Where I Have Been

Where I Have Been

Hi everyone.

So, I have been away for quite a while and I wanted to write this little update to just let you all know where I have been.

Basically, my A-Level exam and coursework deadlines have come and gone, and in the months that i've been away I have been revising and doing work for them. I felt like I needed to spend as much time as I could in preparation for my exam and doing work for my BTEC courses, meaning something had to take a back seat for a while. Blogging was one of these things, unfortunately.

However, I am now back and ready to begin blogging as much as I possibly can! I'm on summer holidays until August/September when I start University, but I will be studying Journalism and blogging is a great extra-curricular activity for my course. I will begin to regularly post on all of my blogs again and I can't wait for you to read them!

Alanah

Advice for Post 16 Students

Advice For Upcoming Year 12 Students

The jump from GCSE to A-Level can be quite intense, and while you might be told this information as a little warning, it isn't always enough. For me, I found that certain terms of my AS year were tougher than others, but I made it through. I wanted to share my advice to any Y11 student who is going into A-Level studies.

Be Organised

This advice might seem so obvious, but it does need to be burned into your brain before it really sinks in, I found. Organisation is key to keeping on top of deadlines and having all of your work in order so you can reference to it easily for any exams or coursework you have. Staying organised has helped me to be as far as a week in advance for deadlines.

Ways I have found useful for staying organised are:

• To Do lists - I always find it not only useful to have a list each day, but satisfying when you can look at a completed list and feel like you have accomplished a lot.
• A timetable for homework - One of my English Literature teachers made a timetable for us to fill in each day, planning when we were going to do a piece of homework. I use mine often as I find it helps encourage me to do work each day.
• Trello - Trello is an app where you can create boards with different lists to help with organisation. I have a board for each subject and my Head of Events role, and within each board I have three lists: To Do, Doing, and Done. Having everything I need to do available in the palm of my hand is useful, and the best part is that Trello is FREE on both the Google Play Store and Apple Store.

Ask For Help

If you feel like you're sinking under work, or not getting enough support in lessons, ask your teachers for help. After being off ill for a few days, I found it hard to catch back up to the work I missed and still had to do. Speaking to my teachers helped them understand my situation and supported me by helping me get back on my feet with my work load. Also, if you don't understand the work you're doing in the lesson, ask for help. It's better to ask a simple question and feel you understand your work more, than worry in silence and don't fully know what you're doing.

Use Your Free Lessons Productively

This advice is something that is vital. Your free lessons are there to be used. Of course, you don't have to use every free lesson solely on work, because socialising is important, but working out a good balance is key. I personally like to split my frees 2/3 doing work, then 1/3 split between socialising and reading a book. This balance works well for me and helps me meet deadlines without stressing too much at home about doing work, meaning I can do work at home then relax and get a decent amount of sleep.

Start Revision Preparation Early

Revision is important for exams, so preparing your revision early is only going to benefit you. I started this time last year preparing my English Literature revision, and I have started it now this year as well. Even if you aren't going over your notes to detail every day, just adding to it from what you remember helps you revise as you are recalling what your have learned to add to a revision pack. I find adding everything to a separate A5 notebook which I can write everything up in neat. This just helps me keep organised and have all my knowledge in one place.

What Make-Up Should You Wear?

Make-up

One thing I never understand is why there are articles and sites telling you what make-up you should and shouldn't wear. I know they're only suggestions, but finding a combination of what you like and what is right for you seems rare. Someone with a thin, diamond shaped face with warm skin undertones and blue eyes may prefer the make-up suggested for someone with a fuller, round face with cool skin undertones and brown eyes, and vice-versa. To me, personal preference is the most important thing when it comes to establishing your make-up styles, and no one should question what you wear.

Sometimes, reading the suggestions for what I should wear in terms of make-up puts a downer on my day, because it's often the opposite of what I would go for. I don't wear much everyday make-up, and even then I only really add a couple more products into my routine when doing some occasion make-up.

One part of my everyday routine that is important is my lipstick. I have small lips with a fairly prominent cupid's bow. Many make-up tip articles suggest that if you have small lips, you should try wear softer colours rather than bold or dark ones, but bold and dark is my signature look! My lips are small and I'm okay with that, so I want to make them stand out as much as I can and embrace them, not shun them and blend them with the rest of my face with a pale pink or nude.

Eyeliner is another important part of my everyday make-up. My go to style is a classic black winged eyeliner look which I have been perfecting since I was 13 and I think it looks great with my eyes and works. However, as I have green eyes, many articles suggest I should use a brown liner instead of black as black drowns out green eyes whereas brown makes them pop. Personally, I could never imagine wearing brown eyeliner as I feel black works with my cool undertone complexion and makes my eyes stand out more.

If I'm going somewhere for a special occasion, I like to wear eyeshadow to really enhance my eyes. Usually I will do a grey/black smoky eye look, sometimes blending in a colour which matches or compliments the main colour of my clothing. Researching into what eyeshadow colours are suggested for people with green eyes, I found out that most places are quite unanimous on green, purple, and gold, colours I wouldn't usually choose first unless they complimented my outfit the most.

Everyone has a different combination of facial features, and I believe that if you found a make-up look that you love and think works well for you, then go for it. The important things is that you feel good and confident about your make-up as you are free to experiment with whatever colours you want. Don't disregard all advice however. I took the advice of sticking to a matte lipstick as it works better on small lips, and I have stuck to it.

My Delayed Realisation

My Delayed Realisation

'You don't have to have all the answers right now.' I was told this fairly recently following a breakdown due to the results of an English Literature mock exam I sat. I felt like my world was crumbling around me and I was being sucked into an abyss, further and further away from any chances of going to my top choice university. To study Journalism, some universities require you to achieve a certain final grade in an English subject. It's quite a pressuring thought to have circling around your mind the closer it gets to exam time and causes me to put an awful amount of pressure on myself to do well. Getting back my results was something I feared as I knew in my heart I didn't perform how I had hoped. I held myself together through the lesson and was called back by my teacher as she hadn't had chance to moderate my test.

While I was sitting and speaking through the exam with her, it all hit me.

It started slowly; a few tears trickling from my eyes. Then I broke down and told her I felt like I can't possibly complete the year with my dream A/A* grade. I told her I felt that I could have done much better, especially since I had done so much better in my AS exam last year. That was when she told me I don't need to know all the answers.

At first, I just carried on with the conversation, politely nodding while I tried to piece back together my dignity and confidence in the subject. We talk some more and while I was leaving, she recommended taking the next day off school to just completely relax and get better - I have been fighting a particularly persistent cold lately - and try do as little as possible to do with school work. When I agreed, she said she would email my mum her recommendation as well as my form teacher and other English teachers, and then I left the class.

I didn't really start thinking about what she had told me until I got home and prepared to relax for the next day and a half or so. It was constantly on the back of my mind, telling me that it's true. Even though I have been told it before, this is the first time I've fully listened to it. I see myself as a perfectionist, so I don't take incomplete or inadequate things lightly as I feel they aren't right and people won't be happy about it. Hearing that I don't need all the answers at this time has finally stuck with me.

I'm still working just as hard as before, but if I don't know the answer, I don't stress or worry until I did like I used to. Instead, I ask someone if they know or can help me, or just simply wait till the answer finds me.

I know asking for help is something you should always do, but as a perfectionist, and looking back on my previous exam results, I felt like I should just already know it. For once, it actually feels good to make a few small mistakes when it comes to education. Better late than never to learn that I say.

Why My Mum Is My Best Friend

Why My Mum Is My Best Friend

Like every family, we've had our ups and downs. I was especially bad during my early teen moody years. But, my mum always stuck by me, even if we fought and were angry at each other. Now, we hardly ever fight. We do have our little moments of conflict, but pretty much every day is perfect harmony.

After raising my brother and I pretty much single handedly during the week after splitting from my dad, we've formed a great relationship. she's the bast balance between laid back and strict and we understand each other better than most others. She is one of the most important people in my life and I can't thank her enough for putting up with me. We have a mutual respect and understanding of each other, unlike the stereotypical teenage/parent relationship, and it's nice. It's nice to be able to sit and have all kinds of conversations with her and feel in a comfortable, trusting environment, similar to how we feel around school friends.

Of course we still fight about the dishes or hoovering, but who doesn't? I love that she's my best friend and will be for life, nothing will change that.

Piercings in Society

Piercings in Society

I've had my nose pierced for over a year now and I absolutely love it. I feel like it makes my nose looks better and it actually gives me more confidence.

Something that has always confused me is: why any piercing other than earrings are inappropriate for work and school? Earrings compliment your ears just the same as studs can compliment noses or lips. I understand that rings can be quite prominent and in-your-face, but studs can be discreet and inoffensive.

The world is moving forward. More people are getting pierced so surely they should be allowed into the modern working world. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. Some parts of society have accepted piercings and don't judge someone for their piercing. Society believes that piercings can't be included in smart clothing and uniform. I don't think a piece of jewellery can make your appearance less formal.

Everyone is encouraged to be different and express themselves with their own style, yet even if it is part of their style, many jobs and schools won't allow piercings. Piercings have been around in pop culture for many years and even longer in different cultures and tribes.

I hope to be part of a future that doesn't associate piercings with the problematic, rebellious members of society and welcomes them with open arms.

Welcome!

Welcome!

Hello readers.

Welcome to my new 'Life' blog! On this blog I plan to post my views on life and the world around us, as well as things that affect people my age. I also plan to feature advice sections and much more!

I can't wait to start posting on this blog :)