New York; although I have only been once in my life, it’s one of my favourite places. Today, during our workshops, we asked the children where they would like to travel in the world, whether it be imaginary or real…and then we asked them to draw those places. Well, surprise, surprise, I drew New York…
Ouch. It’s my own fault, but I was up until 4am finishing off my essay. However, it always seems that I’m better at working when there’s a deadline approaching. It kick-starts me into action and I get things done. I just hope that I did it well, rather than it being a jumbled mess! Hmmm…
My sleep pattern has been a bit weird recently…it’s sometimes the wrong way round! Feels like I’m on New York time sometimes, when I should be on London time. I’ll go to bed at a ridiculous hour (after 4am)…and wake up at 11am or thereabouts…and it just feels weird. Weird, weird, weird. The whole day seems wrong when it happens. I’ve started to learn that I can survive on 6 or 7 hours sleep, any more and I feel lethargic all day, but waking up in the late morning just doesn’t do it for me. The morning is gone, and I don’t like it. It wasn’t that bad when I was a teenager; when you’re a teenager, bed seems like the natural habitat! But I’m 21…and I want to DO things with my day…not sleep all day.
Oh well. I guess all I have to do is kick my body clock back into order…and go to bed at around 1am! It’s time to stop being a night owl…
For me, there’s nothing better than travelling. I love to visit new places and discover new things; there’s a whole world of experiences out there… Last night, the boy and I were talking about travelling and some of the places we’d like to go.
I’d love to go to New Zealand, but obviously this one will have to wait for a while, a few years at least, as it’ll be quite an expensive trip and it’d have to be about 2, 3 or even 4 weeks to make it worth it! I think the flights alone will probably be around £1000 or £2000, so yeah, this one will definitely have to wait…but when it does happen, I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait! Another travel plan is a cross-country trip of America; I’m quite envious of people who have done this! And after reading a bit of Stephen Fry in America, I feel even more curious about the vast country – as the boy said last night: “It’s strange to think that it’s hot on one side of the country and cold on the other, and whilst one side of the country is having their lunch, the other side is only just waking up.” In the UK, we have the same time zone…and the differences in temperature isn’t as wide as the difference in America! In London, it’s normally warmer than, say, Scotland… I’d really like to visit Salem, Washington DC, Seattle, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Baltimore…amongst more…and the trip will have to end in New York, of course! However, this trip will probably have to wait a few more years as well, probably at least 4 or 5 years yet…and there will be a LOT of research first so that we visit all the places we want to…I’m keen on making it a musical trip as well, as so many bands/musicians I love come from America, so it would be interesting to visit the places they come from… Also, after flicking through a magazine last night, I thought about Norway…that would be an interesting one…! So we may do Norway next year…and possibly Sweden too, we’ll see.
This year though, it’s hopefully going to be Barcelona and New York… At the moment, Barcelona is looking a bit 50:50 to be honest, due to money issues…so hopefully if we tighten our purse strings a bit more, we’ll be able to afford it! Originally, we were hoping to book the flights in January, but this didn’t happen…and now it looks as if we’ll be booking it all in April – flights and accommodation. 2 months before the trip should be okay, I hope! New York will be in December and I’m DETERMINED to make that one happen, as I’ve missed it ever since 2005 and it’ll be a big one for my Mum. This time, I WILL eat New York Cheesecake…oh yes…yum yum yum in my tum tum tum!
I don’t think I’m someone who needs too much materialistic stuff…I’d like to think I’m someone who prefers memories and experiences, hence why I love travelling so much I think. I have my parents to thank for this, as they are keen travellers too and they used to take my sister and I on family holidays in Europe from the word go…and in the UK too, normally Norfolk, which is why I love the place so much… I just feel lucky that I was exposed to other countries when I was young; it’s given me a big appreciation of other cultures and places now, as a young adult…
I’m yearning to be in another place right now…I think the next trip I’ll do is a day-trip to France…away we go…
After reading posts on both Lizzie In Wonderland’s blog and Cats and Chocolate’s blog, I’ve been inspired to post on my own blog about 2009…and what it meant to me…and what I’m looking forward to this year…
2009 got off to a bad start, in a way, because University life didn’t seem as exciting as it was in the first term…and I felt as if the course started to go downhill, unfortunately. I feel that the beginning of 2009 was an incredibly difficult period of my life so far – I was away from the family, friends and the boy, all whom I love very dearly. It was hard to go through the motions of uni everyday when I just felt like I didn’t want to be there, I remember having such a strong longing to be home…just to be home, that was all I wanted. And yet I stuck it out, and I am actually proud of myself for this…even though it was only until the end of the first year, I stayed on a course that I didn’t enjoy and in a place that didn’t inspire me at all.
After I left uni in June, I spent a bit of time soul-searching…trying to work out what I wanted to do, whether I wanted to stay or leave uni…in the end, I bit the bullet and decided to make a change and leave the uni. Instead, I enrolled on a part time course with the Open University, which means that I have a lot more time to do other projects/work/socialise etc, something that was lacking whilst I was away at uni.
In terms of travelling, 2009 was fairly good…in April, the boy and I went to Amsterdam to celebrate our 2-year-anniversary, which was lovely but I’d like to visit again when I’m not so stressed about university/work etc. However, my favourite travelling highlight from 2009 HAS to be the trip to Benicassim Festival and then Barcelona in Spain in July…I loved Barcelona and am hoping to go back this year in June to celebrate my 21st Birthday. In August, I went to Reading Festival, which was the third year in a row…it’s just a good festival for rock music… September meant another little trip, to Norfolk, with the parents, sister, her partner and the boy…was nice to get away for a few days, and then the boy and I had some time alone for a few days because we stayed longer than the others. In the summer, another highlight was a trip to Manchester, as I had never been before and absolutely love the city now!
From September onwards, I started to push the Jewellery venture more with my sister…and we hosted a party in December, which went really well and has motivated us to keep the whole thing going. I also managed to get some really good snaps in 2009, some of which I’ve posted on here; I’m hoping to delve into photography a lot more this year…with courses etc. Towards the end of 2009, I started to volunteer at the beloved theatre company, and whilst it was rewarding for the most part, I sometimes felt as if my time could’ve been better spent doing other things…hmmm.
After I came home from University, life seemed to improve a great deal for me and it’s only reaffirmed my belief that life is a journey and for me, it’s a journey for happiness…life is meant to be happy, and I believe that everyone should get a chance to have happiness, no matter who they are. Overall, 2009 was a year that started off slightly badly but it ended well, it was a 50:50 year.
2010 will bring:
*Barcelona in June (for my 21st)
*New York (fingers crossed) in December for my mother’s big birthday…
*Paris for the boy and mine’s 3rd anniversary in April
*Glastonbury Festival in June
*Volunteering at a Primary HIU (hearing impaired unit)
*Pushing Stars and Rainbows Jewellery to new heights
*Plentiful opportunities to get beautiful, happy snaps with the camera
*Exciting opportunities with Uni. work…
Generally, 2010 looks like it’ll be an exciting year, full of new and interesting opportunities which I am really excited about! I hope 2010 looks like it’ll be a good year for you all too…I know it’s a bit late but…HAPPY NEW YEAR 
It really has been a slow start to the month/year so far… I had been feeling a tad lost and seemed to have lost my footing a bit in terms of things I need/want to do, but I woke up early today (my sleep was annoyingly disrupted by my cold…grrr!) and I was tossing and turning, thinking and couldn’t switch my brain off once I had started. I think I’ve had a bit of the “January blues”…but I really want to shake it off this week and be more productive! There’s a few things I want to do:
(1) work at my Primary school, with the deaf children…probably just for one or two days a week but it should be good as it could help me on my way to becoming a qualified Level 1 BSL tutor…we’ll see…
(2) keep the Jewellery venture going…we did really well with the party in December, so we need to make some more pieces and look at markets etc…
(3) make a budget plan so that I can afford to do a bit of travelling this year – Barcelona, UK, New York…
(4) put my head down and get on with Uni work, which seems to have gotten a little side-tracked recently – ooops…
(5) get my room sorted…it’s slowly getting there…
(6) GO OUT! Been cooped up indoors a bit lately…so I need to go out and breathe some fresh (cold) air…
(7) make a list of things I want to get done this year (Level 1 BSL tutor, photography, uni razzle dazzle, work…etc…etc…)…
Sometimes, making lists can be really productive because you can see what you need to do, rather than sitting and worrying about all the things you need to do. I love making lists, even if I don’t get all the things done – at least you’ve MADE a list! The list above is inspiring to me because it’s showing me what I need to work at to achieve and it’s partly building on things I’ve done over the last few months. For me, I need to have things to look forward to, to work towards, whether it be a day-trip somewhere or getting a certain amount of work done, I just need to have things that I feel I have worked towards and earned.
I’ve come to realise that with voluntary work, you can only give as much as you can and as much as is healthy…I think last term, I gave TOO much of my time to the beloved theatre company and almost feel as if I hadn’t got as much back from it. Voluntary work should be something that you find rewarding, and whilst for the most part, I did find it rewarding, I also felt that at times my help went unacknowledged. Which is why I think I need to prioritise and find things that I think will be worthwhile, to the cause and to me as well. Although the theatre company will always have a place in my heart, I think I may need to move on and find other causes to work with. I’m in a place right now where I’m not completely sure what it is that I want, what path I want to follow…so I need to dip my fingers into different paint pots and find something that I’m truly passionate about.
Choosing the right path is incredibly difficult, I think too much pressure is put upon young people in their late teens/early 20s to KNOW what they want out of life, but the truth is often that they feel confused and don’t always know what they want to do. Unless you have your life mapped out, unless you know for certain which path you want to follow, I think it’s a very confusing time in your life. You have to be a lot more responsible and sometimes it’s as if a lot is expected from you, which is fine but what if you’re unsure about what to expect from yourself? Some days I think I know what I want, and then other days I feel a bit lost and don’t really know where I’m going…I think it’ll be another few years before I’m comfortable with it all; before I can say that I’m happy following a certain path or two. For now, I think I’ll just keep on trying different things…there’s no textbook on how to live your life, so live it how you want to!
I don’t know what I’m seeking but I know that I want to be the happiest I can be. I just need to work out what will make me happy in life.
Memories that should be bottle up and kept in some lovely place, not that different from somewhere like Neverland. A place that no one can find, apart from you and perhaps the person or people you shared the memory with. I think we all have them. Memories that mean a lot to us, memories that we never want to forget. Whilst at Uni, I started a scrapbook that I entitled “Magical Memories” but it didn’t get much of a chance to be filled. Hopefully now that I’m home and I should have more time on my hands in about a week or so…it’ll be a chance to find all those scrapbooks I’ve started and have yet to fill/complete.
I really want to go to all these places that magical memories can be made…places like Paris, Brighton, NEW YORK, Barcelona, Lake Garda…places on my wish list. I’ve been to all that I’ve mentioned…and I’m off to the seaside tomorrow…PHOTOGRAPHIC OPPORTUNITIES. Some may be posted on here. And I’ve still got plenty from the summer that are yet to make an appearance on here (they’re a bit shy).
It’s slap, bang in the middle of November now. Christmas is on it’s way. The streets are lit up. It’s okay to start buying presents now. Now, before it all gets a bit hectic on the shopping streets in December! It’s going to be a tight one this year. But it should still be good. Tomorrow, I’m looking forward to seeing what the lights look like beside the sea. Oh yeah. I absolutely L-O-V-E going to the seaside in the winter. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I just love wrapping up warm, with a hot drink in hand, chips on lap, starring out to the sea…what could be better? Most of the beaches are deserted when it’s cold, so in my opinion, it’s the best time to go to the seaside. If you’re a nutter, like me.
This week is going to be a BUSY one. Yes, very busy indeed. But, for once, it’s all planned out. Tomorrow: seaside. Tuesday: London with the beloved theatre – ALL DAY, it’s going to be a long one! Wednesday-Friday: visiting Lizzie In Wonderland. Friday/Saturday: a close Uni friend is home = catchy uppy times, food times, drinks times, silly times…
Where do your magical memories come from…?
After last night, I am now well and truly cheered up – thank you, SPECIAL LADY. I met up with a good friend from the Uni bunch, she was the one who bit the bullet first and decided to leave the Uni…and then I followed suit. It’s nice that we’re both Londoners because it means we should be able to meet up quite a lot…lunch in the city – how very Sex And The City. Whenever I used to watch SATC, I used to wish I had a close-knit-group-of-girlfriends…whilst I had a group like this at secondary school, we’ve inevitably all drifted apart now – different life paths and all that. It’s a shame but at the same time, I think we’re all quite different now… Over the last few years, friends have come and gone, with a hand-full sticking around; but at the present, I haven’t got a group of girlfriends – at least not a group who are all friends with each other, if you get my drift? Sure, I have plenty of girlfriends but most of them probably wouldn’t get on if I was to arrange a meet up for all of us at the same time – but you never know, I might be surprised!
From the Uni bunch, it’s interesting to see who’s making a conscious effort to keep in touch…and who isn’t. To be honest, I’m a bit surprised at them really. There’s two of the girls from the year group who have been making the most effort to keep in touch, and I’m glad, but one of them, I wasn’t expecting to…but now that she is, I’m happy I guess – she is lovely at the end of the day. The other one is probably amongst my closest friends now, she was in my flat this last year…and she’s from the village next to mine (in theory, London is made up of many little villages, which over time, merged together to become “London” as we know it). Then of course, there’s the special lady I met up with last night. So that’s three, really. I know that the hectic University life-style means that some can’t always spare the time to keep in touch, which is a shame really because I got along with so many of the girls in the year group…but life has a funny way of throwing people back together, so maybe in the holidays, it’ll be better. I hope so at least.
IT’S FRIDAY!!! Which means that, lo and behold, the WEEKEND is here. At last. I’m glad this week is almost over and done with…it was starting to drag on a bit, and the fact that it wasn’t a very good week wasn’t helping. Things were definitely looking up last night from about 5.30pm onwards. Covent Garden is a magical place…if you have friends visiting, who have not been to London before…the first place you should take them is COVENT GARDEN. Have a nose around the market…then walk to Leicester Square…Piccadilly Circus…Trafalgar Sqaure…Southbank…etc. etc… Oh but don’t forget CAMDEN. Yes, you must take them to Camden, and have some lovely food from the Market. Thinking about food, I’ve yet to have breakfast today *slaps hand*, so I’d better go and make some lunch, well, brunch more like!
Celebrate good times, come on… (find your Friday feeling)
*And, I’d like Santa to bring me some of the items I’ve listed in the post below…if I ask really nicely…?
Felt like pancakes for breakfast this morning…and as I was piling them up onto my plate, I started thinking about New York and how much I miss it. It’s been nearly 4 years since we were there. But it’s still somewhere I simply adore. And I’m counting the days til I can go back. And counting the pennies too.
One of my countless candles is lit and it’s making my room glow a shade of orange (well, it is an orange candle!). This has been a strange week, it seems to have gone really fast!! Reading Festival last weekend was great, as usual, and I snapped over 700 photographs over the weekend…is that a lot for 4 days? Because I snapped around 700 when we went to Spain in July, and I thought that was a lot for a week! Hmmm, I guess the boyfriend is right when he said I’m a budding photographer…but somehow I don’t think I’d ever make it “big”. And I’m not sure if I want to really, I can be quite reclusive sometimes. But I do take great delight in snapping away and playing with cameras… Having said that, I still haven’t got that polaroid camera I wanted…!
Was planning on having a movie night tonight…it hasn’t kicked off yet…need to go and pick a film or two to watch. I’m thinking of watching The Notebook (one of my favourites) or Gone Baby Gone (a new film I got the other week, directed by Ben Affleck)…don’t know which to watch, so I’ll probably end up watching both! I do like my films, I think I have well over 100 DVDs in my collection now, it’s probably closer to 200, whoops! It’s funny, whilst some people may love their computer games, and will go out and spend loads of money to have the latest game, I’ll just go straight into HMV, head for the sales rack and pick out a few cheapies, that’s how my collection has gotten so bad really. Mind you, I did splash out a bit to have the latest of one of my favourite TV drama series. There’s nothing better than to snuggle up and watch your favourite episodes…F.R.I.E.N.D.S anyone?
An enrollment letter arrived this morning for my “old” university…and it baffled me! I mean, I’ve emailed everyone I was meant to, to let them know that I’m not going back next year…I expected some sort of certificate of higher education, not a re-enrollment letter! Ah well, I guess some places just take forever to process things. I’m getting excited about the next chapter of my education; will be studying creative writing and hopefully do some evening classes in photography…good times! I’ll also be focusing a lot more on the jewellery stuff, really want to get the ball rolling with that…
I’ve been trying to compile a few photo books lately, one of which is a collection of photographs and memories from the last year at Uni…because despite the fact that I ended up not enjoying the course, socially it was great! The photographs are solid evidence of that. I’m also trying to make a couple of photobooks for this summer and maybe the travels I’ve done this year.
A close friend of mine is jetting off to Amsterdam this month…we were talking the other day about what we did when we were out there… I have to admit that Amsterdam didn’t wow me as much as I was hoping but I think it was just the place I was in at that time. I’d been working my butt off all through the Easter holiday to get three essays out of the way, by the time we went to Amsterdam I was exhausted and worrying about the prospect of returning to Uni the day after we got home, maybe it’s just me, but that wasn’t a great combination 
The following term was a gruelling one too! I’d like to go back to Amsterdam, maybe for a bit longer than we were there for, so that we can really get a chance to soak up the atmosphere and do everything we wanted to do! Having said that, next up on my travel wish-list is a return trip to New York City.
We (my mum, sister and me) went to New York in 2005 to celebrate my sister’s 21st. It was an amazing trip, it truly was. It felt so magical and because it was leading up to Christmas, the city was buzzing with excitement – not to mention Christmas shopping! It didn’t snow when we were out there but it had been snowing the days before we went so when we first arrived, the snow was heaped up on the sides of the road. There was also a transit strike when we were there…no subway or buses! To get everywhere, we had to travel on foot (in the freezing cold weather) and buy day tickets for the tour buses! Despite all that, it was still amazing. One of the highlights was going up the Empire State Building, just as the sun was going down, which meant that we got to see the city in daylight and at night with all the lights – breath-taking. Oh, how I miss it! It may sound silly but I think New York City is my first love! When we got home, every time we saw the city in films, we would (all three of us) get an aching to be back! Hoping to save up enough to be able to go back, not this winter but the next winter…fingers crossed!
Right, well it’s half nine now and I still haven’t had dinner or sat down to watch a film yet… Hope every-one’s having a nice evening and have a lovely weekend.
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