HOW TO SURVIVE UNIVERSITY

September is here and summer is officially over. Students across the country will soon be flying from their parents' nests and flocking to their new uni halls or back to their student houses. However for me, that will not be the case. Yes somehow I made it - it has now been 7 weeks since my graduation ceremony and the fact that I am no longer a student is still something I'm getting used to. Gone are the days of 10% Topshop discounts, cheap nights out at the local club and living with the best friends you could ever make. However one thing about university life I most certainly do not miss is pulling all-nights. No, not ones on the dance floor, but one's in the library when a deadline is looming - note to any current or future students: don't leave your work until a week before the deadline. You'll thank me later. And whilst we're on the theme of uni advice, here are my other tips for surviving university... 

LIEBSTER AWARD TAKE TWO

I have been nominated for the Liebster award again, this time by Katie from Black Is The New Black. Thanks hun! 

Here are the rules for the award:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link for their blog

2. Answer the questions your nominator has asked you

3. Nominate and link ten bloggers who have less than 200 followers

4. Come up with 10 new questions for the bloggers you nominate

So here we go...

FACTORY PR, 9/11 MEMORIAL & TOP OF THE ROCK | NEW YORK TRAVEL DIARY DAY #4

Coming in at a close second for best day of my New York trip was day four. 
We started the day with shopping in SoHo where I picked up a vintage Zara skirt for an absolute bargain! We then visited to Factory PR in their new offices. The clothes of the brands the company represents were all laid out across several rooms, and the office even had a kitchen style are and funky sofas. I never thought a PR office could look so cool! (I'm also a sucker for exposed brick walls so that made the office even cooler). 
The day then took a slightly sombre turn with a trip to Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial Museum. When I visited New York previously back in 2008 the memorial was still under construction so it was absolutely breathtaking to see the finished product of years of hard work. I was so taken aback by how emotional I was, and my high emotions continued inside the Museum which I spent a good three hours in just taking in the magnitude of everything. I was reading every plaque, observing every artefact and object and listening to every video. I could have easily spent longer in there but my friends and I wanted to go up the Rockefeller Centre before it got too late.
 We got to the Rockefeller Centre at the perfect time. It had turned dark and the whole city was lit up and looked just magical. One thing is definitely true about New York - it has one of the best skylines in the world.
Factory PR

CENTRAL PARK, TEEN VOGUE & EMPIRE STATE | NEW YORK PHOTO DIARY DAY #3

Now day three was probably the best day of the trip. It was a jam-packed day starting off at Central Park in the morning, followed by a tour of the Teen Vogue offices, and ending with a visit to the top of the Empire State Building. Now, does that not sound like an awesome day?1 (Hint: the only correct answer to that is YES).  You don't realise quite just how big Central Park is until it takes you almost an hour to only wonder around the tiniest corner of it. Last time I was in New York was the summer of 2008, and this time it was winter so the park looked completely different to how I last saw it, but still just as beautiful. Last time I saw people on boats on the lakes and wondering around with ice creams, whereas this time round people were ice-skating and eating hot pretzels. (I myself couldn't resist getting a New York hot dog). Next on the list: Teen Vogue. I honestly couldn't believe the fact we were about to visit the offices of one of the biggest and best magazines in the world. The offices are located in the new One World Trade Centre which is such a stunning and impressive building. I absolutely loved the tour of the offices, and it just reinforced my dream to work at a fashion magazine. The view wasn't half bad either. Last on the list: the Empire State Building. I had also already visited this tourist attraction back in 2008, but the weather the day me and family went up it was quite foggy so we didn't get a very good look at the city. This time however was a different story. New York really is the most beautiful skyline in the world (or I am yet to see one that tops it).
Central Park 

STATEN ISLAND FERRY & BATTERY PARK | NEW YORK PHOTO DIARY DAY #2

So here it is people - day two of my New York adventure! We started the day off by heading down-town on the subway to catch the Staten Island ferry. It's a shame the ferry doesn't go closer to the Statue of Liberty, but luckily my camera has a pretty good zoom lens so I was able to get some good shots. I love how you can see right up the Hudson river and see NYC on one side and New Jersey on the other, and then if you turn the other way, you can see Brooklyn. 
Me and friends couldn't resist getting a Starbucks and slice of pizza for lunch. When in New York...   Afterwards, we headed to Battery Park which had some beautiful memorials and a beautiful view of the river with the Statue of Liberty in the background. Staten Island Ferry

TIMES SQUARE | NEW YORK PHOTO DIARY DAY #1

Let me just get out of the way now: Sorry for my recent blogging absence of late everyone! And hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year!
Now that's done, I've got some exciting things to share with you.. you ready?!
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to travel to NYC with my university. Now it would be a definite understatement to say that I fell in love with this place just a little bit. 
So I thought, I'd give you a little insight into what I got up to in my short six days there. So here is my New York photo diary - enjoy! Times Square

ST. TROPEZ DIOR HOUSE | TRAVEL

A few weeks ago I went on a family holiday to St Tropez in the south of France. Not only is St Tropez famous for it's amazing beaches and boats that fill the harbour, it is also renowned for it's designer shopping stores. One such store is the Dior House.

DESK SPACE INSPIRATION | INTERIORS

Recently I have become increasingly obsessed with interior furniture and decorations, (maybe it's a sign that I'm getting older *oh dear*). The one thing however I have been most obsessed with is: desk space. I absolutely hate the desk I currently have in my bedroom. It's too small and I find I never have enough space to work productively - I almost always end up doing my work on my bed, which is not ideal. So I thought I'd do a little blog post on some desk space ideas that I really like, and hope to one day have in my room. 

Source

BREAKFAST AL FRESCO | LIFESTYLE

Devon has always been like a second home to me. I've been going there ever since I was a child as my grandparents lived in the little sea side town of Brixham. Since their passing, Devon seems to hold a special place in my heart and my family actually bought a house down in Kingswear seven years ago.

Ever since holidaying in Kingswear, we have always made it our mission to drag ourselves out of bed and have breakfast at a café called Alf Fresco (see what they did there?) at least one time every trip. Situated in Dartmouth just a short ferry ride away on the other side of the harbour, it's open from 7am - 2pm, and because of it's popularity, there is normally if not always a queue. This time however, we were lucky. No queue.

NO LONGER A FRESHER

That's it. My first year of university is officially complete.

Yesterday, I submitted my last assignment, and I just wanted to write a post about my fresher experience...

I have honestly had the most amazing/interesting year. I remember the first day I arrived. Lots of my flatmates had already moved in and I was one of the last to arrive. Not only was I nervous because I was one of the last to arrive, but I had been at my school since I was 11, and hadn't been in a new educational environment since then. I've had the same friends since I was 11 and had forgotten what that "new school" environment felt like, where you don't know anyone and try and make new friends. Luckily for me, everyone in my flat was lovely and I settled in very quickly, despite being extremely homesick.

I loved the first few months. Getting to know everyone, in your flat and on your course; discovering a new city; learning how to cook; and trying to manage my money... (not so good at that last one). Everything was new and exciting and I felt independent for the first time in my life.

Freshers was an absolutely crazy two weeks. I never really went out clubbing before I came to uni so that whole scene was new to me too. Going out every night for 14 days straight was exhausting, but I loved it. Advice: definitely take advantage of freshers fortnight.

HAPPY EASTER

I absolutely love Easter. What is better than relaxing all day whilst eating a shed load of food mainly consisting of chocolate? That's right, not much.

This year, myself, my mum, dad, and dog all crammed in our car filled to the brim with food, and drove up to Stafford to visit my brother at university. Two and a half ours and one toilet stop later and we were there. Unfortunately, our lovely plan of having a picnic by the Staffordshire castle was thwarted by rain, however we managed to get a table at a local pub and the hot helpings of a Sunday roast certainly warmed our cockles.

By the time we had stuffed our stomachs fit to burst, the rain had stopped, and so we decided to venture up the castle and give the dog a bit of a run about. For a 14 year old dog, she can still give me and my brother a run for our money in the energy department.

TEENAGE DIRTBAG

A week ago today I turned 19. In celebration of only having a year left of being a teen, I thought I'd share some of my recent accomplishments with you, and things that I hope to achieve in the future - kind of like a New Year's resolution post, but a very late one.

1. Last September I began studying fashion journalism at university. This was quite a big deal for me as this is something I have always wanted to do, but I never believed it would happen. It was never made aware to me that fashion journalism was an option at university. I was told it was either "fashion" or "journalism" - never a combination of the two. I didn't want to make clothes, and I didn't want to write about the news. I wanted to combine them both and WRITE ABOUT FASHION. Now I can say, that I DO write about fashion and I'm loving it. Not only has being at university let me study something I love, it has made me more independent, as I now have to do all my own cooking and cleaning. I have also met some amazing people who I hope to stay friends with for a very long time. I hope that studying this degree will open up more opportunities for me in the world of fashion and that I'm not scared to take them!

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

TOP 10 CHRISTMAS MOVIES

With Christmas fast approaching, I thought I'd start doing some Christmas related posts. So, here's Christmas Post #1: My Top 10 Christmas Films. Why not start with an easy one?

Christmas is the perfect time to gather round the TV with the family, all in your PJ's eating tons of chocolate, so why not stick on a classic chrimbo film? I can guarantee that I will be watching at least half of these when I return home after my first semester at university in a mere six days time, and I can't wait.

10. The Nightmare Before Christmas

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 American stop motion musical fantasy film directed by Henry Selick and produced/co-written by Tim Burton, which tells the story of Jack Skellington. A being from "Halloween Town" who opens a portal to "Christmas Town" and decides to celebrate the holiday, with some dastardly and comical consequences.  I am a huge Tim Burton fan and love his weird and wonderful films, with this one being no exception.