Exams are nearly over for another year. Praise the Lord!

This how much I love my revision. Or how bored I was.

It seems like I've been revising for as long as I can remember. Literally. OK, maybe that's a bit extreme, but it sure has been dragging on! At the beginning of the Easter holidays everyone suddenly snaps into exam mode, and supposedly knuckles down for a few weeks. But the thing is, it's not just a few weeks. It's nearly three (very long) months! I genuinely can't remember what I did with myself before revision... but that happens every year. Why is it that when you're in the revision period and can't do everything you want to, you can think of a thousand other things you'd rather spend your time doing, but then after exams are over, all you seem to do is while away your new found free time through a combination of TV, Facebook and sleeping? I believe that is technically known as the law according to Sod.

Inviting, non?

My last exam is on Friday. Ah - ley - bloody - loo - yah! But in some ways this last week has been the hardest. We all get to that point where you just don't really care anymore. I've heard the term "revision burnout" tossed around. I try desperately to psyche myself up and stay motivated: "C'mon... just a few more days! Now is the time to change what letter appears on that email on 18th August! Must. Keep. Revising." The worst part is that loads of my friends finished last week, so have been rubbing their freedom in my face. My best retort so far has been (very maturely) to blow a raspberry back. (It does usually shut them up!)

Colourful stationary helps :)

With GCSEs, when you have 20-odd little exams, it's almost alright if you lighten up towards the end a bit, but this is not the case with A-Levels... no siree. Most of us do three subjects, thus have one uber-long exam for each, so I may only have one exam left, but it's a third of all my A-Levels, and thus still majorly important. Le sigh...

And copious cups of tea.

However, I've realised it's very important to make fun plans for when you've finished, as having something to look forward to in the difficult last few days of revision really helps. For example: the lil Sis and I both finish our exams on the same morning (although her little GCSE finishes an hour and a half earlier than my beast of an exam - in which I will be battling the clock and scribbling so manicly that I wouldn't be surprised if my hand fell off afterwards), so the darling Mother has organised for the three of us to go out to lunch and have some mini spa treatments! What a babe, eh? Personally, I think I'm gonna go for a massage and a mani (providing the aforementioned hand is still attached to my body, that is.) Then that evening, some crazy kid is throwing the standard "post-exams piss-up" (has to be done... charming as it is). And a couple of days later, I've got a shopping, cinema and old-school sleepover date with my best friend - nothing fancy, but it's these little things that can really get you through the dark times. Also - when you can't get out, online shopping and daydreaming about your Summer is a lifesaver. I've just ordered myself a cheeky lil bikini as I realised it's only a matter of weeks before I'll be on a hot, sunny beach!

Just think about hitting the shops!

Anyone else have any tips for getting through exams and revision? Good luck, fellow students!

RECIPE: Scrummy (and relatively healthy!) peach and almond muffins.

Good Food's result

I know, I know... I said I was going to try and be a better blogger and not let exams consume my life, and I've somewhat failed. But today I did my geography exam which was the main pain in my butt for the past few months, so fingers crossed I really can increase my blogging again. I only have French and English to go now, so here's hoping! (Don't count on it though, dear readers).

Before baking

Anyhoo - I may have to slightly disappoint you all once more if you'd been hoping for a long witty rant here. Too much work. Not enough time. The usual conundrum we all face, eh? But what I thought I'd do is share this gem of a recipe with you...

Nom nom nom. Excuse the special case on the left...

I've recently become addicted to BBC Good Food's free baking iPhone app, with a ridiculous amount of de-lish recipes, from cupcakes to tray bakes to brownies. Serious food porn, let me tell you, and also a great revision distracter (actually, that's just my iPhone in general. Nightmare.) For the past few days in the run up to my geography exam, I banned myself from baking (it's a bit of a guilty pleasure... and I now can't wait to bake again! No joke. I have a waiting list), but before doing so, I baked these beauties: peach and almond muffins! Seriously. They're summin else. Literally. Oh my god. I'm getting excited thinking about them. Absolute perfection for afternoon tea, warm or cold, maybe with ice cream as a dessert, or even for breakfast if you're feeling especially kerrazy, my friends .

Mmmmm. That is all.

So go forth and bake - and enjoy! I can assure you, you won't be disappointed. Naturally, I'd love to know what you think, or any variations on the recipe...

The next LOAD of micropleasures - installment 8

Continuing my daily micropleasures... it's a big'un as revision has prevented me from whacking a blog out for aaaages, but I was worried y'all would be despairing without these little joys to perk up your day-to-day lives. So... *deep breath* here we go:

24th April - Getting a seat for your whole tube journey. Success!
25th April - When no-one sits next to you on the train.
26th April - Realising you haven't got any make-up to take off before bed.

27th April - Prematurely summery weather. Ahhh I remember that Easter weekend...
28th April - Looking through holiday photos. The tan... the freckles... the highlights...
29th April - Wearing new socks. So soft and stretchy!
30th April - When your blog gets lots of views. Seriously - it makes me SO happy.
1st May - When the computer remembers your "log in" details.
2nd May - When your exercise for the day is done. Pass the cake.
3rd May - When you'd forgotten what you were going to say, but then remember it.

4th May - Fitting into a tiny parking space. Take that snazzy Range Rover, you wish you were my old Ford Fiesta now...
5th  May - When someone loves the food you made.
6th May - Singing dramatically when driving in the dark. And the awkward moment at a street-lit junction where other drivers see you...
7th May - The feeling after you do something you didn't want to do, but knew you should do.
8th May - Finally making a difficult decision. Cadburys or Galaxy - it was a toughie.

9th May - A proper, tight hug. Feel the love :)
10th May - When you can help someone out by giving them directions.
11th May - Your silk scarf blowing in the breeze. And feeling like you're in a black and white movie.
12th May - When you actually do something you've been talking about doing.
13th May - People who genuinely want to help.
14th May - Cheering someone up.
15th May - When your hair is wavy after being plaited.
16th May - When people reply to a text or email straight away.
17th May - The feeling at the end of a productive day.
18th May - Having a deep, meaningful chat with your mum. Can't beat it!
19th May - Getting let out of work or lessons earlier than expected. Always a nice surprise.
20th May - When someone apologises and checks you're OK.

21st May - Seasonal Summer foods for the first time each year. I'm talking asparagus, nectarines... Pimms!
22nd May - Getting close to an animal without it running away. Like a squirrel, rabbit or wild bird, I mean.
23rd May - When something you say makes someone really happy.
24th May - The smell and feel of your hair after you've been to the hairdresser. And the odd looks you get for constantly sniffing it.
25th May - Opening a book on the exact right page. Like magic, no?
26th May - When someone notices your haircut.
27th May - When someone calls "hello" to you as soon as you walk through the front door at home.
28th May - The smell of a bonfire.

29th May - Singing in the shower.
30th May - When you're congratulated by people you don't even know.

31st May - Writing with a new fountain pen. It flows so smooooothly.
1st June - Drinking through a straw. It just tastes better somehow!
2nd June - Trying on beautiful dresses that are way too expensive.

Well, that was a bit mammoth wasn't it? Hope I've managed to perk you up a bit... check out the last installment too, and don't forget to let me know your micropleasures!

Exam revision season = my lack of blogging. Sorry!

Geography has taken over my life.

No, luckily I haven't actually fallen off the face of the planet (although you'd be forgiven for thinking that may have been the case.) Has the whole of May really gone by without a single blog post!? Shame on me. I'm terribly sorry, so am going to attempt to explain my feeble efforts as a social media publisher (sounds fancier than "blogger", non?)

Basically, exam revision has taken over my life for the past few weeks. Literally. Any student knows how it is - a few weeks of solid knuckling down, shutting yourself away from the outside world, and wondering what you ever did with your time before your life was consumed by revision (in my case, blog, apparently). It sucks that I've had to sacrifice my blog for my exams, but if I can just do well enough to get my predicted grades for my A-Levels I'll be thrilled. My university offer isn't actually particularly high, which makes getting motivated to revise somewhat harder, but when I open that email on Thursday 18th August, I don't want to be left thinking "Oh, if only I'd put more work in..." The worst feeling would be that I'd let my parents down, to be honest - I'm fortunate enough to have been educated at private schools, and good ole Mama and Papa sure worked their butts off for years to be able to afford it.

Equally, everyone knows it's a pretty pants time to be job-searching/graduating/generally-a-young-person, so I'm gonna need the best grades I can get if I want to hit the big time and make the success of my life that I'm dreaming of.

So there you have it. I'm thrilled that people are still checking out my little blog, and I really appreciate all your comments, "likes" and general viewing. And hey, in three weeks or so, it'll all be over! Huzzah! I'm going to try my best to be slightly less lame until then though, wish me luck!

My Royal Wedding Fever

Don't they just seem so lovely?

Oh yes, folks, I'm one of those people. The people who absolutely love any festivity, party or occasion. I love being the hostess, and my ridiculous enthusiasm for general life means I get reeeaally into any event. So needless to say, I am just a smidgen excited about tomorrow's Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton (personally, I prefer to call her Kate... can't help but feel like we're chums.) That's the thing about Wills and Kate, they kinda seem like normal people - though what normal people are constantly utterly composed and charming I don't know. They're the new generation of royals and are doing things their way. Keeping the monarchy cool. I like that. For example, I'm totally digging how they're embracing social media and Youtube for tomorrow's festivities.

Personally, I think the Royal Family are awesome - I'm not like a hardcore royalist, but think what they do for our country is pretty darn amazing. When foreigners think of Britain, the first three things that spring to their minds are usually cups of tea, rain and The Queen, and I'm proud that we have such noble, seemingly lovely people leading the way and doing general good on behalf of all us less perfect Britons.

Outside Buckingham Palace a couple of weeks ago.

Having spent a couple of weeks doing my work experience just a few minutes from Buckingham Palace last week, I can safely say I've caught Royal Wedding fever. I can't wait! It's hard to explain why, but I just can't. I've got my bunting ready, we've made Victoria Sponge cake, trifle and chocolate biscuit cake (among many other yummy treats) for tomorrow's tea party, and my alarm set for tuning into BBC1 all day. Also, I'm sporting some rather cool Royal Wedding nail wraps - you have to look closely, but they feature tiny versions of Mario Testino's official engagement picture of Kate and Wills. Awesome much?

My nails have been Royal Wedding-ified!

I've also been to good ole Topshop and got me some rather British socks! Because, well, why not? Sure, it's buying things (some may say souvenir "junk") I don't need, but I just can't help but get into the spirit of the event!

Just £3.50 - less 35p with your student disount!

For some people, they couldn't give a fig about the wedding, and are fed up with all the media hype, which (naturally) I love - the speculation about who will design Kate's dress is killing me. (Please be Alexander McQueen!) So they can just enjoy a nice day off... everyone wins.

Yummy and cute!

But c'mon, haters - this is a blimmin' big deal. We're talking the wedding of out future King and Queen... and they just seem so nice! It blows my mind if I try to think about how the happy couple must be feeling right now... I imagine the day before a normal bride and groom's wedding must be stressful enough, let alone one that'll be watched by two billion people worldwide. I love the community patriotic spirit that's sprung up around the UK too - all the themed store windows, bunting and flags lining people's houses, and street parties, which I think really show off Britain in a good light. Sure, some people will say that the high street has just commercialised the whole thing with their Royal Wedding memorabilia, but I say "poo-poo" to them. I genuinely don't have a better response... they should stop raining on the country's parade (that may happen literally tomorrow, but you can bet that it won't dampen people's spirits - see what I did there? Ahh wordplay.)

So I'd like to publicly wish William and Kate all the best for tomorrow, and a lifetime of happiness. You guys rock! Who agrees with me? Happy Royal Wedding Bank Holiday, everyone!

My Work Experience in The Daily Telegraph Fashion Department!

I know. I can hardly believe that title either. But yes, folks, I am not making this up - over my Easter holiday, I did a couple of week's work experience alongside the legendary Hilary Alexander and her fashion team at The Daily Telegraph ("Britain's Best-Selling Quality Daily", don'tcha know!) And of course, I thought I would share my experience with you all:

Hilary Alexander:

When I saw her on that first morning, I was embarrassingly star-struck. This lady is incredible, and SUCH a household name int he fashion industry. As she's retiring in June, I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity not only to meet her and see her doing her thang, but to work alongside her. One of my first tasks was to sort through the post for the fashion team, but I managed to make a right royal mess of it - I put Hilary's post on her desk. Dun dun DUUUN!!! Apparently Hilary's post goes to her assistant, Alicia, and I'd messed it up. Smooth way to start off my work experience, eh? Hilary was on the phone at the time, and gave me a look as if to ask "What are you doing?", before Alicia swiftly intervened and took the post. Phew. It all turned out OK.

But Hilary isn't anything like the editor in The Devil Wears Prada, she's really very lovely - I have to say that when I came in on my second morning and she said "Good morning, Rachel", I could've squealed with delight: "Hilary Alexander knows who I am!" Luckily I managed to keep that in. There were the odd occasions when I did feel like Andie in The Devil Wears Prada though: we had to ALWAYS man the phones - luckily I wasn't quite so inept to ask "Could you please spell Gabbana" - (and answer with "Hello, fashion"), and I was on occasion sent off to get the team drinks or food. Hilary, should you care, is rather partial to a tuna sandwich and a slice of millionaire shortbread. Boy, was I nervous that she wouldn't like the sandwich I got her though!

Hilary and I share a love of these!

Hilary is absolutely brilliant at what she does, and is so well respected not only among everyone at The Daily Telegraph, but everyone in the fashion world. We organised a fashion sale of all the gifts Hilary gets sent from fashion PRs and designers that she doesn't want - believe me, there were LOADS, and most of them I would've jumped for joy to receive (including a current season Anya Hindmarch bag worth £695!) I suppose that's the difference between Hilary and myself (well, one of many): she's been there, done that, and seen it all before. She's used to all the designer perks, whereas I'm an enthusiastic and naive newbie. I think my over-excitement at all the incredible things Hilary and the team were doing probably started to get annoying, so tried to reign it in a bit. But I can't help it! It's my positive, excitable nature!

So yes, Hilary does seem to lead a rather fantastical life. Just while I was there she had drinks with Tom Ford (meaning she couldn't be interviewed for ABC News), private fittings with Mary Katrantzou, and filmings for The One Show. The awesomeness blows my mind.


So what else did I do?
Naturally, I was doing lots of menial office tasks, but hey - I'm not complaining! I just felt incredibly lucky to be there and see what was going on. There were three of us work experience girls there at the same time (a 20 year old London College of Fashion student, and a 24 year old Central St Martins student), and so I imagine I was just one of a constant stream of work experience people who come and go all the time, and are all the same to the fashion department, but obviously to me, it was a really big deal.

I did loads of packing up and organising fashion returns of samples that'd been sent in for a big shoot in Morocco that Hilary'd just returned from, completed press send-outs (letting PRs know when their products had been featured in Hilary's articles), did background research, ran errands (such as running round London picking up hats!), organised the fashion sale - which ended up raising over £1,300 for charity! - and one of my favourite tasks was contacting designers and fashion PRs, trying to get contact details to compile into a spreadsheet. I loved it because I got to talk to people from fashion houses all round the world, and even managed to use some of my French skills when calling up the Parisiens! It really takes confidence to call and email people that you don't know when you're not used to it, and try to answer their queries when realistically, you're just an intern and haven't the foggiest! When Hilary said I was doing well, I may have actually let out a little squeal.


Overall...

The Daily Telegraph is an amazing place to work - it's absolutely massive, and basically one ginormous, open-plan office. Yes, I felt ridiculously insignificant, but it was kinda awesome feeling part of something so huge. Also, the whole office was decorated with bunting, flags, and pictures of Royals and Corgis to get everyone in the spirit for the Royal Wedding, which I loved!

I learnt a lot while I was there (not the least that a big cup of tea at 4.30pm on a working day is a Godsend!), and feel so privileged to have had the opportunity. I blimmin' LOVE work experience, and yes, am super duper keen, but why not? It's interesting, fun (most of the time!), you develop as a person and enhance your CV - and let's face it, in this economic climate (blah de blah de blah), we need all the help we can get.

Of course interning and work experience is very topical at the moment, what with this issue of using your contacts to get a "leg-up", but I can honestly say that I just called The Daily Telegraph, got an email address, sent off my CV and a covering letter, and a few weeks late - boom! And then there's the matter of companies using work experience students as unpaid labour who can do the menial jobs for them, which is all very controversial. I know I'm very lucky that I have the means to pay for my train tickets to London and friends to stay with down there, but for some people, they don't have that, and so unpaid work is out of the question. I hope I won't be doing unpaid internships forever, but at the moment, it would seem you can't get a job without experience (and it's hard to even get work experience without some prior experience!)

At the moment I'm grateful for the work experience I've had and the ones I've got lined up for my Summer - who needs to go on holiday when you can work, eh? But please, I'm dying to know anyone else's views on issues surrounding work experience, so please, comment away or get in touch with me.

My advice to fellow youths would be to follow my lead - let's go forth and get tuna sandwiches!

Daily Micropleasures of 2011 - the 7th lot

 For those of you who haven't seen any of my previous installments, as a sort of New Year's resolution, this year I'm noting down one little thing that makes me happy everyday - the teensy pleasures that we often forget, and so I've been sharing them with you as I go. (Here's the link to my last post)

24th March - Not feeling cold outside.
25th March - Turning straight out of your driveway without having to wait for a gap in the traffic. Go! Go! Go!

Pretty much moi. - canvaz.com

26th March - Picking wild flowers.
27th March - When sticky labels on the bottom of your shoes come off easily. So satisying, no?
28th March - The rush of performing.
29th March - The sun shining through the gaps in your curtains when you wake up. Almost makes you not want to curl up like a foetus and hibernate to avoid getting up. Almost.
30th March - Starting a new planner, journal or notebook. Oooh the possibilities!
31st March - Helping someone with their schoolwork or a project.
1st April - Scraping out (and eating!) the remains in a mixture bowl. I am so good at this I should get paid.
2nd April - Sitting down after you've been standing for hours.
3rd April - When someone loves a present you worked hard on.

4th April - Improvising or inventing a new recipe. Usually involving chocolate, and, err more chocolate.
5th April - When a made-up recipe turns out well. And chocolatey...
6th April - Finding a lost earring.
7th April - When you can breathe again after having had a blocked-up nose. Sweet relief!
8th April - The feeling after stretching.
9th April - The feel of your teeth after you've just brushed them.

Work it, girlfriend - lasikeyesurgerycorrection.com

10th April - Wearing sunglasses for the first time each year. And looking dayum cool doing so.
11th April - The feel of just-moisturised skin.
12th April - When your freckles start to come out from the sunshine.
13th April - Learning to pronounce new foreign words. But my Dad will never learn that it's "grath-ee-ass".
14th April - Getting the courage to talk to someone.
15th April - Meeting someone you admire.
16th April - When conversation flows so easily you don't even have to think about it.
17th April - Catching the sun and getting slight strapmarks.
18th April - Stumbling upon somewhere cool that you hadn't planned on going to. Even for a compulsive planner like myself!
19th April - Giving "thank you" cards.
20th April - The smell of a takeaway on your journey home with it. Nom nom nom.
21st April - When the person across the train table leaves and you can stretch your legs out.
22nd April - Praise from someone senior.

What a happy and colour co-ordinated family - mdresort.com

23rd April - Picnics in the sunshine.

Woah, that was a lot - didn't realised I hadn't updated y'all for so long. Anyone else got any micropleasures they'd like to add to cheer up everyone's day? And Happy Easter, lovely blog readers! Hope your day is as deliciously chocolate-filled as mine :)

A Girl's Guide to Madrid

I recently was lucky enough to spend five days in the beautiful city that is Madrid. Having never learnt Spanish at school, I didn't know that much about Spanish culture, but sure have learnt a lot about the oh-so-laid-back Spaniard mode de vie (yes, I realise that's French, but as I said, "no parlo espagnola!") Here I some things I found out:

Fabulous Flamenco!

1. Don't plan a shopping trip in the period after lunch (2-3pm ish) unless you're going to hit up the main high street stores - little boutiques will all close as the owners take their siestas!
2. Spanish food = muy bien! You simply can't go to Madrid and not have: paella, gazpacho, tapas (I love the patatas bravas and potato croquetas in particular... and yeah, don't expect to lose weight either - most of what's on offer is carbs, carbs and more carbs, but insanely delish), churros con chocolate (see below), tortilla, and of course, sangria!
3. Flamenco dancing is a must! Whether you're watching or dancing yourself, it certainly is amazing. Lots of restaurants put on free little showcases which is a great way to experience the flavour of this powerful dancing without having to shell out on expensive show tickets
4. Eating habits tend to follow a different time scale - the Spanish will all siesta after lunch, have tapas at around 6pm, eat dinner at 10pm and hit the clubs at around midnight! At least on holiday you don't have to get up early in the morning!
5. The Madrid metro is incredibly efficient, the easiest way to get around and super cheap too.

My must sees/dos/visits:

El Palacio Real

Boating in El Retiro Park

• El Palacio Real - an absolutely beautiful palace. You can walk around the gardens for free, but you have to pay to actually go inside (I think it's totally worth it, and you can get a student discout if you have student ID! Kerching!) where you'll find incredibly ornate, lavish rooms.
• El Retiro Park - basically a really lovely park. When I was there all the cherry blossom trees were in bloom which looked stunning. There are lovely cafes to pop into as you stroll around, and I seriously recommend going on the boats in the little lake there - so much fun and relaxing, particularly on a hot day. We just floated around soaking up the sun!
• El Prado Museum - Okay, after you've seen a few nice paintings of some naked little cherubs, you've kinda seen 'em all, but it's worth going even if just for an hour or so (not gonna lie, I like art, but was bored by then!) because there are some really famous pieces in there.
• The Reina Sofia Museum - I much preferred this art gallery! It's full of more modern pieces (think Picasso, Miro and the like) including really famous ones, and I loved looking at the intricacies and trying to work out what they mean. I'm no art buff, but it was fun all the same! An extra plus was that I saw (and had a picture with!) Curtis off Misfits there! Whoop whoop!
• El Puerta del Sol - it's the centre of the centre of Spain. A beautiful bustling busy area. 

Sol

• La Plaza Mayor - just down from Sol (as it's known by the locals), another stunning square lined with very expensive restaurants. There's always lots going on both during the day and night.

Plaza Mayor

• El Rastro - the biggest flea market in the world, which happens every Sunday!

Shopping:

We <3 Bershka

Spain has lots of great high-street shops that we don't have here in England (except maybe on Oxford Street in London), and most of them are all really well priced, stylish and, quite frankly, everywhere! (Seriously, I saw so many different branches of the same shops, it was mental.) Oh, and if you don't have clown feet like me, I recommend buying shoes while in Spain... they just make them so well! Here are my fave fashion shops: Bershka, Pull and Bear, Lefties, (no that's not an extra comma, it's actually part of the name, which I love), Blanco, Fun and Basics, Oysho, and Stradivarius (who I sware had sprayed Abercrombie and Fitch cologne everywhere...) There's also the famous department store El Corte Ingles, but frankly, I found it pretty disappointing.

for one Euro!

Markets pop up everywhere across Madrid, which I absolutely love (we all know that's where you get the best one off pieces), and I managed to get a beautiful ring for a mere one Euro! The biggest and most famous flea market is El Rastro (mentioned above).

El Rastro

Eating places:

100 Montaditos (mini baguettes) - what's not to love?

• Chocolateria San Gines - for their incredible churros con chocolate. Rich, but oh-so-heavenly.

Churros. Chocolate. Nuff said.

• Cerveceria 100 Montaditos - this has several branches across Madrid, and I wish so badly it would come to the UK! It's basically a cafe/restaurant where they make 100 different mini baguette combinations. Epic right? There are sweet and savoury options and they are sooooo yummy. I mean let's face it, sometimes you just can't choose just one sandwich filling when they all look so good, can you? So here you can have a few. And believe me, I did.
• Mercado de San Miguel - a brilliant indoor food market just down from the Plaza Mayor, where you can find all sorts of Spanish delicacies, and there are places to eat inside too.
• Salad and Co - Okay, it's not Spanish food or anything, but this place is amazing (right near El Corte Ingles too). For just 7.95 Euros, we got all we could eat of salad, pizzas, pastas, breads, tortilla, rice, drinks, ice creams, yoghurts, fruits, and sooo much more. It was summin else.
• Any tapas bar - they mostly all look a bit seedy, but will all serve amazing tapas. What's also really cool is that all Spanish restaurants bring you something to eat pretty much straight away, whether it's a bit of tortilla, paella or crisps.

Patatas Bravas and Jamon tapas

So I think that's most of my highlights. It really is a fabulous place to go for a short city break, and all the architecture is gorgeous - think mini balconies on every window. Do you have any other places you can recommend? I'd love to hear them, because I'll definitely be going back to this fun-filled capital.