Peace

It has been said a million times before and we are always striving for something more, we always want something somebody else has, and we forgot what we have once made us happy, and can still continue to make us happy. I try to be happy all the time, even if I am a little stressed or feeling a little alone, or feeling a tad upset I just try to hide it, because it will burden other people. I know a burden shared is a burden halved, but at the end of the day you have still passed it on. And I truly believe I don't have that much missing from my life.

Sure there are things that get me a little down, like my appearance, or sometimes I'm not with somebody who I can be with 24/7 or console to, and sometimes whether I am doing good enough in my work, or whether my family are okay back at home, or my sisters are happy. But with all of these things I can ALWAYS find the positive side. 

I've told some of my friends this where positivity and happiness is something you think about, and I think they kind of shrug it off, as if just changing the way you think and your outlook won't help them at all. When it has been proven to do so, so many times before. Most of the times we just need to be thankful for what we do have, the people, the possessions and our ability to reflect on all this. 

I have a major case of FOMO (fear of missing out), or I used to anyways, but it still lurks within me. And I think it is always because I don't want to miss out on anything, and I don't even know why. It is during stages of fomo where I dip in and out of positivity and I find myself being negative and weary of my decisions, and it sucks, because I shouldn't have to compare myself to what everybody else is doing or experiencing. If I want to do it, and if I believe it will be fun or enriching I should go and do out, but it has turned into things like weekly clubbing, and that sucks that I compare myself in terms of what I am doing, where I am going with my friends, and how often.
And the quote above just highlights exactly what I want to tell myself everyday. It presents my pessimistic side, and yet always finding the positive.
I hope for everybody that this is the case eventually.

Shoreditch

So we all have that deep down hipster that wants to explore all the hip cool places in town. Shoreditch is apparently one of them, full of cafes and markets and a stones throw away from Liverpool Street and London Bridge it is super easy to get to.
My recent hipster adventure took to Albion in Shoreditch, which sells produce, breakfast and dinner.

 Couldn't miss this photo opportunity of the fresh fruits and veggies, and a few tourists looking at us.

 Fresh produce and all the organic and good hipster jars you'd ever need to fulfil that need.

 The seating area and kitchen, this was whilst in the queue and considering the line it went pretty quickly. Even though some people (e.g. us) mope around on the tables reading newspapers, talking, eating slowly!

 The cheapest drinks of the menu. Student Life eh. The usual condiments for breakfast and something a little different, I believe was called the Oxford Sauce, it can be found here at http://oxfordfinefood.com/baron-pouget%E2%80%99s-oxford-sauce.html/. I wasn't expecting to like it, but actually if you love vietnamese food and vinegar like me this is a gem. 

When our breakfast sausage, bacon and egg bap finally arrived. Delicious, so big and so filling. Took forever to eat. The bap especially was delicious!

 Boxpark, little pop up boutiques.

 The flowers in Shoreditch are so pretty, and SO expensive. The paper wrapping and the colour combination of the flowers are so pretty though!

 After walking around for a little in Shoreditch we retired to Pauls. Firstly we tried at Covent Garden, completely packed and waiter even told us he would have no idea what time the table would be ready. So we just went to find another Paul, it's the small wonders of a metropolis like London that makes everything so convenient. 

 The tart was good and the tea so so, but the service was appalling here at the branch near Charing Cross. So if you ever visit a chain bakery/cafe/restaurant probably best to visit the most well known ones, because they are well known for a reason.  

Life and Food Lately

Lately life has been quite busy, not that I'm complaining. Somehow I am still taking time out of my schedule to entertain myself and others and gorge on good food!

Asian food is definitely food for the soul. This is a place I come if I want something "authentically asian" but far enough off that I feel like I couldn't have it at home. Pompokos is somewhere I go where I fancy a katsu curry. They do two different types of chicken katsu here, different to anywhere I am used to. They do the breaded, which I almost always have, and the fried chicken katsu curry. Both, delicious. Pompokos is super cheap and super tasty, I return regularly and no doubt I will be back again soon. 

 The noodle bowl that all my friends seemed to get but me. I can't refuse anywhere that does katsu curry I'm afraid! The only place I will do this is Wagamama, I cannot stand that curry. It tastes completely different, it doesn't even taste like curry. (Sorry, not sorry, turning into a rant)

This made for an interesting picture, a graffitied wall in the cellar of my friend's house, which is actually quite creepy the more I think about it. And yet so cute! The journey down to the cellar was even more scary, the steepest wooden steps you could ever go down!

Party in the cellar? Sounds like a better idea than actually having one I'm afraid. The dark is too much for 3 girls and 1 guy to handle!

Girls night out in Brighton, as per usual we ended up in Pryzm, which seems to be the only place we are ever at nowadays! First off we started at Be At One, expensive cocktails, bit of an older crowd, music too loud, it just wasn't the dreamy bar I'd been thinking of. At least I have experienced it to know better now. 

 Here I am again at Viet Rest in Deptford, one of my favourite vietnamese restaurants. A chicken salad to begin. The flavours are so fresh and the vinegar makes everything a little tastier.

My main dish considered of the vietnamese style ham (dreamy), banh cuon the meat inside the rolls are just delicious. My favourite dish most definitely, piled on with vinegar. This dish over pho anyday, I'm sorry, controversial comment.

And again, I find myself in Foodilic on North Street in Brighton. For £6.99 buffet style you really can't hate it. The vegetables taste fresh enough, the seasoning and sauces that they place on them just make it even more yummy! This place secured my love for cous cous! For a vegan style restaurant they really know how to make their chicken and beef!

Brighton is fully of quirky little places and the people are even quirkier. Most people here are lovely though, and it's nice to see little graffiti like this around from time to time. In 2 years I had never driven up this road and I am so glad I did and manage to capture this.

 Selfie time, and James making new friends. Guess where? PRYZM again. 

Finding Motivation

Finding Motivation
It's the 8th week into the 1st term of the 3rd year at University. I know a lot of people are at this same stage in life. I also know there are several people also lacking motivation just like me.
You somehow start off term so excited, so eager, so ready.
For me it was early mornings, library sessions everyday and reading everyday. That turned into several times a week to hardly a few days a week. It's difficult to keep yourself motivated when there aren't any formal deadlines. I am living proof.
There are however a few things I do to stay motivated.

1. Write down goals.
A lot of people say this, but genuinely I think it helps. A daily reminder of your goal (maybe it's writing an essay, doing exercise or drinking more water). When you write down these goals there is no way for you to avoid thinking about it.
Write it down where you can see it, post it note, notebook, phone notes, phone background.

2. Getting out of Bed
I find if you get out of bed early enough in the morning it just motivates and sets the tone for the day. The earlier you are awake, the less other people are, the less distractions there are. Especially in a student household. Wake up anytime before 10am, you're guaranteed to have the house to yourself and silence (if that is what you like). And yes getting out of bed is the hardest part, your alarm rings at 7am and you feel groggy and can't even seem to open your eyes. But once you roll out of bed and into the bathroom, you're instantly energised. I've recently been reading a book called "Find Your Happiness" and it is about a journey of a woman who took a few steps over a year to change her perceptions and actions to find her happiness. One of her goals was "act how you want to feel", so if you want to feel energised, get up and about, and you're almost, I say almost, guaranteed to be more energised.

3. Talk to People Who Motivate You
It's easy in a University environment to find people who can motivate you. Most people will have an end goal in sight, most probably a job. We are also all hoping to gain qualifications from this, and it is hugely motivating to find people going through the same thing as you. To talk about your goals, to talk about what you are doing on your journey. If your University friends aren't motivating, your home friends, your parents, your cousins. There is somebody. Maybe even those people who have supposedly "reached" their goals, talk to them, it is bound to make you feel more motivated.

4. Reading Blogs/Books About Motivation
I love reading things to do with anything, motivation, happiness, academic studies. It is my way of procrastinating when I'm not reading my formal work. There are lots of places to find motivational words if you don't wish to fork out on a book. BLOGS mostly, wherever you look there is motivation everywhere. Daily there is bound to be an established blogger writing about how they've been motivated, what they look for for motivation, and how they continue to be motivated. Give them a read. Places like Elite Daily and Thought Catalog are also great places for motivation for millennial's, and everything in between.

5. Dream 
Those few seconds for me before bed before I past out, I dream about my goals, and that mostly gives me motivation for the morning to roll out of bed. It almost always dictates my dreams durning my sleep too and makes it that little bit easier to get up.

I always find solace in a motivational quote too, and they are everywhere online.
So if you're a student, or anybody lacking in motivation right now, give these little things a try. If they don't help, don't do anything drastic to me please. Enjoy and hopefully it helps!

Life of a Pessimist but an Idealist

Life of a Pessimist but an Idealist

So you're probably thinking these are conflicting personality traits. I would agree with you to a certain extent. Definition of a pessimist is somebody with "a tendency to stress the negative or unfavourable or to take the gloomiest possible view" and an idealist is "influenced by ideals that often conflict with practical considerations". However I do believe I am both.

I am pessimistic at times, and it can be beneficial in a couple of ways.
1.You never expect so you are never disappointed. 
Maybe I'm using never a little too lightly here because obviously I do sometimes have expectations. Sometimes I'll be expecting my steak to be phenomenal and it turns out bland, sometimes I'll be expecting to receive a message and it doesn't come. But most of the time I know to tell myself not to expect.

2. You can prepare yourself for the worse case scenario
You've told yourself what could happen, so if it doesn't work out you've already set your guard up and you can get over any situation pretty quickly. Saving time is always a good thing.

It can also be negative.
1. You always expect the worst so you kind of just shut people off.
Especially when it comes to friendships and relationships. You kind of expect the least from them, expect nothing to come from it, or expect they don't like you all that much. It's pretty sad really.

2. It can stop you from even trying.
Sometimes I talk myself of actually doing stuff, or getting involved with people, or applying for jobs or anything within this nature. Because I'll think of the worse case scenario and the negativity will overtake the positive.

The thing is I'm a pessimist, but I am a positive person. I think positively and try to tell myself even if it doesn't work out it doesn't matter. Even if the worse case scenario happens there are always other chances, always other people. In whatever negative situation I will always try to find a positive, and I guess that is where my idealist personality trait comes out.
So the next time somebody tries to insult you and call you a pessimist, tell them it isn't all negative and actually you can be a pessimist as well as an idealist.
So enjoy what you are, and tell yourself positive things. You are you and don't let people talk you down. Because all personality traits have good and bad points, so be happy, be you and be happy about being you :)

10 Reasons Why Being Single Right Now Is Bliss (..for me)

10 Reasons Why Being Single Right Now Is Bliss (..for me)

So I know singledom can have it's pitfulls, and lord knows there are people who hate it with a passion, always needing somebody to hold their hand (or more if you want to divulge into all those nitty gritty details). But in my time alone, I have found it to be actually my happiest (so far). So here's 10 reasons I am happy to be single, and some reasons you may be or should be too!

1. I can sleep at whatever time of night I want to. 

If I want to conk out at 8pm I can, if I want to sleep at 3am I can too. No reserving time for late night phone calls, no 3 hours lost of chatter if I am really tired. Sleeping makes me happy, and the more you sleep the more likely you are to have a better day the next day, productively and for your body.

2. I can speak to whomever I want, whenever I want.

No jealous boyfriends or girlfriends telling you you shouldn't be friends with somebody because maybe their is a possibility of liking every single other opposite sex friend you have. Make friends with whomever, or don't make friends with whomever, totally your choice! Who knows what you might be passing up, maybe the big networking opportunity you've been waiting for, maybe your future who you've given up to be with your current, who knows.

3. I can plan my schedule around me.

Gone are the days where I prioritise somebody else's schedule over mine. Wednesday? Oh, just volunteering and then I can do whatever I want. Gym? Maybe. Sleep? Also maybe. I can do whatever I want. 

4. There is nobody to argue with. 

I don't think I've argued with somebody for over a year and half. I genuinely don't have anything to argue about, or anything to get upset about. You know what they say, mo money mo problems, in this case no boyfriend no problems. I no longer wonder about what somebody else is doing, what time they'll be home, how long they'll be out for, whether they've eaten, whether we'll eat together, whether we'll be together 5 years from now. 

5. I don't spend my time attached to my phone.

When around a group of friends, I no longer check my phone every 2 mins just to see if they've text me, what time I should text them. 

6. I can choose to look like a slob or look as dressed up as I want wherever I want. 

I no longer have to get dressed up into the world and face seeing somebody who might make a comment. And if they do make a comment I'm not likely to care. So there. I can be as lazy as I want. 

7. Winter means I can eat as much food as I want.

Nobody will be there to question why I've suddenly added two muffins to myself. Nobody will be there to question the pouch on my stomach. 

8. I spend 10 less minutes in the shower every shower time.

No need to shave my legs, my armpits and anything else that requires shaving. I can even save money on buying razors. So hello? Why wouldn't I be happy. Saving time and money, and time is money. It all comes full circle.

9. I prioritise time with my family more.

My family will be there with me forever, and I want to be there for them now too. The little cousins in my family who won't be as cute as they are now in 5 years time, I am able to see them grow, help them grow and just enjoy being around them.

10. I am free, so free. 

In the last year I've travelled, I've made new friends, I've picked up new hobbies. 

So for some people this may not make them happy, but these combined for me has added to the little piece of happiness that I already had in my life. Being single isn't all bad, and it isn't all bad, sometimes you just need to see the good, and welcome change if it ever comes. 

Blogtober #31

Blogtober #31: Halloween Costume

So a little late, but better than never.

This year I just got lazy, didn't want to deal with make up, didn't want to dress up in the typical slutty/scary maid or princess or the LIST GOES ON. 

So.. I opted for Ninja, although half way through the night I, 

1. Lost the mask

2. Broke my nun chucks

3. Threw away my "belt"

The big reveal wasn't so big after all.

And here I am already drawing a close to Blogtober. It was fun to be able to write a blogpost everyday, although sometimes I would leave it untouched for a few days at a time (bad me). But I completed it, I stuck with it. And it's time to say goodbye to October, full of ups and downs and generally just life moving along. 

And lets all welcome November, the festive period is drawing ever nigh!