Is love limitless?

Is there any limit to how much we can love someone?
Can it keep getting stronger and stronger over time, an unbreakable bond?
Can love be unconditional?
Is there anything we would not do for the one we loved the most?

Graffiti...vandalism or art?

I got out with my camera today, which I've not done for...too long! It was really nice to be taking photos again and thinking about what would make a good picture, what angle to take it from, what to focus on etc. While I was there I took the photos below, and wondered what other people's opinions of this where...is graffiti vandalism or art?

My opinion is that as long as it's not anywhere inappropriate (e.g. road signs, on someone's property) then it's art. It's a way someone can express themselves, their creativity and imagination.

Life!

Love life.
Live your life.
Be happy.
Make others happy.
Have fun.
Fall in love.
Love with all your heart.
Don't worry.
Dream.
And never,
Ever,
Forget to SMILE!

My Day

Right...so I've been so bad at writing on my blog since I've moved to Uni. But I would like that to change that as I do actually enjoy writing these posts. And no time better than the present so I'm gonna get back into writing by talking about my day.

I hate 9am starts. I know it's far better than when I was at college as don't have to travel for an hour and a half beforehand, but I am simply not a morning person! I meant to get up at 7:45 this morning but ended up pressing the snooze button for the next 20 minutes before finally surfacing. After that, getting dressed, doing my make-up and trying to eat breakfast was a complete rush. I left my bedroom at 8:50 and got to the lecture theater just in time.
It was Human Physiology, a lecture on the endocrine system and muscular system. During that lecture I just felt so tired though, so found it hard to concentrate. I don't even know why as I survived at college with a lot less sleep than I got last night.
After that we had a Human Physiology lab on histology. We were looking at tissues taken from organs of a rat, such as kidney, lungs or small intestine slides. I don't mind using a microscope to look at the slides and identify structures, but I hate drawing them. The unlucky thing about it though is this lab is assessed and we need to hand in 5 drawings showing appropriate level of detail and answer various questions about the tissues. We have two lab sessions to complete this in but I only managed to get 1 of the drawings finished on this first session. I found it so hard to draw a representation of what I could see. Also they expected more detail to be drawn than what I have previously had to when drawing from a microscope.
Finally for today I had a tutorial session. For this we had to prepare answers to questions based on DNA structure and discussed DNA replication. We have this session in a small group of 6 people, so everyone has to be involved in the discussions and can't go unnoticed. I think it's also a great way to show how much you know compared to everyone else. It certainly made me think that I need to do a bit more reading on the subject.
I made lunch when I got home, pesto pasta. Then I tried to get some work done but wanted something sweet to eat so I made some doughnut muffins instead. I'm now going to re attempt getting the work done!

Freshers Week: Accommodation

The accommodation at University that I was allocated wasn't my first choice when I applied but I am very happy with where I am. I am in a flat with 4 other people. We each have our own bedroom and share the bathroom and kitchen areas. Our flat is in Lewes Court in Block 1.

The Front Door

My first impressions of my new home were: my bedroom is bigger than I expected, the sink area in my room is huge with a big mirror, we actually have a bath in the bathroom, there's a lot of storage in both my bedroom and the kitchen. There was only a few very minor things that we had issues with, such as I have a very creaky bed and the drain was blocked in the shower when we moved in.
Before moving in I wasn't sure exactly what the shared bathroom comprised of. In the flat there is a room with a bath, toilet and sink, a separate toilet and separate shower room. They are just basic bathroom facilities although I would've liked a better shower. The main thing that annoys me about the shower now, is that you can't move the shower head at all. I have been quite surprised that sharing the bathroom is so easy, as whenever I go to use it it's always available. The one thing that's not convenient though is not being able to keep personal things in the bathrooms, and so having to take a wash bag and towel etc. with you when using the shower.
We also have the kitchen communal area. There is more storage in the kitchen than I thought we would have, the hardest part is diving the storage up equally between all the flat members. I didn't want to feel like I was taking all the space, but I think we've all claimed our own areas for storage in the kitchen. Whether that be one of the drawers, a cupboard, or one of the shelves in a cupboard. There are two fridge freezers in which we have each taken a shelf and drawer. The two things we don't like in that room are how wobbly/unstable the chairs are and the fact that we can't keep the door open as it's alarmed. Not being able to keep the door open makes it feel like that room is being shut off from the rest of the flat. There's also two sofas in the communal room but we feel like we'd like to make it more homely in there by adding cushions on the sofa and pictures on the walls. That way we'd be more likely to spend more time in there.

(Photos to be added, once my room looks nice!)

Fresher's Week: Moving Into Uni

Saturday the 15th of September 2012, the day that I moved into University. After having very little sleep I was up early in the morning. We put all my boxes and bags into the car and left home at 8:30. It took us about 6 hours to get up to the University as we arrived at around 13:30. First thing I did when I got to the University was go to the reception for Lewes Court to collect my flat/room keys. Below are photos of what my room looked like when I arrived (except the mirror on the desk) and of most of the stuff I'd brought with me.

I went for a drink with my Dad and Sally after unloading everything from the car. We went to East Slope Bar and it was really great weather that day too! We also got burgers from a BBQ outside one of the restaurants. After that they left me at my new home, as they needed to go find somewhere to stay for the night. I was sad to see them go and felt quite alone at that moment.

Driving: taking the test!

On the 14th of August I took my driving theory test, and passed it! I was so happy when I found out I'd passed, as I honestly thought I'd failed it. There was a couple of questions on the multiple choice part where I didn't have a clue, but in the hazard perception part of the test I got a message come up on the screen saying that I had scored 0 on a video clip due to an inappropriate number of clicks. So after that I didn't have much hope. I walked up to the desk to collect my results. He said to me "Smile" and pointed to the words on the certificate saying 'Congratulations, you've passed!'. I was so happy with that!

After that I waited until after I'd got my A Level results and found out when and which University I'll be starting at, before I attempted booking my practical driving test. And I mean attempted, as when I came to book it there were no dates before the 24th September, and I was starting Uni on the 15th. That left me no choice but to book the earliest date possible and keep checking for cancellations to change it. I thought I wasn't going to be able to take the test before I go, and would have to continue learning and take the test another time or another place. But luckily a couple of days ago a cancellation came up and I managed to get my test booked for the 12th September, just three days before I will be moving away. I'm not sure that I feel ready to take the test but my driving instructor seems to think that I'll be OK, so I guess I'll have to trust him. I will so happy if I pass the test on Wednesday, to have got it out the way and having my driving license to use when I may need it in the future.

Dream Car

OMG! I so want this car, love it! A ladybird beetle, so cool.

Lots of Walking!

This post should've gone up a week ago, but better late than never! The week before last my Auntie and Uncle came to visit. The evening that they arrived we all went out for a meal at our local pub, The Mounts Bay. Even my brother joined us, and they do really great food there.
The following day we went for a walk around The Lizard ending up at The Lizard point, the most southerly place on mainland UK. And because it's a Cornish thing to do we sat at the cafe on The Lizard point and had cream teas.

Later that afternoon we walked down to the harbour in Mullion as my brother was down there with his friends and needed to be told to come home for dinner. He goes down to the harbour as him and his friends like jumping of the end and that's what they'd spent the whole afternoon doing! My brother's one of the people stood in wetsuits at the end of the harbour in the photo below.

The next day I actually had a driving lesson so I didn't do anything exciting. But on the Thursday we went for another walk to Kynance Cove, near The Lizard. It's beautiful place to see and definitely a bit of a tourist attraction around here.

That afternoon after we'd been back a while and had lunch, we went for another walk around the village in Mullion and then down to Polurrian beach.

It was great to see my Auntie and Uncle, as they hadn't been down to Cornwall for many years. I really enjoyed talking to them while they were down, and hope to see them again soon.

For more photos go to: beanyjanephotography.blogspot.com

Cadgwith Regatta

This year the Regatta wasn't as good as usual. It was surprisingly quiet for Regatta, just like it would be in Cadgwith on a lovely sunny day but we didn't have the sunshine. Most of the events took place but I did notice that there wasn't so many people taking part.

It was a shame really as this is usually one of the biggest events of the year in Cadgwith. I don't think there has been a year of my life that I have missed this event. It's normally a day that's so lively and gets all the locals together for a little competetive sport and socialising.

I'm Going To University!

Last Thursday I received my A Level results. They weren't the best grades but I was extremely happy as I also found out that I've got into my first choice of University, The University of Sussex. That day I could not stop smiling I was so happy! First thing I did was call all my family to let them know, and my Dad took me out for a meal that evening to celebrate. The following day I saw my Mum and she gave me a present for getting into Uni.

My friends stayed over that night too and we went out for a night in Truro to celebrate. Tried a couple of different drinks that evening. I think we all agreed the drinking aspect of the night was more fun than dancing in the club as the music wasn't as good this time and it was so crowded we were constantly being bumped into. We got the drinks in Wetherspoons first as it's cheaper in there, and we shared cocktail pitchers and shots between us.

Yesterday I received an email from the University of Sussex informing me of the room I have been allocated in the halls of residence. It wasn't my first choice of accommodation but it still looks pretty good. There was also a lot of other information sent with the email, such as I didn't know that our rent covered insurance too. I can move into my room at Uni on the 15th of September and that following week is Freshers Week. There's also a Facebook group for each residence run by the University for people to talk and find out who will be in their flat before we get there or who will be on the same course. I think I've found one person who will be in my flat so far and it's a five person flat.

Brittany, France - the place, the culture, the people, the life.

I am currently on holiday in France visiting my grandparents. I've taken my brother with me and we came across on the ferry to Brittany last Tuesday. We're staying at their house in central Brittany until next Friday.

It's a lovely place to be here. The countryside is beautiful and the land is a lot less populated than it is back in the UK. I love that they've still got huge forests out here, and seem to use a lot more renewable energy than we do. I love the style of houses out here and culture that's still kept strong. They have an attitude that if it's not broken then there's no need to replace it, so many people still use old things that we wouldn't. The bakeries here appear to be so traditional, baking fresh bread everday, and also the crossiants, baguettes and fruit tarts (made with patisserie custard which I love!). They also seem more self-suffient than the British, many tending to their own vegetable gardens and keeping animals for produce. The way of life out here is far more relaxed than what we're used to. All the shops in the towns and cities close at midday for their lunch break, but this would be almost unheard of in the UK. It's a lovely place to live out here and a great place to be growing up for the children. The kind of place I'd maybe like to live myself one day. (Just need to learn the language!)

My favourite French dessert.

Clubbing!

Last Friday night I went out clubbing for the first time with my friends. It was awesome! We waited until we were all 18 and were able to go together for the first time.
I hate going out to pubs, I think they're so boring and there's never anyone there for me to talk to. That's why it was great going with my friends. And the music was so my type of music. I loved it and once we were in a place that was full of people it was easy to start dancing. I especially loved it when the song 'Niggas in Paris' by Jay-Z and Kanye West came on as that's what got me to let loose a little more and dance a little of my type of dancing. None of us drank too much, which allowed me to enjoy it all the more. We stayed there until the club closed at 2:30 in the morning. As soon as we left I couldn't wait to go again!

A Very Long Walk!

Yesterday I went for a very long walk with my Uncle. We walked along the old railway line in Truro from Treliske to the River Fal, and back again.We were waling for about 3/4 hours, I can't remember when I last walked that far.

We saw a lot of apples and hazelnuts on trees as well as blackberries just starting to grow.

We also came across this old watchmans house wich someone was using as shelter to sleep.

This walk would've been a lot easier to cycle. As it was an old railway line the path was very level and reminder me of the canal path I've walked down in France.

I think this was meant to be the destination although we did take a small detour.

Summer Update

What a lovely day! Is this Summer finally arriving? I hope so.
Spent all of yesterday afternoon sat in the garden with Dan. It was the first day we were really able to do that and it was really nice to be just sat out together, talking and having fun without being stuck inside, Dan being on the xbox and me doing my own thing.
And today's been even better weather, although Dan's not come outside much as he got rather sun burnt yesterday. Someone who refuses to put sun cream on but always gets sun burnt!
I hope the weather stays this nice all week, and when I go on holiday. We've got family staying with us this week and my brother finishes school for the summer on Tuesday. It'd be nice to have a few beach days together.
And then the following week me and my brother will be going to France to visit our grandparents. I'm definitely looking forward to that!

Lady at the Bus Stop

While waiting at the bus stop today I met a lovely old lady. She told me she was going to be 100 years old next year. I wouldn't have known if she hadn't have said, but how great it would be to reach that age.
She asked if I was from Cornwall, so I said I was. She said she was from a different country from me. Wales is where she was born and spent the first 15 years of her life. I thought it was nice that even though she'd spent most of her life in London she still considered herself to be from Wales.
She carried on to tell me some of the things she had done; that she'd been married for 56 years, had grandchildren as well as great-grandchildren. That in their house there was never any arguing, fall outs or bad language.
It was lovely to listen to her.

Cleaning Candle Jars

I learnt something new the other day - how to clean out old candle jars. Despite my best efforts to burn my candles properly sometimes they end up with a hollow through the middle and wax stuck around the sides of the jar after several uses. I love burning scented candles and think it's quite a waste but there's not much you can do about it. So might as well be able to re-use the jar. After the wick has burnt out of an old candle, simply pour boiling water over the wax and watch it melt away and rise to the surface. Once the water has completely cooled there will be a sheet of wax on the top of the water which you can easily lift out.

Don't Judge Me

This post is inspired by Chis Brown's song titled 'Don't Judge Me'.

Some Lyrics:

So please don't judge me

 And I won't judge you

 Cause it could get ugly 

Before it gets beautiful

Please don't judge me

And I won't judge you

And if you love me

Then let it be beautiful

I think the meaning of these words is so true. Someone may have done all sorts of things in their past, but people can change over time. Take someone for who they are, and don't listen to what others have told you about this person. So this song is basically saying don't judge someone on the person they used to be because that may not be who they are now. And if you give them a chance, you never know what could happen. If you enjoy spending time with someone it doesn't matter who they used to be with or what they've done before. The past can't be changed but you can create the future you want.

Two Songs: Euphoria

On the same day I've found two songs named 'Euphoria' that I love! 

Loreen - Euphoria 

This song is amazing and an incredible performance.

Usher - Euphoria
I've been listening to Usher's new album non-stop for the last few days but I'm especially addicted to this song.

What would happen if everyone wore the same clothes?

If everyone wore the same clothes we would no longer have such a thing as fashion. No notice would be taken of the clothes we wore; it would be of no interest to anyone. Only a persons face and features could be used to distinguish them from the crowd. More importance would be put onto natural beauty rather the the fake visage we create. We wouldn't love someones style, we would love their personality. From a distance, everyone would look like clones.
Although this in fact is not true, as no matter what the person is wearing we are each unique. Our clothing is an extension of the individuality of who we are. We all choose what we want to wear and the image of ourselves we present to others. Clothing allows us to express our originality and without it we would crave this ability. A person shouldn't be judged by what they wear; what they wear should be read as part of their character.

Smile!

I was walking through the city centre yesterday and saw a guy wearing a T-Shirt and holding leaflets who looked like he was promoting something. So I kinda tried to avoid him, but as I walked past he said to me "Smile", so naturally I did, "...There we go, much prettier". Such a lovely thing to say and so unexpected, I was smiling for a long time afterwards. Amazing how something so simple can brighten your day.

I always like to see people smiling and enjoying themselves. I think that's one of the most beautiful things to see, to see that someone is happy. I hate it when I've taken pictures of someone and they've said they look terrible smiling because you can see their wrinkles and I just say no, you happy when you're smiling.

Always remember to smile!

Pinterest

I have developed a slight obsession with Pinterest. I love it! It's like an online version of making collage boards of things you love, but even better as you can share what you love with others and get ideas from what other people love. I'm such a dreamer and have made scrapbooks before of things I love so this is perfect for me! Follow me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/beanyjane/ or view my boards to see what I love and am inspired by.
I also love how easy this website is to use and how easily you can organise your pins onto different boards. I love finding inspiration for my dream home, discovering places I want to travel to, foods I'm inspired to make, creative ideas of things to make or do and beauty and fashion inspiration.

Some of my favourite pins:

Emerald Gorge, Oregon

Looks so relaxing.

I love long curly hair.

Blackberry and Lemon Cheesecake

What To Do . . .

I've completely finished college now; no more work to do and no more stressing over exams! I've got about 8 weeks until I plan to be going away to University and was hoping I could find a job to fill the gap in between. I've asked around in some of the shops and supermarkets if they've got anything going but not had any luck. After being recommended I decided to register with Smith and Reed Recruitment in the hope that I would be able to find work through them. So that's what I've done today.
I'm also still continuing with my driving lessons and I'm aiming to pass my test before the end of August. At least now I have no more college work I can concentrate solely on learning to drive and am able to have more regular lessons.
Other than that I'm left with not much to do. I don't like to be lazy as I feel like that's a waste of time so I would like to be doing something in my time off. I thought I could work on improving the state of the garden, or the house but don't have anything to work with. It would be good to find somewhere nice to walk around here too. I've now got more time to work on my blogs as well, but as I'm not doing much there's not much to say about what I've been up too.

7 Things for 7 Days

I recently read a blog post by Louise from the blog sprinkleofglitter.blogspot.com titled '7 things for 7 days' in which she set herself a list of seven realistically achievable goals for the week. I thought this was a great idea and great way of motivating yourself to achieve more, so I've decided to do the same. I already do set my goals which I write in my diary of things I need to do each day, but they don't always get done so maybe this might help keep track of things. Plus its more realistic to have a list of goals for the week rather than a day as there may be a day when your not able to get things done. Anyway, here's my list for the week:

• Revise - I have a Maths exam on Thursday and a Biology exam on Friday (my last 2 exams!) and so I need to use the days up until then to revise.
• Clean - my make-up brushes, the bathroom sink.
• Organise - after my last exam, oraganise and file all my college work.
• Blog - add at least one new post to each of my blogs.
• Exercise - starting after my last exam, go out for a walk everyday to get out the house, get some excersise and maybe take some photos too.
• Read - finish reading the book I've started (Bridget Jones's Diary)
• Garden - make a start on the garden by clearing all the paths.

Idea from:

Blog Update!

Just a quick note to say that I've decided to re-arrange/re-design my blog. To make things a little more organised I've decided to create a separate blog for different topics, which are all linked at the top of each page to work similar to a website. So now you will find a link to 'Beauty' (directed to beanyjanebeauty.blogspot.com) and 'Cooking' (directed to beanyjanecooks.blogspot.com) and this blog will be to cover everything else. While creating these new blogs I have re-designed them to all look similar. So they should all have the same layout but different colour scheme and backgrounds. Hopefully this works OK. Let me know what you think in a comment below.

Where's Summer??!

It's the middle of June and Summer has officially started! Usually at this time of year it would be glorious sunshine and plenty of beach days, but not this year. Instead we've had torrential rains and gale force winds! So I'm wondering, just when is Summer going to get here?!

Drugs

Drugs are another thing I have very strong opinions about. I hate them. Drugs affect the way a person thinks, the things they say and the way they behave. A person's not themselves when they are under the influence of drugs, that's the main reason why I hate them. They can make people do stupid things and say things they don't mean. I hate seeing people who've had too much to drink. When they can't even walk straight, act clumsy and  the way they can talk to you. Things which wouldn't happen if they could think straight. That's why I very rarely drink anything alcoholic, because I don't want that to be me.

Exams/Revision

It's exam time again at college, but these are the last before Uni, which is the reason why there's been so few posts over the last couple of weeks, as I've been busying trying to revise and not get distracted by anything! I've got 8 exams this time round as I'm retaking 3. It's a lot of exams and a lot to learn for them. It's only been the last year or so that I've realised that I actually have to put some work in and revise in order to get a good grade. And also before that, I didn't really know how to revise so I would sit staring at textbooks and hope that that would help! Now I have my own "method" of revising which seems to be working, although my revision does differ for each of the subjects.

For Maths I revise simply by doing past papers, and I think this is the best way to revise maths at any level. Just keep practicing the questions, asking for help when you get stuck. For all my other subjects I have my own "method" of revising. I use exercise books (similar to the ones used in schools, A5 size, but they were very hard to get hold of) and make my own notes, using the specification (so I know what I need to know), and comparing between my notes taken in class, revision guides and textbooks. I find this way works as I'm not just copying out my notes but thinking about what I'm writing down by comparing and thinking about what's the best information to write down. E.g. if I need to be able to label a diagram of the heart I would look at and compare my notes and the textbook to find the best diagram and I would copy that out into my revision notes.

I do find that the hardest part of revision is actually getting started and being motivated to do it. Because I like to use all my notes and textbooks and spread out using a whole table it's not really possible to to this at college. The only problem with being at home is that there are so many distractions, and it's amazing all the things you will do when what you should really be doing is revision! Usually once I have got started I get quite stuck into it and the time flies. That's one reason why I don't like the idea of a revision timetable. I wouldn't want to get into the flow of revising for a particular subject and then have to stop to change and start something else at a certain time, as then I would have the getting started problem all over again. I find it more useful to spend most of a day revising one subject and switch to a different one the next day.

Everyone has different methods which work for them when revising, as we all learn in different ways. Although it is important that when your revising you are actually thinking about what your doing, so simply reading through a revision guide is most likely not going to work! So keep trying until you find a method which works for you. Good luck to anyone taking exams at the moment.

Olympic Torch Relay

Yesterday I went to watch the Olympic Torch go through the city where I live. I'm not a sporty person and  I'm not really interested in sports, but I would support the Olympics as it promotes sports and being active and also being competitive. It's really nice that the Olympic Torch is traveling through Britain as it involves all the communities making everyone feel like they've seen part of the Olympics themselves. Although, I was quite surprised by all the entourage that came along with the runner carrying the Olympic Torch, and how much it must have cost for all these vehicles.

Slightly out-of-focus!

The Coca-Cola bus.

Samsung bus, cheering on the crowds.

I thought the back of the Samsung bus looked more like the back of a boat than a bus!

Lloyds TSB bus.

Olympic coaches.

Balloons, flags, ribbons and whistles were handed out to the crowds.

Camera people filming the event.

The runner carrying the Olympic Torch!

Map on the back of the Olympic buses showing all the places where they were traveling to.

Coca-Cola 'Mini' Sound system!

I'm glad I didn't miss this event as it's something I might not be able to do again.

Book Review: Chosen (House of Night Series #3)

I started reading the House of Night series about a year a go but haven't got round to reading the 3rd book in the series until now. Yes, this is another vampire based story but as with most of them the author (or in this case authors) have their own interpretation of what a vampire is. I think to exaggerate that their definition of a vampire is quite different to some others they have spelt it differently as vampyre in these books.

The House of Night series is named after the school in which the majority of the story is set, and follows the life a a girl named Zoey Redbird who is sixteen at the beginning of the series. In this story the vampyre world is well known by the human world. In a small percentage of teenagers, adolescent hormones trigger a strand of what is otherwise junk DNA, which can eventually cause them to change into vampyres. When this happens they become 'marked' by a sapphire blue crescent-shaped outline on their foreheads. This signals the start of their change to become a vampyre and at this stage while they are changing they are called fledglings before they become an adult vampyre, although it takes four years to complete the change and not all the fledglings survive. Once they have been marked they must attend the House of Night boarding school, where they are required to take the Vampyre Sociology 101 course where they will learn the dangers of the vampyre world. If a fledgling is not in constant close proximity to adult vampyres, they will die. They will also die if their body rejects the change. Adult vampyres are super-gorgeous and super-talented and this is what a fledgling has to look forward to if they complete the change. All vampyres also follow what could be called a religion. They worship a goddess named Nyx and there is also an element of magic which gives them what could be called supernatural powers.

This novel, Chosen, is full of drama. From what could be normal teenage drama like being disappointed at getting Christmas presents on your birthday just because your birthday happened to be on the 24th of December and falling out with your parents to the complications of living in the vampyre world, but even Zoey's life is far from normal for the average fledgling. In this book she has to deal with many issues and learn from the consequences of her actions. Most of the story is set around her trying to find a way to save her best friend Stevie Rae who she saw die but is now an undead dead person. Zoey believes Stevie Rae is different from the other undead dead people as her affinity for earth has allowed her to retain some of her humanity and Zoey finds a way to 'fix' her best friend. But Zoey can't tell anyone about her best friend in case Neferet (Hight Preistess, who is seemingly wonderful to everyone else, but who Zoey knows is evil) finds out. So she keeps this a secret from her friends and boyfriend as well as the fact that she has been secretly seeing the hottest guy known in the vampyre world, Loren Blake. None of this goes well for Zoey as secrets always come out in the end. 

"Remember, darkness does not always equate to evil, just as light does not always bring good."

I read through this book in the last 3 days. Although it is not a book that leaves me deep in thought after I have finished reading it, it is a book that is hard to put down as you get so sucked into the story and finding out what happens next.

Finding books - goodreads.com

Recently I've started getting the books I read from my local Library. It's great because I don't have to spend lots of money buying books to be able to enjoy reading, and most often once I've read a book once I won't read it again so there's not much point owning and keeping all the books I read. The only bad thing about choosing books in a library is you don't get any ideas of what might be good to read you just walk into a room with shelves and shelves full of books and have to find something yourself. Not like in a book shop where they'll have popular/recommended books, or say the paperback charts and more books that are sorted into genres to help choose something that's good. So to find something in the library you pretty have to know what you're looking for and search for an exact book. I don't know the names of many authors and don't really know whats good and whats not, which is mainly why I've been sticking to reading Nicholas Sparks books as I know they're all highly recommended.

So I've been looking out for books that people would recommend, watching book reviews on YouTube, reading the comments on books on Amazon and then I found the website www.goodreads.com. It's kind of like a social network site for book readers. You can list all the books you've read, rate books, write and read reviews on books and use this to make a list of books you'd like to read. They also have their own charts on there as to what the most popular books are. So if you're someone you enjoys reading make an account on goodreads and add me as a friend: http://www.goodreads.com/BeanyJane Or leave a comment with any book recommendations...

YouTube Obsession

I love YouTube. I'm subscribed to so many people on there and my 'watch later' playlist is always full!

 I started off just watching music videos on YouTube. Then I found a love for finding unsigned singers who recorded themselves singing covers or their own originals, and shared the videos on YouTube. It's amazing that this is how some singers have actually been discovered and signed and I remember watching some of these people before they were discovered (singers like Esmeé Denters, Mia Rose, Conor Maynard etc.) . Lately I haven't been doing this so much.

After that it was around the time that I really wanted to pursue a career of becoming a Midwife and was interested in pregnancy etc. So I started watching pregnancy vlogs where pregnant women would do weekly videos updating on and recording their pregnancies. It's great to follow these people as they put up their videos each week, and it really makes me realise how fast time flies when I think about when I started watching a certain person and they were say 4 months pregnant and now they've got a one and a half year old! I think my favourite channel to watch is GabeandJesss. I still do watch these videos but not so much now as I've not been finding new channels to follow and most of the ones I was watching have stopped putting videos up.

Now though, the videos I mostly watch are about make-up, skincare etc. by the 'beauty gurus' on YouTube. I think I started off mainly watching make-up tutorials, but now that I'm subscribed to many of them and follow their channels there's quite a variety of beauty orientated videos. I love watching videos on product reviews, monthly favourites, top 10's, what's in my make-up bag etc. mainly because I'm nosy and like to see what products other people are using! I like to see what people like/dislike, what a lot of people are using and would recommend as it influences what I choose and buy when it comes to make-up, skincare, hair etc. products. Plus I guess I'm quite girly in that way that I just like to watch people talking about beauty and it's something I love and am interested in. Some of the channels I love watching are: FleurDeForce, missglamorazzi, pixi2woo, meganheartsmakeup, AllThatGlitters21, to name (and link) just a few. Because I love watching these type of videos so much I thought maybe I could do a similar thing on my blog and do some product reviews/things I'm loving. Maybe monthly favourites posts on my blog but there wouldn't be many as I mainly stick to the same routine.

There's a few other types of videos I watch on YouTube. As I've been watching the same people for a long time you get to know them a little and so I also watch some of their vlog channels. These can be talking about book reviews, health tips, food, exercise, daily life, fashion etc. And I'm also subscribed to the Sorted cooking/recipe channel. This is the only cooking type channel I am subscribed to and I think all the recipes they do are amazing. Their cookbooks are also on my wishlist to buy!

Book Review: 'Nights in Rodanthe' by Nicholas Sparks

Wow. How a story can move you to the point of tears. After turning the last page of the book I was left with the numb feeling caused by the pain of love and loss. I think the message of this story is learning to move on and live again after losing the one person you loved more than imaginable, but also to appreciate the time you spent together knowing that you wouldn't trade it for the world.

After Adrienne's husband leaves her for a younger woman she has rethink her life and future. When a friend asks her to look after their inn in Rodanthe for a weekend Adrienne sees it as the perfect opportunity to get away, but when a major storm is forecast for the same weekend she thinks her time away will be ruined.
On the other hand Paul has also recently divorced but realises his mistakes and wishes to change his life. He sells his medical practice, house and most of his belongings and is due to stay at the inn in Rodanthe for a few nights before traveling to Ecuador in the hopes of making a mends with his son.
Paul is the only guest due to stay at the inn while Adrienne is taking care of it. Both still coming to terms with their recent separations, they have no one else to turn to other than each other while alone together at the inn. Though at first their conversation was light and easy they soon started to open up to each other about their lives and feelings. And not before long they find themselves falling in love more deeply than either of them had ever experienced before. But all too soon their time together had to come to an end when Paul left to go after his son. I won't spoil the rest of the story but for the last part of reading the book I constantly felt like I was stopping myself from crying.

I really liked it when Adrienne said to her daughter "You're stronger than you think you are, but only if you want to be." because this is similar to something I always say: You can do anything if it's something you really want to do, but you won't be able to if you don't truly want it.

I would highly recommend this book - not just one of the best books by Nicholas Sparks that I've read, but one of the best books I've ever read!

Don't ...

Don't make promises you can't keep.
Don't say something you don't mean.
Don't say something if you're not going to follow it through.
Don't build someone's hopes up only to let them down.
Don't give someone a reason not to believe what you say.

Baking: Wholemeal Muffins

I was looking for something I could eat for breakfast when I get to college, that was fairly healthy and easy to eat. I've started making these recently and take one every morning to eat at college as I leave the house at 7 and don't have time to eat breakfast at home.

Recipe:

Makes 12
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
375g wholemeal self-raising flour
75g demerara sugar
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
75g of butter (melted)
315ml buttermilk*

* This is what was stated in the recipe I used but I use less than this as the buttermilk comes in a 284ml carton and so I use this amount.

1. Preheat the oven to 210°C (415°F/Gas 6-7). Lightly grease a 12 hole muffin tray.

 

 2. Add the flour and sugar to a mixing bowl.

3. Stir well, making a well in the center.

4. Melt the butter in a bowl. This can be done by putting it on the microwave for 1 min.

5. Add the buttermilk and mix together.

6. Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl.

7. Add the buttermilk, butter and eggs into the well in the mixing bowl.

8. Mix until all the ingredient are combined and it resembles a dough consistency. Don't worry of it looks lumpy.

9. Spoon the mixture into the muffin holes.

10. Bake in the oven for about 20 mins, or until starting to brown on top.

11. When cool enough to touch, lift the muffins out and put them on a cooling rack.

Ready to eat! You could also freeze these to keep for longer, and take them out when you need them. And although these look quite boring they do have a hint of sweetness to them so taste good!