A Change in Direction

It's been a long time since I properly blogged, I kind of miss it. It was a big part of my life and I would spend a while coming up and writing blog posts. I feel like I've grown as a person from when I was into writing posts back in 2013. I now want to make this blog more about me. By that I mean an outlet for myself and being able to look back on this in the future and seeing what I got up to and how I felt. 

So for anyone who does come across this blog and happens to look back through the posts, I guess i've got some explaining to do. For ease, I will write a list of whats kind of happened since 2013 and disclose a few details which I probably wouldn't have done before:

• I celebrated my 18th birthday back in June 2014 (ages ago). It was a milestone I would have to say, and it happened just as I finished my last exams. It was nice to the see all our close family and friends. 
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• I finished school, and got the grades needed to get into university (yay) 
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• I got in to do Medicine . First year was amazing, so many crazy, surreal moments. I've not only made great friends I've made friends for life. 
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• I've moved away from home. This was a biggie this time in 2014, a big adjustment. But I can honestly say that I'm comfortable and I feel like I've grown as person with this independence. I'd say summer 2014 before coming to uni I felt like a child, I can say with confidence now that I feel like a young adult and I'm proud of that. 
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• I passed first year medical exams and now can officially say i am a 'second year medical student'
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• I've met some amazing patients honestly. If ever I'm in doubt about the career I've chosen, just speaking to the right person can help. It puts everything in perspective and I know how blessed I am to be given this opportunity, I should never take it for granted. 
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• I've moved house! Now this is something big, I have never moved house before however this month on 6th November 2015, I went back home to see the new house. I am excited to see what new memories this house will bring (and I'm even more excited to decorate my room!)

They are just some of the milestones I can think of, I probably will write a follow up post or edit this as and when I remember. I'm excited to start blogging again and documenting may be weekly what its been like. That would be nice, a new angle for this blog, rather than focussing on who is reading, focusing on me. 

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FEAR

Fear is a very big emotion. It can stop you from living your life the way that you want to and it can make your life a misery. I like many people have a lot of fears, fears that can consume my life and make even the best of days the worst. They can play on your mind and keep you up all night. So what do you fear you may ask? 

• I fear commitment. Having someone rely on you and fearing their disappointment if you can't meet their standards. 

• I fear love. Love can make you do crazy things, and it can obscure your judgement. I fear what it can do to other relationships in your life. 

• I fear the death of family members, I fear the death of my mother. My mum is by best friend, she made me who I am today. A day without her, knowing that she might not be there makes me so so so sad, its almost unbearable to think about. 

• I'm fearful of rejection. I'm fearful I will try with people and they will turn their backs on me.

• I fear change, and knowing that everyday people are changing, what happens today will never happen again and what has happened in the past will never return. 

• I'm scared of loneliness. I'm scared that I'll never find that one love and that my friends will one day desert me.
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• I fear the future, how unpredictable it can be. 

I fear fear itself. 

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25 Questions Tag...

I'd thought I would do something different this week and  mix it up with a 25 Questions tag. This is a little out of the ordinary for my posts as normally I stick to inspirational quotes, but I thought I would explore more this year with the variety of content on my blog. I hope you guys don't mind! I think that this would be the perfect opportunity for any regular or new readers to find out more about me. Feel free to leave a link to your 25 questions tag below, so that I can find out more about you guys too! So lets get on with it then...

What is your middle name?
My middle name is Rose

What was/ is your favourite subject at school?
Hmmm... this is a tough one as normally it changes depending on what we are learning. I'd say lately it would have to be Biology but when I was younger I used to enjoy maths. 

What is your favourite drink?
I'm not a huge fan of hot drinks (weird I know) and so my favourite drink would have to be like a nice chilled fruit smoothie.

What is your favourite song at the moment?
Lately I've been liking Sail by AWOLNATION and Riptide by Vance Joy. Tell me what you guys think of these songs! 

What is your favourite food?
I absolutely love love love cheesecake. I know its really unhealthy, and don't worry, I do eat it in moderation! 

What was the last thing you bought?
I bought a new bag yesterday from a shop here in England called Matalan, I must say I love it!

Favourite book of all time?
My favourite book series of all time is defo Harry Potter, and you can read why here. And from the whole book series, I'd say that it's a close call between Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. 

Favourite Colour?
Yellow.

Do you have any pets?
Unfortunately no. I'd love a puppy though!

Favourite perfume?
It's an oldish one but I love Gucci Rush.

Favourite Holiday?
Venice- Italy, such a beautiful place.

Are you married?
Nope

Have you been out of the country, if so how many times?
Yes, and more times than I can count on my hands!

Do you speak any other language?
I can speak a little bit of french, some German and I can understand a few other languages.

How many siblings do you have?
Two, an older brother and sister.

What is your favourite shop?
Ooh, hard choice!! At the moment though I would have to pick New Look.

Favourite restaurant?
You got to love a bit of Nandos!

When was the last time you cried?
A few days a go.

Favourite blog?
Life of Bon and Sprinkle of Glitter

Favourite Movie?
There is a few; Harry Potter series; Lord of the Rings and probably Batman series.

Favourite TV show?
hmm... currently I'd say New Girl, but it changes all the time.

PC or Mac?
I currently have a PC and so I'd say that but I'll be getting a mac soon!

What phone do you have?
Space grey iPhone 5S

How tall are you?
5ft 7 

Can you cook?
I can cook, although other people may not agree! However, I'm particularly good at desserts and cakes!

And that's all the questions. Feel free to write a similar post, but remember to leave a link below in the comments so I can see it! 

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Thinking of an Angel...

A lot of time can be wasted thinking about what you could have changed in the past, and how things may be different now. Regrets, in my opinion, are one of the worst things that you can have as they not only affect your past but can affect your present and future too.  It's best in these cases, just to let things go. 

The reason that I wrote this post is because recently, someone in my school died a very unexpected death. Not only has that shock the whole school but everyone one in my small village. It made us realise how what we have today can be gone tomorrow. It's important to think about how lucky you are and all the good things that you have in your life. 

You don't want to look back on life when your 80 years old and think, 'Where did all those years go?' You want to think about all those amazing times you had with your friends and family and how much fun  you had and lucky you were. Lots of years can be wasted with regrets and worries. If you are going through a rough patch, just think, things can only get better in the future. Just keep on looking forward and don't look back. 

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Rejection

Rejection is something that is not easy to accept. To know that despite all your best efforts, you have still failed can have a cruel sting. Speaking from someone who has been rejected I know exactly how this feels, and I assume many of you do too. Rejection from a job, university, guy or girl can really hurt but it's important not to wallow in self-pity!

Often when being rejected in whatever circumstance it can be hard to deal with. You begin to doubt yourself and think: Is there anything that I could have done? Why did I even put myself out there like that? I shouldn't have even thought that I could do that!

But if I could give you some advice it would be that without taking risks and couple of rejections along the way, you won't get what you truly want. It is important to stay positive in all eventualities and understand that life is full of bad times, but it is important to learn from them and move on!! 

Was I bitter? Absolutely. Hurt? You bet your sweet ass I was hurt. Who doesn't feel a part of their heart break at rejection. You ask yourself every question you can think of, what, why, how come, and then your sadness turns to anger. That's my favorite part. It drives me, feeds me, and makes one hell of a story.

- Jennifer Salaiz

You may be sad right now, but trust me, it DOES gets better.

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If you are going through a hard time and need someone to talk to, feel free to email me at leylawrites@yahoo.com. I'm willing to lend a friendly ear!

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Sunshine Award...

So, I have recently been nominated by Amber from Forever Amber for the Sunshine Award. I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank not only Amber but all those who follow my blog via GFC or Bloglovin'. To think that people actually like reading my blog means a lot so thank you all so much! I have previously been nominated for the Liebster Award so feel free to read that here. Lets get on with it then!

The Rules are as follows:

- Post 11 random facts about yourself
- Answer the 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you

- Nominate 11 wonderful bloggers

- Write 11 questions for them

- Also let the bloggers know you nominated them

Facts...

1. I've just applied to university (SCARY!) and hope to study medicine. Fingers crossed, I hear back from them soon!

2. I've recently been addicted to snapchat after getting my new phone :/

3. I've had braces in the past

4. I love painting my nails!

5. I want to travel the world more, including Germany, New Zealand, Japan and Dubai!
6. My favourite meal of the day is breakfast!
7. I have an older brother (23 years old) and sister (20 years old)
8.I don't really have a best friend, but a group of good friends
9. I go to an all girls school 
10. I'm a summer baby, but prefer winter, mainly due to the comfy clothing, knitwear and Christmas!!
11. I overuse exclamation marks (I had to really try hard not to put an exclamation mark at the end of this sentence). 

Questions from Amber...
1. What's your favourite blog?

Can I pick two?? The Life of Bon and Sprinkle of Glitter
2. Do you have pets?

err nope. I used to be one of those sad kids who would make up pets in school just to sound remotely interesting!
3. What is the best post you've ever read/most enjoyed?

I don't really have a favourite blog post, I mean I often find more and more blogs with blog posts that I enjoy reading that I couldn't really pick a favourite.
4. Do you make videos?/Do you want to make videos?

No I don't make videos, and although it is something I have thought about before, I just know it's something that I'm unlikely to do. Its mainly because I have all these questions running through my head like 'What will I vlog about?' 'Who will even watch my videos?' 'Am I really confident enough to put myself out there like that??'
5. Why do you blog?

I blog because it makes me feel happy. It allows me to express what I truly think without the feeling that I'm always judged. I like that I can connect and read about people from all over the world who I'll probably never meet but can really relate to.
6. What's your 'blogging goal'?

It normally varies from post to post but my main goal is to allow people to gain the confidence/ inspiration  they may need to do whatever they want.
7. If the sky's the limit, what would you do next?

I would travel the world!!
8. What do you do in your spare time?

Listen to music, watch tv (e.g. Arrow, Glee, Modern Family, New Girl, The Big Bang Theory, Revolution and I've recently started Breaking bad!)
9. What's your favourite quote, if you have one?

ooh there are too many to choose from, especially as I include so many quotes throughout my blog too! At the moment, a favourite is: Be Confident. Too many days are wasted comparing ourselves to others and wishing to be something we aren't. Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses and it is only when you accept everything you are- and aren't- that you will truly succeed.
10. If you only had time to save one thing in your home, what would it be? (your family and pets etc. are safe)

My folder of all my achievements/ certificates from when I was a child. I don't even know why, but I'm proud of it and probably my hard-drive with all the family photos on it .
11. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Probably New York, seems like such an amazing place to be.

My Nominations...

I've decided not to nominate 11 people, but to nominate those blogs that I have come across and enjoyed reading, they are:

Essence of Jess

Elation of Creation 

Oh Sweet Remedy

Little Lottie Loves

And you reading this post! Seeing as I didn't nominate 11 people, feel free to write a reply and write a comment below with a link to it!!

My Questions are..

1. What made you want to blog?

2. What is your favourite possession?

3. If you had to move countries tomorrow, where would you move to?

4. What is your favourite inspirational quote?

5. What is your favourite dessert?

6. Why did you start blogging?

7. What made you come up with the idea for your first blog post?

8. What is your favourite blog?
9. If you had to be stuck with three celebrities on a desert island, who would you pick?

10. What is your favourite shop to visit?

11. What is your favourite season of the year and why?


Thanks for reading!

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What can you learn from Harry Potter?

Sometimes nothing is more inspiring than reading a good book with a good message. For me, one of these is the Harry Potter book series and it seems an appropriate thing to discuss seeing as Halloween is just around the corner! I do LOVE the Harry Potter films but I just think that there's a lot missing that movie exclusive fans just don't know about! There are so many messages that you can learn from the books, here a just a few of my favourites (if you haven't read the books or watched the films BEWARE there are spoilers!):

1) The Importance of Love and Friendship
This is not something that just appears here and there but is core to the whole book series itself. If Lily had not sacrificed herself for Harry, there would be a completely different story! And it's this ability to love that sets Harry apart from Voldemort. Also, I think the books give an accurate representation of true friendship. Through all the fights and quarrels and arguments; Hermione and Ron stuck by Harry; a friendship that can sometimes be hard to find in real life. Had Hermione and Ron not helped, may be Harry would have never found those horcruxes!

2) Choices
Right from the start, when Harry first arrived at Hogwarts and first put on the Sorting Hat, he decided he wanted to be in Gryffindor House. That choice probably was one of the best ones he made as not only did he grow into a great wizard (god knows what would have happened had he been in Slytherin!) he also met Ron, Hermione, Neville and all of his other friends. Lily chose to sacrifice herself for Harry; Severus Snape chose to act as a spy for Dumbledore's Army and Ron and Hermione chose to support Harry on his mission. I feel as this is something that you can relate to in life. Whether your 15 or 55, your always faced with decisions in your life. Hard choices. Easy choices. Irreversible choices. Bad choices and good choices. You've just got to hope that you've made the right ones. 

3) Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover
Severus Snape was always made out to be a villain right from the start when Harry first laid eyes on him. And then when we found out that Snape had put a spell on Harry's broom in his first quidditch match, I really didn't like him! Then when he killed Dumbledore, I detested the guy! It's not till the very end, that you realise what his true intentions were, and by then it was too late and you kind of feel guilty for how much you hated him. 

4) Self-belief
Confidence is very important throughout the books. Look at Hermione, not only is she extremely clever, she trusts her own capability. Neville lacked the self belief in the first few books but we were able to see how he grew into great adult and became a prominent member of Dumbledore's Army just because he started trusting his own abilities. 

So what do you think about the Harry Potter franchise? Have you read the books? What have you learnt from them? Leave a comment below!

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Thanks to all those who are following, your support really means a lot! :)

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