Things that make me happy...

Firstly, I haven't blogged in a long time, life has been completely manic recently with dancing and running and all the stresses of personal life, but now being on a break for easter I have no excuse.

So here is a summary of some things that have made me happy over the past couple of months... just to channel some really positive vibes. Smiley face.

1. SUSHI SAMBA

If you like sushi and you haven't been here, go.

Its a sushi restaurant on the 38th and 39th floor of the Heron Tower in London, so not only does it do first class japanese, brazilian AND peruvian food, but you also get stunning views of the city while you chew (what more could you want).

2. PANCAKE DAY 

Other than fireworks night, pancake day is my favourite day of the whole year (yes I like it more than christmas). A whole day where it is acceptable to eat only pancakes and pretty much slap on whatever gluttonous toppings you like!

3. MOTELROCKS 

With summer pretty much around the corner and holidays all booked and (almost) paid for, Motel is on point when it comes to hot weather garms. I am especially loving the palm print co ordinates and swimsuits, now just to wait for the next student loan so I can purchase my wish list!

4. THE FUTURE

Yes its cliche but I honestly believe that there is no better motivation that setting yourself short term goals. Having things planned and events to look forward to can make a big difference in a persons outlook, whether its running the extra kilometre on the treadmill or booking a holiday. 

Good things come to those who work for it!

Tomorrow it will be one month until my first half marathon, the first of my short term goals and plans - I'm running for Mencap and Macmillan cancer support. (I will write a longer post about this soon!)

Click Here to sponsor me. 

February Wishlist

As a student, reliant on loans and discounts, it's sometimes hard to find a few spare pennies for the luxuries without maxing out your overdraft and having to live off toast until the start of next term. So in order to satisfy my need to shop, I've complied a little wish list to help me through to April (loan day can't come quick enough). 

1. MONIN sugar free Hazelnut Syrup - As a girl who drinks A LOT of coffee, a giant bottle of my favourite coffee syrup definitely wouldn't go amiss in my cupboard. It's also sugar free, what more could you want. Available from Amazon for £13

2. Cannes Statement Necklace, Accessorize £29 - A gorgeous, floral statement necklace by Accessorize. Statement necklaces were a big trend of 2013 and definitely haven't lost any of their appeal going into 2014, and as described in the Accessorize blog they provide "maximum impact for minimal effort"

3. Naked 3 Palette by Urban Decay, Debenhams £37 - A friend recently introduced me to the Naked range by Urban Decay, and as a bit of a makeup novice I was slightly intimidated. However, once you get into it, it becomes much less scary. The new Naked 3 palette has more rosy shades than 1 & 2 and has matte, metallic and pearly shades of nude eye shadows, ranging from pale pink to deep black. 

4. Pink Kindle Case, Tesco, £8 - I love my kindle, its small and compact and makes train journeys pass a lot quick. But it looks so boring. A bright pink case would protect it and make it look nice… yay. 

5. Lime Crime Velvetine in Suedeberry, Cocktail Cosmetics, £13.50 - A coral red colour lip shade from Lime Crime that goes on like a gloss and dries matte. Theres been a lot of hype around these products recently and I can't wait to try them!

6. Asos Leather Shopper, ASOS, £65 - A simple diverse black leather shopper bag, great for going to and from lectures. 

7. Asics Gel-Kayano 20 Lite-Show Running shoes, Asics, £140 - Every runners dream. Really great running shoes, especially if you're an over-pronator like me. Desperately in need of a new pair of running shoes since my free runs have almost worn right through (sorry Nike).

8. Primavera Cosmetic Case, Paperchase, £10 - Paperchase is my absolute favourite stationary shop in the world and it can do no wrong. This cosmetic case is perfect for carrying around everyday essentials and as a wash bag.

9. Lace Bra, H&M, £9.99 - I have a huge addiction to pretty underwear so what can be wrong about a black lace underwired bra for a tenner.. I already own a few h&m bras and they are really great and wearable, definitely purchasing this online exclusive soon. 

My Bucket List and Sunday Boredom

A few weeks ago I wrote myself a bucket list and sunday evening boredom has lead me to blog about it. Its really useful to have defined goals in life, and not to make them all completely unreachable, I have things on my bucket list that I could cross off next week if I wanted to. I find it really helps with stress knowing that theres things throughout you're life that you're going to fulfil and can look forward to. Each idea is a separate project to save for and plan. 

Anyway, here are a few from my list:

1. Run the London Marathon - I'm running half this year in May (feel free to sponsor me) and aiming to do the full thing next year

2. Move to Australia for a year on a working holiday visa

3. Go to New Zealand to see the Lord of the Rings set - yeah, I'm a huge fan

4. See the Northern Lights

5. Visit Machu Picchu and climb the mountain 

6. Have my own business 

7. Spend a day at a spa

8. Volunteer at a shelter

9. Learn to knit

10. Host a dinner party

11. Cook a lobster from scratch

12. Go to glastonbury

13. Visit a famous city (Paris, Rome, Venice) with someone I love

14. Live a happy life 

Friday Night Baking

What else to do with a night in than bake chocolate muffins with Nutella buttercream icing? 

I like to put whole or half squares of milk chocolate into my muffin mixture, it means when they're hot they melt in the middle, delicious. 

To make the Nutella icing is super easy, you just need:

50g butter

Tbsp milk

250g icing sugar 

4 (large) tbsp of Nutella 

(This does about 16 muffins)

Cream the butter, milk and icing sugar together and then stir in the Nutella tablespoon at a time. And there you have it, Nutella buttercream icing. You can pipe it to make it look pretty, I just spread mine on with a knife because I'm lazy. 

Audition Tips

“Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.” - Martha Graham

With a full day of dance auditions tomorrow, I thought I'd write a little post of how to cope in these sorts of circumstances. Im not a professional dancer, I'm a dance student - but I've done a fair amount of auditions and this is some advice I've picked up along the way.   

So for all you dancers out there, here are a few tips to help you all when you feel the pressure:

Prepare - one of my favourite quotes is Those Who Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail. Work hard in class and make sure you are technically ready. 

Train yourself to correct yourself - Don't have to be corrected more than once, take onboard the criticism and change it.

Do some memory tests! - Most audition-ers will only give you the instruction ONCE. Make sure you listen carefully.

Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast - Something with lots of energy to keep you going, carb overload, it works.

Dress appropriately- Plan your audition wear, make sure its tight fitting and if possible a bright colour to make you stand out. 

Do steps exactly as the choreographer ask - If they ask for one spin don't do two to show off etc 

Be Confident - There isn't anything you can't do. Take these guys as inspiration. 

Number Juan - A weekend in Paris

So this is my first post on my blog, with lots of spare time at uni I thought I'd make notes of some of my everyday life as interesting as it is. 

Recently I went on a cheap, impromptu weekend in Paris with a friend. We managed to get a cheap room from airbnb and saw some amazing sights, although we probably walked about 50 miles over the two days. Here are some of the things we did that weekend. 

(View from the top of the Arc d'Triomphe)

(Inside the Louvre)

(Watching the sunset from the top of the Sacre Coeur)

(and of course - the Eiffel Tower)