Omg I've Finished My Second Year At Uni !!

It feels WAY too soon to be writing this post, but I have officially finished my second year at university. I don't know whether to laugh or cry or what to do, it's only just hitting me now as I sit here and write this and it's really overwhelming!

This year has had all sorts of ups and downs. I've dealt with depression, poor accommodation, a break up, general uni stress; we've had snow, we've had sun, but also some of the best times ever. But if this second year has been anything, it's been a very go-with-your-gut year, and aside from all of the FCP-related skills I've learnt over the last 8 months, learning to listen to my gut instinct has been the biggest lesson.

For example, during the first semester I found myself in a place that I don't ever want to go back to, but if I hadn't have made some of the choices that I did during that term, I wouldn't have met such an amazing group of girls who have helped me through to where we are now.

I also wouldn't have chosen to stay at university and experience this crazy second semester. It started on a high note when I was given a 2:1 for my first semester summative assessment, and that really boosted my confidence for the rest of the year. But one minute we were in Berlin, the next minute we're collaborating and presenting in front of an actual brand, and a couple of minutes later we're writing a proposal report for next year's dissertation! It's all complete madness, but it's been a good madness.

This semester has very turned my life around too. Unfortunately me and Harry did break up; it's all on good terms, yet still something I'd rather keep private. But I am now a single, independent gal and although I don't resent him in any way at all, I needed to do it. It's been good for me and I'm happy.

So, if you get anything from this post, please listen to your gut instinct because some of the maddest decisions are the best ones. 

I'm finally starting to see how your university years are the best years of your life, so maybe I started two years too early! I really don't want it to all be over this time next year, but for now I'm off to play love island drinking games with my girls, live my best life, and celebrate the end of a brilliant year!

Let's Look After Each Other

Let's have a chat.

Last Tuesday night I experienced something that at the time really panicked me, but reflecting it on it has got me thinking.

So I came back from a club and went to sleep as I usually would. End of story; or so I thought. I woke up not much later to two guys, one being a friend, the other a taxi driver, trying to carry a girl who was only semi conscious. They were handled both her physically and the situation like shit.

After helping them carry her slightly further along the corridor they just left me with her. The taxi driver was incredibly rude about the whole situation and both of them thought it was okay, or just gave no thought into the matter at all, to just leave her lying on her back, on the floor.

THANK GOD I was there. Whilst they were gone she started retching and if I wasn't there to roll her onto her side she probably would've choked to death on her sick.

But yeah, it got me thinking..

Did she go out with others as well as this one guy? If so, where the fuck were they? And why is there such a lack of knowledge about what to do if your friend does get themselves into that sort of danger? It made me realise that no one talks about these sorts of situations until you're retelling a story about the night before. There's no real discussion.

We're uni students, we do drink and we drink a lot, let's be honest. But just because the stereotype that we drink a lot is there, it doesn't apply to everyone and some people can't handle it.

I think what I'm trying to say is that we need to look after our friends. It might be their own fault but it could be their actual life at risk, so we need to know how to handle the situation.

All I ask is this:

• If you're starting to notice signs that they've drunk way too much, get them some water, and make sure that's all they drink for the rest of the night.
• ALWAYS make sure that they're on their side or sitting up, and not on their back.
• Stay with them. Even if they say they're okay it's always good to have someone there just incase.
• If you're struggling to carry them don't feel ashamed to ask for help.
• Take a pre-paid taxi, like Uber, because they're less likely to refuse to take you. 

Now go and have a bloody good night!! 

20 Things I've Learnt Before Turning 20

I am turning 20 on Thursday, can you believe it? On Thursday I will have been alive for TWO WHOLE DECADES. I'm not ready to become an adult, but I thought it seemed fitting to talk about the 20 things I've learnt as I've been growing up.

1. Stop worrying about 'what if'.

2. Take every opportunity.

3. Cherish your family while you have them. 

4. The world definitely does not revolve around guys. 

5. Hiding in your room is not going to solve your anxiety and depression.

6. You are more capable than you believe. 

7. You will always be jealous of what your body looked like a couple of years ago, so just love it!

8. You will never need all of that birthday money when you're a kid but you definitely need it when you're over 18 and you stop getting it! 

9. Always be the bigger person. 

10. Play Toto Africa after everything you achieve on the to-do list - productivity levels increase massively.

11. You're not the only one who isn't having the best time at uni. 

12. Remember why you wanted what you have.

13. Only trust yourself.

14. Do things for yourself, not because you think others want you to. 

15. Don't look back at all the bigger, bad things; remember all of the little good things.

16. School/uni work will seem like you're constantly knocking your head against the wall but before you know it it will have been and gone. 

17. "Phone, keys, money" whenever you go anywhere.  

18. Spend money on experiences and memories rather than tangible products. 

19. Spending money on a good hair cut does a world of good for your self esteem.

20. Everything happens for a reason. 

I don't think I've made all the best life choices over the last few years, and I overthink everything, but I'm content. There will always be something to stress over and I will always be working on making myself happier, but I consider myself lucky about where I am right now!

An Anti-Social Love Affair

I am not the first person to admit this, and I am definitely not the last, but I have a bit of a love affair with my phone. More specifically social media, but even when I'm not on social media I'm constantly checking if I have any notifications. A notification whore if you will. 

But I didn't realise how much I was in denial about my screen time and phone usage until I downloaded the 'Moment' app.  And today I'm willing to admit to that. 

Moment is simply an app which tracks your screen time. You may download it just to be a little bit nosey, but you will quickly become paranoid. 

I started on Monday 6th March. 

Monday

Because this was the first day of using it, I think I was very much aware of the time I was spending on my phone, so probably not particularly accurate. I was travelling back up to Nottingham, so rather than spending the four hour journey scrolling through Twitter and catching up on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, I read some magazines instead. The one thing I immediately noticed was that I hadn't had to use my portable battery pack halfway through my journey, which is obvious but it kind of felt like a mini sense of achievement. I still felt the need to pick up my phone, especially when I got in to bed, but I turned my wifi off at 11 in attempt to force myself off of it.

Tuesday

On Tuesday the app challenged me to put my phone in my bag whilst I was commuting. The walk to uni was absolutely fine, but I was walking to and from different places quite a lot that day so it was hard to not do it at least once. I spent 2 hours and 44 minutes and picked my phone up a total of 110 times. 30 minutes of this was just being on my home/lock screen, which tells you what my worst habit is. 

Wednesday

My next challenge was to not take any photos, including the use of Snapchat. Due to the nature of the day, where we were filming for our colour film project and having to document it, I definitely did not achieve this. However, I did realise how little I actually use Snapchat and it made me question whether or not to just delete it.

Thursday

My screen time was starting to average out by Thursday, as I generally spent about 2 and a half hours on my phone in total. It's painful to see because I could have done so much more uni work that I'm now stressing about if I had stopped looking at my phone for even half of that time. My challenge was to delete an app, but I was too scared to delete one of my "major" ones like Instagram or Snapchat, even though I was considering getting rid of it before, so I wimped out and just deleted a couple that I no longer used. An app spring clean. 

Friday 

Friday was a complete disaster. I spent 3 hours and 48 minutes on my phone. When you see your time in the red zone, you start to feel very guilty. 

Saturday 

My next challenge was to take a fakecation, where I set a period of time to go off grid. I think I actually turned my wifi off for about four hours in the end; only picking it up to text Harry a couple of times. Honestly, it felt really good and I'll be doing it more often. And keeping my screen time in the green zone (1 hour 40 minutes) also felt very good too. 

Sunday 

I returned to my 2 hour 30 minute average again, which was probably just down to the fact that I usually have Sunday's off from doing any uni work so I had more time to just scroll through Instagram and Twitter. 

I think they've been very clever in the way that they use a green/orange/red system, because it's a system that we've all been conditioned to recognise since we were children. It's all psychological and it's because of this that you can easily start to panic and feel guilty and wanting to check it all the time to see where you're up to. 

Overall, I think it's interesting to get an insight into how much screen time you use, and it's a topic that is definitely worth discussing and something I want to possibly address with my dissertation next year. However, the app itself is not worth keeping. It only makes you paranoid and obsessed, which are both negative traits, and eventually it starts to get annoying. 

There are things I can take from it though. For example, the fakecation is definitely something I will make a habit of doing, especially when I really need to get some uni work done, and it might start to cure my notification obsession that I clearly have. In regards to Snapchat, I think I'm going to delete it; even if it's for a week. 

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

With most of us being back at uni/school/work, we're now well and truly into the new year and I know I won't be the only one who is trying really hard to get back in to a good routine.

I ended last term in a bit of a slump. I was seeing a doctor and the NTU wellbeing team, but I knew that nothing would really do the job better than just a few weeks back at home in my comfort zone. But now I am back to uni and it's back to business. Minus depression and anxiety (touch wood).

I mentioned in my last post that I didn't really have any resolutions of such, but I do have some small goals which I'm trying to achieve to get myself back into a routine, as I said at the beginning, and to improve my self esteem. In today's post I'm going to talk to you a little bit about each of these goals, which I think we could all do with. 

Budget

It was inevitable that this was going to come up so I might as well list it first and get it out the way! As well as being a student who sees zero of my student loan, I'm trying to save up for me and Harry to go away for a big celebratory holiday next year, so budgeting is going to be a big task this year. I should probably give myself a reality check though, because I currently have £10 in my bank account and I'm going to Berlin next week, so I think this may have to be something I'll have to start next month!

A Simple Skincare Routine

I was back on the old social media the other night when I saw Glossier's skincare resolutions Instagram story, so I made my own! I've come up with a simple skincare routine, which I've written on a sticky note and stuck on my bathroom door so I remember to do it every night. I also saw a thing on Buzzfeed's Snapchat a few weeks ago, which said that whenever you go and take a sip of water, take 15 sips. I have tried it and it does work! It takes 10 seconds to do and you'll see how much more you've drunk instantly.

Work At My Desk - Not On My Bed

With my desk right next to my bed, it's easy to get a bit lazy and lie on my bed with my laptop. But doing my work on my bed not only makes my back hurt, but I get less done. Even though they're less than a metre away from each other, the environment is completely different and I feel way more focused when I'm sitting at my desk.

A Regular Exercise Routine

Again, cliche. But the lady I met for my wellbeing meeting gave me a really good tip for getting the motivation to exercise. She basically told me to write it down in a calendar and physically make it something that I would put on a to-do list and therefore have to do, rather than something I should do if I get a spare half an hour.  Out of the 3 days I've been back, I've worked out twice which I think is pretty good going. It's small steps at the moment, so only 3-4 times a week, but hopefully I can build that up.

Write A Happiness Diary 

Whenever I've been depressed, I've written my feelings down in a notebook just to get them out of my head because I'm very good at bottling things up. I've been doing this since year 11, but I thought instead of writing loads of negative thoughts, why not try to turn it on it's head and write what's made me feel positive each day. Depression is just like a cloud that creates shade really, so just because I feel low, it doesn't mean that good things aren't there still. I need keep reminding myself of that.

They say that something won't become routine until you do it continuously for 21 days, so I'm going to try my hardest to keep this going for the next three to four weeks and then hopefully I notice a difference in myself!

Zoe London posted her 'Rules To Live By For A Positive, Happy Life' yesterday and something she said at the end really related:

"I have so much work to do myself and sharing it with you makes me feel so much better. I don’t feel alone. You’re never alone in this, self improvement, knowing self worth and inner happiness is something every single person on this planet can relate to. Talk more, be honest, be true. Open up. It’s not a shameful thing to talk, it’s not any detriment to you. It’s a sign of strength, wanting to change, to better yourself. "

I hope your new year goals are all going well, but if you've gone wrong already it doesn't matter! Just keep doing you!

Georgia.xo

The Start of 2018

On the 31st of December, Harry and I travelled up to London to see the new year in. With 2017 not being a year I particularly wanted to hang on to, there seemed no better way than to see it out in the best way possible. 

As you can see in the picture above, we managed to get the perfect spot. We were directly opposite the Eye and the tower block where the countdown is projected on to. You can also probably see the vast numbers of people, which in any other situation would probably have caused me major anxiety, but I am so grateful that I managed to enjoy it all without one single anxious thought. I would like 2018 to continue that way.

If there's one thing I absolutely love, it's fireworks. Every time I watch a fireworks display, big or small, I stand there speechless. Obviously this one was absolutely huge, so I was in complete awe. I would recommend that you go and watch these fireworks at least once in your life; the tickets are only £10 and the atmosphere provides warm feeling of togetherness, wherever you come from.

We spent the night in the Tower Bridge Travelodge, which in hindsight probably wasn't the best location as we were at the opposite end of the embankment to watch the fireworks. However it was really comfortable and gave us the rest we needed after such a long day.

Afresh from the night before, we headed to Trafalgar Square to watch the New Years Day Parade. The parade starts at Piccadilly, by Green Park, and goes down Regent's Street, heading towards Pall Mall. It then goes down Pall Mall into Trafalgar Square (Charing Cross), before going down Whitehall and finishes up at Westminster. Again, I would 100% attending the parade, and if you want guaranteed viewing, try and get there just before it starts (even as late as 5 minutes before), and stand between each "sight", rather than at them. We went to Charing Cross but it was packed, so we walked towards New Zealand House and got right up to the barrier.

This years theme was 'Showtime', and from old cars to stuntmen, and marching bands from US high schools to cultural dancers, there was a whole variety of participants, from all walks of life. 

As we all know, a new year is about putting the past behind you and starting fresh, which feels ever more so poignant with the year starting on a Monday. Other than going to Berlin next week, I don't really having anything planned for 2018, so I'm not going to worry too much about what I want to happen and just let it roll out as it comes, taking each day with fresh eyes.

In terms of goals and resolutions, I just want to improve myself in order to improve my mental health. I'm halfway through my degree now - doesn't time fly?! - so I just need to keep on going. 2019  is going to be a big year, so my main aim this year is to save up enough money for me and Harry to travel to somewhere really nice to celebrate everything that's happening. We would love to go to Mexico, and at this stage it seems unrealistic, but I'm determined not to settle for second best!

Back to this year though! I'm looking forward to it, and I hope it brings you all happiness.

Georgia.xo 

Looking Back Over 2017

Without being too cliche, 2017 has definitely been full of highs and lows. I don't want to remember 2017 for the struggles though, because I've had some amazing opportunities and experiences throughout the year.

Today I'm going to look back over the year and look at all the amazing memories I've made.

In January I went to New York for the first time. If that's not the best way to kick off the new year I don't know what is. It was an amazing opportunity, and despite ringing my parents up halfway through because I didn't take enough money (when was $300 ever going to be enough), I'm so glad I went. I would love to go back, but if I don't get the chance I'm grateful for being able to go this once. 

Easter of this year was a period of time where I was at my happiest. The weather was gorgeous and we spent so much time outdoors, making the most of the beautiful place that I call home. I also applied for, and was given, my summer job, which has been a massive part of my 2017, but we'll touch on that later.

Also this spring, me and Dad went on the British Airways i360 in Brighton. Not only did we get to see some amazing views from an incredible height, but it gave us quality time to spend together and I'm grateful for that. 

I took this amazing human to his favourite place in the world. Seeing the constant smile on Harry's face made the heat stroke, from walking around the Colosseum in the sun for too long, worth it. 

As I said above, my job at Middle Farm has been a massive part of 2017. Not only did it develop my social skills, but I've met a lovely group of people, and I've been able to go back this Christmas. During the summer I got to stand outside in the sun and sell ice cream from an bicycle; for the first time I actually loved my job. 

I ate a lot of good food, especially good Mexican food! 

My little brother had his Year 11 prom and made me feel very old. And by the looks of this picture very short. 

I was lucky enough to have three holidays this year, and going back to Corfu was one of my best memories of 2017. It's my favourite place in the whole world (although I still have a LOT of exploring to do) and being able to take Harry meant so much. 

In the autumn Mr Woo officially became a Hendry. Isn't he the cutest little Shih Tzu you've ever seen?!

The FCP London trip was another highlight. I'd started second year a bit half hearted and was genuinely considering quitting. If I hadn't of gone to London though, I wouldn't have met the girls that are now such a huge part of my life. Within the two/three months of being back at uni I've developed an amazing friendship group and I owe quite a lot to them.

I decided to focus more on my blog after falling out of love with my course, and my '7 Things You Need To Watch On Netflix This Autumn' post has been the most read post since I started my blog all those years ago! Although Blogmas failed a bit, I'm really pleased with what I've achieved with my blog in these last few months and I'm excited for 2018.

The FCP 2 x COW project enabled me to end the year on a high. Originally I was going to bunk of because I "knew" I would hate every minute of it, but in reality I loved every second! And winning was the cherry on top.

Writing this post has made me realise how much the little negative things can shade all of the big positive things, because I've actually had a really good year and I'm so grateful for everything I've been able to do. Next year I want to say yes more, and I want to learn how to control my mental health better. Unlike last year I've got absolutely nothing planned for the year to come, so I'm excited to see how it pans out!

Georgia.xo

Christmas Tag

First and foremost I want to not apologise for my very poor effort with Blogmas over the last few days. On Thursday I forgot to post, on Friday I quickly posted something at about 11pm in a desperate effort not to forget again, but then I forgot again yesterday. Sorry, but I'm not sorry. Working full time and trying to blog full time, whilst trying to catch up with everyone while I'm back, is not the one. I'd got out of my full time work routine, which I had throughout the summer, so for the last few days I've completely crashed out; and my mental health comes first right?

But to ease us in to the big day, tomorrow, I'm going to do a quick Christmas tag!

1. What is your favourite Christmas Movie/s?
Oooh there's so many to choose from. Elf, Deck The Halls, and Love Actually are definitly my top three. But I went to see A Bad Moms Christmas a month or so ago and it was SO good!  

2. Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?
Every year up until now, me and Harry have given each other one present each on Christmas Eve, because we wouldn't be seeing each other on Christmas Day. This year however, is a different story! How exciting! 

3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?
I have quite a few to be honest. There was one year where we went to see Disney's Christmas Carole at the cinema and then we went to Pizza Express. That was one of my favourite Christmas Eve's because it was different to what we'd usually do. Another memory I have is when we spent Christmas in Cumbria and we'd just arrived at the cottage and dad was trying to do the fire, but he just ended up filling the whole room with smoke. There was also one Christmas Eve when Harry came over and he made me watch all of the Twilight films back to back - it's not very Christmassy is it! 

4. Favourite festive food?
I'm such a foodie, the list could go on for miles! My mum owns about 50 million cookbooks and Jamie Oliver magazines and I was going through them the other day and I think she got a bit fed up with me saying "ooh what about this?!" 

Mince Pies are a must. I also really like roasted parsnips, which probably sounds a bit weird but a Christmas dinner isn't a Christmas dinner without parsnips. 

5. Favourite Christmas gift?
I don't really like this question, it makes me feel a bit ungrateful. There was one particular Christmas though; I'd been asking for a green iPod nano (I was very specific in the fact that it had to be green). I didn't think I'd get one because with three kids my parents never really brought us gifts from the likes of Apple. But they did buy it for me! My mum wrapped it up about 20 different times with wrapping paper and boxes so it was really unexpected. 

6. Favourite Christmas scent?
I don't really have one. I'm the worst blogger ever, I know. However, there is a candle in Marks and Spencer's at the moment, which I think is mandarin, clove and cinnamon, and it smells devine. It's not too sweet or overpowering like some Christmas candles can be. 

7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
As you can probably tell from question three, we tend to get up to different things each Christmas Eve. Although, one thing that is a tradition is that Harry comes to see me. We've always spent Christmas Eve together, even before we were going out. I like to actually go out and do something, like go to the cinema or the pub. 

8. What tops your tree?

It used to be a very wonky angel. But this year we brought a new rose gold star to go with our rose gold theme. That's quite wonky too actually. 

9. How will you be spending Christmas this year?
Just the five of us at home. Nothing better than being able to stay in your pyjamas and not worrying about impressing the relatives. 

10. What's the best part about Christmas for you?
The run up. The last day of school/uni when everyone's excited because you know if you get through this one last day it'll be the Christmas holidays, putting up the Christmas tree, looking for something to eat or drink knowing full well that 95% of the fridge contents is to be saved for the big day, you get my drift. Christmas Day itself goes so so fast, and for the last couple of years I've had to work either Christmas Eve or Boxing Day or both so it doesn't really feel like you're getting time off, so you have to make the most of the whole experience. 

ItsGeorgia.xo

5 Christmas Films You Need To Watch

Working in retail means that I'm not getting much downtime leading up to Christmas, so when I do get the chance to chill out, there's nothing nicer than having a cosy afternoon eating celebrations and watching Christmas films. Today I'm going to share with you my top 5 Christmas films that I completely recommend and will never get old.

1. Love Actually
If you don't watch this at least twice leading up to Christmas you have no heart. It's such a British classic and feel good film, and now it's been uploaded to Netflix so you have absolutely no excuses.

2. The Grinch
Admittedly we never used to watch the Grinch a lot in the Hendry household, but in the last couple of years it's been a must-have for me and Harry. I love his little dog and every time I watch it I still can't believe that little Cindy Lou is Taylor Momsen.

3. Miracle on 34th Street
I've had this sitting in my Netflix saved list for weeks now, but we only got round to watching it the other day and it's become one of my favourite Christmas films. It's a complete classic, set in New York City (is there really anything more Christmassy?) and you will fall in love with Kris Kringle, who's played by Richard Attenborough.

4. Home Alone (1 and 2)
I don't really have to say anything about these films, because if you haven't seen them you've obviously been living under a rock. I know there's a third one but is it really Home Alone without Kevin? Give yourself the afternoon and watch them back to back, and then I promise you will truly be in the Christmas mood.

5. Fred Clause
I wouldn't call it a classic but it is such a good film. I don't think this film is given the recognition it deserves.

6. Elf
Everyone loves a bit of Buddy the Elf. I'm actually watching it as I type this. I hadn't actually watched this until 2 or 3 years ago, but it's definitely a favourite and a must to watch. It's also set in New York so what's not to love.

7. Deck The Halls 
This has been one of my favourites for years and even though the rivalry between Steve and Danny really annoys me, and it's so predictable, I still watch it year after year.

So these are my favourite Christmas films, and I hope that they give you some ideas if you're finding yourself a little undecided about what to watch this weekend!

Georgia.xo

Christmas Gift Wrapping Inspiration

I would like to say that I take pride in my wrapping when it comes to Christmas presents, but with a nice big uni work/job sized pile on my plate right now, present wrapping has dropped down a few places on the priority list.

I don't like to be lazy though, and there are some super easy ways to make your presents look like you've made two months worth of organised effort, when in actual fact you were panic wrapping after you suddenly realised that the big day was less than a week away.

On my Pinterest I have put together a quick gift wrapping inspiration guide. Whilst a couple of these images are very aspirational, some of them are a whole lot easier than they actually look. For example, just buy some plain brown paper and paint on the bow, or buy some letter stamps (Tiger sell them) and print the people's names on with ink. Even though it probably took you 10 seconds, that hand finished touch makes the experience of gift giving that little bit more special.

A lot of shops now are selling very attractive wrapping paper, especially Scandi style shops like Tiger (I promise I'm not being paid commission on this!) This candy cane print paper was only a couple of pounds, so its superb if you're a student on a budget, like me. Make sure your added touches, like labels and ribbons, match one of the colours within the print and you're good to go!

I think whether you've gone to the extreme lengths of cutting branches off the back of your Christmas tree, or have just brought some cheap paper whilst whizzing past the shops, having a colour scheme makes all of the difference. Browns, reds and whites are particularly festive and go beautifully together, as does gold with black or white.

Georgia.xo