A Summary of 2015

Hey hey!

2015 is almost over and so, a mushy, cliché blogpost reflecting on the past year calls once again. Brace yourselves.

I feel that this year I have overcome so many obstacles and surprised myself as well as doing some incredible things.

To start the year, in February and March I took part in a Spanish exchange program with a school in Madrid. Without sounding too unoriginal, it was honestly something that has changed me so much. Going to stay with complete strangers for a week is something I've always said I would never do and now am so glad I did. Those strangers have become my second family and my exchange partner is one of my best friends. I can't believe it's possible to find someone who matches you so perfectly yet lives in a completely different country.

I've also taken part in new activities this year. In March I volunteered as a crowd pumper at Wembley Arena for the WE Day concert which again, I had previously said I wouldn't do because I hate dancing. Also, in early November I joined a drama youth group alongside carrying on with singing lessons which makes me feel so much more active and makes my weeks feel much more colourful (yay).

In June I had to sit my science GCSE exams. Science is honestly the subject I struggle with the most (IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE) and I was getting D grades all year. I pleasantly shocked myself with the final result in July and it's really motivated me to keep working and revising hard for subjects I struggle with.

I went to Prague with my mum for a few days over the summer too. With both of our combined efforts, we surprisingly didn't clash and even the silent moments are ones that I honestly (wait for the cliché-ness) will treasure forever.

I'm in love with musical theatre which is why I was so excited that I went to see my favourite musical 'Wicked' for the second time on the 23rd December with my sister who had never seen it before. (ANYONE WHO HASN'T SEEN 'WICKED', I REALLY RECOMMEND IT.) I also saw the musical 'Legally Blonde' with my mum yesterday, in a small theatre which again was A-MA-ZING.

My sister started university in September of 2015. Often people think that it's only the person leaving who's experiencing change but it is in fact their whole family too. I was extremely nervous for my sister to leave as she helps me a lot when I'm struggling with school work (she has a lot of smarticle particles). Therefore, I worried about how I would manage without her. Naturally, I rely on her for so much, so how would I cope? As it turns out, I can solve my own problems without her and there's something called Google to figure out things I don't understand. Who knew! I've become so much more self sufficient this year.

I celebrated my 16th birthday in October and it was perfect. I didn't have a big party but still had an absolute bomb ass time with just a few friends. I've noticed the more laid back I am, the better time I have (and really-I've been so laid back this year).

This year, I'm also so glad that I reconciled a friendship with someone who I had fallen out and lost touch with. I feel that I've gained back a very special, and caring friend (albeit rather annoying too). I've really widened my group of friends, which is important for me as I think I fit in better when with a bigger bunch.

As for the resolutions I set at the beginning of 2015...

Did I crack procrastination? No. Although I feel that I've worked hard this year, I don't think I've done things as efficiently as I should have. Perhaps that's something to continue working on in 2016...
Did I redecorate my bedroom? Yes and no. Yes, I've decluttered some parts and have reorganised as well as adding small new touches but no, I haven't done as much as I would have liked because redecorating costs money, which I don't have! Maybe I should be more economic in 2016? Also, is it just me, or have shops not had a good taste in products this year?
And lastly, my goal to spend more time with individual friends. I feel that although perhaps it wasn't carried out in the way I planned, I still did this and really acknowledged who my good friends are.

Despite 2015's ups and downs, without a doubt, I feel it's been a good year for me. Let's hope for the best for 2016 (because you know...YEAR 11 GCSE EXAMS).

Happy New Year!

Sharleen 

(and now, some photos of moments in 2015)

WE Day Crowd Pumping

Results Day

Prague

My sister leaving for uni (excuse my hair, I washed it and it was still wet)

                               Youth Theatre                                                                                                                                                                                                                    16th Birthday 

                                                                                                          Visiting my sister at uni

Book Review: 365 Blog Topic Ideas

A few weeks ago I bought this book in order to try to keep my ideas rolling when I'm having a mental block. The idea of the book is that you have one blog post idea per day and it does go chronologically (as in the summery ideas are in the middle of the book, the halloween and Christmas related topics are towards the end. However you can of course go in any order you fancy or simply pick out the ideas you feel inspired by like I planned to do.

I found out about it over on another blog and thought about how useful it could be so didn't hesitate to buy it. Unfortunately however, I am slightly dissapointed. 365 is a big number. That's a lot of ideas. But I wanted the ideas to be original ones which I don't feel they are as most are ideas I've already thought of or done. As well as that, I also feel that there are too many ideas where they suggest writing a post about your blog. For example, "why did you start your blog?" or "regrets about your blog". But I need to have content on my blog before writing about the actual blog! Also, I feel that although the writer of the book says it's for any lifestyle blogger, a lot of the book has been targeted towards females and therefore it may create limitations for some males.

Although I'm not particularly impressed by the book, I do like some of the ideas - particularly ones related to autumn and winter time. By looking through the book it also stirred up some other ideas of my own that I'd never thought of so I suppose that's a plus. As I wasn't a fan of all the ideas in the book, I bookmarked each one that I thought could be useful some time in the future.

Overall, I have a very 50/50 opinion on the book. It's such a great idea and could be (and I'm sure is) helpful to so many bloggers to get their creative mind flowing again, but maybe it just wasn't exactly what I was looking for.

(Pretty sure this ramble made absolutely no sense...oh well)

Back To School!

Some of you fellow bloggers are still in school. School is starting again soon (and for some I believe it already has?) and let's be honest, most of us wish we had a longer holiday... So here's a little motivational video to help you get ready to go back! 

Good luck for the new academic year and keep being awesome!

Sharleen x

White & Milk Chocolate Cookie Recipe

Here's a super easy and yummy cookie recipe perfect to accompany a nice cuppa tea. (Makes 15 cookies.)

Ingredients:
*150g Butter
*60g Light Brown Sugar
*60g Granulated Sugar
*1&1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
*1 Egg
*225g Plain Flour
*1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
*1/4 tsp Salt
*100g Milk Chocolate 
*100g White Chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 190C (gas mark 5) and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.

2. Beat the butter and the two sugars together using an electric whisk (you might need to start off using a wooden spoon though to avoid creating a big mess).

3. Add in the vanilla extract and egg and mix together again using an electric whisk.

4. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into the mixture and mix in with a wooden spoon.

5. Using a knife, on a chopping board, cut the chocolate into small chunks. (They should be around half to a third of the size of one chocolate square.) Then stir into the mixture with a wooden spoon.

6. Place ping-pong ball sized mounds of mixture on the baking tray (keep them fairly well spread out). Then bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes. They're ready when golden on the edge. (Take them out whilst still soft! They'll harden when they cool down!)

Happy Baking! Sharleen x

Shopping for Autumn Already?!

Despite being down to my last £20, I found these light brown brogues in Primark (I adored them but had doubts about whether they would match clothes I already had in my wardrobe. After (MUCH) deliberation I obviously bought them (£9 although on the website it says it's £10...weird...) and it turns out they go with so much! They suit skirts, dresses and trousers, as well as being suitable to dress up or dress down. Of course also a perfect autumn-y colour (meaning they'll be used a lot soon) but can also be worn in spring and summer with summer-y dresses. A great buy indeed.

P.s. Those who got their A-Level and GCSE results, I hope you got all you wanted (If so, CONGRATULATIONS!) and if you didn't do as well as you hoped, remember that your grades DON'T DEFINE YOUR INTELLIGENCE and there's always a way to work your way around them. Best wishes,
Sharleen x

2015 Summer Bucket List

I'm two weeks into the summer holidays (ALREADY?!) and although a little later than last year, I've once again put together a list of what I'd like to do or accomplish by the end of the summer. Sometimes it's the little things that really count.

1. Get a bubble tea

2. Catch up on Orange is the New Black and Pretty Little Liars

3. Watch all seven Fast and Furious films

4. Clean, de clutter, organise and accessorize my bedroom

5. Blog more

6. Work on my scrapbook

7. Learn a few chords on the guitar

8. Go out with friends

9. Improve my singing

10. Go shopping!

11. Do something with my sister

12. Bake something adventurous or that I've never baked before

13. Exercise more and get fit

14. Have a movie night

Prague 2015

Hi guys!

On Tuesday I returned from my four day holiday to Prague with my mum. It was an absolutely incredible city with stunning views and architecture. Therefore, I thought I'd share little snippets of my short stay there.

On the first day, despite being exhausted from waking up at 2 am, after checking into the hotel, we were already on the move to begin doing some tourism. We decided to have a little walk around the centre of the city and see what we could find. We discovered the astronomical clock: a clock where every hour, on the hour, a huge crowd forms to watch a sort of "show" done by figures of the Apostles. We also walked down a pedestrian bridge called 'Charles Bridge' where there were a few little stalls as well as artists drawing cartoons of you if you wanted. 

The next day, we went to a park where there was a small square where Stalin's statue (that was destroyed in 1962) once stood. We went to a high point of Prague with the view of the city and then mostly walked around streets for the rest of the day.

The third day in Prague was the day of most tourism. We began by visiting the former Jewish ghettos which within it, had the Old Jewish Cemetery. The history behind it was extremely interesting and eye-opening which explains why it is such a tourist hotspot. My mum then surprised me by taking me to the John Lennon Wall (I'm a big John Lennon fan). After his death, this wall was used by Czech's inspired by Lennon's message. Whilst most things written by people on the wall were deep and philosophical, as a sort of tribute to my sister, I wrote "HEDGEHOGS" (she's quite fond of them XD). Later, we visited the Prague Castle (which is now where the Czech President lives) on top of a hill. When leaving the castle, we randomly came across a little street called Golden Lane (although I like to called it 'Sylvania Lane'). It was full of tiny, colourful houses that were incredibly cute, After eating dinner, we walked along Charles bridge at night, gawking at the lights in the distance.

On our final day, we spent the early afternoon in a more remote part of Prague with few tourists. We sat in a park and later sat next to the river, eating our cornettos (as you do). Afterwards, we went back to the Old Town Square in the central Prague and spent two hours sitting amongst many tourists on the street, watching buskers perform. It also gave us an opportunity to try a traditional sweet Slovak pastry called Trdelnik (still not sure how to pronounce that).

Although four days felt enough to see the most important parts of Prague, it was still sad to leave such a serene city. To my surprise, everything was so cheap there! (Even in the most touristic places!) The Czech people were very warm, friendly and helpful. Communication was also very easy as most spoke English. For those who enjoy walking and tourism, Prague is a must see place. <3

s

The site where Stalin's statue used to stand

Old Jewish Cemetery

HEDGEHOGS on the John Lennon Wall

Golden Lane

Charles Bridge at night

Trdelnik

Old Town Square

Have a lovely summer! 

Mini Summer Lookbook

I'm back, I'm back, I'm back!

Hello Chicos!

Here's a VERY MINI summer lookbook for you!

DRESS: H&M

SHOES: Primark

BAG: Primark

BELT: Primark

SUNGLASSES: Primark

DRESS:

H&M

BAG: H&M

SHOES:

H&M

BUTTON-UP T-SHIRT: Pimkie

SHORTS: New Look

NECKLACE: Not sure (It was a gift)

CONVERSE SHOES: Office

It was so fun to go out and take photos and share with you a lil bit o' fashion. I really hope you enjoyed the post and I'll  be back  soon!

Ciao!

Exchange comes to London!

London Eye view at sunset

Hey hey!

It's been an eventful past month! In my previous post I wrote about my trip to Madrid and then mentioned that my exchange student would be coming over a few weeks after. Well, it's all over now and today I simply wanted to share with you a few photos and things that we did together. Perhaps it will give you ideas if you're planning on doing an exchange too!

The day of her arrival: That night we went out to Wagamama to celebrate my best friend's birthday which was absolutely lovely. It gave my friends a chance to get to know my exchange as well as us two having some bonding and catching up time as well.

Day 2: After school all the exchange students went to the park where some played football whilst others visited a palace in the woods to take photos.

Day 3: This was a Friday and therefore after their day out in central London with their school, many of the exchange students all went to a nearby shopping centre to hang out and look around the shops after school. 

Day 4: As a big group many of the exchanges went to Camden Town to look around the market and of course...get their first ever bubble tea!

View from the Millennium Bridge at night

Day 5: This day I took my exchange to Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street to allow her to truly get the feel of "London shopping". We went to clothes shops as well as a tea shop called "Whittard" and the "Disney Shop" (most fun I've had in years...). Later in the evening just the two of us went on the London Eye where we watched the sun set. It was a truly magnificent view and we could not have gone at a more perfect time. To go home, we got a bit lost finding our way to Waterloo Station (oops...) so instead we walked towards the next station over the Millennium Bridge in the dark which once again was incredible.

Day 6: This day they spent the whole day and evening out visiting London with their school which therefore meant they were too tired to do anything. But hey, it's always nice to stay indoors too!

I'm not looking too attractive there...

Day 7: This was the final day before our friends left to return to their homes in Madrid. After a small party at school, we all returned home and met up later in the evening to waste all our money in the arcade and eat dinner together at Nandos. Table for 22 please!

As I already said in my previous post, I would honestly 100% recommend doing an exchange. It can feel daunting to go on your own to stay with strangers however it really is much easier than it seems. I was terrified of the idea of having to trust people I've never met but both my host family and my exchange student turned out to be some of the most warm hearted people I've met (and I'm not just saying that!). If the language barrier is an issue for you, don't worry! Your host family will be understanding and at the end of the day, your purpose of being there is to improve your speaking in the language anyway. Believe me when I say this, both hosting and going abroad are truly once in a lifetime experiences and you never know, you just might meet your new best friend!

Sharleen x

7 Days in Madrid

Hey Guys!

Around two and a half weeks ago, I returned from my exchange trip to Madrid. It was the first exchange I had ever been on and I can truly say the experience as well as the city, was absolutely amazing. I thought I would share with you a few photos I took during my stay as well as tell you all about what I got up to!

In the evening of the day of our arrival, after standing at the centre point of Spain, my exchange and her family decided to ease the initial nerves of us having met by eating churros at a cafe. It was my first time trying it and I certainly loved it ¡Que rico!

The second day was a Friday, which was spent having a tour of a bullfighting ring called 'Plaza de Toros de Ventas' and later visiting a famous art gallery ('Reina Sofia') where amongst many other alluring paintings, was the 'Guernica' by Picasso. Later on we took photos around Templo de Debod, an Egyptian temple that was dismantled and rebuilt in Madrid.We then also went into such a KAWAII 50's American Diner (shout out to 'Tommy Mel's'!) and walked to the terrace of a department store where we took in the view of Madrid. 

The following Saturday, my host and I spent our Valentine's day going to another art museum and later in the evening, going rowing (I'm sure you can picture the amount of couples that were there).

The Sunday, we visited 'el rastro' (a flea market) and then for the evening, went to see a play that had me sliding down my seat slightly, wanting to cover my eyes at the awkwardness I was feeling.

Monday. The day of the stares. This was the day where we followed our exchanges to all of their classes. Maths, economics and physics was not my idea of fun whilst on holiday. 

The following day we went to a city outside of Madrid called Segovia. There, we found the palace that Disneyland took their idea for the architecture of the Disney castle from. How cool! We also ate tapas at a restaurant for lunch and later headed home to our host families to do some 6pm shopping.

Wednesday, the last day before leaving, we had special classes at the Spanish school which included salsa dancing, notebook making from scratch and 'Robotica' (basically a robot class where we made armour for our robots and battled it out to see who's was strongest). Later in the evening, all of us exchanges and hosts went out together one last time before heading home to pack for our flight the next day.

For anyone who is considering going on an exchange trip I would absolutely recommend it. As I experienced myself by going on this trip, things don't always go according to plan or how you want them to, but that's what makes it such an unique and unusual experience. I found it to be not only a culturally enriching experience but also one where I made an incredible friend that I truly feel I'll have a relationship with for a very long time. Moreover, I totally feel that I've improved my Spanish and I'm able to speak much more fluidly than before, as well as the fact that I've become even more interested in the language (which I didn't realise was possible). It's absolutely true that it's a once in a lifetime opportunity, take it!

                  Sharleen x

(My incredibly kind exchange will be coming to stay for seven days with me in London in just under two weeks, how exciting! I'll let you know how that goes soon!)