The Christmas Tag

I've seen this tag on quite a few blogs lately and I love seeing everyone's responses so I thought why not do it myself and get into the Christmas spirit!

1.

What is your favourite Christmas movie/s?

This could be a never-ending list if I'm not careful, but I'd say my all time favourite has to be The Santa Clause; it's hilarious! When I first watched it I was probably only about four or five and my brother used to constantly tease me that he was going to go and knock Santa off the roof so that he could become him. It's one of those movies that I have to watch every Christmas time when I want to get all festive = I find the best way to do it is to have a marathon with all three movies, one after the other.

2.

Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?

Always on Christmas day. I've heard of the tradition of opening them on Christmas Eve but I don't know anyone who does. It wouldn't feel like Christmas day to me if we didn't spend the morning opening presents.

3.

Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

Christmas is, and always has been, one of my favourite times of year yet I can't actually think of a specific memory. I think it's because every Christmas is as brilliant and amazing as the last! I just love that it's the one time of year that my whole family come together at my grandma's house and we always have a great day.

4.

Favourite festive food?

Pigs in blankets, without a doubt. It's the only time of year we eat them and, oh my god, what kind of Christmas dinner would it be without them?!

5.

Favourite Christmas gift?

This is going to sound really weird to anyone who doesn't know me but a Ted Baker pen that my mum got me for Christmas last year. I only ever use it when I'm writing stories and it's probably one of my most prized possessions, I can't explain how upset I'd be if I lost it.

6.

Favourite Christmas scent?

I love the smell of mulled wine and cinnamon candles that you can usually only find at Christmas time, mmm, yep, they're the best.

7.

Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

I don't actually think we do... My mum and I tend to snuggle up and watch a Christmas movie whilst we wait for me stepdad to finish work, does that count?

8.

What tops your tree?

Well this one depends. I normally help decorate the tree at my mum's house and at my grandma and grandad's house and then I live between the two. If we're going to go with my mum then it's been a star for the past several years. If we're going with my grandparents, my grandma always has an angel topping the tree, always. 

9.

As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you always asked for but never received?

I honestly don't think there was one... Apart from a giraffe. Every year that would go on my list, even though I knew it would never happen - Santa was always very thoughtful though and got me something giraffe-related, whether it be a cuddly toy or clothes or something else! Other than that I don't think there was anything I asked for and every year woke up hoping and half-expecting it to be the year. I was more likely to ask for more books than Santa could carry, I did circle half the Argos catalogue after all, as well as spend my nights making a list of all the books I hoped to read!

10.

What's the best part about Christmas for you?

Definitely Christmas day with my whole family. I normally open presents with my mum on Christmas morning and then my grandad will come and pick me up just before 12 and I'll go and help my grandma set up for the rest of the family coming in the afternoon and then we spend the entire night laughing and eating. It's the best time of year for us.

I'm in the festive spirit now, I think I'm going to have to go and have a Christmas movie marathon now! 

Here are a few of my favourite Christmas tags that I've read so far:

Be Beautiful
MakeupSavvy
Chloe's Way
Peaches and Smoke

Enjoy!

Katie x

Music Crush #15 (Playlist)!

Hey!

Obviously this weeks Music Crush had to be Christmas song - the problem is, I can't decide which one. I know I have this problem a lot but this week it's big and it's real. Decisions are just not happening.

So we're going to mix it up a little bit and do a Music Crush Playlist. Uh huh. I'm mixing it up good!

In no particular order...

1.

Last Christmas - Wham!

2.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Michael Buble

3.

Driving Home For Christmas - Chris Rea

4.

I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard

5.

All I Want for Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

6.

Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens

7.

Underneath The Tree - Kelly Clarkson

8.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Dean Martin

9.

Do They Know It's Christmas? (1984 Version) - Band Aid

10.

Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade

11.

Run Run Rudolph - Kelly Clarkson

12.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Michael Buble

13.

White Christmas - The Drifters

14.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams

15.

Finally, and definitely the best of them all...

Fairytale of New York - The Pogues

There! That is my Christmassy playlist! I love Christmas music and especially all of the old ones, they get me feeling all festive!

Katie x

Cliftmas & Home Time!

I'm finally home!

I finished uni for Christmas last Thursday and it is definitely a welcome break. I still have work to do over the holidays but it feels good to have an official break and get home to my family. 

Friday was the official 'Last Day of Term', so there was a lot happening on campus, all known as Cliftmas! We got our picture taken with Santa, because who wouldn't? It's not like any of us are nearly twenty... It was an awesome night full of Christmas music and a hell of a lot of dancing and singing. It's safe to say, I had no voice the next morning.

I was living in an empty flat after that though and it felt really strange - I was the only one left at our uni flat out of a flat with eight people in it. It was weird not hearing other people in the flat and going into a completely empty and silent kitchen, I missed my friends too much over that weekend! Luckily one of my friends was still in the flat below me so we had a nice little dinner date and relaxed with Christmas movies for the night in our Christmassy-decorated flat.

I've eventually made it home though! I've seen all of my little ones and I've eaten lots of food, so Christmas can officially get started now!

Katie x

Music Crush #14

Another week, another Music Crush!

As always, my brain went through a million songs and couldn't decide which one it liked best but, eventually, I've gone for a bit of a chart-topper this week.

(I've also just realised this is the first Music Crush of December - it should have been a Christmas song!)

Taylor Swift

~~~

Blank Space

Now, I'm pretty sure it's a rite of passage that everyone should like at least one Taylor Swift song in their lifetime, whether you hate yourself for it or not, i.e. my best friend and her feelings about loving We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.

I actually don't mind Taylor Swift's music the majority of the time - I loved Shake It Off and now I'm loving Blank Space so I can hardly say I dislike her music. I'm just not the biggest fan of her... And I hate the fact that she's against Spotify and music streaming so much; I'm a student, I can't afford to buy her album and if I can't listen to it on Spotify then I guess I won't be listening to it all. I bought Blank Space on iTunes but only because I was hearing it everywhere and it was bugging me not being able to listen to it but that doesn't mean I'm going to buy her whole album (I won't just in principle, because I'm stubborn like that!). I'm pretty sure that she doesn't need the money, so she should just be happy that she gets to live such an amazing life and people are enjoying her music, but hey ho - there's my little rant over, promise!

Back to the song; it's soooo good. I don't know what it is that I love so much about the tune but there's something there that's just damn catchy. Obviously I love the lyrics too (I hear you all saying "Shut up, Katie", you know). 

So it's gonna be forever
Or it's gonna go down in flames

That's definitely one (or two actually) of my favourite lines from the song because it's so true about a lot of things in life, especially relationships but not just them. 

So here's the video, which is pretty weird but cool at the same time... if that's possible?

Katie x

November Round-Up!

Heyyyy!

We're officially at the end of another month! Which, although might be a little sad, the end of this month means only one thing - tomorrow we can officially start the countdown to Christmas and no one can tell us off for it! Woop, woop!

It's been quite the busy month for me; I started blogging again (hurrah!), I've been to two bonfire shows/ firework displays, I met my new little nephew for the first time, we decorated our flat, I saw the lights switch on in Nottingham for the first time ever, I went to Lancaster, ate pancakes, and Starbucks finally brought back their red cups!

And that's just everything I can remember off the top of my head and isn't including the boring things like uni work that I've had to do tons of this month - it's been a bit hectic. 

It's been a month full of awesome sauce stuff but I cannot wait for next month and the arrival of Santa - Christmas is always a much bigger event and a lot more special when there are so many little ones in the family! I'm so excited!

Katie x

The Amazing Spiderman 2 and An Emotional Wreck

Oh lord, I'm a teary mess.

I just watched The Amazing Spiderman 2 for the first time and, oh my god, I'm an emotional mess surrounded by a mass of tissues and tears. I actually don't know what to do with myself right now. Don't worry, I'm not going to give you any spoilers or tell you anything but, had I realised the things that happened in it, I wouldn't have chosen tonight to watch it. I would've probably put it off for, oh, I don't know, the rest of my life!

Once again, I have come to my little space here with no clue what to write about. All I know is I need to write about something if I'm going to stop the inevitable flood in my bedroom from the amount of tears that are leaking from my eyes.

I love my Marvel movies, as I'm sure you all know if you've read some of my other blog posts, but that one I was not expecting. Confession time: I've never actually fully watched or read any other Spiderman based thing until The Amazing Spiderman series came out, then I started watching them (not going to lie, it probably had a lot to do with Andrew Garfield... And even a little bit to do with Emma Stone - she is one amazing actress). Anyway, because of that, I had no idea about what happens in them. I've googled it now but I so wish I had done that before I started watching them, then I could have at least prepared myself a little and had more tissues and chocolate on standby!

I'm trying to decide between FRIENDS and Only Fools And Horses now as to which is going to cheer me up more so that I can actually get some sleep... I planned on a relatively early night tonight too - guess that's not happening.

Well, this has not quite turned out to be the rom-com movie night I had planned. I think I might start googling what happens in movies before I watch them now. I can't handle surprises like that. I feel like I need a lot of hugs; my flatmates are lucky they're asleep or I would have probably gone and asked them for hugs, I need them that much right now...

Night guys...

Katie x

Another Real University

Hello!

About six months ago, maybe longer, I wrote a blog post about what university was really like (HERE - you should probably read this before reading anymore of this post), from a current students perspective. Well, since then, I have moved into a new flat, I live with new people and my view has changed a bit. 

I still think people are given the completely wrong image going into university for the first time - Freshers week is exactly how it sounds: great but messy. Other than that, everything's different after that first week. Obviously I'm in my second year now, so things are different for me just in light of that. I'm living with different people to last year who are also in their second/third years, so we're all a bit more mature and focused this year... just a bit though!

I love my flatmates this year. Let me just put that point out there. Last year, I got dealt a rather horrible hand of flatmates that consisted of a lot of bitchy girls and a guy who liked to hoover at four 'o' clock in the morning whilst playing extremely rubbish music at ungodly hours. This year I stayed in university halls but moved flats with one of my flatmates from last year (one of the nice ones) moving to the same block as me... if that makes sense. As in, I'm on the same campus but I moved to a different flat in a different block that was especially for returners (second years and above) and everyone in the flat is so nice; it's a massive shock to the system after last year. 

So let's have a run down of this years flatmates: The guy who's kind of old-fashioned but unbelievably kind - he came and retrieved a daddy-long-legs from my room at 5am one day because my friend and I were freaking out (I don't do creepy-crawlies! Complete aside here but did you know daddy long legs would be the most poisonous insect if they had the brain to use the poison? Nope? There's something to terrify you further then!). Anyway, back to flatmates; then there's the one I'm going to refer to as the musician because he is an amazing guitar player, like seriously - wow, and no he didn't pay me to say that! There's the loveliest Londoner you will ever meet as well as her being the one who exaggerates everything she's already exaggerated but it just makes her even funnier. There's the kind of quiet girl but has one hell of a partying streak in her (not that that's a bad thing). There's the guy I can't actually tell you anything about because the only word he's ever said to me, and most other people in the flat, is "hi". I can't forget the dude who I've never seen in anything but pyjamas and, finally, there's the quiet guy of the flat who is probably one of the loveliest people I've ever come across in life.

Added to my flatmates this year is the one guy I got on with really well in my flat last year - he lives in the flat below me, along with a girl I've grown really close to this year; the amount of deep talks we have at stupid times in the morning are ridiculous, but also great at the same time. I say she lives in the flat below me but the majority of the time she lives up here and occasionally goes to sleep in her bed downstairs - she's probably slept on my floor more times than her bed!

So out of my eight flatmates this year, I can't say I actually don't get on with any of them and I definitely don't dislike any of them. There are obviously a couple who I don't know extremely well for one reason or another but I'm pretty sure that if I knew them better they'd probably be really nice.

The weird thing about my flat this year is how I'd go out of my way for most of them and vice versa. Whereas, last year, nobody wanted to help anyone (aside from the guy who's still here this year - let's pretend he wasn't a part of the flat last year) because they were too busy trying to be better than each other and it's that kind of bitchiness I hate, so I'm glad there doesn't seem to be any of that this year.

I've mentioned in many previous posts that I don't generally drink much and I mentioned in the other post that I didn't go out much because I never wanted to. Wow, how that has changed this year. I think I've been out more times since the end of September than I've ever been out - which probably has a lot to do with my flatmates, because they're all genuinely nice people; I feel safer and I know I'll have a good time without them walking off and leaving me or anything like that (which, on one of the few occasions that I did go out last year, I experienced that - it wasn't nice). I'm still of the opinion that if you don't want to go out or you don't want to drink you shouldn't though. I've maybe started doing more of both this year but only because I know I'm safe, I'm going to enjoy it and I know my limits. But there have been plenty of occasions where other people have been going out and asked me if I was coming and I've said no because I haven't felt up for it or I simply couldn't be bothered.

Not going to lie, the whole lecture/seminar side of life hasn't changed much since last year; I still think the same things. Very few of them are genuinely interesting for the whole two hours or however long they last but you should probably still make sure you go to them - especially if it's a year that actually counts towards your final degree...

I still miss home a lot and I have been back a few times since I got here but it's not as bad as last year and I think that's simply down to the fact that I have some great friends this year and we're like a little family away from home. It's super cute. We even take turns in cooking etc. so we don't have to each cook every night - we have this thing figured out! I still live the furthest away out of everyone in my flat but that was pretty much inevitable, it's not too bad though, after doing them for over a year, I've gotten used to the long train journeys!

So this is the new kind of university that I've discovered this year. It's still not everything people make it out to be when you hear about it in sixth form and college but if it starts off bad, it can get better :)

There's still a bit of this year to go, seen as when I wrote about this last year it was near the end of the final term and I'm only just nearing the end of my first one when I'm writing this, but this has been a better start to my second year than I ever could have imagined.  

A few of my favourite pictures with my flatmates (and friends) so
far this year :)

Katie x