London Adventures!

Recently I took a 5 day trip with my parents to London which has put a perfect end to my time off from Sixth Form. I've been previously, however, being so young I cannot remember barely anything and therefore this was the perfect opportunity for me and my parents to be proper tourists and see all the sights in London! It's such an incredibly beautiful city and I was extremely excited about this trip, so much so I'd go back almost instantly. Here are some pictures of my trip!

Trafalgar Square

                                                                                 
                                       

Madame Tussauds

London Eye - River Thames 

Big Ben - Westminster

Picadilly Circus 

London Tower Bridge

St Paul's Cathedral 

Buckingham Palace

Time Away

Recently I took some well needed time away with my Parents to revisit Cornwall for the week. I've visited Cornwall twice, maybe three times, before but I always find it such a lovely place to go if you want to stay within the UK. After all the exam stress around 2 months ago, a holiday would have been much more ideal at that point but I can honestly say I feel much more rejuvenated and ready to face my results this upcoming week. 

Due to my anxieties going away from home can be quite a struggle however this time I managed well, even though a lot of the time I spent thinking of coming home but nevertheless I did really enjoy my time away and was very much so grateful for it. We spent a lot of the week going on well needed walks and visiting the lovely towns nearby. The majority of times I go away I seem to come back to a lot of things that quite literally overwhelm me and lead me to spending the majority of my summer holidays slumping around the house because I can't find the energy to get out and get things sorted for myself. However even though I came home to a lot of things pulling me down like thoughts of University and AS results day, I seemed to have managed just fine and began to pick myself up again very quickly by getting back into those well needed walks and important catch-ups with friends. 

I also find myself before a holiday putting a long playlist together of songs that I most probably won't ever listen to again after my holiday but feel I'll have a big urge to listen to when away. And as always I think it's one of the best things I do to prepare myself for time away as it allows me to remember those little walks away by the sea or those long drives at ridiculous times in the morning by just re listening to the songs and reliving those small but ever so nice moments that are quite possibly my favourites. But maybe that should be a blog post of it's own...?

Anyway, here are some pictures of my trip!

Fowey Harbour

Fowey Town

Padstow

  

Realisation

So my exams start very shortly and so I thought a very cliché blog post about my favourite chum would help me feel slightly better about it all! I've been friends with Megan since I was around 10 and have been ever since. Over the past 7 and a half years we've come to realise that we're incredibly alike, whether that's because we spend a ridiculous amount of time together or not I'm not so sure, but it's definitely helped us see a lot of things through together. Together we've gone through extreme lows and incredible highs that have made us the pair that we are today (oh how cheesy!!). I feel that we all go through a period where we want things we can't have or we want to do things we can't do that we forget all about what we've had all along and sometimes it's just nice to sit and think about everything you do have: family, friends, pets, bits and bob, all the little things you keep and say you'll look over but never do. I feel that these things make us who we are and keep us on track to finding out more about ourselves that we should know! Hence why I've taken time out to realise what's in front of me, someone who's definitely played a bit role in helping me through all my highs and lows and vice versa. She's been a lovely friend to me all these years and I'm incredibly greatful.
 THANKS MEG! X 

My Year So Far...

A month has almost past now of 2014 and already I feel I have had a rather strange start to the year, full of many highs and lows! It's rather daunting how much can actually happen in the space of a month, in my case, it's rather daunting how many times I can be happy and sad in the space of a month. I've spent such a tiny amount of January with my friends due to Sixth Form however I feel that the time I've actually spent with them has been rather precious in that it's made me not take my friends for granted. Even if I'm just sat having lunch with them at school or just a walk home with them, I never take these moments for granted just because I know one day I won't see them as much as I do now or even at all (now that is a very scary thought).

I've already thought a lot about my future and what I want to do after Sixth Form but I still seem to be within the same never ending hoop of which I can't seem to find the end of. I think I'll always find answering the question of "what do you want to do when you're older?" extremely hard, even when I've found a job because I'll always question my choices. Even now I question my A-Level choices when I feel I'm getting nowhere with them but I have to keep telling myself that the more work and effort I put in with them now, the better I'll feel when they're done because I know that if I've done my best then what else can I do? The thought of University is also a scary thought and of course I also don't have a clue what I want to do! Sometimes it's just good to 'go with the flow' and see where life takes you rather to be panicking about the future. Who knows, the answer may just come along some day and I may just know exactly what I want to do in the future, but for now, I'm happy to keep plodding along and waiting for the time to come!

Looking back...

I may just be the latest person with a blog post of 2013 however I've been just a little busy (and lazy). But anyway, I've decided now is the right time to actually think about this past year and just share what I got up to!

Year 11 - English 

My lovelies receiving our GCSEs 

My year started as one of those years where you take a look at the position you're in and think "I have the loveliest friends and the greatest plans for this year". But, like many people, those plans didn't really go as well as I'd hoped and instead my year was a rather surprising one for me in terms of the things that were thrown my way. First all of, 2013 was the last year of my GCSEs, one of which helped me to realise just how determined I can be when I know what I want. If it wasn't for this realisation I wouldn't have gained the lovely set of results I got in the summer, of which I was very very pleased with!

Throughout the year my friendship group changed and I came to terms with the person that I actually am. I've realised that I don't actually stand for much when it comes to somebody I don't particularly like. From this I've began to make changes in my life for the good, of which has helped me to make the lovely friends I know now and am grateful to have met. I spent a lot of the year worrying about what particular people thought of me and now I've come to terms with the fact that not everybody likes you and you will always come across people that won't like you and won't give you a chance. And if they're not willing to give you a chance then why try? Through this I have allowed myself to get closer to my 'little' group of friends and throughout the year made some lovely memories. One of which being a spontaneous trip to the seaside of which was truly hilarious and unforgettable; another being prom, of which all looked b-e-a-uuuutiful!

Prom

Cleethorpes

2013 was also the beginning of my A-Levels and of course joining Sixth Form. I wasn't so sure at first on the thought of speaking to different people however this soon changed. Now I find myself talking to such lovely people whom I never thought I'd find myself speaking to and I'm so so grateful to know each and every one of them. The year showed me just how stressed I can get however I'm still 'plodding' through and I'm still alive (thankfully!!!). I've become so much more confident and I honestly never thought I'd actually say such a thing last year.

Abigail's 17th 

Early September - Jakeycakes!

And lastly, it was the year that I turned 17. Now I know for sure that turning 17 doesn't make you feel any different, however I feel as though from last year I have most certainly grown up and matured (just a little). I've begun to step out of my comfort-zone a lot more and I've definitely tried to do things I wouldn't normally do. I mean... I can't even catch a bus by myself I'm that bad!! I may not have caught a bus by myself yet but I'm most certainly working on my anxiety and paranoia. Very recently I took my mock exams for my AS exams. Now normally I'd have a panic attack just before going into the hall, however through that week I controlled this and seem to be growing out of it. And maybe, just maybe, I might just get through a set of exams without a trace of panic.

Prom!

Paris!

Last summer I took a trip with my parents and my brother to France. This was probably the 6th or 7th time I've been to France and it never gets old! Last year it was our first visit to Paris, however because my brother was away last year and missed all the brilliant site-seeing, we decided to bring him along and show him this beautiful city!

Paris has so much to see and do and it's honestly my favourite place in the world (so far!).  All the fancy patisseries, restaurants, builings... Ahh it's just a fantastic city! Of course we visited all the best tourist spots such as the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris Love Locks Bridge, Place de la Concorde and the Chans de Lise. The pictures below are some of the better pictures I managed to take (from both years).

 Arc de Triomphe 

Eiffel Tower

Place de la Concorde

We spent all day walking around the city and using Paris' (almost) reliant underground (or Metro) to make our way around the city to see all the sites we wanted to see. However we had to limit ourselves to only seeing the sites rather doing the actual trips up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, up to the top of the Arc de Triomphe and exploring the Louvre as it took a full day to get round all of the sites and to fully take in the glory and beauty of it all. 

Louvre

River Seine 

I 100% recommend Paris to be on your list of places to visit next. The city is such a beautiful place and is honestly one of the best places I've been. All the sites are breathtaking and the excitement of it all is just fantastic. Though I've already been twice, I still have the utter urge to go back and do it all again!

Notre Dame Cathedral

Paris Love Lock Bridge

2013!

So now that 2013 has begun, I’d very much like to try to make some improvements in my life. I wouldn’t say that this is a “new year – new me” year, but a start on something positive. I am determined to make this year even better than 2012 as, looking back, 2012 was quite a good year for myself. I’m not too great with New Year’s resolutions, however this year I’m determined to at least give it a go. My New Year’s resolutions aren’t you’re average “cut down on chocolate”, “exercise at least twice a week”, but more of things that I feel I can improve on to make my life much easier for myself rather than a struggle.

       
 Have more motivation!
Looking back, 2012 was a productive year in exam preparation terms, however I feel that I could have pushed myself much more and could have made even bigger achievements that I did. I have to admit, my interest in my school work lacked A LOT of motivation and determination to get it all finished and get the grade I felt particularly pleased about. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I was very pleased with my grades, however I feel I could have done better and now is the time to start!

Don’t other think things!

I’ve been told numerous times by numerous people, “Hannah, you other think things way too much!” I never really took any notice of this as I just thought “well that’s how I am…” But due to the effect it has on me during exams I think now is the time to improve on this. I’d like to feel more relaxed about things, no matter how stressful something may be, I should just take a deep breath and get on with it and use my initiative. I think what started this off was the fact that when I was younger I’d always have an answer completely different to everyone else and was never confident enough to admit it. And if I’m honest, I really do hate being wrong.

  

 Gradually step out of my comfort zone

I’m a person who likes to keep themselves to themselves and I’m sure, in a way, this is a good thing. However since I recently turned 16, after looking back on my teenage years I feel I’ve missed out on really exciting things. I’m the type of person who chickens out going on a roller coaster when I get to the front of the queue because I can’t contain my nerves. And I’m also that person who goes to an exam like a bag of nerves… It’s not that I’m afraid of doing badly; it’s just the thought of sitting in a hall with numerous teachers looking at me. However during this year I’d like to change this and gradually feel confident in participating in things that I wouldn’t normally do.

Accept myself for who I am

My life revolves around worrying, it’s all I ever do nowadays compared to my younger self when I used to do whatever and ignore the bad remarks from others. However I remember when I was 8 years old and one of my best friends said horrible things about my weight. I was very thin then, and smaller than all of my friends. I never really understood what they meant by calling me “skinny”, however when I told my Mum and Dad they explained to me that they were “just jealous”, but I couldn’t quite comprehend why somebody would try to insult me but feel  envious over me at the same time. However as I got older I began to understand more. My younger self has made me the person I am today, in that I don’t take notice of the negative comments and instead show that individual who finds it appropriate to say such things that comments like that CAN hurt.