable amount more than the year before. I'm now a much more confident person; I've had the chance to take many opportunities that never would have arisen had I not stayed in education. I've also met some of the best people and made some very strong friendships that I hope to hold onto for many years to come.
Although it's not always easy, and I'm often up to my eyeballs in essay stress, I know that every moment is helping me to get to where I want to end up. And the fact that I'm getting to have fun alongside that is pretty darn great. 

Musical Theatre Society

Gah, I barely have words to describe how much this society means to me. I remember forcing myself to pluck up the courage to go to the Fresher's Induction back in 2012. I was terrified. And my God am I glad I went. Through it, I've met most of the amazing friends I mentioned above. During 2013, I had the opportunity to perform in two shows during my first year at University; 'Down on the Avenue' - an original showcase in January and 'Grease' the musical in May. I wrote a post about Grease in more detail, which you can view HERE. All of the people I met were so lovely and made me feel so welcome. I love my MTS family! 
At the end of the semester, when Elections for the new Committee arrived, I decided to challenge myself massively and ran for the role of President. Again, I wrote another post about this which you can catch up on HERE. I won the vote, and as of this September I have assumed the role of President. It has been tough at times, but I love it. In January, we will be performing our showcase, 'The Phantom of the Musical', and I cannot wait for people to see the amazingly talented, hard working members we have.
The most rewarding part of the role is knowing that I'm helping to give the new members a place they love as much as I did last year. Seeing them form friendships with people they may not have otherwise met, and hearing how much they are enjoying the whole experience makes all the late nights, endless emails, phone calls, forms, organising and problem solving stress worthwhile. 
I'm aware I sound like some form of deranged proud Mother, but I have a lot of feelings, okay?

Travels

2013 saw two firsts for me in travel. Back in July, my mum, my sister and I went on holiday for a week to Tenerife. This was the first holiday we'd been on just the three of us, and it was nice to take a time out from all things Internet and work (yes, I did just say it was nice to be away from the Internet) and enjoy some quality time together. I documented my time away in a good ol' post which you can view here. 
I also went on my first 'holiday' of sorts without any parental guidance in August. I spent the most amazing few days in London with one of my closest friends. We went to the YouTube gathering 'Summer in the City' and I spent my birthday evening watching my favourite musical Les Miserables live on the West End for the first time. It's safe to say August was very kind to me this year. If you'd like to hear more about my London adventures, I wrote more about them here, here and here. 

Gigs

Although I haven't been to that many gigs in 2013, the ones I have attended have been pretty spectacular. Most prominently McFly's 10th Anniversary gig at the Royal Albert Hall. That night was just incredible. In 2014, I intend on going to more, including 3 McBusted dates which I already have the tickets for. What? My inner 12 year old just couldn't deal with only one, okay? 

Birth of this blog

2013 saw me take the plunge back into blogging, and it's a decision I'm pleased I made. Although I haven't had as much time as I'd have liked to commit to creating more posts, I'm pleased with where I've got to so far. I'm still finding my feet here, but I intend on improving and writing more in 2014. I have a few little ideas brewing away in my mind and I'm looking forward to sharing them with you here, so I hope you plan on sticking around to see them! 

Without wanting to sound too cliched, I've changed and grown a lot this year. I feel like I'm slowly starting to 'find myself' for want of a better phrase, and it feels good. Positivity is the way forward!

What better way to end this post than with a photo montage of my favourite memories?

(It's okay, I cringed too.)

2013, you've been a blast. 2014, you've got a lot to live up to but I look forward to seeing what you have to bring!

For those of you that haven't seen my previous post on New Year's Resolutions for next year, you can view it here.
Alrighty then! I think that just about rounds up my posts for this year. Thankyou for reading, and for following if you have. It means a lot.
See you in January!

A
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New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions: The promises we make to ourselves at the start of January that get forgotten about before the time February rolls around. Well, that's always been my experience of them anyway. However, 2013 has seen a change for me.
On the 6th January 2013, I saved this note onto my phone with the hope that I would complete it all by the end of the year: 

I fully expected to have forgotten about them, but for some reason they stuck. Every time I'd make a list in my phone (which is a LOT) I'd notice the note there and be reminded of the things I wanted to change. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot more about myself that I'd like to alter, but these seemed the most prominent at the time and so I put in a proper effort to complete them. 
This year, I tried to set myself goals that were achievable if I set my mind to it. But, I also wanted them to be things that wouldn't mean I had to change drastically straight away because that never works in my opinion. 
 So, how did I do? Well, minus the one about going to London so often, I completed them!

(In retrospect, I could've and should've taken a LOT more photos, but I still improved on the year before.)

In light of my successfulness (yup, claiming that's a word) I have decided to do the same for 2014 and see what happens in the upcoming year. My resolutions are to:

- Again, take more photos. I want to document this amazing time in my life that I'm experiencing much more. 

- To cut down the amount I procrastinate. This one is going to be tough, but I know I'll gain a lot if I do manage to combat it. When a job needs doing, I need to start doing it there and then, rather than putting it off.

- To stick at blogging, with the hope of growing and improving my little space here.

- To continue saying yes to opportunities. Even the ones that scare me.

- To have started a plan for after Third Year. This one is SCARY.

Like every year, I have had some tough times during 2013. However, on the whole it's been pretty darn good. I can only hope that 2014 brings me more of the same.

Happy New Year!!

A

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November Playlist

Hello!

Recently, I've been listening to the radio and music a lot more in the day whilst I'm getting on with work etc. (Of course, by getting on with work I mean procrastinating on the Internet for hours). So, today I thought I would share with you a few songs I've currently been listening to and loving a lot.

Before I start, I will just say I know nothing about music so don't judge me for my terrible descriptions, thanks!

1. Paramore - Ain't It Fun

This is easily my favourite song from Paramore's latest album. The album itself took a while to grow on me, as it's quite different from their usual material. However, the first time I heard this song I loved it. The lyrics are just so great, and resonate with how I've been feeling a lot lately.
I also got to see it played live at their Self Titled tour earlier this year which was pretty freaking awesome.

2. McFly - Love Is On The Radio 

It's McFly. Do I really need to add anything else?!

I love the slight country sound to this. Every new McFly album has been different, but I've loved them all as you probably already know from this post dedicated to them. I cannot wait for Album 6! Until then, this is going on repeat. I don't think I'll ever tire of watching Dougie lick that hammer.

3. The Lumineers - Slow It Down 

This isn't a new song, however I only recently discovered it whilst trawling through playlists on the app 8tracks. The simplicity of it is just beautiful. Ahhhh, it's one of those songs that makes me feel all fuzzy.

Everything by The Lumineers that I've heard I've liked, so I'm definitely going to listen to more of them.

4. Lewis Watson & Gabrielle Aplin - Droplets 

I love both Lewis and Gabrielle's solo work, so for them to collaborate makes me happy. I've abused the replay button on the live videos of this many times whilst waiting for it to officially be released. Again, it's another mellow number, but I'm really loving that kind of vibe lately.

If nothing else, watch this for the video; it's so cute!

5. Bastille - Poet

I love the lyrics to this song so much I was tempted to write only about this and forget the others! The idea of capturing and savouring someone forever by writing about them is so beautiful. It's one of the main reasons that I love reading and English so much. Team that thought with Bastille and you're onto a winner in my opinion. Again, this isn't a new song but it's one I've only just properly found again and I love it. Music can be so great sometimes.

That's it for now I think! Let me know if you have listened to any of these before, or what you think of them now. Do you have any suggestions you think I should add? What songs are you currently obsessed with?

Thanks for reading!

A

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Ten Years of McFly - My Story

So, the other night I was at the pub with a few friends and the subject of music taste was brought up. Anyone who knows me even remotely, will probably be aware that McFly are my favourite band. No, they're not constantly at the top of the charts. No, they're not the most popular thing around anymore but for me, good music isn't about that anyway. The size of the fan base does not dictate the quality of the music. Anyway, before I go running off on a tangent and start ranting, I thought I would share with you why McFly will always hold a special place in my heart.

I'll start at the very beginning, I've heard it's a very good place to start! Back in the summer of 2004, I saved up my pocket money and bought McFly's first album 'Room on the Third Floor.' Right from the start, I was hooked. They reminded me of Busted, and I bloody love Busted! I remember sitting on a bench with two friends at breaktime in my final year of primary school, studying the lyric book and memorising all the words. Oh yeah, I was one cool kid. Whilst those two were arguing over who's hair was the best, I used to sit there and think 'God, these songs are awesome!' Again, mega cool. Who needs to play Scarecrow tig when you can read?!

Back in those days, there was no such thing as iPods and smartphones -can you believe it?! We actually managed to cope without them! - and instead I was the proud owner of a CD Walkman. There I'd be, in the back of the car humming and singing along to whatever album was my favourite at the time. I used to go on holiday within the UK a lot and so long car journeys were something I did frequently. I used my time wisely, and introduced my family to my new obsession. One of the most memorable journeys I had was around the time when 'Obviously' first charted. The song had made it onto one of the NOW Compilation CD's which my sister collected. She and I used to attempt to hit play at the same time on our seperate Walkmans and listen to it 'together'. As you can probably imagine, this never worked well and so my grandparents were often treated to deafening recitals slightly out of time again and again until we eventually gave up.

The first time I got to see the boys perform live was relatively far into their career -the Radio:Active tour in November 2008. It was also the first gig I'd ever been to without an adult! Aw. I was incredibly excited during the lead up to it as I had envied my friends going to see them on the tours beforehand. Now it was finally my turn, and I was sure they wouldn't disappoint. My predictions were correct, and I had one of the best nights ever. Seeing them perform live only increased my love and respect for them, as I could truly understand how talented they are. Far too often we see manufactured boy bands step out onto stage and perform songs they haven't written, to backing tracks they haven't recorded along with dance moves they haven't choreographed. Don't get me wrong, cheesy pop music is not always a bad thing, but there is something so special when a band comes together and writes their own material and then play it live. It's more genuine, relatable and in my opinion creates a much better show. 

Since 2008, I have been to at least one gig of every other tour. One of my favourite moments was on the 'Keep Calm and Play Louder' tour in early 2012 when they played 'No Worries'. This isn't one of their most popular songs, yet it is definitely one of my favourites. I hadn't looked up the set list before going so I had no idea that it was going to be played. Danny quietened the crowd, and then him, Tom and Dougie grouped around one microphone and performed it acoustically. The amount of goosebumps I had was quite ridiculous. I think it was mainly because I never thought I'd get to hear it live and then I did.

In 2010, they did a radio tour to promote the next album and so I roped my mum into driving us to a nearby town so that I could finally meet the people who had been such a big part of my life. 

Yay for looking rough in photos I wanted to show off to everyone...

However, my favourite gig of all time happened earlier this year, September to be exact. McFly decided to celebrate their 10th birthday in style - by performing at the Royal Albert Hall and I was lucky enough to get tickets. I'd always wanted to visit RAH, and the fact that the first time I'd be going was to see them was pretty awesome. (Beware, if you weren't already overwhelmed by the amount of fangirling in this post, it'll more than likely get a lot worse now). I can't even properly find words to describe how much I loved the show. I've never cried at a gig before until then. The music combined with the VT's of them through the years, messages from loved ones, Tom in tears as he sang his McFly Musical was incredible. And then what did they go and do? Just when I thought it couldn't get any bloody better they go and bring out Matt Willis and James Bourne. TWO THIRDS OF BUSTED. Yep, it's safe to say all my childhood dreams came true at that moment, haha. 
Throughout the night, I felt like I'd been transported back to those days of reading the lyric book cover to cover all over again, and reliving it all. I've grown up alongside McFly. As their music has changed and evolved so have I, yet I've never stopped enjoying it. As cheesy/cliched as it sounds, no matter what times I've been through, good or bad, there's always been a song to fit the situation. Music is such a powerful thing, and their's has always been one of the first artists I turn to no matter what mood I'm in. And that night in September, I realised just how much their music meant to me. 
Not only did they play an amazing set, you could see how much it means to them. They truly do love what they do, and to see people live their dreams is pretty damn cool if you ask me. They're so genuine and down to earth compared to a lot of bands shoved into the limelight these days. I honestly believe that if they lost all their fanbase, McFly would still continue; they'd just be in a house somewhere rather than a packed venue. 

They are the first proper band I truly became invested in, and I genuinely feel proud when they accomplish things. As much as I may sound like a fangirl throughout this post, I'm not ashamed at all. In a way, I feel like I know them because of how big a part of my life they have been. They've worked hard for everything they've achieved and I can't wait to see what comes next for them, and for us! If you haven't listened to McFly before, check them out. People tend to still view them as these hyper teenage boys jumping around but they're so much more than that. They deserve a lot more recognition than they get.

Now time for the mega-cheese ending. Feeling prepared? Okay, here we go.

Another year over,
And we're still together,
It't not always easy,
But McFly's here forever.

As always, thanks for reading!

A
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(P.S. I just have a lot of feelings okay.)

On The Bookshelf: Harriet Evans - Happily Ever After

Hey!

Today, I am posting my second book review on here. I recently finished reading Harriet Evans' 'Happily Ever After' and I quite simply adored it. So, what better is there to do than to share my love with you, in the hope that maybe you will enjoy it just as much? 

 

This Summer I've found myself splurging on luxuries I wouldn't normally treat myself to. I'd been trying to curb my spending but, as every book lover knows, bookshops are nearly impossible to go in without buying anything! I had tried to resist, but I knew once I'd read the first two sentences of Happily Ever After's blurb I just had to buy it. 

'This is a story of a girl who doesn't believe in happy endings. Or happy families. It's the story of Eleanor Bee, a shy, book- loving girl who vows to turn herself into someone bright, shiny and confident, someone sophisticated. Someone who knows how life works. But life has a funny way of catching us unawares. Turns out that Elle doesn't know everything about love. Or life. Or how to keep the ones we love safe. Absorbing, poignant and unforgettable, Happily Ever After is a compelling story of a fractured family and a girl who doesn't believe in love.'

I mean, come on...how was I supposed to resist that?! Luckily, the story itself not only lived up to the blurb, but went beyond it. Set in London and New York, you follow Elle through a large section of her life as she begins her career at a publisher's. I found this book to be so captivating because of how real it feels. Elle is such a relatable protagonist that I found myself thinking that if I met her in real life, I could easily be friends with her. The plot doesn't always go the way you expect - again echoing the troubles of everyday life. It isn't a glitzy, slushy romance, instead I felt like I wouldn't be surprised if I found out at the end that it was a true story; I think that's what I loved most. 

Most of the novel focuses around Elle's career and the choices she makes within this. As a self-confessed book lover, I enjoyed reading about the process of publishing books too. Evans explores a couple of Elle's family situations too, as a kind of sub-plot running throughout which I found especially moving. 

For me, I felt the main message of this book is to do with the dilemmas you can face throughout your life and deciding what is most important to you. Elle struggles as she finds herself and we join her on that journey. The book sees her discover what makes her successful, what makes her happy and deciding whether these are the same things, and if they're not, which is the most important to her. 

It's quite simply the classic case of choosing to follow your head or your heart; something I believe we can all relate to whoever we are and whatever we do. 

That being said, if you love books, romance and honesty, I highly recommend you buy this. I finished it a good few weeks ago now, and I'm still in that 'post-book-depression' stage! (For those of you on a budget too, you can pick it up in The Works for just £1.99!)

Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you've read Happily Ever After, or if you will now! I love finding new books to read so if you have any recommendations, please comment below.

 Thanks for reading!

A

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Summer Round Up!

Hey!

So it seems I have been pretty poop when it comes to blogging this week! However, seeing as it is now September - where the hell has this year gone?! - I thought it would be a good idea to do a 'round up' type post of the things I've been up to this Summer.

2013 has been a hectic year for me; normally my summer's pass by in a dreamy haze of reading, eating and strolling around with friends. This year has seen me do so much more than that and I have loved it! 

My first year at university kept me brilliantly busy so when May came round and my exams were over, I was very happy to spend some down time relaxing at home in the garden. This didn't last long before I found myself spending many a golden night in a pub garden surrounded by my friends. A few of them have now got cars meaning that we're able to take a short trip out of the city to cute village pubs. When we weren't sipping drinks in the sun, we have been chilling round each other's houses chatting and playing games. Although evenings like this aren't necessarily the most adventurous or outgoing, I adore every minute. I'm a firm believer of it not mattering where you are or what you're doing as long as you're surrounded by good people! I've been very fortunate to get the chance to do this a lot this year.

Cake and drinks in the sunshine! (Posted from Instagram)

July found me travelling up to Nottingham for my close friend's (and soon to be housemate!) birthday! This was so much fun. The pre-drinks were themed as Alice in Wonderland and we spent the whole day catching up, baking and decorating ready for the evening. I wrote a post dedicated to the weekend which you can check out HERE. 

August has been my favourite month by a mile. Not only was it my birthday, (I mean, who doesn't love birthdays?) but I got to spend my birthday in London watching my favourite musical on the West End for the first time. Talk about perfection. Les Mis was absolutely brilliantly fanstastically amazingly mind-blowlingly spectacular. As you can probably tell by the vast amount of adverbs, I LOVED it. I still can't describe properly just how it made me feel; I always end up in a rambling mess of feelings like I am now, haha!

But that wasn't all... I also went to Summer in the City too! The gathering was so great, I had the opportunity of meeting some of the people who inspire me most in the world, as well as listening to some awesome music and great comedy surrounded by like minded people. If you'd like to read more about losing my SitC virginity, I complied 3 posts which you can read here, here and here.

I had such an awesome August, 2014 has a lot to live up to.

SitC 2013

This Summer has been one of the best of my life, and I hope Autumn continues the same way. I'm looking forward to watching the trees turn golden and being able to wear my favourite comfy baggy jumpers! 

This September I'm taking a huge step and moving out of my childhood home into a house near uni with two other students. I will also be fully starting my role as President of a society too so I'm feeling pretty nervous about it all! Hopefully by the time Winter comes around, I'll still be feeling as happy as I do now! 

Thanks for reading! What have your summer's been like? Do you have anything coming up in Autumn that you're looking forward too?

A

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On the Bookshelf: Billy and Me - Giovanna Fletcher

This week I have decided to introduce a book review feature onto my blog which I will call ‘On the Bookshelf’. Everytime I finish a book or piece of writing that I think is worth sharing with you guys (whether it be for good or bad reasons) I will create a review type post and title it under the header ‘On the Bookshelf.’ I would love to share with you things I have been reading as I spend so much of my time doing it! The book I have chosen to kick this off with is Giovanna Fletcher’s debut novel entitled ‘Billy and Me’.

 

Set in the idyllic village of Rosefont Hill in Kent, England, ‘Billy and Me’ is focused around ‘normal-girl’ Sophie May and the cute tea shop she works at with her best friend and mentor Molly. That is until one day Billy Buskin, an up-and-coming movie heartthrob walks in and sweeps Sophie off her feet turning her world upside down. Will she be able to cope with the pressure of being thrown into the limelight? Or will the strain of being in such a public relationship prove too much for her?

I personally really enjoyed this story. Not only does it contain a wonderful romance, but as readers we are also transported into Sophie’s past and the heartache that she has faced. When I first started reading, I did not expect to be reduced to tears at any point but sure enough I found myself blubbering away into my cuppa as the plot progressed. Giovanna has created such a delightfully charming setting in Rosefont Hill which she contrasts directly with the fast-paced life of central London. Sophie and Billy’s love is pushed to the limit – is it really possible to stick together when it seems everyone and everything is waiting for them to crumble?

Giovanna has created a more realistic view of the burden dating a celebrity brings - no doubt taking inspiration from her own experiences of being married to McFly’s Tom Fletcher. I feel that we are too often only shown the perks to being a ‘WAG’ and while designer clothes and expensive food may be all well and good; it was interesting to view a more accurate representation. Sophie soon finds that this lifestyle isn’t all the media makes it out to be. Behind the smiles, glitz and glamour lies an intricate web of hurt, lies and deceit that is all too easy to become tangled up in. She has to decide whether this is really the life she wants, or whether she has made a terrible mistake.

 I had high hopes for this book from the moment I found out it had been written and I have not been disappointed. It’s a perfect summer read; charming, surprising and romantic. It’s not pricey either – Amazon is selling for only £5.24! I definitely recommend bagging yourself a copy. I only wish I had a perfect hideaway like ‘Tea-on-the-Hill’ nearby. A place full of mismatching floral fabrics, endless tea, cake, gossip, and reading? Yes, please!

Have you read this already? What did you think? Do you have any suggestions for further reading? Please let me know!

A

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