University Take Two.

I've now been back at University a week and a half and so far I'm completely loving it! The first week was freshers where all of the first years get settled in, get to know the Uni and their courses and get horribly drunk every night! It was nice being able to spend the week catching up with friends, making multiple trips to the pub/bar and doing some work to prepare for lectures!

This week marked the beginning of lectures and so far I'm loving every module I've picked! You get a lot more choice in second year and I'm really excited to see what the rest of my modules will be like. I've had three lectures so far (Artefacts, Greek Comedy and Peoples and Societies of the Ancient Near East) and I'm set to still have a few this week, introducing me to the rest of my modules (Greek History: Archaic to Alexander, Prospects for Ancient Historians and Egypt and the Greco-Roman World) which will be great! Most of the modules I picked this year with an ancient history side are Greek focused which is easily my favourite period and I'm glad I've been able to specialise that side of my degree that far already as I feel it will give me a good start for doing well this year!

For my Artefacts module, I had to choose 2 of 6 options to focus on. I've picked Pottery and Archaeological drawing with Small finds and coins as back up so I'm incredibly excited to start, no matter which combination of those three I get, as they all look amazing! I think it's awesome how we get to try completely new things like technical drawing as it'll be useful in the long run if I decide to go into Archaeology as a career (most likely!). 

My lectures are a lot more fun this year already because I know so many more people thanks to the dig this summer - I now know the names of most of the people in my lectures compared to maybe 5-10 last year which is really nice! I feel like I've also got a pretty solid friend group now so I'm already feeling like this year is going to be amazing!

This year I've become a student mentor for 12 first year students. The aim is to help them feel more settled and to be able to ask questions to someone has gone through what they're going through. I'm really enjoying being able to help the people who have emailed me with questions and who I've met up with for a chat! It's a really rewarding feeling as I know that a lot of people struggle to settle properly at Uni for a while.

I've moved into private halls this year and so far it's been pretty good - there have been a few problems with doors and radiators but nothing that's too problematic! My room is really lovely with more than enough space and the kitchen is gorgeous with a breakfast bar! It's about half an hour's walk from campus but it will really help me become fitter having to actually travel instead of just rolling out of bed like last year! 

I don't know how much I'm going to be able to post as I have a lot of work to do this year compared to last year...I'll post if and when I can! 

Jess xx

A Year of University.

A year ago today I received my A level results, also meaning that University has been a part of my life for an entire year. It's absolutely flown by, it feels like I've been at uni for years though! 

I thought it would be a good time to do a massive look back at all of the major parts of this year. I stopped blogging in January after hitting a major creative block and therefore you guys have missed out on hearing about the last 6 and a half months of my uni experience (basically 2/3 of the academic year...) 

Got a room for second year, February. 

I was originally going to go into a flat with my old roommate Lucy but I wasn't given a place so I decided to go into a private halls and try out a completely new group of people! I'm quite glad that I'm going into halls again as I don't need to worry about paying bills due to it being an all inclusive contract! I just hope that my flatmates are nice and I get on with them better this year (it ended up that I was only truly friends with Lucy, the others were bearable to live with but I wouldn't have out of choice again). Me and some of my course mates have already decided to live together in third year so I'm excited to see what that will be like! 

Went to Athens, March. 

This trip was incredible. Athens was always on my list of places to go so I jumped at the opportunity to go with the Archaeology society in the Easter holiday! I became closer with people in my year and the years above as well as making some new friends which is always a good thing! I got to see so many of the famous sites such as the Parthenon, Hephestaion, the Agora and some of the many museums dotted around the city. As I studied the Greeks in A level and 5th Century Athens this year, being able to see these places and things in person was almost surreal. The statues in the museums were far more beautiful in person than on paper and I throughly recommend a visit if you can afford it! If not, the British Museum houses some good examples of Greek sculpture which begins to scratch the surface of their beauty. 

A picture post of this trip will be posted soon as it's such a gorgeous place!

Passed first year, June. 

I ended up with 2 modules in the 50s and 4 in the 60s, giving me an overall mark of a 2:1 which I'm incredibly pleased with. I could have tried harder this year but as its a year for learning and understanding how university works, I'm happy I got to see what learning methods work for me, the best ways I write essays and how I revise the most efficiently. I've been given a reading list this year for some of my Autumn term modules so I'm trying to do as much of that as possible whilst writing notes down that I can look back on whilst I'm working during the year. 

Last September I was unsure whether I was good enough for uni and if I really deserved to be there so it's refreshing to know that the work I put in has proved that I am capable! It's a relief to know that I do suit University and academic life!

Boyfriend, June. 

You guys have seen how useless I am at keeping relationships and the one I was in when I was last writing fizzled out sometime around February. Before we were official, my current guy and I dated for a month and a half or so before to get to know each other and get comfortable around each other. It seemed to have worked well as we've been together about a month and a half (roughly since May overall!) and I'm joining his family out in Portugal for a few days of relaxation between work shifts at the end of the month which is exciting! This is going really well and I'm really happy with him so fingers crossed it stays this way!

Dug for 3 weeks in the Vale of Pewsey, June/July. 

The dig is a second year module but is also open to the public to volunteer and join. For the last 4 years I volunteered at the old Reading University field school which closed in 2014. This year was a new dig which obviously brought excitement and nerves as it was unfamiliar to me. Luckily it was equally as fun as the previous year's and I've gained several close friendships with people in my year from it which I'm grateful for. I love my friends in other years but expanding my friends in my own year is always good as I'm with them for the next two years! A Neolithic human burial was also found in one of the trenches which was incredible to see and just highlights the reason I love my degree - the thrill of not knowing what will be found is the best feeling when it comes to digging! The BBC also covered it and you can read more about it here.

This academic year has been challenging and at some points difficult, but I've really enjoyed myself and it's obviously paid off! I'm excited to see what next year brings for me and I hope it goes as well as this year!

Also, congratulations to everyone who received their results yesterday! I hope you all got what you wanted and are successful in doing what you want come September! 

Jess xx

2015!

I've been horrendous with blogging over the last half of the year - it's been a mix of heavy workloads, getting used to uni life and just having no motivation or decent things to blog about. I have idea but when I come to write them I just don't know how to write it. I have about 4 posts that are in my drafts folder that I've been working on - some aren't even relevant anymore so will need to be deleted!

You may also notice that I've changed the title and description on my blog - I re-read them and found them rather embarrassing so I decided to change them a little instead!

It's the end of another year so I thought I had to at least post something now - it's always good to look back at the year and think about what I want to change and improve on. Last year I posted a 2013 vs. 2014 review which I obviously can't just add to as there's quite a lot of difference I feel! 

~~~~~~~

Confidence

This year I feel like I've come to understand myself a lot better as a person and have consequently become a lot more confident than I was this time last year. The fact that I managed to get into University helped this fact I feel as it made me realise I was good enough and could achieve the things I wanted to if I tried hard enough. I didn't actually get the grades I needed for my course but because of the extra things I'd done outside of my A levels to do with Archaeology and Ancient History, they saw my passion and accepted me anyway! Due to this, I also ended up realising that just because you aren't the best at one type of education, it doesn't mean you won't be good at another so don't be put off if you aren't very good at A levels like I wasn't - I'm now doing well at Uni because the teaching style and the way you're graded works a lot better for me! Asking for help to make sure you get all the help you need for exams is also useful - I probably annoyed my teachers last year by how much I asked them for help! However, this is another thing I learned this year - don't be afraid to ask for help because the teachers want you to succeed and if you show willingness to improve, they will try and support you so you can get the results that you want.

Another thing I've noticed over this year is that I've also become more confident in my body. I'm not a size 8, 6 ft tall model with long, flowing hair but I'm happy with my body in its entirety as I'm the only one that has to live with it so why live hating it? I wear things that look good on my body shape and wear make up because it makes me feel happy and prettier. I already did a post earlier in the year about how I feel about lipstick and how it boosts my confidence! Of course there are things I wouldn't mind changing but for now, I'm happy with myself. 

Work and independence 

Last year, I said I needed to focus on my work but I may have taken that a little too far during the last few months as I've been known to not leave the flat for a couple of days and not sleeping until 3 to make sure I could finish essays on time! I think this year I need to prioritise better as I'm now living more or less independently so I need to balance work and looking after myself as well as remembering to save some time to see friends. 

I also need to organise my work so I have time to do more background reading as I didn't get a lot of chance to this term. This also needs to include planning essays in advance so I don't have a mad rush at the end of term like I did in the last week of this term. It will be a lot better for me if I do little bits along the way instead of huge amounts at the end that get me overly stressed and run down.

Health

I want to try and get a bit healthier in 2015 as I know I could vastly improve what I eat - I think I'm going to try and post recipes when I find ones that are healthy but still nice! I'm already trying to cut down the amount of snacking I'm doing and the amount of sweets/chocolates I'm eating. 

I need to start going to bed earlier which links with my organisation goal - if I do more work earlier in the day then I'll be able to sleep earlier which would be a lot better for me - hopefully I'll be able to get a proper sleeping pattern sorted by the end of this term if I can work properly!

One last thing I need to do is to learn how to take breaks from work and just wind down sometimes. I am constantly working at uni so if by organising my work and life better I can add in break every so often, that would be incredibly helpful!

What are your goals for the upcoming year?
I hope you all have a wonderful New Years!
Jess xx

Long time no speak!

My last blog post was over a month ago but I've been so busy that I've had no time at all to write one! 

The last four weeks at University have been so amazingly great but I've been constantly on the go working, studying or socialising - it's hectic! I thought it would be a good time to show you my room and give you a little update on how life is going so far as I've settled in and I have a spare couple of hours in between my seminars to actually write a post for once! 

The first two weeks here were freshers so we went out most nights and got to know people better over 1am pizza! We bonded pretty quickly as a flat (thanks Facebook chat before we got here!) and then met the flat above as someone in ours knew someone in the flat above before which means we have a big group of us which is really lovely. 

Some of G.3 and 1.3! 

Me, Lucy and Jack. 

Geek night! (cue me blinking...)

Me and my flatmate Alex at Zoo night!

I didn't think I would like going out to clubs but with this group, it's a lot of fun! The one thing I don't like is that I didn't listen to music I like for 2 weeks straight because it was all club and chart music!

We obviously aren't going out as much now freshers is over and work has started properly but it's still fun to go out once or twice a week to get away from the studying.

In the second week of freshers, we also started lectures which was really exciting - I'm loving all of my classes so far minus one which has a rather boring lecturer but it's mostly a lot of fun! My A levels are helping a lot as some of the material in 5th Century Athens is the same as my old course! I had to buy quite a few books for my course which got expensive as they were £20-£30 each! Luckily they will be helpful/interesting for me after this year so it wasn't a waste. Books from my A levels have also been useful/will be useful so I'm quite lucky in that aspect!

Most of my course books.

I love my flat and room - I have a 4 ft bed which is pretty much a double. Compared to my bed and room at home it's quite big which is great! I'm surprised at how clean I've kept my room so far as I'm usually a really messy person but I love how organised it looks and I want to keep it that way for as long as possible! 

I love my desk so much, it's huge and the chair is really comfy with my cushions!

My make up storage shelf.

I have far too many odds and ends on my desk.

Bed covers are from John Lewis - I love them so much!
Fun fact: it smells like marzipan in front of the shelves!

Cute Edward Monkton illustrations above my bed!

My wardrobe - most dresses, skirts and shirts are hung up,
everything else is in the boxes!

My roof tile bookends I took from the spoil heap at Silchester!

Organisers.

Cute anchor details on my towel in my ensuite.

I love these storage jars, so pretty!

I brought quite a lot of my stuff from home with me so it looks like it's messy on my desk but in reality, there's just quite a lot of stuff! It feels really homely and nice - it's just the right size so I can work and live in it at the same time!

I hope you enjoyed this update and tour of my room!

I have a couple of assessments due at the end of October so I don't know when I'll be able to post again in the next couple of weeks. 

Jess xx

New Beginnings.

Topic 16 of the Blogger Challenge was to write about new beginnings. As I'm moving to University in 13 days (eek!) and I started my first job yesterday, it's a perfect topic!

I've been wanting a job pretty much since I started A levels 2 years ago but could never find anywhere to hire me as I had no experience and wasn't 18. During A2 exam time, I applied for a few jobs for over the summer and heard back from Marks and Spencer and Waitrose. The Marks and Spencer job didn't work out (luckily as it wasn't particularly nice in that one!) but I got an interview and job offer from Waitrose which I was really surprised about! I did my first shift there yesterday and really enjoyed it, I love getting to talk to the friendlier customers! My co-workers are also really friendly so I know I'm going to love it there!

I've started talking to a few people from my course and everyone is so lovely - it's making me really excited to start at Reading! I was a bit hesitant originally as it's so close to home but the more I think of the pros vs cons, the only con is the distance so it's an overall winner really! The course is fantastic, the campus is gorgeous, the people are amazing and the lecturers are enthusiastic about their subjects so I can live with not moving away from somewhere I know.

I'll keep you guys updated with my Uni stuff as it happens - not long now!
Jess xx

I'm going to University?!

Since my not so good AS results last August, I've been working crazily hard to make sure I could get to University this coming September. 5 days ago, I got to pick up my results from college to find out whether I got in or not. 

I woke up at 7am and I had received an email from Reading University telling me that I'd been accepted into their Ancient History and Archaeology joint degree! I had to wait a couple of hours to find out the actual grades I got and I achieved BCC! It isn't as good as I wanted to get, but it got me into the University I've been wanting to go to since I started helping at Silchester in 2011 so it's good enough! For all of the exams I did resits for, I actually got at least a grade higher so I'm really proud of how I did, I also got a grade higher in Classical Civilisation as last year I got a C and I got a B this year! 

I've been helping at Silchester Archaeological field school for the last 2 weeks so I was actually with Reading Uni when I found out that I got in so I got to celebrate with my friends who I'll actually be at University with next year which was really special!

I've also got my accommodation sorted out so I have somewhere to live - it's a really lovely room and I can't wait to start looking for things to make it more homely and pretty! I've been looking at the different societies I can join which look really interesting so I'm looking forward to actually getting to Uni and starting to get involved with it! 

I can't wait to share this next part of my life with you all as it's going to be amazing! 

Jess xx

Life in letters tag!

All the way back in February, I was tagged by Amy from Blending Beauty to do this tag! I didn't have time to do it as work started piling up around the time I was tagged so now I have time, I'm doing it! 

A - Archaeology. I'm hopefully studying this subject at University come September/October and it's so interesting!

B - Books. I'm an avid reader and spend quite a lot of my spare time reading when I'm not blogging!

C - Clothes. I love fashion and always try to look my best when I leave the house no matter where I am!

D - Diabetic. I have diabetes and have lived with it since I was 11. It's pretty much become a part of every day life now instead of a big problem but I still hope they find a cure eventually as it can be really annoying and hard to deal with at some points!

E - Eyes. My favourite part of my body. They're a really lovely bright green that sometimes look different depending on lighting which is awesome!

F - Food. I'm such a big eater and I love food, not always the healthy options either! I hope to improve what I eat once I get to Uni though!

G - Greek. I want to learn Ancient Greek when I'm at Uni and I've already started trying to get familiar with the alphabet!

H - History. My favourite subject of all time. Ancient History is easily my favourite and I'm hoping to study it as a joint degree with Archaeology next year!

I - Inspiration. I find it everywhere in quotes, books, nature, people around me and loads of other things I see!

J - Jessica. My name! 

K - Kip. I struggled the most with this one...I do love a good nap though! Got to love British slang for creating words like kip!

L - Lipstick. I have a huge collection (over 50...) and I love them all! I love the way a bold colour can bring life to an outfit and add something special to it. I wrote about how I feel about lipstick here!

M - Music. I honestly couldn't live without music. It's such a great way for people to connect and concerts bring people together because of their shared love for a band/artist which I find amazing!

N - Nail Polish. Another thing I have tonnes of. I love the look of nail polish and I find that it's actually a good way to relax as you can't have a shaking hand at all when you are applying - it was a really good calming technique for me during exams!

O - Optimist. I try to be positive and look at things in a good light for the most part!

P - Piano. I played since I was about 6 up until 2 years ago when GCSEs forced me to quit. I hope I can take it back up again some day as I loved it!

Q - Quizzes. I'm obsessed with doing the online quizzes that come up on Facebook!

R - Reading. The University I'm hopefully going to next year!

S - Sweets. I have such a sweet tooth and love to try sweets from different places! English with probably always be my favourite, though the Haribo options in different countries are amazing and always so good, it makes me jealous!

T - Travelling. I love going to new places and I hope that choosing a career in Archaeology leads to visiting lots of historical sights all around the country and world!

U - University. Where I hope to be going in September. I really want to go and I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do if I don't get in - I'll know on 14th August which is terrifying!

V - Volkswagen Up. My car! I passed my test on 5th March and I love driving it!

W - Winter. One of my favourite seasons apart from Autumn!

X - Xmas. There aren't many X words that I like...but Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year!

Y - YouTube. I love being able to find whatever song I want and then be able to watch a stupid cat video 2 seconds later if I feel like it, Youtube is great!

Z - Zodiac. I love looking at astrology stuff as I find it really interesting. I don't believe it, I just like seeing what sort of things the websites say about each different sign and why!

I don't think I'm going to tag anyone in particular this time, but if you want to do this for fun then I say go for it and I tag you! Hope you have fun doing your own!
Jess xx

Summer Bucket List!

This is the longest Summer I've ever had so it's a good chance to get a lot of things done! 

Topic 13 was to create a Summer bucket list so I've come up with a few things I've been wanting to do for a while and can actually get on with now college and exams are finally over and I have loads of spare time!

1. Go to the theatre

I haven't been to the theatre for so long but I have plans to go with a friend from college in three weeks time so I'm super excited to actually do this - it will be the first time going without my family!

2. Go to the beach

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with the beach as sand annoys me and it's always really busy but it's something I feel I have to do at least once in summer. I also have plans to go to Brighton with a friend in August so this one will happen soon too!

3. Get into University

This is entirely out of my hands now but if I don't get into Reading, I'm hoping that there will be somewhere that's willing to take me instead!

4. Complete my summer reading list

I didn't make it just to look pretty! The books all seem really interesting and I'm going to have lots of time over the next two weeks at my Archaeological dig to read and get some of the books crossed off the list! 

5. Get a job

I'm still waiting to see if Waitrose will offer me the job so fingers crossed! This one can also wait until September as more will open up when people leave for uni and school.

6. Try something completely new

I love trying new and fun things which is actually a reason for points 7 and 9!

7. Make a plan of action for getting healthier

I want to try and get healthier at Uni so I'll be looking at food and exercise options to see what appeals to me and seems doable! So far I've been looking at yoga and running for exercise and smoothies for a way to have more fruit in my diet!

8. Meet up with college and secondary school friends

Every summer I fail hopelessly at meeting up with friends but this year I've actually been pretty social and good at meeting up with people I haven't seen for a while! Having a car probably helps with that as I can go to a lot more places without my parents needing to be around!

9. Make a scrapbook with magazine articles/pictures

I've collected Elle and a few of Glamour and Marie Claire since this time last year and it's getting quite difficult to store all of them so I'm going to create a magazine scrapbook to save my favourite bits from each one!

10. Create a recipe book to take to University with me

I'm going to be in self-catering accommodation next year so I need to learn how to cook. Until I go, I'm going to begin collecting recipes I like that I could make easily when I'm there!

Have you guys got anything that you're planning to do over the summer?

Jess xx

Summer Reading List!

I love reading but because of my A levels, I've had trouble finding time to read books not to do with my courses for the last two years! This summer is the longest I've ever had so I'm intending to use it to my full advantage and read as much as I can! 

I've come up with a list of books I either want to finish or at least start before I hopefully start University in September/October!

- Aristotle: Philosophy in an hour by Paul Strathern

- David Golder by Irene Nemirovsky

- Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

- Confronting the Classics by Mary Beard

- Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

- The Civil Wars by Appian

- Isis and Osiris by Plutarch

Most of these books are still to do with Ancient History/Classics or Archaeology but I'm reading them for fun instead of for classes (the books I read for classes were still good though!) so I'm excited to read them! Hopefully they will actually be useful for next year as well!

I know the list isn't huge but some of the books are quite big and I'm quite busy until mid way through August so I don't want to set myself too big a goal as I'm pretty sure I can read all of these by the time I get to Uni!

Oops...

I'm sorry I haven't blogged in a week! I've had no motivation recently because nothing particularly interesting has happened and I just haven't found any oomph to blog which is disappointing because I have so much time! 

Yesterday, I went to Reading University for their disability information day as I'm diabetic and need to have a few things to help with my living in halls (fridge in my room for my medication) come September/October. We had quite a few talks through the day about various things and it made me realise how lucky I actually am with my illness. Even though it does have its downsides sometimes, I have quite good control so it doesn't really affect my life much anymore as I've been diabetic since I was 11 so it's just become another part of my life instead of a problem. 

During the talks, there was a lot of information about getting extra help academically or someone to help socially and it really opened my eyes to the fact that people have severe problems with these sorts of things and made me thankful that while I have some health problems, I don't have problems that affect every day life to the point where I can't perform tasks by myself. While I get frustrated sometimes with my diabetes, the talks really opened my eyes to how lucky I actually am. 

Jess xx

Meeting Lewis Watson!

I was so lucky to stumble across a meet and greet event on Facebook at the HMV in Reading the other day for Lewis Watson's release of his new album 'The Morning', so yesterday I went down there and all I had to do to get in was buy the album from HMV which I was planning to do anyway! I was given a wristband and I was given access!

First off, we got to listen to some of the songs off the album live which was just incredible - he shared the stories and meanings behind the songs and he sounded identical to the record which is rare these days! I was blown away by how much emotion he put into each song and it makes me so happy to see someone that I've listened to and admired for years get recognition!

I did get some videos but unfortunately they won't upload properly, otherwise I would show you how great he is!!

We then got to meet him and get our albums signed! He was so lovely and thanked me for buying the album and coming which was amazing - he was so humble and sweet and I wish I'd had more time to talk to him properly!

Lewis and I, thank you to the security guard that took the photo!

Such a lovely cover!

It's signed! 

I listened to the album on the way home and I'm actually in love, I don't dislike any of the songs which is rare for an album! My favourites from the album are probably holding on, into the wild, stay, close, halo, sink or swim and castle street. 

You can buy the album from HMV, iTunes and Lewis Watson's online store.

You can also listen to the album on Spotify.

Jess xx

A day out with an OOTD!

I MAY have forgotten to do a post for topic 7 of the Blogger Challenge so I've tried to incorporate it into this topic post as for my outfit post, I went to Reading as a revision break and had a friend take the photos there!

Topic 7 was to do a post about a day we've had and Topic 8 is to do a post about a Spring OOTD.

We had a walk around Waterstones which is always an amazing thing, I love bookshops!

We also went to Krispy Kreme and I had a Raspberry Chocolate Truffle doughnut! It was amazing!

I bought Paris by Edward Rutherfurd in Waterstones, a Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Elusive from Boots and MUA lipsticks in shades 2, 3 and 8 from Superdrug!

Left to right: Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Elusive, MUA lipstick shade 2, 

MUA lipstick shade 3, MUA lipstick shade 8.

I had a really good day and it was a lot of fun to just hang around and relax instead of revising!

I thought that I would show an outfit that didn't include jeans so I decided to wear one of my favourite dresses! It was one of those odd days where it's sunny and warm one minute but bitterly cold the next, hence the sunglasses and boots and tights in one outfit!

Dress: H! by Henry Holland at Debenhams

Tights: M&S

Boots: Next

Sunglasses: Ted Baker

Lipstick: Rimmel Kate Mattel Lipstick in 008

Hope you guys enjoyed this mix up of topic posts! I've never done outfit posts because I've never been able to find someone to take photos for me so thanks Rob!

Jess xx

Challenge post 6

A bonus photo...what happens when I fail at keeping my balance!

Book review: The Rosie Project.

Love isn't an exact science - but no one told Don Tillman. A thirty-nine-year-old geneticist, Don's never had a second date. So he devises the Wife Project, a scientific test to find the perfect partner. Enter Rosie - 'the world's most incompatible woman' - throwing Don's safe, ordered life into chaos. But what is this unsettling, alien emotion he's feeling?

I bought this book when I went to Guildford with Kate in half term after wanting it for ages and I'm so glad I did! 

This definitely isn't a typical romance story as Don is the most brilliant and different protagonist I've ever come across in a book. He leads an incredibly structured life, planned out to the minute and a complete sticker to the rules - most likely living with undiagnosed Aspergers syndrome. He's blunt and quite incapable of interpreting people's emotions which creates a comical but loveable character. Then Rosie enters his life at the same time as he decides to create 'The Wife Project'; a 16 page detailed to help him find the perfect wife (non-smoker, omnivore, doesn't drink/drinks moderately etc.) and throws his life into chaos. Don is obsessed with a new project - the Father Project which leads him on an adventure across continents and closer to Rosie.

The book is written in first person so we feel a connection with Don as he struggles with his inner conflict between helping Rosie or carrying on with his constant, structured lifestyle in his overly formal and somewhat geeky narration. The character development of Don is also brilliantly done by Simsion as each slight change is analysed by Don, showing his base personality is still there no matter how much his life has been thrown up in the air. 

The other important characters (Rosie, Gene and Claudia) are each given fantastic plots and their own quirks which make them equally loveable. Even more minor characters such as the Dean have little pieces to give them a 3D personality instead of being flat, filler characters with no real purpose but to move the plot on. 

I finished this incredibly quickly as I found it quite an easy read despite some technical genetics discussions! I was funny, quite sad at times and generally brilliant - I can't recommend this book enough - it's probably made it into my top 20 books and I will definitely be re reading it!

I hope you guys pick this up as it's such a great book!

Jess xx

The University Chronicles: My Final Offer!

I finally got my response from Exeter University! I was so surprised that they offered me a conditional place for ABB! I was so sure I would get a rejection as they are a really good Uni and have an amazing reputation. It had me confused for a while because I wasn't sure if I wanted to change Birmingham for Exeter as my insurance choice but I think I'm going to leave it as I like Birmingham more and the course seems better. I also think that Birmingham would be nicer as it's bigger so has more to explore! 

Obviously I hope I get into Reading as it's easily my favourite course and University and the grades are only BBB (my insurance is being used incase I get higher than BBB...) so yeah...I'm super excited now! I just have to make sure I revise well and get the grades I need!

I can't wait to offically choose my offers on UCAS, it's so exciting!

Jess xx

February Wish List

This half term, I'm going shopping with Kate again so I decided to make a wish list! 

I actually have a bit of money so being able to hopefully take some items off this list next week is exciting! 

The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion
£7.99

I've been wanting to read this book for ages and every time I go into a shop, I read a little and it seems really good! I can't wait to read the entire thing! 

Sleek Blush
£4.49

The only blush I own is part of a palette so I would love to have a range of colours that suit my skin tone more and look more natural!

MUA lipstick
£1

I've already reviewed one of these lipsticks a while ago and I really want some more as they're great quality for their price!

MUA luxe velvet lip lacquer
£3

These have been catching my eye for a while and at that price, I can't resist! I just need to figure out which colour I want to buy! 

I know it isn't a very long list but hopefully that means I'm more likely to be able to buy everything on this list and maybe some more!

Jess xx

Thursday thoughts.

Despite handing my English coursework in last Monday, life has still been trundling along at quite a relaxed pace with not a lot going on. I've figured out that going into college for first lesson and doing my homework there takes away a lot of unnecessary stress so I have time to read and do outside research and work for my subjects which is really great!

A few things that are/have been happening or running through my head recently: 

- Just over a month until my birthday - I'm so excited but scared to turn 18!

- I can't wait to start Uni; I drive past Reading in my lessons so it's just out of reach taunting me!

- I get to go to the British Museum with my Classics class after half term and I can't wait!

- I had to go to the hospital for a diabetic check up yesterday and they told me I have the option to see a psychologist for my needle phobia which might be a good thing, I haven't decided yet. 

- I've decided that when I get to Uni, I want flowers in my room. I don't have any in my room now and I think they're really pretty so I want some when I have a space that is 100% my own. 

- I've finally got a proper, close group of friends and I couldn't be happier! I always feel a bit detached from friendship groups so it's nice to be able to get this now.

- My love for American sweets has been rekindled, I can't believe I forgot how good they are! 

- My driving test is 4 weeks yesterday which is rather scary! I think I'm doing pretty well though and I hope I pass first time! 

- I have to go back to Cardiff and Birmingham Unis within the next two months and I'm excited because I get to look around them again! It will be difficult to choose between them.

- I still haven't heard back from Exeter Uni which is really annoying...I don't want to go there and I have to wait for them to reply which is stopping me from being able to do anything with the rest of my choices! Even if I wanted to go there, I would be put off by now purely because they're being so long with choosing! 

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this! It's nice to just put down my thoughts sometimes! 

Jess xx

Writing Room

A genie has granted your wish to build your perfect space for reading and writing. What's it like?

My friend Imie kindly let me use a pdf file of different blogging ideas to come up with some interesting posts that I wouldn't have thought of!

This one is super awesome and interesting so I thought I would do this by sharing my favourite pinterest photos of what my ideal reading/writing room would have in it! Or at least the sort of things it would include!

1. Somewhere cosy to sit for reading...

2. Inspiration everywhere for writing...

3. Either a wall of books...

4. A room full of books...

5. Or a nook within a writing room for when I need to hide away in others stories!

This post was a little different but I had fun finding out the photos to make it! Hopefully one day I'll be able to live somewhere that I could make one of these ideas come true as I'd love a reading/writing room or just a book nook! They look so cosy!

Jess xx

I'm back!

Sorry I haven't posted properly for a while, the last week or so has been completely crazy! 

- I've had coursework due in for today so I was super happy to finally be rid of it and get some form of a life back! This weekend, I replanned and wrote my final draft and I barely went on my phone or computer which is really odd for me as I'm usually glued to it. It definitely helped though as I handed in my essay this morning completed and with all of the little extras my teacher says it needs! I've never been happier to get rid of a piece of work, I just hope it's good enough now!

- Over the last week, nothing has happened that is blog worthy apart from having a blood test done last week and having lots of driving lessons which is loads of fun! I'm really enjoying driving and I hope that I can actually pass when I have my test in early March! 

- I've been reading the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes and it's amazing! I love the original stories and I think Arthur Conan Doyle is a genius. I can't wait to read more once I have time!

- Even though I love Classical literature, I actually miss doing the art module in Classic civilisation because literature is so difficult!

- I haven't painted my nails in about two weeks and it feels so weird but my nails are stronger!

- I haven't been wearing lipstick for the last week either and I bought another today, I remember why I love them so much! I can't wait to show you!

I promise I'll post more now my coursework it out of the way! 

Jess xx

Adventure day with Imie!

Today, after absolutely ages of not seeing each other, I met up with my friend Imie and went for a shopping trip in Reading! She's currently at Uni so it's obviously been very difficult to meet up so this was a great time to catch up as we were both free for once!

We started off by having lunch at my favourite restaurant (if you can call it that...), Handmade Burger Co. where we proceeded to chat about life and take sneaky photos of each other, ending with each of us having a photo where we look pretty bored/unimpressed while we were caught off guard! 

I was looking at my phone...not asleep!

Imie concentrating on her drink...and still looking crazily pretty, it's just not fair!

I love the restaurant because it's like a fancy Nandos - quieter, better quality food and an insane selection of different toppings and types of burger! It only ended up being £10 each as well which was great, student cards are the best thing to happen to this world!

We then ended up going to House of Fraser and Imie ended up getting her first MAC lipstick and lipliner which brings my tally of people I've persuaded to buy one in the last month to three - I'm quite impressed with myself. After a look in Waterstones, New Look and Zara, we stopped off at Superdrug where I bought a base coat nail polish and Imie got some more make up - see her review post here. 

After a final stop off at Boots and a trip to Starbucks, we headed home. 

I had a great day and I can't wait to meet up with her again - I love seeing old friends that I'm still close with even after ages! 

Jess xx

P.S. Some of my older readers (pre-2014 Challenge) will recognise the dress - I featured it in my Things I've had my eye on recently post back in October! I bought it before I went to see Catching Fire the other day and I'm so so happy with it, it fits perfectly and it's a perfect dress for the colder months as it isn't too short and the sleeves and high neckline give an extra covering most dresses don't! It's from H! by Henry Holland at Debenhams for £38. I'll do a full-body shot when I have the time!

Fire Is Catching.

On Wednesday, me and a secondary school friend went shopping and saw Catching Fire in Reading. I'd read all three books within 4 days of buying them, just before the first film came out so I really love the series and couldn't wait to see what they did with the second film after the overall disappointing Hunger Games film compared to the books. 

I was so impressed! They stuck so closely to the book and almost cried at some bits! I thought the casting was down to a tee and I loved Sam Claflin and Jena Malone as Finnick and Johanna. I loved where they ended it too, I can't wait for Mockingjay parts 1 and 2 - if they stick with the same director, I know it will be amazing!

I completely recommend this film, the last Hunger Games film (not as good but still pretty good if you detach it from the books!) and of course the books!

Jess xx