19th May 2018



79. Finish College 


When I first started college, I was so nervous. I've never really been that good with change and I nearly always assume the worst.
Luckily, I managed to make a lovely big group of friends who all mean so much to me. I am very thankful to have stayed so close with them over the two years at college.

 Some tips I have for people about to start college:

- It's okay to be nervous. Remember that everyone is in the same boat

- The classes you will take are a lot harder than secondary school level classes. Please take ones you are prepared to learn.

- It is truly up to you how much effort you put into your subjects. Please keep that in mind and use your free periods wisely.

- If you take an art subject, like I did, be warned that art supplies cost quite a bit of money.

- Don't put so much effort into what you're going to wear everyday. Go for comfy clothes which are going to help you feel better when sitting at a desk for hours.

I owe so much to these people and how much they have helped me through my struggles. I know that these people will be in my life for a long time.

'We didn't know we were making memories. We just knew we were having fun'

Thanks,

Amy.

Continue reading

Share:

54. Take pictures in a photobooth

I manage to go to Brighton around 2-3 times a year. I'm not sure why it meant a lot to me when I was younger: perhaps the fact that people who used to be my idols live there?
Nevertheless I have visited Brighton many, many times and will continue to make memories there.

A couple years ago, I had a bit of a schedule that I would stick to every time I went. It was something along the lines of:
-Look around the shopping centre
-Venture into the lanes
-Choccy Woccy Doo Dah
-Grab some food off the main street (Wagamama, Subway or the 7.99 buffet place)
-Sit down on the beach and take photos
-Buy a wristband and go on rides at the pier till night.

Again, I don't know why my 'to do list' was so specific. I don't regret it though because I had a lot of fun. I only really go to Brighton with my really close friends because it means so much to me and I used to think of it as my happy place.

Now, however, I've realised that Brighton is slightly overrated. Jam-packed with tourists and shops which sell rock candy in the shape of private parts.
I still love it for what it is though. And because I still love it, I have a tradition from my early schedule days which I have continued everything I go.

I get a photo booth picture from Snoopers Paradise.

On my bedroom wall and in my art journals, I have a collection of about 20+ photo booth pictures from that place. I love taking my friends there for the first time and the excitement we feel when the camera goes off.

I just love it! Have you ever been to Snoopers Paradise?

Thanks,

Amy.

Continue reading

Share:

4th July 2018

60. Visit the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam

This is a place that I've wanted to visit for a long time. I've always been mesmerized by Van Gogh's paintings - the individual strokes and how it can contain so much emotion that some people can't see. When my friend and I decided to travel up to Amsterdam for 3 days before she went off to uni, I jumped at the chance to see some masterpieces.

Amsterdam itself was so beautiful. Each building was so different to the ones here in England. I loved the chill atmosphere and how everyone seemed so artsy. I'm definitely going to go back one day.

For the museum, we booked our tickets online so we didn't have to queue up there. Our tickets were for a set time, so when that time arrived, we went through the front doors and up the stairs to the first room FULL of portraits.
I could've cried.

There were 4 massive floors full of hundreds of paintings, sketches and letters. At one point on the 3rd floor, I found myself standing less than a meter from 'Bedroom in Arles', a very famous painting that I never thought I'd ever be so close to.

Unfortunately (but understandably) photography wasn't allowed in most of the building. The footage I did mange to capture is in a short video that I created about our trip.

I had the most amazing time and am definitely going to go back someday! Hopefully, you'll be able to stand less than a meter away from masterpieces in the future.

Thanks,

Amy.

Continue reading

Share:

7th July 2016

19. Prom

For most people, prom is something they've always looked forward to. The idea of splashing out on a nice dress to wear for a couple hour is appealing. They've grown up exposed to multiple examples of how amazing prom can be.

I was one of these people. 

Before my prom, I was so excited to spend a day getting ready and treating myself, to partying the night away. I bought a puffy red sparkly dress, very high heels, new makeup and myself and a couple friends hired a limo for the night. From my experience watching high school musical, I had high expectations of how the evening was going to be. 

Problem number 1: my hairdresser was hella late. 

For some reason, my hairdresser was late coming to my house. I decided to save some time and do my makeup, putting on a lot of sparkly eyeshadow and mascara. When she did arrive, I told her that I wanted it to be curled. My hair is already very curly, but also frizzy and messy. I wanted neater ringlets, however she had only brought straightners. To straighten my hair and then curl it with the straightners, she needed to brush through my ringlets. 

This was a painful process which took half an hour (and I cried all my makeup off). 

In the end, my hair fell down my shoulders in big poofy ringlets, which is exactly the opposite of what I originally wanted. I shrugged it off and hurried into my dress and shoes. 

We had a set time to arrive to my friends house and get the limo to prom, and I was very late (because of the hairdresser). 

I decided to just let go and have a good time. 

Problem number 2: the traffic and heat. 

I had never been in a limo before, and I was very excited to be driven around in one for a short time. The limo itself was very lovely and we all sat comfortably inside with some drinks and music. I had made a banging limo playlist weeks beforehand containing mostly sing songs, but because of the rush, my phone was on very low battery. This was mainly a problem because I wanted to take photos and remember the night. Nevertheless we had fun singing. 

In films when watching the prom happen, you always forget that it's actually held in the summer, meaning that it gets very humid. It was hard keeping my hair flat and my makeup from spoiling. 

We were also a tad late arriving because of the 4pm traffic.

When we did arrive, our head of year almost rushed us inside, but we were able to see our families who had come down to see us (and had been waiting whilst we were stuck in traffic). I got some nice photos and was ready to go in. 

Everything was lovely inside - balloons were strewn about and there was a photobooth which you could take free photos in with props. I did manage to grab a couple of those. 

Next we all sat down ready for food. 

Problem number 3: the food (which I'm sure gave everyone food poisoning). 

I hadn't eaten much all day because I didn't want to look bloated in my dress and I paid for a 3 course meal at the venue. Keeping in mind, I'm a vegetarian, they brought out meat curry for the starter. 

Curry, for a starter, at a prom, where people are wearing expensive dresses and suits. 

Of course, I didn't touch it. They only brought out the veggie curry 5 minutes before they served the main meal. The vegetarian option was okay: spinach and ricotta ravioli in a cheese sauce. I still think there was something in it as I was very ill the next day. 

For the meat option, people were served half a corn on the cob, a chicken breast and a bit of bacon. 

I can't make this up. 

Also I didn't see any of the sweets we were promised for dessert. 

The rest of the night was a blast though. I know I made it sound very bad, and it was indeed very bad, but we all made do with what we were given. Luckily the DJ played some really good songs which made everyone go up on the dancefloor. I also got some really nice photos with my friends. 

It was fun to dance and sing with everyone altogether for one last time. There are definitely some things I would've changed, but looking back, I was very happy to just be with my mates. 

Things may not turn out how you want them to but there's no use wishing for a different outcome or comparing yourself to others experiences. We should be grateful and realise how lucky we are. I accept now that the venue was pretty terrible, but at the end of the day, I was with all of my best friends and we had a blast. 

I am very grateful to my friends, my parents and family.

But seriously, screw Botleigh Grange Hotel...

Continue reading

Share: