The first semester & lessons learnt!

So I'm nearing the end of my first semester at university, so I thought why not share the lessons I've learnt with you. So looking back 4 months ago just before my university journey began I was scared. I didn't know if I had made the right decisions, whether I could cope being so far away from my friends, family & boyfriend.. and believe it not my animals. I didn't know if I'd settle in at my new job. I didn't know whether I'd cope with the cooking my own meals day in and day out with the load of washing that came with it. I didn't even know if I had picked the right course after a quite stressful day of results. I didn't know if I'd even have enough money to support myself or that I'd even make friends. However I didn't need to be scared. Although this first semester hasn't been easy and there has been times where I wish I could have just been home in a full time job, but chasing your dreams is never meant to be easy. This first semester has tested me, but growing up can be a test in itself. But I know at the end it'll all be worth it and there will be countless experiences I could have never had if I just stayed home and picked the easy path. So here are the lessons I've learnt..

- Home. It's okay to miss home and always be grateful for the family that you have because being away from them truly shows how much they mean to you.

- Parents. When you have fantastic parents like mine, don't forget to show them! I can't even begin to explain how supportive mine have been from such a distance, but it means everything to me because the days where I just wanted one of my dads cuddles or one of my mums hot water bottles and hot chocolates they were there at the end of the phone or Ipad! Technology is brilliant.

- Love. If you truly love someone and they mean everything to you a distant relationship will work. It's no walk in the park but it's worth every step of the way and when you see that person, it's hard to hold the excitement.

- Friends. I miss them like crazy. But I'm happy for them and whatever they're all doing. The real ones will stick around and still play a part in your life, the others well they might not always be there when you get home. However that's okay! No one needs someone who doesn't need them.

- New friends. I've actually got the best little group of friends here & I cannot wait to make some amazing memories with them. From our takeaway nights to our games of monopoly or our came blinds mans bluff! They truly are keepers.

- The new job. Well. That didn't go as well as planned after all the effort I put in to get it, however it's given me a bit of money to just about keep me on my toes and it's definitely been an experience. Hopefully the new year may bring me new experiences in a new work place with a bit of luck. However although I don't always love it, I have met some genuine people there!

- Living. So halls has been an experience. I've made a couple friends in my flat, however it massively let me down! I have learnt City university's are not good for accommodation which is really important! I live with four other people, three I speak to and one who well you probably know I dislike but lets not ruin this and go there. I've learnt patience and that rota's do work. So when I come back from christmas I hope they're ready for my bin rota again! ahhaha. I may look like the worst house mate, but no one wants to live in dirt, do they? Please tell me if I'm wrong here.

Money money money. It's scary when you realise you only have 4.60 in your back account and it's only half way through the month but with the help of an over draft you'll be okay I promise, just remember to only spend when you truly have to. However with christmas it's pretty hard especially for me, I still want to spoil the ones I care about! So thank you Santander!

The course. Well the course it's self hasn't been too difficult at the moment, covering a lot of stuff I studied at a-level so that's beneficial for me. Not all lectures have my whole attention but lets remember if you're sat in a room full of people and you've been awake for an hour and picked bed over breakfast it's pretty hard to concentrate on anything for two hours straight. But on an honest note i'm enjoying most of the course and met some lovely people. Looking forward to getting my grades back for my first three assignments! AHHH.

So I've learnt a lot in the past three/four months. However I am very excited to be going home to see everyone!! It'll be a great Christmas holiday! It's true how much you begin to appreciate things when they're not so easy to reach. So that's it for my first semester of university and here's to a great academic year to come.

Believe in yourself, because you can do whatever you set your heart on.

I need some excitement

I feel bored. I feel fed up. I feel right now I should be having an amazing time but actually I'm just slowly becoming more and more like an old woman who's been divorced half of her life and spends her days inside watching cooking programmes and Alan Titchmarsh. I'm 18, so I’m young. I'm living in England's capital city, London. But I’m bored senseless. The day’s kind of merge into one, I clean, I cook, I eat, I study, I sleep. The most exciting thing I do is. watch some TV. And this all makes being away from home so much harder. I miss the drives in my car with my best friends to pointless places like McDonalds. I miss the days just lying around with my boyfriend. I miss Monday night netball matches with the girls. I miss WORK, dare I say it I miss B&Q EXR166, I miss the work banter, I miss my FAMILY, I miss watching my niece get older and learning about the world, I miss her saying my name and giving and the smile across my face when she wants me or a cuddle, I miss home. The first six weeks I was fine, I missed home but the new adventure was exciting. Right now I don't feel excitement. I want to look forward to Christmas with my little decorations an Christmas music, I want to go to Winter Wonderland in Hyde park and go shopping in Regent street, I want to cook my flat friends a Christmas meal and get stupidly drunk. So I don't have the money to get my friends and family amazing presents but I still can have a good time. All I want is some excitement, something that makes me tick, something that shows me that the decisions I’m making are right and this was an adventure I should be excited for. So do I find it, or will it find me?

I should probably take this advice.

One of those days

Ever feel like everyday just feels like 'one of those days' and you've literally just had enough of it but don't really know what to do. Because today that's how I feel. Tired and fed up, nothing seems to want to go my way. It's just all the stupid small things that add up until you really have had enough. I've been up since quarter to 7 and i'm just about ready to go to sleep so I don't cause any more problems to myself! However I have Uni work to finish off as I haven't had time so it looks like a long night for me plus I really need to do my washing and make myself some food. Just need to relax and remember that shit happens but life does go on and money's money. However payday I need you a lot right now, so please help me out. So next things next, sort out my room, make myself some food, relax and just do what I do best, work until it gets done!

SECOND YOUTUBE VIDEO.. GET TO KNOW ME TAG!

Here is the link to my second youtube video! Enjoy!

Achieving dreams takes determination

A dream.. a cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal. An end destination. Not everyone has a dream, however I’m not everyone. I'm Shannon, a eighteen year old girl studying Psychology in London. A few years ago that was actually one of my dreams, to be studying Psychology in London! And I achieved that, it didn't come easy but I did it. However I’ve always had even bigger dreams than that. I want to help people. I want to better people's lives, may it be big or small; I want to make a difference. Not for the thanks, or for a better conscience. But for other people. I want to do selfless deeds. I want to impact people in the best way I possibly can. Right now I have an opportunity. An opportunity that I want to take with two hands and run with. Next year I have the chance to go to Sri Lanka for 5 weeks as a volunteer, in that time I get to work with people with special needs, visit the psychiatric unit, visit a mental care home and even get the opportunity to coach netball and teach English! This is something I thought I could only dream of doing. However now I have no excuse. I've grown-up and moved out to a city where I knew no-body, this is my next step. Nevertheless.. there's always a catch I now need to find the money to afford it. For my accommodation, support, breakfast & dinner and training it will cost me £750 plus the cost of flights, insurance, visa and spending money. So I'm looking at a grand total of 1, 500 roughly. But this will not stop me. Hopefully soon I will have set up my own fun raising page and am looking into various ways of raising the money or at least some. Anything is better than nothing. This is something I’ve had my heart set on and I will make it happen. I am determined to make a difference and if you could help me make that difference, I'd appreciate it. So dream big, strive hard and never forget if you want something it is possible.

Here is the link to SL's volunteer page!

Friendship is beautiful

Just a random little video of me & my bestfriend!

Money, money, money

Don't we all wish we had a little bit more money from time to time? Whether it's to buy that new top or new game you've wanted for weeks. However growing up you realise money isn't just for lives luxuries. You need money to pay the bills and to keep a roof over your head. Money becomes more important and essential in your life. You start to actually understand what moneys worth. Well that's a lie not straight away. Sometimes life likes to throw in a little lessons to help you learn these things. For example when you decide to go on a random shopping spree for some much needed essentials, I put those words in bold because they really weren't much needed or even essentials. Then you check your bank account because you need some more milk or something that is a little bit more essential, like the extra cash to buy a text book or programme for your university course. Then you realise that little shopping spree wasn't as little as you thought and you aren't used to having to think about every meal or cleaning product you might need that money for. Although I've learnt my lesson.. I think. Money is a valuable thing! And you really shouldn't waste it. Money can create happiness but it can also create a lot of stress. It can put pressure on relationships and in extreme cases cause people to feel depressed. People can work so hard but never see any results, breaking even keeps the roof over their heads but it doesn't better their lives especially when they have to work day in, day out slowly not even enjoying their job. This is why university is important to me, I want to be successful but happy. Although money isn't happiness, in this day and age it bloody well helps. So my lesson for today is.. Think before you spend and that's not thinking about how good those shoes will look on you but how that money might be better of being spent in a different way. So here is to spending less and minimising stress. See what I did there?

Does luck exist? Dedicated to CIN

Does luck exist? Do people get lucky or was it always going to happen like that? Do good people get good luck? And do bad things only happen to bad people? If you're good will every day always be a good day, will you always be lucky enough to be constantly happy. The answer is I don't know. But what do you think? Bad things happen to good people all the time, people lose loved ones, people get diagnosed with life threatening illnesses, people suffer daily and I don't believe they bring it on themselves. You can't control whether someone becomes terminally ill or see into the future to stop an accident. You never know what tomorrow will bring. So when we get the pay rise or more miraculously when the person you care most about comes out of the coma that the doctor said they never would, is this luck? Is this person lucky? The definition of luck is success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions. So really the pay rise was never luck, because that person must have worked hard to get there. However the person coming out of a coma which was thought to be virtually impossible? Is this luck or is this just a person's inner strength, they were never lucky, they just fought for their live unconsciously. I've always believed in good luck and bad luck, but tonight I question it. Tonight I feel for those who suffer. I dedicate this blog post to Children in need. I believe i'm lucky or at least fortunate. I'm young and i'm healthy, I have friends and a wonderful boyfriend. A family who cherish me and the full ability to succeed in anything I set my heart on. I'm studying in the big city where i've always wanted to live. I get to gain experience after experience. I get to live. Not everyone gets this opportunity, I'm sad that I haven't done anything for CIN this year but just because I haven't helped this charity it doesn't mean I can't help another. You don't need a set day to help others. Any day could be a day to change someone else's life. So tonight I will donate some money to CIN and start to plan my way of what I can do next!

shanshanxo

MY FIRST YOUTUBE VIDEO!

So here is my first youtube video!

Topshop wish list!

List of links

Dita Dress by Motel

Floral Embroided Sweatshirt

Argo Leather Strap Boots

Team High-top Flatform Pumps

Moto Vintage Borg Denim Jacket

So here is my Topshop wish list, so many beautiful clothes and shoes but the student budget doesn't quite cut all of this. Black and white also seems to be my running theme but theres nothing wrong with monochrome, definitely an easy style to wear. Big cosy knit jumpers are also key this season for warmth and style. Shanshanxo

OOTD

So this is my first OOTD so bare with me. Please and thank you! This look is very UO inspired as nearly my whole outfit is from there. I was going for a comfy but stylish winter look with my vintage chunky knit cardigan and super cosy Primark tights for extra warmth. Can't get enough of them. And then stealing my mothers scarf because it's so pretty and warm!

Cardigan - UO T-Shirt - UO Denim skirt - UO - £20 Peace belt - UO Super cosy tights - Primark - 3.50Hat - Topshop Chain necklace - Topshop Scarf - Stolen from my mum :') Shanshanxo

Stress and dealing with a grade A slob

So right now this is my 7th week into University living and like I said before it's been a bit of a bumpy ride. Moving away to University is a big deal, theres lots of things you have to start to do that you never had to do before. For example cook for yourself three times a day, do the food shopping, wash your clothes, wash your bed sheets, change the bed, wash your bathroom, clean the kitchen, clean your dishes, pay the bills ETC. Basically things you never even thought twice about at home but right now are every day things and if that wasn't enough to try and get used to, life also likes to throw other hurdles in there like F*ckin'slobs who wouldn't ever dream of cleaning up after themselves even if their live was on the line. This is where the stress part comes in. For example you spend a good 2/3 hours of your day cleaning the kitchen making sure it's presentable and hygienic for everyone even though you didn't make the mess, you sweep the floor, clean the hob, clean the table, wash down all the sides, unclog the sink, EVERYTHING for two days later for it to be a mess AGAIN. You've already left a kind note to this person asking politely if they'd pull their wait so this time you're mad, you leave a slightly less kind note but still with a pleasent thank you an only to get a rude reply telling you that "we need to get 1 thing straight i don't care what happens to the kitchen you dont get to boss me around". So how do you handle this? And what are my tips for dealing with the frustration of living with a 'grade A slob'.. well firstly breath, take a step back, don't let them wind you up because at the end of the day they don't care AT ALL, so why should you? Just relax, the only thing you can do in this situation if the person won't listen to you is go higher up, so tomorrow me and my flat mate are going to complain to reception and pray that something changes. Wish me luck.

Change is a beautiful thing

I never used to think this, but now I do. Change is beautiful. Change is what helps us as people to grow and be happy. Every day is a new day, and every day is different. Not one day is the same as the last and this is why we should make the most of every moment. When you're sad or angry, question yourself, ask yourself why are you feeling this way and how could you change it. Ask yourself if right now will matter in a years time? Take a deep breath, wipe those tears and just sit silently for a while until you feel calm and remind yourself that it's okay to cry and let it out but more importantly its okay to smile. Things may not be going your way but persuade yourself that they will. A few weeks ago I had a rough week, I had been at University for 6 weeks, I was missing my family, my friends, my boyfriend, my home but I was okay although I thought I was and then this one week just broke me. So in that one week I sprained my ankle, broke my headphones & laptop charger, came down with so called food poisoning & lots of other little things which at the time truly just made me feel rubbish. They may sound like nothing individually but together they effected me a lot, I was pretty much bed bound from Tuesday to Sunday, either I couldn't walk physically from my ankle or because I was drained. However that was then and this is now. I got past that bad week with determination and support from people I love. I asked myself if in a years time would any of this would matter? And the answer was no. An ankle will mend, food poisoning would go and technology can be replaced. Why dwell on things that soon won't matter or in a years time you'll even remember. Change is a beautiful thing so embrace it. My life has changed massive amounts in the past year but I wouldn't change any of it. I have a boyfriend who I love massive amounts, I'm studying in a city i've always wanted to live in & i'm working towards a dream that is slowly looking more and more possible and this blog is just one way of me tracking my every step. So don't be scared of change. Embrace it.