Moving

Ever since I was young , I have never lived anywhere for longer than 3 years. Whilst I was in primary Germany, which meant the rest of my family moved with him. We lived here just short of 3 years and it was honestly the loveliest place I've ever lived. Cars didn't seem to be used as much here, it seemed most people biked places if they could. There were bike paths everywhere. The parks were beautiful, much better than we have here in England and were much more well kept. They had so much more than your average swing, slide and roundabout. They had zip wires almost everywhere, ice cream parlours local (my local park had the parlour right by the zip wire) they had ping pong tables available to hire for free. It was a dream for my young self. Admittedly, the shopping wasn't great. They didn't have many stylish places like Topshop or Miss Selfridges but most places did deliver to us since we had a BFPO address.

school, my dad joined the army and half way through year 4, he was posted to

Towards the end of year 6, it was time to pack up and move again. Aldershot, back in England. This was quite an average town but out of all the places I've lived, the people here were the best. I made so many good friends at school, which I struggled with in primary school. I remember going to the teacher at playtime about having no friends and she'd pair me up with someone who I'd stick with for a week until I convinced myself they didn't like me. Kinda sad I know. But I met one of my best friends here, who coincidentally went to my school in Germany too! Our neighbours were lovely too and we'd always sit outside and talk over the fence and have little garden parties. Oh! And we had the biggest trampoline I've ever seen! Our garden was huge so my dad got the biggest trampoline ever, which he managed to get free. Oh how I miss it. Another good point, we had KFC a 2 minute walk away since we lived right near the town centre.

This time, to

We lived in Aldershot for 2 years, then we moved back to my home town of Bradford and we stayed settled here for what felt like, quite a while. I ended up reunited with my childhood friends and my best friend from primary school, who I am still friends with to this day. I also went to school with my cousin who I am super close to so again, it was quite easy to make friends here. Especially the year groups were quite small. The school may have been a lot more "rough" than other schools I had attended and would attend in future, however it was by far my favourite. It was lovely being close to my family again too, compared to a 5 hour drive or a flight trip away. I lived here till year 10, again roughly 2 years.

Whilst in Bradford, my dad was working in Catterick therefore, would have to commute to work everyday and sometimes have to spend a few days there to save on travel. This began to become a pain and although my mum didn't want to move again, it seemed like the best thing to do. So, we ended up in Catterick. Catterick itself wasn't that great, it's known for being an army base and there isn't much more to it. But the places that surrounded it were beautiful. I went to school in the picturesque town of Richmond. The school was much bigger here as were the classes, I went from having under 500 people in my whole school, to having roughly 1000 people in it. It was a big change and I found it harder to find friends, especially as most of these people had already formed their friend groups and had known each other since year 7. I was buddied up with a friend on my first day therefore, stayed with this group however I never really bonded with people that well. I stayed here till year 13 and stayed on at Sixth Form, where I met my current best friend who was in the same situation as I was, of not knowing anyone and being excluded as everyone had known each other previously. She lived in the Dales at the time, as did many of my friends therefore, I got the chance to visit here a lot. It was so beautiful and I would love to live here again if it weren't so far away from anything. The transport links weren't that great either so I'd feel a bit excluded.

Towards the end of year 13, I found out my dad would be posted to Windsor and I would be going to university so this didn't bother me. At least I'd be able to catch a train there. During this time, my parents had persuaded me to stay at uni around Bradford as it would be close to home, and whilst I was applying, the original plan was that they would be moving to Bradford anyway, not Windsor. So I applied to Bradford and Huddersfield and got a place at both. However, we later found there was no longer a place for my dad in Winsor so he was reposted to Turkey. I hated the idea of this to begin with, not only because it meant barely seeing my family, but also the fact that it meant living with my Grandma for 3 years whilst at university. In the end, I hated university that much and made no friends for various reasons, including the fact I didn't live in halls, I dropped out and got a job.

I survived Bradford for a year until I reapplied to many universities, all down south except Leeds (who I unfortunately didn't have the grades for) and got accepted to Coventry where I now live. It doesn't have all that much to offer but I am closer to my boyfriend who lives in Leicester and I absolutely adore my course.

Moving around has been really difficult, especially with the process of making friends. I feel as though I am still struggling to make friends now whilst at university and haven't a clue who I'll be living with next year but I'm getting by and my flat mates are very nice. You'd think moving around would teach me how to make friends but it really hasn't. Saying this, I wouldn't change my experiences for the world. I love travelling and have had so many great experiences in all these places. I really am grateful for the opportunities to visit these places and I currently get free flights and a free place to stay in Turkey so I can't complain! Although, I would never move around this much in future. My plan is to move to Leeds and stay there. Also, if you're still reading, thank you. You are amazing.

Costa Festive Cups - CHRISTMAS IS HERE

This is a slightly late post but it didn't even cross my mind to make a post on it until now, after having my second festive costa drink since their launch last Thursday (yes, I went to their launch event in store, I have a big love for Costa and have been waiting for this moment for a year now)

So, Costa Coffee have recently released their festive drinks and snacks in store which means the return of the festive cups too, which I am currently making my way through. So far I've had the Large Santa cup filled with Orange Hot Chocolate and the medium Snowman cup filled with Brownie hot chocolate. Both absolutely amazing. We have also seen the release of the red cups at Starbucks, which to me are slightly less exciting compared to the cute characters on the costa cups, but I may be slightly biased due to my extreme love of Costa. But anyway, with the release of these, and the fact I heard the iconic Coca-cola christmas advert on TV yesterday whilst making my tea, this means CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE.

Well, "almost" may be a slight exaggeration. However, we are getting closer to the Christmas period and before you know it, it'll be Christmas Eve and you'll be running round like a headless chicken looking for a wooly jumper and pair of socks as a last minute present to anyone you "didn't have time to buy for" (you can say you didn't have time, but we all know you really forgot, don't worry, you're forgiven. The pain of last minute shopping is enough payback)

I've had this post saved in my drafts since this morning since I sort of lost where I was going with it, but I'm bringing it back! Costa are currently having a competition which involves costa lovers across the country, photographing their festive cups with eyes above them. These are mostly not ordinary eyes, but eyes made by everyday objects you may see or anything similar. I took a few snaps today to enter into the competition so I thought I'd post them here. As you can see, it's easy to do and it's likely you'll even find something to do it with in your home as all these were taken in my room! (Also, I couldn't not end with Justin Timberlake here, just look at those eyes)

Childish Gambino - STN MTN / Kauai Mixtape Review

Donald Glover is probably best known for his role within the TV series Community where he plays a young college student. However, some may not know he also has a rapping career under the stage name Childish Gambino. He has released 2 studio albums since 2011 and recently released his second EP/seventh mix tape STN MTN / Kauai.

The mix tape differs from his previous release "Because the Internet" in the sense that his previous release had a deeper, more thought out meaning and probably had much more time invested in it. Especially with that 70 page script. This album mainly focuses on partying, money and women. Not really the most original theme but Gambino does distribute it well and make it his own. It moves away from the romantic, love style of V3005 and moves more onto the concept of one-night stands and strippers; girls he doesn't have many emotions for.

STN MTN/Kauai split into two halves. The first half is STN MTN, which pays a tribute to Stone Mountain where he grew up near, in Atlanta. We see this right from the start in the intro track, the first of two triple part tracks, Dream/Southern Hospitality/Partna Dem in which Gambino has a dream he ran Atlanta and lists what he would do if he did. This includes giving strippers Mothers Day off. What a nice guy, right. He also includes beats from Southern Hospitality by the Atlanta rapper Ludacris, and from Partna Dem by Atlanta group Rich Kidz. This again, sticks to the tribute to Atlanta. DJ Drama breaks up the song a bit with slightly harsher vocals however; I do think the song could work just as well without his vocals. Lyrically I think the intro is very strong and Gambino even includes a bit of humour within the lyrics "Semen on her stomach, that’s a second coming, Jesus"

The second triple part song Move That Dope/Nextel Chirp/Let Your Hair Swing isn't as strong as the first, which I think, is down to the last third, which features Young Scooter with his rather repetitive lyrics. If this part was changed or taken out, it may improve this track and I would like to hear more from Gambino and less from Young Scooter. However, it does show some diversity and has more of a trap style compared to some of his tracks.

Further into STN MTN, we hear Small Talk, which may be seen as slightly repetitive, just as Let Your Hair Swing does. It includes even fewer vocals from Gambino and again, I would prefer to hear more from him. It is taken over by Kari Faux and is one of the weaker songs on the mix tape. It is easy to listen to however, falls short on interesting lyrics. Another song that I think lets the mix tape down is AssShots remix. It doesn't seem to fit the rest of the style throughout the mix tape and although it shows off his diversity, it is quite forgettable with the rest of the mix tape in mind.

Moving on to the Kauai side of the mix tape, we get more chilled ocean sounds and I am drawn more towards this sound of the mix tape which features sweet, soft melodies and dream-like vocals. The second song "Pop Thieves" featuring Jaden Smith, features chilled ocean sounds within the background which ties in well with the name of the EP, which is named after the oldest Hawaiian Island. It takes us back to the dream state he raps about within the intro track to STN MTN and has soft, chilled vocals throughout.

I feel as though the STN MTN side of the mix tape is quite average compared to the Kauai side however, this is personal opinion and if you're more into trap music than Gambino's R&B sound, it's likely you'll prefer STN MTN much more. I think Kauai makes this mix tape worth a listen and it's also worth listening to the whole mix tape just to see how much Donald Glover is capable of. We hear such a diverse range of vocals and styles within this mix tape and it gives us an insight into what we could expect from Gambino in the future.

Overall, I do rate the mix tape quite highly however, there are just a few songs which let this mix tape down. Taking into account the fact that this is a tribute towards Atlanta and Stone Mountain, it may seem like a generic Atlanta album to some people but Childish Gambino really makes this his own with the softer tracks. There isn't much of a storyline to this mix tape, but it seems to be more of a fun project showcasing just what Gambino can do rather than being a serious album, which makes the lack of meaning more forgivable. It is a great mix tape for easy listening and has a bit of something for every fan of Childish Gambino.

New Years Resolutions

Okay, I know this is early but I feel like starting my new years resolutions early this year might help me actually come up with some that I will stick to. I usually make them on New Years Eve and they end up rushed which makes them kinda bad and I don't end up sticking to them. This year/next year will be different. I WILL STICK TO THEM. I may also add to this list throughout the year if I think of anything else and I will track my progress throughout next year on this blog. So, here goes!

Get Your Dream Body

Okay, so this may already seem silly and impossible to keep up with but I do have a plan. What I plan to do is eat 1200 calories a day, work out (on the days I work out, I'll increase to 1,500 to make sure I am well nourished), and possibly go to the gym if I can afford it. I hope to lose a pound a week which I know is doable as I have done it very recently until white chocolate and raspberry cookies were on offer in sainsbury's for £1. How could I resist?

Be Good With Your Money!
This leads on kind of well from my first resolution. If I can be good with my money, it means I'll be able to afford a gym membership which I want so bad. I plan to put £10 into my savings a week, spend £25-£30 on food a week at most, and only buy clothes if I really need them or if I have a lot of money lying about. However, I'll be going to Ireland in February (yaay!) so I need to save money for this. I plan to draw out £10 a week for this and put it in my pink money box and put any loose change in there too. The idea is, I can't touch it!

Eat Healthily
This means cooking my own meals from scratch, no microwave meals, trying out new healthy foods I haven't tried before, finding alternative options to the bad snacks I eat, and even baking "lighter" treats for myself. If I can manage my money well enough, hopefully I can afford protein powder to put in my treats too. I don't think this one should be too hard as I eat quite well already and stay away from microwave meals. In fact, I've only had one microwave meal since starting uni in September!

Do The "52 Photos" Challenge
Basically, this will involve taking a photograph a week and posting it right here, on my blog. Posted with it may be a short critical reflection. I plan to do this in the hope that it will help me improve my photography skills as well as build up a portfolio. For this, I imagine I will have to look for new locations to shoot however, I will do it

Improve Photoshop Skills
I quite like the concept of fine art photography, however it has always looked so difficult and unachievable to me. I always tell myself I can't do it. Well, 2015 will be the year this changes. I want to make sure I am the best I can be and I think improving my skills in this area whilst at uni will be the best time to do it as I'll have the support from my tutors too. As well as the internet of course, which I will definitely need to use and do a lot of research for this.

That's it for now but if you have any ideas/suggestions then write them in the comments or tell me what your new years resolutions are or what your past ones have been!

Introduction

Hello, this is my first blog post. I have started up a blog many times before, but had no real reason for making one therefore, my posts would lack any sort of interesting content which meant I would lose interest after sometime. I also used to think blogs were only allowed to be about one subject, which a lot of the time would be makeup or fashion; both of which I am terrible with. The extent of my makeup skills stretches to perfecting the wings of my eyeliner, which I still find super difficult. And on the fashion side, I just can't afford nice clothes.

However, one thing I do have a huge passion for is photography and I have recently started an undergraduate course at university within the Midlands. This has already opened up so many opportunities for me and allows me access to so many different facilities, including a wide range of cameras which I can't wait to test out. As part of the course, we are required to create a blog therefore, this has already given me an insight into what it is like to run a blog that actually has a purpose. And honestly, I find it so much fun! I'm sure running this blog will be even more fun as I can fill it with whatever I like!

So, to conclude my little story, this blog will be based around everything and anything. I will be mainly including posts around the subject of photography however, I also plan to do a few posts around book and movie reviews as well as arts and crafts, and who knows, possibly even makeup and fashion if I suddenly gain a steady hand and get away from being a poor student and become a slightly more wealthy one!