This post is going to be the first in a mini series about the trickiness that is navigating life after you graduate. So if you're graduating next summer, are about to graduate, or have just graduated then these posts will be for you.

Its now been over a year since I graduated (how has the time gone so quickly?!) and I can tell you that I was seriously unprepared. I had no plans and zero interest in working within my degree field. A lot happened in my life very rapidly during the period between handing my dissertation in and actually graduating. One of the biggest things that happened was that I got made redundant. I hadn't even graduated yet and I was losing my job! Talk about bad timing! 

I worked throughout my degree but had spent the final two years working in a challenging office role within the care industry. The job suited me perfectly as the hours were ideal for a student and although the job was tough, I learnt a huge amount about the working world (not to mention kept my finances healthy, but more of that in a later post). The upshot is, a week after handing my dissertation in I found out the job that I currently had, was no longer going to provide me with the income I was hoping to rely on between finishing uni and finding another job. 

So I worked my final shift a week after finding out about the redundancy and when I got home I fired off two job applications. Nothing fancy, I just saw two roles that sounded like I could do and quickly emailed over a CV. To be honest it was the first time I had ever actually applied for a job and it was a pretty lazy attempt. But I wanted to be able to tell my parents I had applied for something, to keep the inevitable 'have you applied for jobs yet' at bay.

The roles I had applied for were through a recruitment agency and I received a call from them the very next day. It turned out the two roles I had applied for, were with the same company, one of which was temp work and the other was full time but required more experience. The recruitment agency asked if I could start temping on Monday. So less than 48 hours later I had a new job working night shifts for a large financial services company. No it wasn't the dream, I definitely wanted a job with more security, better pay and more sociable hours but beggers can't be choosers. 

I was used to working shifts from my job in care so the hours didn't bother me but the world of work within financial services was a whole world away from what I was used to doing in the care sector.

The industry is heavily regulated and working for such a large corporate company was a bit of a shock as well. I was so nervous before my first shift, especially because most of the other temps had been working there for a while and a lot of them had relevant industry experience. But I adapted quickly and proved myself to be efficient and capable at my new role. Turns out that the experience I had from working in care, as well as the skills I gained at uni were a lot more transferable than I had thought.

A few weeks later the boss approached me and asked if I was still interested in the full time position. I eagerly confirmed that I was and I had my interview a few days later. Despite having worked throughout my four years at uni this was actually my first interview! It was a tough interview which lasted over 2 hours, but I actually found to my surprise I was enjoying it. Thanks to all the experience I had with working in care I had lots of good responses to the questions they asked and was able to draw upon examples of handling tricky clients etc. 

I was so excited when they offered me the job! The role was a big step up from what I had been doing while I was temping but I was so glad that I had the opportunity to find out what it was like to work both within the industry and for the company beforehand. Mostly because I would never have thought that I would be any good at it! I now had what I had wanted all along, a steady job, with regular hours and decent pay. It also helped ease the transition as I was familiar with the company systems, had already completed some of my training and had started to get to know some of the full time staff from other departments. All in less than a month after graduating and being made redundant.

If you had asked me before I went to uni if I would ever work in finance I would have laughed til I cried. Me work with money? What a crazy idea. Now though, a year on from graduation I have moved onto my next role, still within the finance sector but this time my role is more technical and builds upon the skills I have gained since I first started temping. 

I've surprised myself with finding I actually have a genuine interest in the industry. One which sounds as dull as dishwater but actually learning how people build wealth, manage their finances and what goes on behind the scenes in a large financial company is really interesting. 

So why have I written this? To let other recent graduates know that it can be done, job hunting is not impossible. You might end up surprising yourself and putting your skills to use in ways you never thought you would. What seems like a set back, might actually be putting you on a better path all along!

Boat Party 2015

So this is my third year attending this event, and if I'm honest its probably one of the most anticipated events in my years social calendar. This year tickets were virtually impossible to come by but luckily I have connections so made sure we had some ;)

We kicked the night off with a girly getting ready session which involved large amounts of wine. I actually really enjoyed the part of the night spent at Pitcher and Piano before boarding the boat as its a great chance to catch up with the anticipation of a great night.

The actual party itself was amazing and I had such a great time. So glad I got to spend it with such an amazing group of friends and I'm so sad its the last time we will all be together to enjoy it. I love you girls so much!

Top photo credit: Hannah Cheales

What is this mapping I keep going on about?

Mapping in San Jose, Spain

As my readers will probably know my blog is still very new. Before I started writing it, I undertook a huge personal challenge back in the Summer of 2014. I’ve mentioned this a fair bit on this blog but never really explained what exactly it was I was doing or why it was such a monumental task. I thought I would start by explaining what on Earth I was actually doing there in the first place as most people (myself included not that long ago) have no idea what I am on about when I say “I went mapping”.

As undergrad geology students we spend a lot of our uni breaks on field trips. I realise to the outside eye this sounds like we get to go on elaborate holidays to exotic places, but this isn’t really true. While we definitely do have fun on our field trips they are HARD WORK. Like really hard work and they are absolutely not a holiday. We spend our days outside in all weathers with long hours. There is a huge amount of walking involved over tough terrain. We don't get days off and we spend most of our evenings working. If you decide to go out drinking you will seriously suffer for it the next day. Chances are we are staying in some broom cupboard in a dodgy hostel sharing a room with 6 people. Its challenging both emotionally and physically in a way you cannot truly understand unless you have done it yourself.

Field work isn't really my thing and I would prefer to be sat in a warm dry classroom pretending to listen to the lecturer. So to be honest I haven’t really enjoyed the field trips much and I really hated doing the work at the time (in case you can't tell). Looking back I remember them fondly but I think this is more to do with the camaraderie with my fellow course mates and the sense of achievement gained from completing them.

'What the fuck is this rock?' Wales

I do love to be outdoors and my degree has given me the opportunity to travel to some exceptionally beautiful parts of the world. I always find though the actual work gets in the way of properly making the most of the opportunity. We are too busy doing what we are there for to take advantage of the chance to explore wherever we happen to be.

Geologists however (particularly lecturers) are mad and think nothing of a brisk 10km walk at nearly 3km altitude carrying a heavy rucksack or doing a death defying scramble down a near vertical cliff just to look at an ‘interesting outcrop’. I personally do not care enough to think the physical effort is worthwhile but maybe that’s just me.


Anyway, back to explaining the point of this post. Instead of a traditional dissertation geologists undertake an Independent Mapping Project and a Mapping report. This replaces doing extensive research and then writing a dissertation. The mapping project is where you do your own research and then you write about what you find in the report.

Geological mapping is not as simple as it sounds. The idea is to try and build up a complete geological history of the area you are studying by recording all the observed rock outcrops. This is done by wandering (seemingly aimlessly) around your area and writing detailed notes on everything you find. The location of every outcrop is recorded on a map. You then apply your extensive geological knowledge to try and make sense of what you observe. While this sounds straightforward it really isn’t as you will only be tasked with mapping somewhere where there has been extensive deformation to make everything nice and suitably complex.

Climbing a volcano in Spain

For your Independent Mapping Project you spend 30 days mapping a large area (16km square in my case!) so there is an extensive amount of walking involved. The more days off you have the longer you will have to stay there so most people opt for one day off a week making a total of 5 weeks spent mapping. That one day off becomes all that you are living for as you do not have to stand outside in the pouring rain that day. I had done a lot of field work before I went on my Independent mapping but not a huge amount of geological mapping (9 days in total).

A lot of our field trips resemble something you probably experienced during GCSE Geography where you get dragged to Lulworth Cove and are forced to make a sketch of Durdle Door (I am not joking about this, I have been on 2 field trips there) and listen to the teacher explain things. I had never done any field work without instruction and the longest trip I had ever been on was 12 days long. Nothing prepares you for the sheer horror of having to do this amount of work with no help.

Bloody Health and Safety, Ingleton, Yorkshire

While it is called an ‘Independent’ project most unis generally expect their students to map in pairs for safety reasons. Unfortunately, you have to actually do your own work and your partner really is there just to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre or CPR or whatever. In fact they are so serious about this safety thing that Southampton uni makes us do a compulsory first aid course. My experience of this was hilarious as my mapping partner and I were ridiculously hungover at ours and thought we were going to vom on the CPR dummy. Somehow we passed but it was a good thing neither of us injured ourselves! Talking of mapping partners deciding WHO you are going to map with is probably more important than WHERE you go mapping.

This person will be your only companionship day in day out. It is absolutely essential that you like them and that they like you. There is no backing out once you get out there and they start to piss you off. It is a huge commitment to make and a big test of your friendship. Spending 5 weeks with one other person is probably more intense than the average marriage so you had best make sure you choose wisely. If you survive the experience though, the two of you will share a completely unique bond that no other person will come close to understanding. You will have scary weird in jokes and little anecdotes that nobody else finds funny. You know how close you both were to going completely insane but because you are friends you keep it to yourselves.

Once the torture of the field work is over and you are finally home it’s time to start writing it all up. Except you won’t cos you just wasted nearly 6 weeks of your life worrying about rocks and you are going to enjoy the small amount of the summer you still have left. You'll leave it all til much later in the term. Even then you won't start it until you have began lying awake at night stressing that you haven't started it.

Somewhere in Wales, who knows.

The other sneaky thing the uni make you do is digitise the map you spent the whole summer making, colouring in and protecting from the elements as though it was your firstborn child. This is called the Interpretive Map and creating it is a long, labour intensive process as the software likes to crash frequently. It also costs over £500 to buy so you either

a) pirate it (but Corel Draw is a sneaky bitch and works out that you illegally stole it)

b) use the free 30 day trial (all very well and good but the clock is a ticking)

or

c) give in and only do your work in the library.

All in all making the Interpretive Map is just as painful as making the paper copy. Only there is a strong sense of déjà vu because, oh wait, YOU’VE DRAWN ALL OF THIS BEFORE.

The most frustrating part of this is you cannot even pretend you aren’t doing your interpretive map because you are just so busy writing the report (ie. burying your head in the sand). This is because you pretty much need to have the interpretive map complete in order to write your report. FFS.

The report itself is 8000 words of pain as you try to rewrite your rain smeared notes you made in the field into something coherent. Preferably something that also sounds intelligent and feasible. THIS IS YOUR DISSERTATION AFTER ALL.

#SIRENS 4EVA

Eventually after hours of stress crying and contemplating dropping out your novel is complete and ready to be handed in. Complete with the Interpretive Map, Field Map and Notebooks. They all get shoved into an envelope bound into the back of the report and you can hand it in and forget about it.

In conclusion, this is the bare bones of the task but the experience is different for everyone. Come back next time for what I thought about my experience of mapping in the Isle of Skye!

8 Things that have made me happy this week

Life is all about celebrating the little things as these are the moments that add up to make us happy.
It's been a busy week and I haven't done one of these posts in ages. Writing them really helps me appreciate my life and be grateful for what I have.

1. I actually knew the answer to a question in a lecture. Admittedly it was quite an easy question and I'm sure everyone else in the room also knew the answer but just couldn't be bothered to say it. But for the first time ever at uni I was confident enough to speak up. Which is weird really because at school I was pretty much Hermione Granger, leaping out of her seat with excitement every time a teacher asked a question. I think I made an effort to ditch my annoying teachers pet image at uni, but on reflection I think I've taken it too far the other way. So, I'm pleased with my small win there.

2. I've got myself a new jumper. Best thing about it is that it was free. And I just love free things. To make it even better its one of Jareds that I've had my eye on for a while and now it no longer fits him its become mine. Hehehehe. All girls love stealing their boyfriends clothes because everyone knows that oversize jumpers are the only way to survive winter.

3. Got myself some Converse which I snapped up for a bargain price online from someone who had bought the wrong size and just wanted to get rid of them. I've wanted some for ages after my old pair fell apart. Currently wearing them in so they stop being so blindingly new and shiny. Already in love with them.

4. Made a fantastic decision to purchase a new Thermos flask. Its a purple paperchase one and it has owls and unicorns on it. It is literally perfect. After looking at my bank statement and realising I am wasting so much money on tea in the canteen I've decided to curb my habit and bring the tea with me. Problem solved.

5. Try not to be too impressed but I've actually been to the gym a few times over the last week. I'm hardly claiming to be a fitness maniac but I am pleased with my small amount of progress.

6. I went home at the weekend and got to see my family. My sister is home from uni on a so called reading week and it was lovely to all be home together. Spent some time outside messing around with the horses and just generally chilling. I'm pretty tired from it though as I was also working so had to get up at 5am and probably only had about 6 hours over the whole weekend.

7. Last Friday I went for a lovely impromptu coffee date with my geology girls and we spent a few hours drinking hot chocolate and gossiping. The perfect way to spend a day off. #Sirens forever.

8. I've spent large amounts of time in my onsie watching TV and drinking tea. This is the ultimate way to distress. Jared and I also made a huge list of films to watch and have been slowly going through them. So far The Lego Movie has to be the best. I know everyone else says this but I genuinely thought it would be shit and was amazed by how good it was. Made me want to go play like a 6 year old again.

So there you have it. Got another busy week ahead yet.

The Happiness Project: Part 2

So it has been a full week since I handed my dissertation in. It feels like much longer but I think that is mostly because I have been really busy. But more importantly: I've been busy having fun at long last.

It's been quite the action packed weekend and thanks to my new uni timetable I now have Fridays off which makes life even better.

I spent Friday going shopping by myself which is always such a treat. I love taking the time to browse slowly and just generally peruse at my leisure. I also got myself a new bag, some new sunglasses (for generally being fabulous) and a new thermos flask for surviving long days at uni. Naturally I have forgotten the thermos today. Well done Amber.
After I had finished wasting all my student loan I spent the afternoon reading which is something I rarely get time to do at uni as there is always so much going on. My book of choice was The Wrong Knickers by Bryony Gordon and I have actually already read it. Its such a funny book and any girl in her twenties can identity with it.

Friday night was a Disney themed house party being hosted by one of my friends. Yes that's right I did say Disney. My excitement could barely be contained. My girl friends came over for drinks and to get ready (always the best part of the night) and the party was a great laugh. I drank a little bit too much wine and ended up getting a taxi to Jareds. Apparently I was very drunk and being quite annoying but oh well. A girl deserves to get drunk with her friends once in a while.

Saturday was spent recovering with Jared being lovely to me because I was feeling rather fragile while watching loads of films. By mid afternoon (and copious amounts of ibuprofen) I was feeling much better. I spent several hours pampering myself for an amazing date night with Jared. Was really nice to spend some time together.

Sunday mostly consisted of food starting with an all you can eat breakfast and ending with a dominoes order. There goes my eating healthily resolution! Then just snuggling up in my onsie watching Harry Potter before bed. Got another action packed week ahead.

The Happiness Project

So some of you might remember a few weeks back when I was still in the midst of exam/dissertation hell I wrote a post about all the things I was planning on doing once it was all over?
Well now that it has all been handed in I just thought it would be nice to share the positivity and happiness of all the fun things I've been up to.

In my head, I have called this 'The Happiness Project'. Please nobody laugh at how lame that sounds, I just think its important that we all focus on doing the small things that make us happy. In the rush of everyday life it is so easy to get caught up on all the stuff we need to do and this makes it hard to do the stuff we really WANT to do. So I'd like to share with you guys my busy week so far which I have tried to fill with as many fun things as possible.

In a way, this is the whole theme of my blog, in that I try to celebrate the small everyday joys in life. It can be tough sometimes, and recently things have been tricky for me. This post is about how you have to sometimes be nice to yourself and be proud of your achievements, even if they seem small to others. What is important is learning to respect how you feel and understanding how to make yourself feel happy. So while the things listed below are actually very mundane, for me the time I have spent with people while doing this has made all the difference.

Went on a fantastic date night on Friday to Turtle Bay which has got to be one of my favorite restaurants. This was partly a celebration of me finishing exams (and my dissertation although I had not handed it in) as well as Jared's birthday. A big happy birthday to him <3 I got pretty sloshed on Prosecco before we even got there and then continued with the wine throughout the meal. It was nice to get merry though after so long of having to be boring. The food as ever was divine, and I had pulled jerk pork for a starter followed by Mo Bay Chicken (chicken in creamy sauce) with sweet potato fries. Jared had their goat curry which was also delicious and as always I was getting food envy. The only problem with Turtle Bay is all the food is so good I always want all of it. 

On Monday as we all know, I handed in my dissertation and this was the same day as the start of the new semester. My new modules seem to be fun so far which is good. As soon as lectures were finished I headed straight to Boots and treated myself as promised. I bought my new Clinique Sonic Brush as mentioned here and a new Long Last Lipstick in a colour called Rose Shimmer. It's much pinker than the lipsticks I usually wear but I wanted a change. So far I am obsessed with it. I think after all that hard work I deserved it. And I feel better now I've rewarded myself.

I did have a whole day of Netflix planned yesterday but this has had to be postponed due to my boyfriend being called into work at the last moment. Will be doing this at the weekend instead and I am really looking forward to some vegging out. We've made a whole list of movies we want to watch and I can't wait to get stuck in.

Yesterday, instead of watching Netflix I went to the gym and actually enjoyed it. I haven't been in so long it was actually fun. Fingers crossed for me becoming a super fit gym fanatic. It could happen.

After the gym however I undid all my hard work by meeting my flatmate for lunch at Wild Lime where the food as ever was delicious. Plus it was nice to have a catch up as I have hardly seen anyone recently.

I spent the afternoon having a really good sort out of my room and threw away a whole bag of rubbish. There is something so soothing about having stuff back in order and clean isn't there? Had a lovely relaxing bath before heading out on a bar crawl with the rest of the geologists in order to celebrate our freedom.

So there is what I've been up to so far. Can't wait to carry on having fun over the rest of the week!




Pictures: my own and the top one is stolen from Pinterest. 

Good Riddance to the Dissertation.

So today is the big hand in day! Finally I am free! I have now submitted it and finished my exams.
Now to have some fun! As I mentioned in a previous post I've got lots of fun stuff lined up as a reward for the hard work.

This dissertation is probably the hardest thing I've ever done and I'm not going to pretend to have enjoyed it. As per usual the huge task terrified me into starting it and as a result I started much later than most of my friends. However, I worked steadily and as a result I was the first to have it done.

Handing it was an emotional moment and I almost snatched it out of the receptionists hand. Then I realized how mental that was and walked away from the novel of pain.

I would like to take the opportunity to make a huge apology to pretty much everyone in my life for being a total bitch lately. I'm sorry, it was hard and it made me grumpy but thank you for sticking with me.

A massive thank you to my friends, who were the only people who truly understand as they are also in the same boat. Particularly big thanks to my mapping partner Abbi, mostly for just being prepared to map with me, but also for knowing I could always call on you during the report writing. You helped me so much.

Also massive thank you to my family, you put up with the horrible mood I was in and always encouraged me.

Along a similar line, another massive thank you to my boyfriend Jared. He heroically coped with a lot of stress crying and sat with me while I wrote about 6000 painful words of the report. Always willing to make me tea and a shoulder to cry on when it all became too much. You made me realise I could actually do it.

The biggest thanks of all has to go to my Mum. She put up with everything and refused to let me quit. I could never have done it without her. Mum, thank you and I love you.

Now, on to the celebrating and actually enjoying myself again! Lol JK got lectures 9-4 today and 9-5 tomorrow (cheers for that University of Southampton). Regardless, I plan on now having a lot of fun :D

Also just FYI, that's my first goal for the year achieved, GO ME!

Stuff I can't wait to do

Ever since I was about 14 I've hated January as it involved some sort of exam season. Not only is it cold, with shit weather and no Christmas to look forward to but then they decide to add EXAMS into that delightful mix.

This time last year I was disastrously ill and having one of the worst months of my life. This year is not much better for very different reasons. Basically I have three exams to sit and I hate two out of the three modules. Plus my dissertation deadline is only 2 days after my final exam. That's right. TWO WHOLE DAYS. Aren't they generous?

The amount of work I've got is crippling and is leaching all the fun and enjoyment out of my life. Even when I am taking a break I am so wracked with guilt I cannot enjoy what I am doing. Right now the only thing I seem capable of doing is crying and that is really not helping because I have got a horrible cold that is already making me a snotty mess.

To try and cheer myself up I decided to write a post on all the fun things I am going to do once this work is out of the way.

1. Netflix, tea, pjs. All day, for a whole day. I don't care what I watch or how much fast food I eat but its going to be incredible. Might even do it for several days. We'll see how I feel.

2. Dinner with my Geology Girls. We've got a fun celebratory dinner planned and I can't wait to consume copious amounts of wine and relax. While stuffing lots of yummy food into my face.

3. Get back to the gym. I have not had time to even go near that place, but weirdly I find myself looking forward to going back there... Probably a good thing as I plan on doing a lot of eating over the next few weeks.

4. Date night with my boyfriend. As a well deserved treat we are off to do something special together. It will be really nice to spend some time with him where I am not on the brink of bursting into stress tears at any moment.

5. Party time! There is a big party being planned for some friends of mines birthdays. Best part is its DISNEY THEMED. Time to crack out my well thought out costume and drink large amounts of vodka and coke (mostly vodka).

6. Planning my holiday. The reason I worked my butt off over Christmas was to earn some cash and I plan to spend a bit of it jetting off somewhere hot and sunny. Even thinking about it makes me excited!

7. I'm going to treat myself to some sort of beauty item. I haven't decided what yet but I've promised myself that the day I hand in that stinking dissertation I am going to go straight to town and blow my student loan on whatever takes my fancy.

8. Doing whatever the hell I want. This is probably the most important one. I am desperate to regain some control over my own life and get back to doing stuff I find fun. Life is too short to waste and I believe in spending every moment making yourself as happy as possible. I believe in doing what you love and I am hoping that one day this degree that I despise so much might actually lead to something I enjoy. So once this is over I plan on doing whatever I please for a bit. At least until the next deadline starts looming...



Picture from Pinterest.

New year... New Goals

Now I'm not really one for making New Years Resolutions. I never stick to them and that just makes me feel bad about myself. However since I was 14 every year with my sport of Carriage Driving I sit down and make a list of goals of what I hope to achieve each year. This tactic has allowed me to compete for GB so it must be working. In which case, its probably time to apply it to the rest of my life.

1. Be better with my skin care. I started using Clinique skincare back in April and it has made a huge difference to my skin. Over the next year I want to start being more dedicated to my routine and stop being so lazy.The effort is worthwhile and will pay off in years to come.

2. Finish my dissertation. This is a bit of a cheat goal because the deadline for this is the end of January and isn't something I am going to work on for the whole of next year. But this is a project I have been working on for the best part of a year and to finally complete it will be a huge achievement. I can't wait for the day after its done. I'm going to sit in PJs drinking tea and watching Netflix. Its going to be glorious and I'm already fantasizing about that blissful moment of relief.

3. Find a replacement curly hair shampoo. I've been loyal to Naked Bodycare for the past year and I've never been able to fault it. Unfortunately they have gone out of business so now everytime I venture into Boots I find myself leaving with every bottle they had in stock. Obviously this approach is not sustainable for ever so at some point over the next year I am going to have to go through the horror of trying to find something suitable to replace it with. No doubt that will appear on here at some point so keep your eyes peeled for that in the future.

4. Stop being so horrible to myself. I am very bad for talking myself down and telling everyone how bad I am at things. Now clearly I can't be bad at EVERYTHING so this needs to stop because the more you tell yourself things the more you start to believe it. It becomes this awful self perpetuating cycle and its very hard to break. This year I am going to make a concentrated effort to stop being my own worst enemy.

5. Care less about what other people think of me. This is a lifelong goal for me and I think it will probably appear on this list for a few more years yet. Certain events that have happened this year have brought how short life is into very sharp focus for me. Life should not be wasted worrying about other people. Over the past year I have started wearing a lot of lipstick, and I am sure it is not to everyone's liking, but it makes me feel happy so I do it anyway. This blog is another example of me trying to combat this problem that regularly threatens to cripple me. I felt like people would laugh at me if I started a blog and I eventually gathered the courage to do it anyway. Now I wish I had done it ages ago. I make small little baby steps with this everyday, but its important to keep focused on it. Otherwise I slip back into my old ways and that will not make me any happier.

6. Go on an adventure somewhere. I'm not really bothered where or what it is but I want to plan it and just do it. There are few things in life that are more invigorating than doing new things and its a worthwhile use of your money. Half the fun is in deciding what you want to do, or in just waking up and doing something on a whim. So while I have no plans yet, I will definitely be making happen.

7. Try to eat more fruit and veg. I'm not going to start whinging about dieting but I do need to eat a slightly more balanced diet and stop having eating so much junk. This ties in nicely with No. 1 and I'm sure my skin will thank me. I'm not going to give up anything or start being restrictive. Instead as a very picky eater I am going to try and be more inclusive and add some new foods to my repertoire. We'll see how this one goes.

8. Go on more dates. Both with my boyfriend and my friends. As mentioned above doing new things is good for the soul and is proven to forge stronger bonds between people. But aside from that its just plain fun. And I'm keen on anything that adds extra fun to my life :) I've already got a few things planned and I'm so excited for it!

9. Do the Race for life. Again I'm not going to pretend to have unrealistic goals of turning into a super fit gym bunny but I would like to do this in memory of my Grandad whether I run, walk or crawl it I don't care. I want to do it anyway. I think its a worthwhile achievement however you complete it.

10. Be more assertive. This is my big one for the new year. Despite my friends thinking I won't take shit from people I am actually incredibly prone to letting people walk all over me. The problem is I have a hard time standing up to people who are close to me. Yet I have no issues releasing my resting bitch face or scathing sarcasm on mere acquaintances who have mildly annoyed me. I don't want to argue with people or upset them and sometimes I let that be an excuse for allowing them to upset ME instead. This year I want to try to say NO more and start focusing on whats best for me. This might mean some of my friendships will change but I'm starting to realise that if they don't see that my happiness is important then they probably weren't my friend in the first place.

Turtle Bay drinks for Immies Birthday

I have literally the most disgusting amount of work to do. And I've spent the past few days in a semi permanent state of tears about it. Hence why I have only just got back up to date with this blog. Apologies. But to distract myself from that I went out for drinks at probably my favorite venue in Southampton: Turtle Bay.

My friend Immie has her birthday in the Christmas holidays which are nearly here and we went for cocktails at the Caribbean rum bar.

Had such a lovely time and it was so great to chat to everyone. Got the chance to meet a few of Immies rowing friends and they were all so nice.

Plus the cocktails there are incredible. Discovered a new favorite called Passion Rum Punch which was DELICIOUS and probably had about a million calories in it because it was so yummy. But who cares. If you are ever in Southampton you have to go to Turtle Bay, make sure to get something to eat because the food is to die for.

A big Happy Birthday to Immie! Welcome to being 21 and having the time of your life xxx

Wild Lime Birthday Meal

Went out to Wild Lime Bar for my birthday meal. A massive thank you to all my friends who made the effort to attend. we had a lovely evening with yummy food and even tastier cocktails.

After the cocktail party the night before it was a great chance to catch up on what went down the night before!

Had myself a fantastic pizza and some scrummy cocktails. The others had really incredibly looking burgers, kebabs and hot dogs.

Everyone had a chance to sample the really great cocktails they do there.

If you ever get the chance to go to Wild Lime I would recommend it. The cocktails are two for one, the food is yummy but reasonably priced and they also have a great breakfast menu which is even better when hungover.

Just a few causal pictures of the evening. Had such a lovely time and so grateful to have such wonderful friends.

Christmas Cocktail Party

Bit late for this post but who cares, life got busy as I am currently drowning in work.

Last week was the Geology Society Christmas Cocktail Party and my god was it fun.

I've been to this event every year since being at uni and with each passing year I remember less and less of it and they seem to get better and better.

Kicked the night off with girly predrinks at mine getting ready. Found myself doing everyones make up and hair which was great because I LOVE playing around with make up. I also treated myself to a pair of hair curlers so got to work on making my hair EVEN curlier than usual. Fun times.

My housemates (who are not geologists) joined us as I decided to combine this event with my birthday night out as they are so close together. We all headed over to my boyfriends house as he lives just round the corner before heading to the venue itself.

The music was excellent, with yummy cocktails and I had a lovely evening chatting with my lecturers, socializing with my course mates and dancing with my housemates. My non geology friends did ridiculously well on the raffle and someone won a bottle of fizzy red wine. Yes it is as disgusting as it sounds.

The night was only slightly marred by high heel pain as I decided to wear my highest most uncomfortable (but sassiest) heels so I decided to drink to numb the pain. This works but also means you can't stand up in them very well.

Anyway I think the pictures of the night speak for themselves. Big thanks to my housemates for coming and I think we can all agree it was the best night we've had in ages.


But then again any chance to get glammed up is good with me!
Pictures courtesy of SU Photographic Society events team

A super cringy, yet funny pic of the dance floor.