Tuesday 1 July 2014

Liebster Award!

Well hello to you! I have been nominated by my dear friend Mia to take part in this. This took me so long to write...



The Rules.

1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you. (Above!)
2. Tell us 11 facts about yourself. 
3. Answer the questions that the blogger who nominated you asked. 
4. Nominate 11 other blogs that you love. 
5. Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate.


Tell us 11 facts about yourself:
1. I study English at the University of Lincoln.
2. I absolutely love musicals, especially soundtracks. Seriously. Some of my favourites are Grease, Hairspray, Mary Poppins, Les Misérables, Little Shop of Horrors and Bugsy Malone.
3. Friends is, without a doubt, my most favourite tv programme ever. I can recite so many episodes word for word, and I must have seen some episodes hundreds of times.
4. I went through a brief period when I was a bit younger of wanting to be a florist. To this day, I don't really know where the idea came from, but I still have a feeling that it would be really cool.
5. I own a tin whistle and am teaching myself to play it. I can do quite a few melodies and songs now. (Shoutout to Bridget Regan of Flogging Molly for inspiring me to do it!)
6. Tea is the best drink ever. Once, I think that I drank about ten cups in one day.
7. The 1980s produced A LOT of my favourite music, bands and films.
8. I absolutely LOVE Victorian fiction. Victorian fiction is the best kind of fiction.
9. I have trust issues, which is probably due to being let down by people who I thought that I knew better. So if you're reading this and you know that I trust you enough to open up to you, then it's because you've earned it.
10. I genuinely cannot go a day without listening to music.
11. Going to university is probably the best decision that I've ever made. I'm not only learning so much, but I'm a lot more independent, I've met so many wonderful people, and I've had such a brilliant first year. Sure, I miss people from back home, but I keep in contact with the people who matter, and they also ask me how I'm getting on. Plus, I get to see them when I come home, and sometimes they come and visit me at uni!

Mia's questions:
1. If you were stuck on a desert island, which 5 songs would you take with you?
>Photosynthesis, by Frank Turner
>If Ever I Stray, also Frank
>Four Simple Words, oopsy, Frank again
>What's Left of the Flag, by Flogging Molly
>You Make My Dreams, by Hall & Oates
2. If you were stuck on another desert island, which one book would you take? (can you tell I've been listening to desert island discs?)
>Having just very recently read The Fault in Our Stars, I'm going to have to say this. I cried on more than one occasion, I got really angry, I hated a certain character on an almost Dolores Umbridge level, and I got SO emotionally invested. I don't think that a book has ever made me feel so many emotions all at once. 
3. Of all the members of Friends, who are you most like?
>Arguably Chandler. I am far too sarcastic and I often come out with really bizarre jokes or phrases. One time, on the bus, a sweet little old lady sat next to me and said 'Oh, I love your hair!', to which I legitimately responded, à la Chandler, with 'Thanks, I grew it myself...'. Needless to say, she didn't say another word to me and I wanted to punch myself in the face. Other than that, I do have my occasional crazy Phoebe moments and the odd stupid Joey moment...
4. Favourite Harry Potter quote?
>I absolutely love the part in The Order of the Phoenix where Hermione says to Ron something along the lines of 'Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon...'. Brilliant.
5. Any pet hates?
>I detest people who don't treat you how they wish to be treated.
>Feminists who aren't feminists. "Feminists" who say 'I'm a feminist because women are better than men'. NO. JUST NO.
>Men who say 'I can't be a feminist because I'm not female'. UGH.
>People who think that the degree I'm studying - or any degree for that matter - is "easy". You just assume that because you don't study it. No degree is easy. Everyone works hard to get into university. I most certainly did. And, quite frankly, I don't like being degraded because of my life choices.
>People who don't thank you for going out of your way to hold open a door for them.
>People who think that it's really uncool to read.
6. What do you like most about where you live?
>Currently I am living at home over the summer, but for University, I live in Lincoln. What I love most about living in Lincoln is potentially an endless list. But for starters; the people, the location, the university itself, the waterfront, the town centre, the cathedral, the scenery... I could go on and on and on. If you live in the UK and like to travel, you should definitely visit!
7. If you had to move abroad, where would you go?
>Paris. Without question.
8. No feet or no hands?
>Hmm. Well, probably no feet. I'd get some prosthetics or something. But then again, bionic hands like Bucky's arm in Captain America: The Winter Soldier would be cool. I can't decide. This is a really hard question... Hands. I'll go with hands. I want Winter Soldier hands.
9. If you had to lose one of your senses, which would it be?
>OOH. I don't know. Touch? I assume that I would still be able to pick things up? Hmm.
10. Marry, snog, kill- Spiderman, Iron Man and Captain America?
>Marry: Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr., how could I not?!)
>Snog: Spiderman (I'm assuming you mean Andrew Garfield's incarnation...?)
>Kill: Captain America (He's already survived death once. He'd be fine.)
11. You have 6 places left at your celebrity dinner party. Who do you invite?
>Frank Turner
>Tom Hiddleston
>The Queen
>Benedict Cumberbatch
>Miranda Hart
>William Shakespeare

Nominate 11 other blogs you love:
(I don't even follow 11 blogs, so have the blogs that I do follow and love!)
>Anthony
>Claire
>Frankie

Create 11 questions for the bloggers you nominate:
1. What song means the most to you, and why?
2. If you could be a part of any three bands, who would they be, and why?
3. Can you describe the best day of your life in 100 words?
4. If you could be any superhero, who would you be?
5. Who are your three biggest inspirations/role models?
6. If you were only allowed to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
7. Have you ever broken any bones?
8. Would you rather live in a world without music or without television?
9. What scares you most about the future?
10. Have you ever cried reading a book?
11. What do you most like doing in your free time?


I would again like to thank Mia for nominating me, and I would like to wish Anthony, Claire and Frankie good luck with my questions!

Thank you for reading!

Tuesday 20 May 2014

And so, we meet again...

I would first like to apologise profusely to anyone who actually takes the time to read this blog, as I haven't posted anything in so very long. Oopsy.


There IS good reason behind it though, I promise. Today, Tuesday 20th May 2014, marks the last official day of my first year at university. And quite frankly, I am not entirely sure how this time has managed to fly by so quickly. *gasps*

So. What have I done in this past (approximately) eight months? A lot. In case you were not already aware, I study English at the University of Lincoln. It is such a beautiful place here, and the course is brilliant. I have loved everything so much. (Albeit the stress of reading books on time, completing assignments, etc.)

Today, as I have mentioned, is my last official day. This is because I have an exam today (EEP), at 4pm. It is for my Edwardian literature module, it lasts for two hours, and I am to write two separate essays. It might sound like a piece of cake to some of you, but if you have known me for a while, and happened to talk to me or spend time with me during the A-level exam period, then you know full well how badly I stress out where exams are concerned. Hence why I thought that I would write on my blog, to take my mind off it for a little while. I will likely, as almost always, be fine, however. I will go in there and do my best, which is all that I can ask of myself, and all that anyone else can ask of me also.

I just genuinely cannot believe how quickly this year has flown. Nine assignments, one performance, one exam and a whole load of reading later, and that is the end of first year. SCARY. DEFINITELY SCARY. Now I know how fast a year can fly, I am imagining that the next two will be equally as swift. Gulp.

Anyway. I think that I have rambled on for long enough now. I would just like to thank everyone who has offered me support and help over this last year (you know who you are), and I would also like to thank the wonderful people with whom I have become friends with at university. I hope that some of you are reading this!

I shall try and keep on top of blogging over the summer, and then again when I am back at university in September. Posts might not be as long as some previous ones, but I shall do my very best to try and keep you all updated as well as I can!

Au revoir for now,

Hayley.


P.S. If anyone on my course is reading this, good luck for later! We'll smash it.