Life Update

It appears that I haven't blogged at all for over 2 months so I thought I'd update you on what I've been upto.  In September, I booked to go on the Coronation Street Tour.  Being an avid watcher of the show (although I am 3 months behind shh!) i've always wanted to go on the set and when the chance arose, I snatched it up.  They have changed the location of their set and so the old one was open to the public for a few months before it is completely shut down.  I got to see the Rovers Return, the cab office, Nick's bistro, the corner shop, all of the houses, Roy's Rolls and of course the famous cobbled street.  It was so much fun seeing it all in real life and I was amazed at just how small the sets are.  I obviously took loads of pictures and even threw in a Tina pose on the cobbles (which I got a few weird looks for).

I then started my new and first (real) job at Wythenshawe Hospital which I am loving so much.  I have been there for 2 months now and I am loving the working life and being back to having a routine (and also having money!).  

September was Michael's turn to pick our monthly date and he surprised me with a trip to Monkey Forest.  Being a massive lover of monkeys (particularly the smaller ones), it was the perfect date idea for me and I absolutely loved it.  Monkey Forest is in Staffordshire within 60 acres of woodland and they have around 140 monkeys roaming freely.  It was so weird walking through a forest in the UK and seeing real life monkeys just chilling, eating and playing with each other.  My favourites were the baby macaques! The monkeys weren't afraid of humans at all and wandered on the paths infront of us.  After we'd been around the forest and watched them being fed by the keepers, we made our way back to the cafe and had some lunch.  I'd definitely recommend going if you are looking for something to do for a few hours, and it isn't too pricey either! :)

   

Fast forward a few weeks to Halloween where Michael and I made pumpkins and visited Spooky World in Warrington.  Apple Jacks adventure park basically turns into a scary park at night over the Halloween season in which there are 4 main attractions; Carnevil, The Asylum, The Slaughter House, and the Haunted Hayride.  There are actors dressed up in frightening outfits and chainsaws that run at you and I've never been so scared in my life.  My favourite was the Haunted Hayride in which the actors would get on the trailer and 'attack' you with chainsaws and try and scare you.  We had water thrown on us and was tickled by some of the actors.  It was such a fun night although I was nearly crying by the end of some of the attractions!  I'd definitely go again though! 

If you know me well enough, you will know that I love watching YouTube, in particular the UK based beauty bloggers and their other halves.  So obviously I had to go to Amity Fest in which Zoe, Louise, Joe, Caspar, Jim, Tanya, Marcus and Niomi were hosting.  The event was a lot of fun and included Q&A's, singing, games and YouTuber Olympics.  I was a bit disappointed that the show was aimed more for 12 year olds and was a bit immature at times, but I guess their average viewer age is around 12 so it made sense.  I also had many young, shorter girls and their mums giving me evils for being in their way.  I can't help that I'm tall!  Overall though I really enjoyed it and it was so surreal seeing people that I watch on a  daily basis on my iPad in real life in front of me.

And finally November, Bonfire night!  Michael and I went to two bonfires, one in Wolverhampton, and one in Stockport.  We ate candyfloss, watched the firework display and watched the bonfires being lit.  Brabyns bonfire was sooo muddy and Michael nearly lost his walking boots!  The fireworks were fantastic and the bonfires were huuuge, I felt like I was having my face burnt to a crisp.  It was a lovely night out and I'm glad I didn't sit in the house and watch fireworks from my bedroom like usual.

And that's my life up-to-date!

Love, Amy x

My Bucket List

I've come to the realisation that I haven't really done much in my life that's worth telling.  When people ask me what I've been up to, what plans I have for over the summer, what do I want to do in life, I just go blank and realise I have no plans, I have no idea what I want to do after university.  Whilst scrolling through Facebook, I've seen high school friends go traveling, doing a year abroad, teaching in Africa, conservation work, and some even getting jobs in different countries! I've always just sat there with a green face thinking "I wish I could do something like that!". So now is the time to stop thinking "I wish I could..." and start saying "I will". I've created a bucket list of things I want to do before it's too late.

1. Graduate (completed 16/07/14)

2. Visit Australia

3. See the Eiffel Tower

4. Go surfing

5. Run a 10km race

6. Swim with dolphins

7. Go on a roadtrip

8. Achieve my goal weight

9. Do a Tough Mudder

10. Kiss in the pouring rain

11. Backpack through Europe

12. Ride an elephant

13. Watch the sunset/sunrise

14. Ride a Segway

15.Do the Colour Run

16. Try a macaron and poptarts (completed 11/04/14)

17. Throw a cream pie at someones face

18. Visit India and celebrate the Holi festival

19. See the Northern Lights

20. Kiss under the mistletoe

21. Experience zero gravity

22. Help someone less fortunate than me

23. Visit a haunted house

24. Move out

Amy :)

University Highlights - Year 1

This post is going to be about my highlights of my first year at university.  Looking back, I regret not taking part in more clubs and societies and going out more...but first year was still fun and I enjoyed every second of it (especially as it didn't count towards my degree;)).

My first meal at university! Being the kind person that I am, I shared my ready meal for one with my new flatmate as they didn't yet have any food in.

I was very unlucky with who I was put with in my halls of residence. I was looking forward to meeting 7 other excited students whom I could share my university journey with and become best friends with.  But I was put with 2 couples, a guy who was studying computer science, a guy who I had no common interests with, and a chinese girl who never came out of her room.  Don't get me wrong, they were all nice and friendly, but the couples seemed to stick together, the chinese girl didn't leave her room and spoke little english, and the other 2 I had nothing in common with.  The 7th flatmate was a girl who had literally the same personality as me and enjoyed the same things as I did and so we instantly became best friends and did everything together.  This is a picture of some of my flatmates:

In freshers week, I was out one night drinking with a few of my flatmates when a drunken chav ran up to me asking if i was with the business society. He had been on a social with them and had lost them during the pub crawl. My friends suggested he come with us to the club, and as I was also doing a business degree we got chatting about the subject. I was a bit skeptical about him as he was a stranger, and dressed like a chav and was very drunk, but we became best friends and went to lectures together over the year! He turned out to be a true friend and someone I can talk about anything to. Just shows that you shouldn't judge someone by how they look! :) This is us on an army night out:

In October, the Olympic torch visited a lot of university's around the UK and I got to hold the torch!

For Halloween, me and my flatmate dressed as zombies:

In November, I was missing my best friend Eve and so she came up to stay for a few nights. We visited Bangor Pier and had a lovely few days catching up :)

Whilst at Uni, I joined the dance club.  Having never properly danced before and only ever busting a mood in the privacy of my own bedroom, I was very nervous about joining.  I signed up for tap, jazz and irish and it was the best decision I made. Rehearsals were so much fun and I loved learning the routines. I performed in the Christmas dance show and did "Singing in the Rain" for tap, we even had umbrellas!!

In february, there was an annual Edinburgh Dance Competition, in which dance groups from different universities would come together and compete against each other.  I went along and performed the tap routine.

It was soo scary having to perform infront of judges and hundreds of other students and teachers!! It was great though and I really enjoyed the trip. We got to explore Edinburgh in our free time as well.

Over the course of 8 months, I managed to lock myself out of my room over 10 times and had to pay the wardens to open it after 3 times :( I was so forgetful and would always leave my key card in my room and hear the door lock behind me.  I spent many nights in my flatmates shoes wandering to the wardens office in my pyjamas to get a warden to open my door. 

For some reason, I don't have any pictures from March-April... but in May I performed in the Summer Dance Show and we danced to "Dance With Me Tonight" by Olly Murs and the "Push Bike Song" for jazz.  I also did some irish dancing but can't remember the name of the song - it was some sort of irish jig thing! Our costumes were ridiculously funny and slightly embarrassing but it was a good laugh and everyone seemed to enjoy the performance :)

After the show I had exams (booo!) and then that was it! It flew by so quickly and I loved every second of it.  At first I was nervous to be living away from home so far away and in a completely different country, but I ended up loving the independance, having my own little room and ensuite, and having to cook for myself. Even though the course I chose was a quick decision (and maybe not the right choice), I definitely enjoyed experiencing the world on my own and doing new things and making new friends.

Love, Amy x