The Weekly Wrap Up After The One That Wasn't | Finally Friday

Yes I can hear your cries of 'what about week 4' from here, let's just say it ran away with my ability to stay awake for more that five minutes, and took with it any enthusiasm I might have once been able to muster for learning shorthand. Last week was my first week on the NCTJ course, and the last week's posts probably have already informed you that it took a lot more out of me than I thought it would. I was shattered, more tired than I ever thought I'd be and I actually started this week with the worst cold I've had in ages. It has taught me, however, how to fully appreciate a good cuppa.

According to the pictures above the week has largely focused on food, which would be true. In the morning I'm working towards lunch, in the afternoon I'm working towards a biscuit with me tea and after that I'm working towards dinner. Even when I'm sleeping I'm sleeping towards breakfast. However, I no longer underestimate the power of a Belvita breakfast with a cup of tea at 10am. Definitely something to keep the power light on, at least until lunch time. Mini eggs have arrived back on the shelves, much to my delight. Not being able to get them throughout the year is a serious concern of mine, worrying about when they'll be gone again definitely take up too much of my mind. I've already been stocking up, but the two pictures above are slowly being devoured as I write this and try to revise five units of shorthand.

Shorthand has become a love hate scenario, the marmite of a journalists world shall we say. Words that are stripped to their skeleton and  that are perfectly logical, but still why? It's definitely quicker to write it, if you can keep up with what's being said to you and aren't trying to work out which way an a indicator connects to an n without it looking like a deformed sausage. If you don't get it I wouldn't worry, I'm studying it and I don't get the simile either. It probably doesn't really work but I'm going with it.

Media Law happened for a whole day on Monday. Yes a whole day. Despite feeling like my head was going to fall off (due to serious headache due to flu) it was a reasonable day that went by relatively quickly. The lecturer made the mistake off putting on a video through which, in my ill and over medicated state, I nodded off just a touch. I learned a lot though and despite a few jargonny terms that I was little unsure about, understood it all. I can see I'm going to find it interesting though it's going to be the one with a lot of revision I feel.

I had a little go and doing some simple illustrations for future blog posts over the weekend. (Keep your eye out for the one above in a later post, I bet you can't guess which one?) I'm addicted to pinterest and the typography/illustration sections is one of my favourites so I thought I'd have a go. It was fun, and I'll try it every now and again for a few posts but it's quite time consuming, something that I haven't got a lot of at the moment. I enjoyed it though so maybe some more self-illustrated blog posts to come.

On Wednesday I received a little package in the post. At first I thought I had a stalker, then I recognised my mum's hand writing. First thing you should know about Brighton, when it's cold it's freezing, when it's warm it's boiling. At the moment it's freezing and beyond. I get cold hands anyway, as standard, but I forgot my gloves and blue fingers at the bus stop were becoming my trade mark. So Wednesday I came home to a package from my mum containing my gloves. What a cutie. No more trade mark blue fingers, instead I'm going for girl who can't walk on bus while moving.

So that was my week, a pretty busy one. I'm looking forward to a pretty relaxed weekend, though that's unlikely when shorthand is on the menu. Hopefully I'll be seeing Jack's mum for a coffee and  a catch up and possibly going to the rugby on Sunday if the rain holds off and the ground dries a bit.

Hope you all have a good weekend. I'll be back to do it all again on Monday.

Quick & Easy Everyday Makeup | Thursday Talks

This probably seems a bit out of place to a lot of you as this sort of thing doesn't really fit with the rest of my blog posts. However, anyone who knows me knows that I have a whole cabinet of drawers in my room full of makeup and skincare products, and spend far too many nights, reaching ridiculous hours of the morning, reading beauty blogs and watching beauty YouTube videos. Through all this reading and watching I've picked up a few little tips, though I am by no means an expert, and also found a way of doing make up so that I like the way it looks but also so it doesn't take half an hour in the morning. I spend no more than 15 minutes doing my make up on an average day, particularly at the moment when I have to get up early enough to catch a bus and will not let my make up routine be the reason I get up any earlier.

All the products I use are drugstore products, with make up I haven't found anything in high end brands (apart from the YSL Touche Eclat and Nars Sheer Glow Foundation) that I haven't been able to find good equivalents of in the drugstore. I am a firm believer, however, that when it comes to skincare a couple of high end products can go along way, though my views are changing slightly. You'll never take my Clinique Cleansing Facial Wash from me, no matter what.

My base is very simple. I haven't got time for powders or primers in the morning so I just use a foundation and concealer. As of late, my foundation of choice as been the Revlon Nearly Naked in Vanilla. However, it's sadly come to it's life's end and in a bid not to buy any more foundation until I've used up my stash I'm now using L'Oreal's Visible Lift. Out of the two I definitely prefer the Revlon, it's got a much more sheer finish and doesn't feel too heavy on my skin, which the L'Oreal tends too if I'm not being careful. Once I've used up my stocks I'll definitely be repurchasing the Nearly Naked foundation. On the concealer front, I use an all time beauty blogger favourite. The Collection Lasting Perfection concealer. For £4.19 it's a steal. It has great coverage without looking cakey. It's more of a blemish covering concealer than an undereye, but for everyday quickness it does the job of both just fine. Just be careful not to overdo it under the eyes. However, if you have time to use two different concealers in the morning (I envy you) then purchasing the Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer will be a good investment. I apply all of my base with a Real Techniques Buffing Brush and actually do my concealer largely with my finger.

I don't tend to colour my eyebrows everyday but if I'm going to I only use a Rimmel eyebrow pencil in Hazel after brushing them through with my Eco-Tools brow brush. On my cheeks I use the Body Shop Baked to Last bronzer in the shade warm glow and I apply it wit the Real Techniques Powder Brush. This bronzer is great for paler skin tones. It's not a flat bronzer, so you can't really contour it but the muted bronze shimmer and multi-tonal aspects of it means it blends in easily giving you healthy glow without looking like you've just left the set of Geordie Shore.

My eye make up is super simple for everyday. I change it up occasionally, sometimes I use brown liner, sometimes a cat eye, sometimes neutral eyeshadows but on the whole I opt for a muted purple with a brown line on my upper and lower lash line. Purple is really great for people with green eyes, it really makes them pop. I use a berry toned purple from my Virgin Vie Blooming Beauties Pallette (no longer available but thing Mac Da Bling), almost hinting towards brown so I don't look like Co-Co the Clown, but the purple is still clearly there. I apply my eyeshadow with my finger, unless I'm using more than one colour I don't find it necessary to use a brush. I then line my upper and lower last line using the Eco-Tools eyeliner brush and the darkest brown out of my MUA Heaven and Earth Palette.

To finish I just simply swipe my lips with my Carmex lip balm to make sure my lips are moisturised and top with the I love... lip balm in raspberry and blackberry.

All very neutral.

That's it, simple, quick and cheap. Perfect for when you've got to get out of the house relatively quickly without too much hassle. Hope this helps get your morning make up routine a little quicker and maybe give you some ideas for things you could add or take out. If you've got any tips for me, definitely let me know in the comments.

On Faulks and High Expectations | Wednesday Reads

It's highly unlikely that you're aware of what my favourite novel is. Well, it's 'Birdsong' by Sebastian Faulks, closely followed by 'Wuthering Heights' or 'Looking for Alaska' for anyone who wanted to know. I've found, when talking to people about their favourite books, or favourite authors, that they come to have certain expectations of said authors and this has the effect of either enhancing the reading experience, or a feeling of being let down by an author trusted with giving you an enjoyable reading experience. 

I'm about to tuck into Charlotte Grey by Faulks this week, and I'm a touch nervous about it. It comes back to having so much love for Birdsong that I'm scared Charlotte Grey won't live up to the expectations Faulks has given me. I want, so badly, for every Faulks novel to give as much enjoyment as Birdsong did but at the same time I'm 100% certain nothing will overtake Birdsong as my favourite novel, so this got me thinking is enjoying book necessarily the same as loving a book, and do certain components appear in one feeling and not another? 

Birdsong has, for a reason I can' pin down, become a big part of my life. I'm not going to be cliche and say it's the book that defines me or whatever, cause I don't really believe in the idea of a book being definitive of someone. However, it is a book I love, adore and admire. I enjoyed reading it so much that when I go back to it, which I often do if I'm feeling a bit tired of reading and am in a bit of a slump, I get the same excited, nervous feeling I got the first time. So much for not being cliche.

Anyway, I first read Birdsong a couple of years ago when I studied it for my A2 English Lit exam and also for my AS retake. It was the first book I've studied to that extent whilst enjoying it. That was the first clue for me as to how much the book would come to mean to me. If you can tear a book limb from limb with analysis, find all it's faults and still love it then you're on to a winner. I also was fully aware when reading it that the parts set in the 1970's I hated. I didn't enjoy them at all, I felt they interrupted the story and were completely unnecessary. But I still closed the book at the end of the story and loved it. Another clue. 

I can't really explain what I love so much about Birdsong. Faulks' use of language is exquisite, the characters are perfectly constructed and the story is brilliantly told. However, I think when a book becomes your favourite, and you become somewhat emotionally attached to it, it's more than the linguistic techniques, or the character development or any of the jargon-y terms your English teachers use. There's something else in the book that is in play that makes you fall in love with it, and I think it's a very personal thing. It's something you find in it that no one else can find. 

It's for that reason that I believe, once you've found that favourite book, the book that is something a little more to you than the others, it doesn't matter what else you read from that author, even if it's a literary masterpiece, it's not the same. Enjoying a book for it's literary qualities, and even just for enjoyments sake is not the same as what you get out of reading your favourite book. It's for that reason that Faulks isn't necessarily my favourite author, I can't decide that yet, although he is definitely the author of my favourite book. It's for this reason also that I refuse to hold Faulks to the expectations I should have after feeling the way I do about Birdsong. 

I know Charlotte Gray, A Week In December or Human Traces won't have the same feeling as Birdsong did so I won't expect that or it will just ruin books that I could still really enjoy. 

Ticket Choices, So Many Choices | Tuesday Travels

You may remember a couple of weeks ago on Tuesday Travels I spoke about my tickets arriving. In the post I spoke briefly about how I went about choosing my tickets and booking them. It was quite a drawn out experience, mainly because I left getting my visa quite late (you can also read my top tips for getting your visa if you're a bit confused about the whole process) and I looked into every option. I realise not everyone will have the time to do that so I thought I'd give you my top tips to getting the tickets you really want, and more to the point need.

1) Know Where You Want To Land
Not every airline flies to every major airport in Australia. Some fly to Sydney and Perth, some to Brisbane and Sydney some only to Sydney, among other combinations. If you want to land in Sydney for whatever reason, there's no point looking at flights with airlines that only fly to Perth. Check that first otherwise you could spend some time looking at flight options that aren't even available to you.
For me this was quite complicated, originally I was going to fly to Perth and then fly back from Sydney. However, due to constraints on Jack's return flight this wasn't possible so I'm now flying to and from Brisbane. Every time I decided to fly to a different city, the airline I was looking at flying with changed. It's not the simplest of places to fly to as it's so vast you want to be certain that were you're flying too is where you're happy to spend a fair amount of time initially.

2) Shop Around
This probably should have been number one because I can't stress enough how important this is. I booked who I booked through because it was the same travel agent Jack used and it was therefore, simpler for the return situation. However, I did look elsewhere first.
I initially went to my local high street travel agents, this was mainly to get some ideas. I wasn't going with any intention to book but I'm so glad I went. The quote I got for the flights I wanted was £300 more than the quote I got from anywhere else. This is why you should shop around. Don't worry about having to wait a week longer, if you're saving sums of money such as £300 it doesn't matter.
I ended up book with Trailfinders over the phone, but they do have stores across the country. It was really simple and the people I spoke to where brilliant. I'd definitely recommend them. I felt very confident that they knew what they were talking about, and I've contacted them a couple of times since booking and they've been able to find my reference in seconds and sorted my question just as quickly.
STA, however, are also another company I looked at booking with. They offered me exactly the same quote as Trailfinders did and they were just as helpful. They again have stores across the country and are available over the phone and by e-mail. I would recommend, them I just felt more confident booking with Trailfinders mainly due to personal reasons. I also felt the contact I had with them was better than I got with STA.

3) Expedia
If you're not sure which airlines fly to Australia, or which airlines fly to the city of your choice check out Expedia. Great for two reasons. You get all options available to you on one page. Every airline that flies to that city will be there. They're also listed from lowest to highest price so you can find airlines that suit your budget really easily. I wouldn't recommend booking with them as I feel when it's such a long flight and so far away having contact with your travel agent is a must for various reasons. Expedia will also give you details of any stops you will have to make on your journey, so if you want to do a night stop over or just a few hours you'll be able to easily find which airlines offer which.

So they're my three top tips for choosing your tickets. At the end of the day it is personal choice and personal circumstances come into it a lot. However, these tips should cover all bases especially if, like me, this is your first time booking flights for yourself or even if it's just your first time heading off to Australia. It is daunting, let's be honest, it's the other side of the world. But finding the right travel agent and the right airline is really comforting.

I hope these help any of you confused souls out, I was certainly confused when I set out to book my tickets. There are so many choices it's very easy to get lost, but I think these tips should help a little. So, happy ticket buying.

You Run The Day Or The Day Runs You | Motivational Monday

Monday's have a bit of a habit of  being one of those very, not so, pro-active days. You're probably feeling like you want Friday to come around already and the memories of a lazy Sunday afternoon are still firm in your mind. 

However, I find the best way to start the week is in the same way you want it to go. I don't know about you but the best weeks I have are the ones where I'm productive, at that starts Monday morning. There's no point letting the Monday blues take over your day, allowing it pass by with you having grabbed it by the balls and telling it how it's going to work.

Make your Monday as well worth it as you want Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday be. Tick a couple of things of the to do list, make the effort in the morning to have a good breakfast, embrace the fresh air as you walk out the door.

But more than all that make sure you own your day. 

Keeping Organised: Top Tips | Thursday Talks

This week I started an intense course (and when I say intense, I mean I've never been so tired, nor drunk so much black coffee in all my life intense) in journalism training. As a result, I've become super organised. I've manage to keep myself on top of reading, note taking, shorthand learning and the blog hasn't taken too much off a back seat - ok so yesterday's post was a little rough around the edges and crap but there was a post.

I've always been a relatively well organised person. I'm one of those annoying list people, I have a list for everything; what I have to buy, what I have to do, what I have to take places, everything. I keep my filofax permanently in my bag, along with a note book and a couple of pens - you never know what might pop out. So I thought I'd give you my top tips for keeping organised at any time.

1) Get a diary and keep it on you
I'm not saying it has to be an expensive one, just a diary with dates for everyday of the year. Ideally with spaces big enough to write a days worth of stuff in but as long as you can fit in what you've got to do and what time it doesn't really matter. Make sure you keep your diary on you. The amount of times I've written something I've got to do on my hand and by the end of the day it's gone, is ridiculous. If you've always got your diary handy that doesn't have to be a problem. If anything comes up you can just jot it down in your diary. Having a diary and keeping it handy means you never have to worry about missing an appointment, or forgetting a certain piece of paper and you never have to worry about double booking. Super organisational points.

2) Keep some sort of notebook on you
Sometimes not everything is suitable to write in my diary so I keep a notebook on me as well. Again it's nothing special, in fact just an old exercise book that I covered with some pretty wrapping paper. In the notebook I write down things I need to look up or things I need to buy, things that need a bit more space than diary can offer. Again it means if I think of something at 11am I haven't forgotten about it by the time I get home because I can write it down there and then. I also write down ideas for blog posts in it. If you're a blogger this is something I'd advice. That way you never run out of blog post ideas so if you've had a day, or a week, where nothing's come up that you want to talk about on your blog you've got loads of ideas already written out in a notebook and you just have to choose one. The notebook's been particularly handy on my course, throughout the day I find new sources that I can use for stories and so I can just write them down and not have to worry about remembering a name, or a website all day.

3) Wunderlist
A fabulous app that I heard about on Lilly Pebbles' YouTube channel. It's essentially a list making app. As a list lover it's great for me and it means I don't use up 101 notebooks a month writing shopping lists or to do lists (as I write a to-do list every morning, particularly at the moment). It also means it's with me literally wherever I go. On tea break I don't have to carry my bag with me to check what needs doing I just need to take my phone, or when I'm shopping I don't need to carry around an annoying notebook that just gets in the way, I just need to have my phone open on my shopping list. A marvelous new addition to my life, one I suggest if you need to be a little more organised or already are and want to add to that.

So they're my top 3 tips on keeping organised. Not too many so as not overwhelm anyone who's new to keeping themselves organised. They're definitely a good starting point but things that can be developed on to get you as organised as you can be. For me I find being organised keeps me less stressed as everything I need to think about is written down so I don't need to worry about forgetting anything.

I hope you find these useful, if you have any tips let me know in the comments or tweet me!

My Issues With Goodreads | Wednesday Reads

So on Sunday, Leena of JustKissMyFrog, uploaded a video explaining why she doesn't really use Goodreads and it really made me realise why I struggle to use Goodreads in the way it was intended and as often as I should for it to provide the use it's trying to provide.

Essentially Goodreads is a website where you can keep track of the books you're reading, have read and want to read. You can create as many different shelves as you want to categorise all the different books in your life in whichever way suits you. It's also great for readers to communicate, share views and just generally allow reading to be a more social experience - undeniably this is a great quality.

However, the problem for me starts when it comes down to the idea of challenges. I know perfectly well I can read fifty books in a year, I've done it. However I don't really like the idea of reading being competitive so getting to the end of the year and finding I read only thirty five books and Goodreads telling me I failed my challenge wasn't great.

Reading is, and always has been, a stress free experience for me. It's the place I go (with a cup of tea, obviously) to wind down after a long day. Making reading a challenge, or making it competitive, instantly removes the stress free part of reading for me. Now, I know you don't have to set up a challenge and it isn't really a big deal if you meet a challenge, but once you've set yourself a goal you're not human if you don't try and reach it. I set myself a reading goal every year, but this year is the first year I've set a goal in relation to reading that involves numbers. By telling myself I want to read fifty books this year, it feels like something I have to do, not something I want to do. In the past fifty books has just happened and it was easy because it wasn't something I'd set myself up to do. This year it's already harder.

Also the idea of constantly tracking my reading progress takes away the sense of fluidity for me. I don't read a set amount of pages or chapters each night, or each bus journey or whenever. I read what I can when I can, and what I want when I can, whether it's two pages and fifty pages. By tracking my progress it feels more like a race and less like a thing that just happens, perhaps more forced but not really.

I guess the general sense I get from Goodreads is that it makes reading more competitive and generally for me hasn't enhanced any of my reading experiences. Many times it only serves to remind me that too many books have been sat waiting to be read for too long, a depressing thought. I understand completely why so many people enjoy it so much, and although I won't deactivate my account as I do like to see what other people are reading for recommendations, I don't think I'll be using it as much.

As Leena said, it feels like a very surveyed experience. I want to share my reading experience with people because I've enjoyed a book, not because I've finished it and therefore must publish it onto a site, with a very broad review, because I finished on a certain date.

Reading is a very relaxing part of my day, when I get it into my day, and anything that makes it stressful or even slightly unenjoyable is not wanted.