As other students might well know, lugging up to ten books, water bottles, pens, paper and a laptop to and from the library is a bit of a strain (and I don't just mean on our social lives!) Can I be blamed for trying to squeeze in a few lunchtime treats too?! All this did sadly result in my poor bag having lost its zip, had its shoulder strap snapped and now the last remaining handles have finally given way. It's such a shame - I only have six weeks left at university until I graduate! But alas, the bag copped it and with exams and deadlines increasingly imminent, I have been desperately searching for a replacement before I head back to uni after Easter.

Of course Primark came to the rescue and this little beauty only set me back £12. Hopefully it will sustain the short amount of library lugging I have left to complete! Since I'll practically be living in the library this term, I won't be needing to take the books home as much so that should save some of the strain, but the lunchbox stuffed with treats will be more present than ever! Soz bikini body, you're gonna have to wait. I'm relying on sugar and sunshine to get me through my final weeks at uni!

Whilst transferring my stuff over to my new bag, I thought I'd take a quick snap to show my every day essentials too. These are most of the things I carry around with me if I'm leaving the house:


1. Fruit anti-bac | 2. Purse (TK Maxx) | 3. Perfume | 4. Headache stick | 5. Memory stick | 6. Diary | 7. Lip gloss

My purse and perfume are pretty self explanatory and I always like to have anti-bac gel close by. This fruity one from Wilko's is my favourite, it has such a lovely scent. Along with my headache stick, I normally always try and have some ibuprofen with me. I have tendency to get headaches and the occasional migraine, so it pays to always be prepared. Long stints in the library are a massive cause of headaches for me, especially if I forget to remain hydrated (but when the water fountain is across the library floor and there's a Gossip Girl style Facebook page posting anonymous comments on everyone's library antics, it's better just to sit tight and write!)

The diary, which I was given for Christmas, is an actual godsend! It breaks each weekday down into hourly slots so I have no excuse not to go for that run I scheduled in at 5pm! I try and update it on the Sunday for the following week and I've definitely relied on it a lot so far this year. Carrying around a lip gloss is a fairly recent tradition of mine and one I've definitely picked up from my housemates! And what kind of writer would I be if I didn't constantly carry around a notebook or journal (read: an unpublished one!) I'm in between notebooks at the minute so didn't photograph them here, but there's usually at least one lurking beneath the zip!
 

Jade x

 

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Although 22 is not a big celebratory age, to me it feels like a massive jump from 21. In my head 21 still seems young and full of life; 22 on the other hand feels so much more mature and grown up. I don't think I'm ready to grow up just yet! Due to university commitments I wasn't able to go home for my birthday but I did get to see my family a week and a bit later for a brief few hours, which was lovely.

I'm not a massive fan of my birthday - I don't really like being the centre of attention and the day can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming! And really, I had very little to do with my being born on the 6th February so if anyone should be celebrated it should be my mum, not me! Having said that, I was very grateful for all the cards I received, although a little less impressed with my brother's comments of how I am now 'sooooooo old!'

 

I was also lucky enough to receive some very appreciated presents, courtesy of family and friends. I'm paranoid that since I started drinking coffee a few months ago that my teeth are not as white anymore, so I was very appreciative of a new electric toothbrush! Already I'm convincing myself it's making a difference. I also received a beautiful light catcher from my family, adorned with poppies (the flower that shares the same name as our dog). I love decorative elements in my bedroom and when it starts to get sunnier in the coming months I think it will really brighten up my uni room. Other presents I was lucky enough to be given included a Barry M glitter polish and a gift card for my favourite shop Urban Outfitters from my two housemates, as well as a gift card for New Look from my Nana and a Made in Chelsea book from one of my best friends from home. I haven't spent either of my gift cards yet - I want to spend them on items I really want so I'm taking my time!

 

 

Although I do feel considerably older now and I'm sure more wrinkles are already appearing on my forehead, I am weirdly looking forward to embracing the rest of my twenties. I'll be finishing university soon and entering the world of work, and turning 22 has made me feel like I'm getting a bit closer to being ready to deal with that. Eeeek!

 

Jade x

Just a quick update to say that with changing the name of my blog, came a change with my Bloglovin' address. So if any of you delightful people would like to stop following the now non-existent You Can Call Me Jadey and switch over to Oversized Facial Features, that would be absolutely grand!

 

Here's the link:http://www.bloglovin.com/en/blog/11422727
 

In other news, I came home from uni on Saturday for the first time since September. I went to a Christmas party that evening and spent all day Sunday eating and sleeping - perfection! I love being home and being reunited with my main girl: Poppy, the family dog. This will be the second Christmas in our new house but because I've been away at uni for most of the year, it feels like I've hardly lived here at all yet! So here are a few snaps from my first few days back:

i. Typical train journey tidbits ii. Catching up with my number one cutie iii. My cosy corner

Jade :)
 

 

I'm at that stage in life where I'm just feeling terribly lost. I have one year left of my degree and no idea what I want to do after it. In fact, I often feel like I don't want to do anything after it. I'm a creature of habit (and probably a tiny bit OCD) but I like doing things that I've already done. When I go to my lectures I always leave at the same time and aim to sit in the same seat. I like having a routine - I always start with my left arm when I'm in the shower and I always eat my roast dinners one food at a time, in the same order (sadly these examples are just the tip of the iceberg.)

 

In short, welcome to the odd but mostly monotonous and prosaic insight into my life.

 

What the above might have subtly suggested is that I don't really like putting myself out there. Doing that requires making changes and my body no longer copes well with trying something new or different. To be fair, I don't think it ever did but as children we are, on the whole, far more adaptable. It's like I've hit the ongoing dilemma - the desire to move on to new aspects of life and make the most of all the great opportunities we're lucky enough to be offered, coupled with the overwhelming nausea inspired by the fear of rejection. The not-knowing how something is going to pan out.

 

I've had a lot of knock backs this year, as I'm sure everyone has. I'm not entirely sure how it's even possible to have done so, but my confidence seems to have dropped even lower than usual. Which is making it even harder to accept that in just over a year, I'm going to be graduating. The thought of having a job itself isn't too worrying - I've had a one before and I know that although I get horrendously nervous, I can cope. (Eventually.)

 

I think I'm more concerned about being the new girl, about not being up to scratch (and that's if I can even get a job once I graduate.) Basically I think I have a bit of an inferiority complex and yeah, it does stop me doing things because I'm scared I won't be good enough. It's like The Smiths say in their beautifully woeful song 'Ask':

 

"Shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you'd like to"

 

 

But sometimes I am brave. Sometimes I push (well, force) myself to do things I wouldn't usually do. And sometimes it's great and I feel so much better for it. But just as often (if not more often) it's horrendous, I get knocked back and I can feel myself bitterly reminding myself why I don't do this. Why I don't put myself out there.

 

Take internships and summer jobs. I've applied for a few over the last few months and like a lot of people I've been constantly rejected. And every time I think to myself that supposedly comforting saying of get knocked down 7 times, get back up 8. But I have to say that the older I get, the harder it is to get back up.

 

But then I think to myself about the many, many people who have it worse than I do, which usually results in some guilt-induced eating, but then I pick myself up, dust myself off and dive back into my routine. It's a bit of a vicious circle really; anytime I break out of my norm, the moment it all goes wrong I become even more fastidiously repetitive than before. I guess I'm just scared that it's getting harder to shake off these confidence knocks, but in reality as soon as I leave university they're probably going to become even more commonplace.

 

So what's the answer?

 

I think I'm still trying to figure that out. I'm just not one of those incredibly effervescent people who gets over things terribly quickly (I have a lot of flaws - just saying.)  I will say it helps to have a really good set of friends. They have a habit of finding incredibly amusing YouTube videos that definitely help to take your mind off things. I tried only pushing myself for things I really wanted, to lesson the frequency of rejections but as it turned out, this only serves to make rejection less familiar and all the more painful. So at the end of this very wordy post (sorry) it seems I can offer very few tips (sorry again!) But I guess because I'm still on this learning curve myself, I'll let you know when I know.

 

Deal?  Deal.

 

(And just in case, like me, you're stressed out by exams, feeling low about life or just in general need of a pick-me-up,  my brother showed me this video and it tickles me ever such a lot. I'm not even a massive fan of the movies!)

 

 

 

Enjoy,

 

Jade :)

 

 

I haven't blogged in what feels like months but it's that tedious time of the year where assessments, essays and exams take up all my time. It's definitely not fun but the fact the weather's getting better is making things slightly more bearable. Slightly.

 

But when the weather fails, I've realised relying on an assortment of snack food to get me through my assessments is not always the best decision. At the time it feels great, until you find out your skin is spottier than a Dalmatian and before you know it, it's summer and your earlier efforts to find your bikini body have all been in vain. So what's the answer? (Disclaimer: I definitely haven't found it. Sorry. But I've found some pretty good alternatives.)

 

Passenger being one of them. I swear they are getting me through all of my assessments right about now. They are, in my opinion, practically perfection. The songs are catchy yet calm and absolutely perfect to have on in the background when you're typing furiously at your laptop. I bought the All The Little Lights album and there's not one song I don't like. It's a pure and simple tingly ears album. Adele & Bastille are my two other steadfast tingly ears winners, so Passenger are in pretty good company.   'Patient Love' is one of my current favourites and 'Wrong Direction' is beautiful but to be honest, I've had the whole album on repeat since I bought it (apart from a few renditions of Iggy Azelea's Work when I need a little bit of a de-stress dance.)

 

Even the album cover is right up my street. There is simply nothing I do not like about this band or this album. If you like soft vocals and inventive lyrics with a slight indie feel and underlying rock aspect, Passenger are perfect.  (And even if you don't, give them a listen anyway.

 

So to anyone who is also suffering with pre-Summer studying-related stress - it will all be over soon! And I should probably add, I am by no means saying don't have a few handy chocolate bars in easy reach - they are most definitely a life saver, just don't overload (she says, tucking into a twirl as she types..)

 

Jade :)

Last Thursday was my university's annual dance ball and in typical dance girl behaviour, everyone got fully dressed up. With one exception (no guesses who!)

 

That's kind of half a lie. I did get dressed up, I just didn't wear a dress. Pretty good compromise I thought. I wore my faithful golden sequin shorts, my favourite long-sleeved blouse and a blazer (which, three hours later, I would sweatily regret.)

 

 

 

 

I love, love, love my blazer. It has 3/4 sleeves which is perfect for me as I always roll long sleeves up and the colour is, whilst a bit more girly than I usually dress, brilliant for summer. Having said all this, it is NOT good for getting a little bit tipsy and dancing like Beyonce. And to make matters even worse, Binky from Made In Chelsea came to the club we were all at and I had a photo with her looking horrendously sweaty!

 

 

Nevertheless the night was probably one of my favourite nights out this year at uni - everyone was on top form and to put the cherry on top, I was lucky enough to win three awards during the presentation at the ball! I've been feeling a bit disillusioned with my degree and with life in general recently so winning those really did cheer me up - I feel like a very lucky girl!

 

 

 

So even though I did feel a bit out of place being the only one not wearing a dress, the dance ball was - as it always is - a top night and I am so glad dance is such a big part of my university life. Especially since I'm currently in midst of a ton of coursework deadlines and exam prep - right now anything is a welcome distraction and dance is definitely top of that list!

 

Good luck to anyone else with deadlines and exams coming up - not long till summer now!

 

Jade :)

The whole of February seems to have literally flown right by me and the month isn't even over yet. It's an odd sensation because so very much has happened but at the same time, I feel like I almost haven't been present for most of it.

 

 

 

In short, February has been a blast.

 

February was always going to be fast and furious this year as three opposing events were all scheduled to occur. To be fair, I could happily of evaded two of them but alas, such is life.

 

So what happened in February? Firstly, I very reluctantly turned 21. I AM OFFICIALLY OLD and anyone who says otherwise is either not yet 21 or in some sort of denial. Aside from an intense hatred for celebrating my birthday, the day itself was borderline bearable this year. I had extra dance rehearsals on the actual day (BONUS) and my mum came up to spend the day with me which I have to admit was lovely. We went for dinner and I naturally ate far too much and had to run (on an incredibly full stomach) all the way across campus to make it (not quite) on time for even more dance. I don't think I've ever felt so full or so sick.

 

I was incredibly lucky though and got a few lovely little gifts from friends and family that I absolutely adore. Happy Jadey.

 

 

The start of semester two however made for a not-so-happy Jade. And not for want of trying. As much as I get bored terribly easy of doing absolutely nothing, starting new modules and learning new things just hasn't held as much appeal this time around. Still, we can't have it all and since the third event is probably going to be on the highlights of the entire year for me, I'll take a bit of degree-related despondency 

 

Unsurprisingly, February's final event is dance-related (what isn't?). As part of the university dance club, we hold an annual dance show for three consecutive nights in February and this year absolutely topped every other for me. If I'm totally honest, I pretty much threw myself into the deep end of dance because at times, it felt like the only really positive thing happening. It's certainly where I attain the most enjoyment and couple that with becoming disillusioned with my degree and despairing over turning 21, I decided to fill every spare hour doing something to do with dance.

 

The pros to this are that I am, without a doubt, the closest I've EVER been to having abs. Not most people's greatest life aspirations but I'm still excited. And I'm aware that this is rapidly becoming the most vomit-worthy 'I love dance' blog post ever but this year has been such a confidence boost that I find it hard not become some sort of soppy simpleton.

 

Because I - the shy, sarcastic, socially awkward soul - got on stage, in front on actual, real people and danced a solo I'd choreographed. It's not a big accomplishment in the grand scheme of the Earth's history but coming from the girl who, for most of her childhood, simply refused to even speak to people, it kind of feels like a big deal.

 

It proved to me a number of key things that I hope I don't ever forget. The most important one is that the stage is definitely my home away from home. I'm not some am-dram, super talented performer. I'm not the best ballerina or the most talented tapper and I doubt very much I'll make a career out of dance. But there's something so fantastically freeing about dancing on a stage, in having the knowledge that people are watching you - whether it's as a soloist, as a duet or group piece or part of a larger ensemble. And it's weird, because I am naturally such an anxious person but somehow all the hours of rehearsals and practice suddenly come together and the fear of disappointing people (dance teachers, the rest of the team, the audience or in other words everyone else alive) dissipates and all you're left with is energy and enjoyment and exhilaration.

 

So I'm exaggerating a little (guilty little English student). To sum it up succinctly, February's been fun because I've spent it doing something I genuinely love. I love the friends I've made, I love the things I've learnt to do and I love the costumes and craziness that comes part and parcel with it all. And yes, I'm aware that dance isn't for everyone but if you can find something you enjoy doing half as much as I enjoy dance, then I would consider your life well lived. I don't have many life tips to dish out but that one's golden.

 

I hope all of your Feburary's have been full of fun too :)

 

And all I can with is this: March, it looks like you have a lot to live up to.

I don't remember many school assemblies but one always comes to my mind at this time of year. I must have been between 14 and 16 because it was an assembly on exams it was definitely pre-A Levels (for reasons which will shortly become clear.) My school, not unlike myself, was a little results-obsessed.

 

They weren't dictators though and I remember that the lighthearted message they wished us to take away was to not get too stressed (easier said than done.) To calm us down they reminded us that if you write stressed backwards it spells desserts (see? Pre-A Levels) but to this day I use this knowledge to fuel my revision-driven comfort eating. And it fuels a lot of comfort eating.

 

In case it's not clear, it's assessment time at university. I have two essays and an exam to complete before the 18th January so these next few days will be spent writing endlessly. I know I want to be a writer but this type of writing doesn't sit particularly high on the enjoyment scale.



 

I did take some comfort in renewing my love for my distressed jeans however. The weather has been pretty mild and I don't have too many lectures to attend so I'm not having to wrap up in my winter warmers as much. (The gloves are still out in force though, it's not Spring just yet.)

 

I wanted to use a picture of the rips and tears but a few months ago my knee feel through one of the distressed section and consequently I now have a larger-than-designed hole residing atop my kneecap. And that somewhat ruins the image.

 

 

But mostly I wanted to write this as a source of procrastination as a way of sending out my shared sympathy to anyone any age who is sitting exams, completing university assessments or just really hating January. (I've come to the conclusion January is my least favourite month. Sorry January.)

 

Hello all :)

So today, I was planning on doing a quick OOTD as I haven't done one in a while and then the funniest thing happened. I got half way through writing this post before I had to leave for my lectures, then on the way there the Style Team from our university magazine stopped to ask if they could photograph my outfit! I'm sure I did a terribly awkward pose (I haven't seen the photo yet!) but it felt nice to know people were noticing what I was wearing.



This jumper is one of my favourite purchases from Urban Outfitters - I think I bought it two years ago for £20 and it's such an easy item to style. I almost always wear it with a collared shirt or blouse but because the jumper has 3/4 length sleeves, some shirts are easier to wear underneath it than others. For example, the one I'm wearing today is almost like a vest, so was perfect for this jumper.

 

I think the idea of having Style Spotters on campus is really good and I love that more and more people are opening up about being interested in fashion. It's amazing that we can see what people are doing fashion-wise all over the world with the help of the internet and blogs but it's just as nice to share ideas on your home turf too!

Moving back to uni was as stressful as it always is but decorating my new room was as fun as always too! I cannot stand plain walls and I like having inspiration and pretty things dotted all around my room so that was this years theme so to speak. It's not quite finished yet because I managed to run out of white tac and haven't been out to buy any more yet! Still, I like it so far and it feels very homely and I hope that it expresses what I like and find interesting :)

So there we have my little humble abode. I'm trying desperately hard to keep it tidy but it's not in my DNA! So far so good though!

I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone's blogs - I feel like I've been out of the loop for too long! Have a good Thursday everyone :)

If any of you live in halls of residence or college dorms, you'll know how plain four white walls can really look and for some people, that's just fine. A flatmate of mine had his timetable up and that was it.

I am not one of those people. My uni room has always been full of photos, posters, motivational quotes and torn up magazines (though sadly when exam time calls, revision notes too.) Not only is it a great inspiration to have visual reminders and memories to help gaze the day away, it's also a great talking point for anyone coming in to visit!

We're trying to sell out house at the moment though so I've been pretty reluctant to plaster my walls with pictures and posters but if you've read my last couple of posts, you'll know how inspired I've been by the Olympics ... and now it's spread to my walls!

To prove that my room isn't just a Jess Ennis shrine (it isn't, it really isn't!) and to take my new camera for a spin I thought I'd show a few of my other wall decorations.

I absolutely love my room the way it is at the moment but I love decorating a new room too so that's why it's perfect for me to have a room at home and a room at uni - best of both worlds! Now I'm a little ashamed to say I spend a fair amount of time browsing the web for new room ideas before I go to uni and here are a few that I think I'm going to use as inspiration for when I head back in September:

I love, love, love fairy lights and I have a lot both in my room at home and when I'm away at uni. Not only because I'm still a little bit scared of the dark (embarrassing, I know!) but because they give a perfect ambiance for early evening or if you're watching a film with friends.

Now I've often had little bits of text on my walls and posters with quotes on them but after a lot of browsing, letter cut-outs seem to be the in thing - music lyrics, famous quotes or just words to live by, whatever takes your fancy. I'm currently in the process of writing down all my favourite lyrics, quotes from books and lines from plays to eventually narrow it down to what I want to put on my wall. It's harder than I thought!

When I head back to uni and decorate my new room, I'll update my blog with what I decided to do for decorations.

So is anyone else an avid decorator? What wall wonders do you all have?

Today is a good day. It's sunny, I woke up in a good mood and I also found out my results from my first year at uni. (Well, second year at uni - first year of my course. Long story.) But thankfully I passed with a solid 2:1 so I can finally relax! I love my university and although I am loving being at home at the moment, I am so happy I'm able to go back in October (and as I'm gunning for a First next year, gonna get my geek (chic) on!)

Anyone else getting/got their results? I hope you've all done well :)