Ramble Thursdays: Starting University

Happy Thursday Readers!

It's late September now and most Universities will be starting again. Freshers will start and no doubt the first week back will be a blur for most! Nonetheless there will be nerves for starting your new courses. I'll admit University is a big step and becoming independent whilst trying to get to grips with your new course can seem daunting. I felt exactly the same last year, however I'm moving into my second year now and I've survived!

When starting any new course at University there is a chunk of reading to do. I know a lot of students who regretted this and didn't get the mark they wanted at the end of first year. I may be alone in thinking this, but personally if I was paying £8000/£9000 a year then I would want to do everything I could to make sure that that money wasn't wasted. I'm aiming for a first at the end of my three years so during my second year I'm really going to put more effort in! 

My downfall last year was getting on top of assignments. I was silly in that I didn't plan when I was going to do them, or start them early. This year I plan to change this and start planning as soon as I get them. This way I will have more time to edit and change my essay/project prior to the hand in date. Also I will be worrying less so if I've finished an assignment I can hand it in and then have more time to go out and do the things I enjoy!

Reading recommended books your lecturers suggest is really worth it. Although, one thing you should do is reference the book when you've read it. That way if you get given an assignment and you've already read the book you don't have to worry about reading it again, because you will have made notes and referenced. This will make it less stressful and will help when writing your essay!

I started back on Monday and I'm sure I will have lots to tell you when I write next Thursday! I'm really looking forward to seeing my friends again and getting back into a routine. I've been sleeping in far too late and going to bed at silly hours! Going back to Uni will definitely mean my sleeping pattern has to change drastically! Mum and Dad are away for 2 weeks so I am planning to use my Thursdays off to get back into my baking. I have big plans! 

Yes, I'm aware I don't sound like your typical student. This is mainly down to the fact that I've moved back home as renting in Leeds became too expensive when I don't live miles away. I can drive in everyday and save money to use on better things! It also means that I'm not worrying about food shopping which is a god send when I start back at placement. 

Overall, I can't wait for second year to start. It means I'm closer to graduating and I can't wait to be a fully qualified teacher in charge of my own class. I'm more than excited to get my own house and start being more of an adult. 

I hope your week is going well! One more sleep and then FRIDAY! I'll be off to the Student Lock-In tonight at Meadowhall like last year. Next week's blog will be all about that. Hopefully I'll have some goodies to show you all! 

"The rest is still unwritten" 

Megan

Music Monday 2: Car playlist

I've gone through my 'starred' playlist on Spotify and I thought I would write down a few of songs that is on my playlist (don't think you'd appreciate me writing a huge list containing over 900 songs).

My Top Picks From My Spotify Playlist

1. All The Luck In The World/ Never
2. Alt-J/ Tessallate
3. Alt-J/ Breezeblocks
4. American Authors/ Hit it
5. Atlas Genius/ Symptoms
6. Ben Howard/ Keep Your Head Up
7. Ben Howard/ Old Pine
8. Bombay Bicycle Club/ Carry Me
9. Bombay Bicyle Club/ Feel
10. Bombay Bicyle Club/ Eyes Of You
11. Bombay Bicycle Club/ Luna
12. Boyce Avenue/ Lights
13. Calvin Harris feat John Newman/ Blame
14. Catfish and the Bottlemen/ Fallout
15. Charli XCX/ Superlove
16. Chic/ Everybody Dance
17. Chris Brown/ Fine China
18. Chromeo/ Jealous (I ain't with it)
19. Chromeo/ Come alive
20. Crystal Fighters- Love Alight

I'm going to do 20 songs for now and see how that goes. I will post more next week!

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan 

Ramble Thursday: 20 Facts About Me

So I've looked through my old posts from when I first started writing my blog and for my first Ramble Thursday I thought it might be good to finally introduce myself...properly! So here we go 20 random facts about little old me...

I'm the greatest dancer

1. I'm 19.

Being 20 next year is a bit scary...maybe it's time to start growing up haha-not going to happen! I was born on April 21st 1995. I wasn't actually going to be called Megan I was going to be Eleanor May. Instead I'm Megan May.

2. I love going to see musicals and visit theatres in general.
Hairspray, Les Mis, Sister Act, Grease, Sound of Music.

3. My favourite colour is green.

I don't know why this is my favourite colour but it is. I prefer lime/light greens over darker greens. 

Bobby and I

4. I adore dogs.

My dog is my favourite thing ever. He is adorable. Bobby is my best friend and I look forward to our cuddles and kisses in bed on morning. I don't mind being woken up early if it's by him! 

5. I really want a ginger pig called Wotsit. 

Yes I've asked for a pet pig for my birthday and Christmas for the last 3 years and my mum refuses to give into the idea. Personally I believe owning a pig will be cute. 

6. My favourite season is Winter.

Cold, cold, cold! I can't wait to crack out the knitwear and cosy jumpers. Curling up on the sofa with Bobby and put the fire on. Fluffy socks and boots. Yes ok I have an obsession with Winter.

7. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

By far my favourite holiday! The food, presents, the shops, the mood, TV and movies. Everything about Christmas I am CRAZY about. I'm already counting down the days to Christmas and don't blame me if I'm far too excited already! 

8. I am a girl gamer.

I play COD more than I should but I've already discussed this...it's bad and I'm addicted.

9. I go to Leeds Trinity University.

So glad I got into Uni. It's the best decision I have made in my life so far and I would tell everyone to go to Uni if they got the chance!

10. I'm Training to be a Teacher.

I've always wanted to work with children and a teacher seemed the best fit for me.

11. I like singing and playing guitar in my room. 

Can't say I have much confidence with my singing and I've only recently got into playing guitar so I can't say I'm a master. With a bit more practice maybe I'll feel more comfortable performing in public.

12. I live on a mini farm (we love animals).

I have horses, dogs and some cats. We used to have chickens but unfortunately they disappeared...bye bye chickies. 

13. I like going to gigs. 

I've seen so many people live now and I feel so lucky to have seen them especially before they became big and expensive. Some of my best memories are from gigs but the worst feeling has to be post-gig depression.

14. I love Indie/Alternative music.

Hozier, Kodaline, We Were Evergreen, Rhodes, Two Door Cinema Club, Foster The People, Noah And The Whale, Years and Years, Dan Croll, Coasts, Orla Gartland, King Charles, Bastille, the list goes on and on... 

15. I drive...

Driving to Uni, road trips, music loud. 

16. Due to being able to drive I have a Nissan Micra and he's called Derek. 

My friend gave me a magnetic moustache to put on my car so he looks all cute. 

17. I only have my ears pierced.

I'm not a big fan of piercings and tattoos so I definitely think I would stick with just having my ears pierced.

18. I was inspired to write a blog.

I decided to write a blog because I watch Youtubers and felt inspired by Zoella and Sprinkle of Glitter.

19. I love pigs and piglet.

It's an obsession and I'm addicted. I don't care though they are the cutest!

20. I am obsessed with Disney.

Movies, songs, everything. One day I will get to Disneyland, but it will probably be when I have children of my own. 

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan

Music Monday 1: Neon Trees

Monday is my least favourite day of the week and I have no idea why. I guess it'll be worse when I start back at Uni!

When travelling to Uni it is important for me to have some music on my journey as it keeps me occupied whilst being stuck in traffic jams! Over Summer I have been listening to music and adding it to my Spotify playlist. I know I know in recent posts I rave about Spotify but it's the best thing I spend £4.99 a month on! 

I loved the band Neon Trees, I am obsessed with 'Everybody Talks'. Although I'd never listened to their other albums and songs so now I have Spotify I've explored their album and their new stuff. I love their album Pop Psychology in particular their song 'Sleeping with a friend'. There are also remixes of those songs and sometimes I'm not really into remixes, the 'Sleeping with a friend- the Chainsmokers remix' was one of the most listened to on the Neon Trees artist page so I added it to my playlist and now I really love it! Definitely worth a listen. So if you're looking for a new band to add to your playlist, or maybe you're like me and think that you need to listen to more of Neon Trees then it's never too late to have a listen and like me you might for even more in love with their sound. 

I hope your Monday was good!

"The rest is still unwritten" 

Megan 

Getting organised

I'm about to start my second year of University and I think it's about time I organised my blog. I've decided to theme days and organise when I'm posting.

Monday- on Mondays there will be a music related post every week. This could be anything from a gig I've been to, band recommendation or a new suggested playlist. I will try and post at 5pm everyday, however this might be hard when I start back at Uni as I'll just finish a lecture at 5.

Thursday- Ramble Thursdays. I might tackle an issue and put my opinion across about something. I might decide to give advice for Uni or I might review something! Again this will be at 5pm and I will try and stick to this.

Food Fridays- this might not be every week, however when it's possible I will post something about a new restaurant I visited and review it. Maybe even a new recipe I've tried. These will again be posted at 5pm.

Sometimes during the week I might decide to post another random post but I think for now 2/3 a week is something to aim for!

I hope that having these 'theme' days it will give my blog more direction and allow this blog to appeal to more people. I'm determined to put more effort into my blog and dedicate a bit more time to it because I do enjoy writing it.

The new blog will be up at 5pm for Music Mondays.

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan

Almost Famous, Leeds

On Friday I visited the new Almost Famous restaurant that has opened in Leeds. I was excited to go as I was seeing my best friend Megan, but also because I'd heard great things about the restaurant in Manchester.

We walked in and were instantly greeted by a warm, friendly waitress who took us to a table and explained the menu and ordering systems. I instantly noticed how fab the music was in there. It was like a mixtape threading lots of different music styles and genres together in a loop so there were no awkward silences. Megan and I couldn't help singing along.

The menu was filled with burger goodness! We spent ages trying to decide what we wanted. I decided to have the 'Triple Nom' which has cheese, BBQ pulled pork, coleslaw, redneck and famous sauce. Megan knows how obsessed I am with pulled pork recently so it was hard not to choose this burger! Overall I thought the burger was nice, however there were peppercorns in and I found the sauce all a bit overpowering not in a good way, so I probably would choose something different next time!

You order your burgers and sides separate which I didn't mind as the burgers were massive and Megan and I shared a side of chips. I loved the chips, there were sweet potato and normal chips some with the skin left on- just beautiful. The bill came to around £20 for both of us so I wouldn't hesitate in going again.

Inside the restaurant is just a mess of wonderful, crazy. There is everything from graffiti on the wall to a huge Gorilla by the entrance where you can have a picture taken sitting in his hand! There's also a photo booth which Megan and I are planning on checking out on our next visit.

I would fully recommend this restaurant and give my visit a 9/10 as I would choose a different burger next time!

Hope you enjoy the pictures from our visit you'll find them below!

"The rest is still unwritten"

Megan