Classic Books That Are Worth The Hype

I'm going to say it- no matter how often I try to begin reading 'The Scarlett Letter' I just can't get into it. At the moment though I've completely fallen out of love with reading because my life has become consumed by TV shows, mainly Bates Motel, but I need to get back into reading. I think it's because I'm reading a book at the moment that is good, but not gripping. The book is 'Lolita' a book with lots of hype and to be fair, I see where the hype is coming from sort of, but today I am going to narrow down some of my favourite classic books.

I haven't read that many classics by the way, so technically I am not overly qualified to write this. I've never branched far into Dickens or anything, however I figured I'd share some of my favourite classic novels of our world.

1. 'Wuthering Heights'- Emily Brontë 

This is probably one of my all time favourite novels. I don't even know why but I can just always reread it and never seem to stop loving it, although to be fair there is a particular point where I often stop reading but because I have read it so many time it is justifiable. I'm not even sure why I love it smooch because a lot of the characters in it aggregate me and usually that puts me off books, but something about this novel I adore. I like 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Jane Eyre' which I feel fall into similar category, but this is my number one.  There is one quote as well in this book which stuck in my head, which rarely happens to me. So due to the memorable quote and overall very enjoyable read for as long as I can remember, this is only my favourite classics. Well worth the title of a classic. 

2. 'The Catcher In The Rye'- J.D Salinger

I didn't enjoy this book the first time I read it, but now whenever winter is approaching I find myself reaching for this book. I just find it timeless and okay, Holden Caulfield is a bit of an arsehole but I'm still here for this character. Because I'm a nerd, I often google and read literature essays about books I enjoyed. In an essay about 'The Catcher In The Rye' I read that many people didn't enjoy it at first as due to the style of writing- as the plot doesn't really have climax it just follows Holden Caulfield. A lot of the time I hate that in books but I never get tired of following Holden around.

Also this book was banned from being in taught in America. I feel like a book that has reached banning status definitely deserves the 'Classic' title

3. 'To Kill a Mockingbird'- Harper Lee

I've actually only read this book once, which is rare for favourites of mine. But hot damn, this novel is worth the hype. I remember reading it after GCSE's and I couldn't put it down. It's one of the most famous books ever though, so I'm not really giving you any groundbreaking new novels to read. It's weird because ever since reading it I've found so many references to it in other novels. It is honestly just such a brilliant novel and the author flicks between one of the characters older and younger perspective which I always love in books because sometimes I feel like a naive child narrator is just a little too much.

4. 'Lord of The Flies'- William Golding 
I think this, along with Pride and Prejudice, was one of the first ever classic books I read and I loved. I just feel like this is one of those classic books that just everyone has to read and there's no reason not to as it's a good plot and the writing isn't overly old fashioned. Like Withering Heights, the language can become a lil bit old. And 'Catcher in The Rye' may not be everyones cup of tea due to the lack of plot (in my opinion- I feel like it's more of a follow along then a guess what will happen next) but Lord of the Flies is a proper novel that you should read. 

There are other classic books I really enjoyed, but I don't remember them well enough to include in this post yet. There are so many other classic books I have to read though, I think I'm going to dive into more Oscar Wilde (whose wit I dream of having!) and Virginia Woolf this year, once I've finished 'Lolita'. I'm just in a rut of reading at the moment, so thing I need to go for something lighthearted to get myself back into it. 

Staple Items

I'm not going to lie, this outfit isn't overly special as I wear it pretty much all the time. Well, I wear this top all the time, and these shoes all the time. My 'wardrobe staples' if you will. But in all seriousness, listen to how good my friends are, I have wanted green Doc Martens since I was in year 10, but could never find any and when I did I couldn't afford the size. I completely forgot/was oblivious to how often I must have spoken about wanting green docs, but my friends did not forget and on my 18th birthday surprised me with them! It was so kind and thoughtful how they remembered. I remember as well now how often we spoke about shoe sizes and at the time thought nothing of it. I literally wear these shoes all the time now as well, I keep them in the boot of my car (because I'm not overly good at driving in anything other than trainers) so that I can put them on as soon as I get out! So yeah, there is a fun story for you about my love for my green babies.

This is just such a simple outfit to be honest, but (in my opinion) always works so well. Plus the t-shirt is super soft and goes with pretty much anything. Except black skinny jeans, but that's just my figure speaking I'm sure it would go well on other people. I always wear this little bralette underneath it and just love the effect, bra straps are boring give me a flash of lace am I right! I need to invest in more barrettes, comfy and pretty! Win win! But yeah, this outfit is so standard but I feel like its okay because it looks nice. To be honest it has to be okay, my wardrobes are so full but purely because I am too lazy to sort them out. I have a list in my notebook of all the things to get done over summer. So far nothing has been ticked off, and I have begun working full time now so technically summer is over for me so I guess this list has just become a 'complete before 2018' list!

Also guys, can you believe I am back with an outfit post?! I don't have a camera at the moment and using my phone is difficult so I made my boyfriend be my photographer of the day, and he actually done a pretty good job. Also I've pretty much been living in pyjamas since May apart from if I'm out at night so its been hard to find a time to a actually take photos of outfits that aren't my trackies!

Tips for A-level

I'm qualified to write this post because I worked so hard during A-levels, and unfortunately my grades do not reflect the hardworking I put in the entire year but I still want you to trust my tips because so many people got fucked over by a-levels this year. So all you young birds, get ready for the best advice of your life!!

This photo doesn't even go with the post I'm just a working gal at the moment and working all this week and needed a pic

1. Keep your folders up to date. In year 12, my folders had no structure and the majority of year 13. When I sorted out my folders, it were as if the stars aligned. Keep your folders in a good system, it may be annoying to sort out but trust me, when you begin revising you will thank yourself.

2. Choose what you enjoy. I was going to do biology in second year, purely for the scientific title. I followed my heart and kept English literature and I am so glad I did. It was my best subject all year (well combined with classics) because I enjoyed them both so much. Don't do anything for the sake of university, I get university is important and all that but if you have to do a subject you hate to get into university, is it worth it? I don't think so! 

3. Get over the fear of missing out. I will admit, I get massive fomo (haha my laptop corrected it to foam) (fear-of-missing-out) but over my years at college it got to the point where I realised I needed to get over myself and recognise my limitations. I'm very much a go home everyday after college and do work kind of person whereas my friends met up a lot after college. And on weekends I had to structure my days out, so I could be hungover at work rather than at home because if I was at work I wouldn't be revising anyway so I didn't see the point wasting a revision day. Obviously, still go out and have hangover days but just know your limitations and recognise after exams you can party as much as you want. But during exams- structure the partying!

4. Keep your room tidy. Revising in a tidy room is the best. You can spread out your folders, you don't have to huddle up. Also getting into a made bed after revising/doing homework is always nice. Maybe it is just me but I could not revise in a messy room, although in saying that during the heat of exams my room was a tip but a tidy room is just always beneficial. 

4. Find a revision buddy. This only counts if the buddy will constantly be a source of motivation to revise and if you still revise independently as well, because independence is also good. But I found having my revision buddy so helpful, especially in essay based subjects. We shared ideas and essay plans and even wrote essays in timed conditions whereas at home I would ignore the blaring timer despite time keeping being so important in exams! Find an equal in a subject and bang it out!

5. Ask your teachers for help. I used to never email teachers for help because I didn't want to harass them however, teachers do wand the best for you. Obviously know your teachers limits,  not all would want to mark essays you've written however they do want what is best for you. So drop them an email asking to show them something/asking for help because it is unlikely they'll say no and they are the smartest people around!

6. Start early and keep notes up to date. Pretty self explanatory. But just for the love of god don't leave Alevel revision to last minute!! You'll be stressed forever. I highly recommend flash cards by the way 

Also, most importantly, remember that exams aren't always fair. Also that grades aren't everything but oh buddy this year did I find out exams weren't always fair. I done well in my exams but the thing is the grades weren't good grades for me. All year I worked so hard, I constantly had the 'you want to go to Bristol, you will go to Bristol' mentality so in year 13 I really got stuck into my work. I didn't go out, I would wake up early and I just worked as hard as I could. Through out my entire year at college this worked for me, I was an A grade student in all my subjects (except biology but I dropped that) and in second year I was often hitting the A* mark or just under. So I worked and worked, never taking my foot off the pedal. I gave up reading and blogging, used my bus journeys to revise rather than relax and listen to music, and in the end it didn't pay off. My final results, although good, don't reflect the hard work I put in. I have no idea how I got the grades I did, nor can my teachers, as I was always so on ball with A's and sometimes even above, but my final results don't reflect that. Of course I was devastated but now I just think who cares. 

People say you'll only be sad on results day if you didn't try your hardest, but you know what, exams can be wack. The same thing happened to some of my friends. This isn't to say don't try your hardest, but it is just to say exams aren't always fair. They aren't a true reperesentation always, and I'm still so angry at my grades. Not at myself though, but the exam boards because I know me and some of my friends deserved better. Many people deserved what they got, but not everyone. So just bear in mind at your next results day that, at the end of the day exams aren't everything and sometimes people do get fucked over, so don't judge anyone for their results! But still work hard, because although I am disappointed, I find great relief in knowing I could not have worked harder. 

Naples Naples Naples

In my head the title to this post is to a tune; imagine the tune you wish as I can not sing it for you.  

Recently I went to Naples with my boyfriend and let me tell you guys, Naples is so underrated. We decided to go to Naples purely because it had the cheapest flights and we booked it relatively late and also me, being the idiot I am, thought Naples was in Greece and I love Greece. I say I 'love' Greece, I went once to Athens and had an amazing time so I just generalise that experience to the whole of Greece. However, Naples is in Italy, as you probably know to be fair, and so many websites had warnings about Naples. Saying it was dangerous and dirty and that travel agents did not recommend going, but amidst these critical reports of Naples there were some good ones. I didn't believe the good reports and was so sure we were going to be murdered by the mafia. But since I am alive to tell the tale of the beautiful Naples, it clearly didn't happen.

We stayed in the historical centre which was a great location. There were many restaurants and ice cream and souvenir places near us, but to be honest on the first day we ended up going to this place called Shanti (I have no idea what category it falls into) which just became our favourite place. Well it became my favourite place. I have no photos of it really but it had a really nice ambience, like just so warm and welcoming. And they gave us crisps when we got drinks the first time, and I'm a sucker for snacks. They had food, drinks and music. It was just so lovely. 

Naples itself, I didn't see as much dirt as everyone was making out. Maybe because I'm used to dirty areas in London (although in saying that I do think London is relatively clean)(well some of the places)(despite there being pretty much no bins anywhere in London am I right) but yeah, Naples didn't seem that dirty. There was an average amount of litter. It was such an interesting city to look at, like you would look up and there would be laundry dancing on the clothes line in the rare blows of wind and old women smoking passing gossip along balcony to balcony. Oh, another thing is that there were so many beautiful buildings just scattered about that people just seemed to ignore, like giant clock towers or chapels. We couldn't figure out what they were but there was just some beautiful, old architecture that was just ignored. Well maybe not ignored, but they deserved to be made a bigger deal out of. I feel like in Naples the most important thing to do is look up as up high is where your eyes really get to see the goods. 

It was absolutely boiling whilst we were there, we really wanted a beach day and so many people said to go to the Amalfi coast which and have a tour of the villages and the pictures we saw look incredible but unfortunately we were not rich enough to go. I also really wanted to to go Cumae because one of the texts I read in classics featured that destination and I just find it so amazing seeing things from what I've learnt in Classics because its so 'woah'. We went to the Archaeological Museum there which is humungous and full of statues, as well as being as sucker for snacks I'm also a sucker for statues, so that was pretty amazing.

We also went to Pompeii, we didn't have much time there but Pompeii was so cool. As you walk in to the ruins area they have preserved bodies they found of people who were there, and it was so cool yet spooky because their bodies were like mid running, and one of them was curled up with their head in their hands. For an additional price we could have gone on an actual tour of the volcano but alas, we did not leave ourselves enough time when booking the coaches so that wouldn't have worked. 

A lot of rambling here. I'm going to sum it up in bullet points. There is probably a lot more to do, I just went to eat some left after BBQ food though and lost my writing flow. 

Pompeii and the volcano.

Tour of the Amalfi Coast

Herecleum 

Archaelogical Museum

Underground city (Roman remains- very cool and also very many)

Chapels (I have no specific ones but damn they are beautiful) 

Also okay so the pizza there looked incredible however I am a coeliac so it was pretty hard for me to find places that catered to this so I often had to stick with salads. On the last night though I got my long awaited pizza and personally, I was disappointed. My pizza came with no tomato sauce just oily vegetables! But I only have myself to blame I think because everyone else pizzas looked incredible. Plus my boyfriends pizzas and pastas always looked good. By good I mean amazing. If you're a Diet Coke lover and Coke Zero hater then I don't recommend Naples because Diet Coke doesn't seem to exist. Only Coke Zero. Also ice cream is a must, I was low-key disappointed but I just didn't go to the best ice cream shop. My plan was to have gelato everyday, I had it once!

Tip for Naples for all of you if you ever go: get ice cream every day. Actually, thats my tip for any country you're in. Ice cream everyday!

To Fill In A Gap Year

I find it strange trying to look for a job to fill my gap year, because there are quite a few opportunities. However, many of which I am not qualified for, or have a sense of 'but what if I actually get that job'. Like there is an internship at Lazy Oafs, which I would never get because I don't meet the requirements, but you know when its like but what if I did actually get that internship, I'd be screwed. A lot of websites that I have read, regarding how to fill a year out, encourage spending your gap year doing something that will boost your future. However, since I have no idea what my future entails, or what I even hope for my future to include, this is pointless advice. I am also very aware that I had high hopes for my gap year such as getting back into textiles and creating things again, and writing more and all that stuff but I don't know. Just all these things, but am I actually going to do them? Who knows.

It's also weird looking for jobs because I have no clue what route to take. Do I go for retail, an office, where do I go! I am thinking retail though, everyone says I will hate it, but I hate when people just tell me those sort of things. although they are probably right it doesn't make it any less irritating and at the end of the day money is money and that is what I want. I think I feel very estranged from my gap year at the moment though. All my friends are enjoying summer before university, I feel like I am part of that jolly despite in my head my jolly lasting longer as I regard a gap year as more fun than uni. Although university is fun, so I've been told, taking a year out to actually figure university courses out and get money and be free from exams also seems fun. Also slightly boring though, but I am sure boredom will just make me appreciate university more. I also feel very distant from my working girl self, as I have lost my CV and have not yet written a new one. It is on the agenda for tomorrow, but looking at jobs never provides much panic (yet) as I am CV-less, therefore I can't criticise myself for not applying, as it would be impossible.

I get uncomfortable to post these ramblings ever since people I know became aware of my blog. Annoying. It's not even like I can tell people not to read it as who could resist that. I don't know. It is all very strange. Or maybe I am just very tired. Or maybe I just keep my blog drafts as some form of diary. Maybe I will start keeping a diary.

This post was meant to be about my travels with my friends. I went to Amsterdam, Budapest, Berlin and Barcelona. However, I feel I can not write an entire post on my travels. Looking back on my trip I get frustrated at all the wasted time and all the things I didn't see. Plus some days were filled with feeling unwell due to migraines and coeliac attacks. It was a fun trip though, but boy oh boy was I grateful to come home in the end.