Friday 28 December 2012

Rose & Violet's


These are my favourite chocolates ever.
It's become a bit of a tradition that I get a box every Christmas and I love it! They're dark chocolate covered rose/violet crèmes. I would imagine that for most people they're too dark but dark chocolate is my favourite, so I'm always rather happy when I receive them!
I don't really have them any other time of the year because they're a bit of a treat and I like that they're connected to a particular time!
Unfortunately there are only 8 in a box so I don't get many! I suppose it just makes them more special though.
(Sorry about the randomness; I opened them to motivate my revision!)
Jess xx

Thursday 27 December 2012

Internet teenager initiation: complete!

I stayed in bed with my laptop for the entire day yesterday! I'm officially a teenager of the internet! I'm planning on doing the same today! Apart from this time I'm in my lounge clothes instead of pajamas...
Granted, I have been working on my extended project almost solidly since yesterday morning so I think a bit of comfort and laziness is allowed! I'm determined to finish the background research today, it's driving me insane! It's 15 pages long and I haven't finished yet! It's mental!!!
I have so much work to do over the next week and a half or so...I have to read 2 and a half books, revise a whole term of biology, do a 500 word piece for my English coursework and finish this off...all by 7th January!
In advance, if I don't blog much between now and then, it's because work is taking over my life completely. But I'll make up for it next year hopefully!!
Jess xx

Tuesday 25 December 2012

2,000!

Also just a quick note, I've reached 2,000 views on my blog!!
Thank you to the people who actually read my blog frequently, this couldn't have happened without you! I'm so happy and this is like an amazing Christmas present from you guys!
Hopefully this will continue to be awesome in the future and hopefully you guys will continue to enjoy reading all of my little rambles, rants and thoughts!
This is also incidentally my 100th post which is awesome, I can't believe that it's come around so quickly!!
Much love, Jess xxx

IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!

I hope you guys all have a fantastic day and got what you wanted!!
I'm honestly so happy, today has been so good! I love my presents and the food has been amazing, it's so nice to just spend time with the family! We're going to play games in a bit, everyone is stuffed full! I'm writing my first blog post from my brand new laptop/tablet which is really exciting and awesome!! It'd so good!! It doesn't have iTunes but it's so good because now I can use the proper windows to do my work with instead of the mac windows which doesn't have the proper referencing tools. Now I have the right stuff for college so I can do work in Starbucks now too! It's so so good!
I also got these adorable slippers from Santa! They're fluffy inside too, I love them :)
 
My cute slippers!!
I also got given season 2 of Sherlock!!! I'm so happy, now I have both seasons! I have one of Regina Spektor's albums and a mixed album of Ingrid Michaelson's, it's 2 and a bit albums in one!
My family know me so well though, I've been given so much chocolate and sweets, it's great!
Another awesome thing is that my Auntie gave me a Starbucks mug and another gift card! :) I'm slowly growing a mug collection now! My friend also got me an Edward Monkton mug and a Baker street sticker! My friends know me so well. I also got moustache cookie cutters which is so cool :D and Santa got me stick on moustaches too so I'm going to have a bit of fun with them! :P
I won't go on though, I'm just so happy with all of my presents because they're all so awesome and me! I know they're all going to get good usage out of all of them :3
I'm such a 5 year old at Christmas, it's so exciting, I looooove it!

On a totally different note, I've finally heard the songs from A Very Potter Senior Year, it's amazing1 I can't wait until the actual production is put up on YouTube next year, it sounds like it's going to be fantastic! I need to find the script on the internet somewhere soon! :D
 Doctor who tonight as well! I'm so excited! I just hope it's happier than Merlin was last night! I was so close to crying! Merlin has been a part of my life for 5 years now, I've watched it right from the beginning and now it's finished for good! :( But it was a really good end, so well done and the actors were fantastic, I just wish it had gone on for longer because I'm going to miss it; now I have to buy the box sets for all of the series and just watch them back! :P
It's also Danisnotonfire and AmazingPhil's Christmas radio show on Radio1 tonight too, I'm so excited, I love them so so much :D
Anyway, I should go, not right to be away from the family on Christmas! I hope you all have a fantastic rest of the day, I know I will!
Jess xxx

Saturday 22 December 2012

End of the world!

Well, we all survived yesterday, what a surprise! ;)
I did however, manage to half kill myself, how ironic! Me and some friends went to the pub after college ended and played cards (great fun! I'm now a master at spoons, assassin and cheat ;P), we then decided to go to the park :) I went on the zip wire...I started by running off the platform, then my friend pushed me so I was going pretty fast...then all hell breaks loose. I hit the end bit and the whole seat bit swung up...I then hit my head on the wooden support beams...I felt so dizzy but I kept hold luckily. I got off and almost fell over, but luckily my friend was there to catch me and put me on the floor. And then blood.
We went through 2 whole packets of tissues trying to stop the blood coming out of my head...but my friends called an ambulance and then the paramedics came and said that I only had a couple of cuts/grazes on my head so nothing really serious, he still took me to the hospital in town though. There, they cleaned me up so I didn't look like I was part of the apocalypse and said I only had grazes so I didn't need to have anything stuck back together! But they did say I'm not allowed to do anything for the next few days and that I'm allowed to sleep lots :3 always a plus side to getting injured!
I now have massive bumps on my head and a bit of a headache but nothing major luckily :) I'm feeling a lot better than I was yesterday but the littlest things are tiring me out :(
Hopefully I get better quickly though! On the plus side though, everyone is being really supportive and making sure that I'm okay which is really nice :)
Christmas holidays have officially started now though which is really exciting, ALMOST CHRISTMAS!!! :D
Jess xx

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Lion King!

It's a week until Christmas! I'm so excited; I'm like a 5 year old! 
We watched a bit of the Lion King in English today, we're watching the rest on Thursday!
I also had a biology mock today which I think went pretty well! I also saw my teacher after I'd finished (she wasn't in the lesson) and she said that in the last end-of-module test, I got an A!!! It's the first A in biology, plus barely any revision! I'm beyond happy with it!!! I'm capable of getting my needed grade in my worst subject which is fantastic!
My classics teacher went home ill today though which sucked, but I got to go home early which was pretty cool! Just hope she isn't really ill, my ancient history teacher was off the whole of last week because of some bug too!
I had a bit of a mental breakdown on Sunday because I was super stressed about my A levels but it's okay because I've managed to get my work under control now. I had loads of work to do on Sunday (English coursework essay plan, the actual essay, biology revision and just the fact I had a mock!) and now all I have left to do is type up my English coursework essay properly! Hopefully I can do that tonight!
But yeah, the work has been crazy this week so that's why I haven't blogged for a few days, sorry!
Only 2 lessons tomorrow though, then biology revision for the actual exam! I'm pretty happy about it all at the moment! Hopefully it stays good :)
Jess xx

Saturday 15 December 2012

Lions and Llamas!

Over the last month or so, I've been watching a couple of YouTubers called Dan (Danisnotonfire) and Phil (AmazingPhil). They are so so funny, I must have watched over 30 videos just since last weekend, I think I've found a new obsession and love :3 they live in london as well and they're so so weird, but amazing too :') I assume most of you have seen their videos because they're awesome, but if you haven't:
Dan's YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/danisnotonfire
Phil's YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/AmazingPhil

On another equally awesome note, I"M SEEING THE HOBBIT TOMORROW! I'm so so excited, it's one of the few times I've been invited to do something with my college friends so I'm happy! But I have to finish off a lot of work before I go :( Classics work, my english coursework essay plan, a practice paper for biology and some other questions for biology. I basically have to re-read the Odyssey, Hamlet and Macbeth, and go through an entire term's worth of biology work .___. It's going to be murder but SO WORTH IT!! :D

Gotta go finish that now so talk later!
Jess xx

Tuesday 11 December 2012

Reading

This is currently my favourite quote ever. It's so true! It's my phone background at the moment.
Reading is such an amazing thing and I believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to read. It's such a fantastic experience that broadens your imagination and lets you discover worlds that you could only dream of! It gives you the opportunity to meet new characters, get to know them and their stories; and the best part of all is that no matter how long you take to read the book, and no matter how many times you put it down and pick it up again, you'll always be sucked right back in to old adventures with old friends and they'll be as fresh in your memory as if you read them yesterday!
There are so many genres of books that there will be a book for just about anyone! You're bound to find one you fall in love with if you search enough.
Also, the smell of old and new books are amazing, you have to smell it to understand!
I always find myself visiting bookshops when I go out, they're always cosy and warm and have such a peaceful atmosphere that you want to just sit in a corner and read for hours. (I have actually just sat on the floor in Waterstone's before and read for about half an hour, it's great fun!) I can mostly tell if I'm going to like a book or not from the first chapter or so, so before I buy it, I always read a bit first! The problem then is that even if I don't think I like it, I still want to know what happens next! It shows that a book is good when it actually makes an impact on you!
Just thinking though, my favourite thing to do is actually curling up with a hot chocolate and a book! So peaceful and nice to get away in your own little world and forget the real world for a while, it's amazing.
Anyway, if you don't read, just pick up a book and read the first few pages! If you don't enjoy it or aren't at least intrigued as to what happens next then try another until you find one that gives you questions that you want to answer! Then read the book! You might surprise yourself!
Jess xx

Sunday 9 December 2012

Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way...


First off, sorry about the capital in Jingle...it just looks weird all lower case...jingle...IT'S NOT RIGHT!
We've put the Christmas trees up! Yes, we have two. They are awesome :D

Tree 1
This is the original awesome tree we have and it goes in our living room! Usually we have it down by the dining table but this year mum decided to shake it up and BAM! It's now by the sofa and it looks awesome! :D we also have an awesome star...with a hedgehog sitting on it! It's so adorable!
TREE!


HEDGEHOG ANGEL!

Tree 2
We got this tree last year AND IT'S SHINY! It lives by the front door and I'm surprised that it hasn't been hit with the door and broken yet! It's so pretty though, all of the ornaments are glass so they look all shiny and pretty and I loove it!

Tree 2! IT'S SO SHINY!


By the way, sorry if the post is a bit messy/weird/everything is underlined. The blog poster has decided to go skits again and it's being all weird so I can't sort out the problems at the moment >:[ 
Jess xx

Decembrrrrrr


It's been so cold recently! It's definitely almost Christmas! I'm so excited!
On Friday, it was the late night shopping where I live. The high street looked so pretty with all of the
Christmas lights and stalls! The shops were all lit up and some were even playing Christmas music! I saw some of my old friends too which was fantastic, I've missed them all so much! When you've been away from people that you spent what have been (so far) the most important years of your life, you realise how close you are with them when it's like you never left them after not seeing them for months! It really makes you appreciate true friends and they'll always have their own little space in my heart, no matter where I go and who I meet. I love you guys! 


I also got a gorgeous scarf from one of the shops for only £8!! It's so nice! I can't wait to see what I can match it with! I've got a nice collection of scarves now, but I didn't have a floral one like this so I was over the moon when I found it! 
My pretty scarf I bought for only £8!!
Yesterday, my grandma gave me a little box of chocolates from Fortnum & Mason, it's adorable! It's a teeny box with 6 squares of chocolate in them, each a different flavour! There's Ginger, Mint, Cinnamon, Milk, Coffee and Orange. I can't wait to try them, Fortnum & Mason always do the best food!
The teeny box of chocolates!
I also went to Longacres for the first time in about 3 months which is awesome because it sells loads of american food! I have a slight obsession so if you read this regularly you would know that this makes me incredibly happy, especially when mum buys me stuff! :D Grape Fanta, everlasting Gobstoppers and laffy taffy makes me happy :) 


2 litres of grape Fanta and Wonka's everlasting Gobstoppers!
(Laffy taffy was eaten by the time I did this picture...but I had grape and strawberry!)
I'll be back later with a more Christmassy themed post!
Jess xx


Wednesday 5 December 2012

There's no business like snow business!


It snowed today! First snow of this year! Yay! It's officially christmas time!
I've been struggling recently with concentrating on my work so yesterday I tried something new...turning off the internet. Shock horror! And funnily enough, it actually worked!!! :D I managed to do my Classics essay in under 2 hours because of that! But to work properly, I always have to be comfortable. In college today, we were talking about this and I've come up with a few ideas to figure out my best working conditions.
So here we go; Jess's ultimate working tips!
  1. Turn off the internet/social networking sites. If you still have to use the internet, try to do as much work at school where you can't access any distracting websites, I've only just realised this, but they're blocked for a reason. If you can't do work at school, restrain yourself from going on Facebook; set yourself a time period that you will work in without going off topic, and if you do this, give yourself a little break to check your timeline! Or get your parents to block social networking sites until you've finished the work! It can be annoying at the beginning but it's actually very useful!
  2. Clear your workspace of any distractions. Trust me, when you're procrastinating, ANYTHING can distract you. Make sure you only have what you need around you. Have anything that will motivate you to work around, just make sure you don't have fun things around! It'll help in the long run!
  3. Make sure you're relaxed and your head is clear. Trying to work when you're stressed and distracted by other thoughts is possibly one of the hardest things to do like, ever. If you need to, just watch a bit of TV or read before you start work. Just get relaxed and motivated to work, focus on it and concentrate. 
  4. Get a drink and snacks to keep you going throughout the work period. Make sure you keep hydrated when you're working or your mind will drift and you won't concentrate or work to you fullest potential. Set yourself mini goals and when you complete one, have a little snack! Be it sweets or a biscuit or an apple, anything you enjoy and will want to work towards! It's actually quite a good way to stay on track of work because you actually want to work to get the treat at the end of the section you're doing!
  5. Wear something comfortable. Tight or annoying clothes will stop you focussing on your work fully. I always change in to my lounge trousers/jogging bottoms when I do work at my desk because they're super soft, warm and baggy so I can sit any way I want to without them being tight and awkward. My thoughts are basically the slobbier the better! Baggy and comfortable is the best thing because you don't have awkward buttons or zips digging in to your sides or tummy when you're working! 
  6. Make a plan/to do list. For the last week or so, I've been making to do lists for each day. It makes it easy to organise and see what needs to be done each day, plus it gives you an extra bit of satisfaction when you cross something off! If you have to write an essay, make a plan. Honestly, over the last week or so, I've been set 3 essays and every time I've written an essay plan for it. It makes it easier to decide what to write as you can set out your main points, write out the quotes you want to use so you don't have to search for them (MASSIVE time saver!) and you can also move points around before you start writing it so it makes more sense! So much simpler! If you've never done it, try it. It will make such a difference to the amount of time you spend writing essays. It also allows you to basically write your essay in note form, get it checked by the teacher and only have to add in a few extra words to make it in to proper sentences! It doesn't have to be super detailed, but it also doesn't have to be sparse and barely any use at all! Writing out your main points, the quotes and the basic outline to the analysis makes essays so much easier. But remember, you don't have to stick fully to the plan, so if you come up with an awesome idea, don't forget to add it in! 
  7. Give yourself little, manageable targets to work towards. If you set tasks for you to do, it can make it easier to organise your revision/work. Cutting a mountain of work in to bite size chunks will help massively. Maybe you have a huge essay to do or a lot of research? Say that you'll write 2 paragraphs/points and then have a break, or find out 5 pieces of information then get a snack? YOu can tailor it to you, it's your work!
  8. Finally, DO WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU. If you already have a good way of working, ignore me and carry on! If you don't and like me, you get severely distracted a lot of the time, take note and try a few of these ideas out! They won't all work for everyone, some will work better and others will fail miserably. But if you don't try, you'll never know what works and what doesn't!
Hope this has been a massive help to anyone that's struggling with their work/revision skills :)

My perfect work set: Gingerbread latte, a few sweets and an essay plan!


Baggy lounge trousers and my cute dog slippers; how adorable are they?!

Jess xx

Tuesday 4 December 2012

hmm...

You know you just get the days where all you want to do is curl up in bed with hot chocolate and a good book, then forget the world for a bit? Yeah, having one right now :/
The problem is that I really don't have a specific idea why so it's even more annoying and confusing!
I guess it's just a mix of stress about exams coming up and missing Simon again. Plus the fact that I'm sure I've failed the biology end of topic test today too, probably doesn't help :( I hate days like this, it makes everything so difficult.
I'm always so positive about everything so the bad days are hard to deal with, they're few and far between these days luckily. Just wish I could snap out of it easier :(
Sorry about the lack of blogging recently though, I've been doing loads of work and I haven't had time to blog at all, but if I've had any ideas over the last few days, I've written them down so I can make a super awesome post sometime in the near future hopefully! :)
I've also got a new thing for wearing skirts and dresses; they're so comfortable and are actually really warm! Plus they always look prettier than jeans. Well, most of the time, anyway!
Ugh, I can feel a headache coming on...it really isn't my day :(
But yeah, Classics essay plan to do for tomorrow which will be interesting....
Jess xx

Saturday 1 December 2012

December

It's the first of december which means advent calendar and my grandma's birthday!! :3 we're going out for a meal and it's gonna be awesome ^.^ then I have to do loads of work when I get home D: a levels are getting pretty difficult now :( but it's fun :)
Anyway, I've gotta go :)
Jess xx