My First Football Match - Derby x Wolves

I was never really that interested in football. Not that I didn't enjoy the sport, or watching 22 sweaty men run around a ball, but my family were never really into it so neither was I. However, I love to try out new things, and on Saturday, I went to the football for the first time.

My friend Steve* is an avid Derby fan. I think that he's supported the Rams since he was four, and from spending time with him I got enthralled by his enthusiasm and passion for the sport. One day, he noticed that Derby was playing an away game against Wolverhampton, and as it is relatively close to our university, we thought it a good idea to go!

After a, let's say, "heavy" night out in Leamington Spa, we pulled ourselves out of our (separate) beds and got the bus, then train, to Wolverhampton. The journey was cheap for the both of us - £4 on the bus return, and £4 for the train. What shocked me the most when we got off the train was how cold it was. In my stupidity, I thought it would be best to dress fashionably rather than sensibility, and I ended up shivering all the way to the stadium. Steve gave me his Derby scarf which did help considerably, as well as make me look a little more integrated into the crowd in which we became part of. 

We got tickets for the front bench and were therefore able to see the action up close. I feel like we both appreciated this since we're both kinda blind anyway (especially me, whose eyesight is so terrible nowadays...anyway, I digress). Before the game started, I flipped through the program Steve kindly bought for me. It was apparently the best design he'd ever seen and it now holds a position within my memory box. The game soon began, and it was off.

To begin with, I didn't really understand what was going on. Steve and the men behind us started chanting and I bobbed along to try and not seem too out of place. However, after the first goal from Derby (they ended up scoring two goals in the first half - something of a rarity for this season) I became really into it. Well, as into it as I could have been when my toes were glacials. I started recognising the songs that the crowd were singing and bobbed along in time, and cheered my favourite Derby player - Will Hughes, obviously. 

All in all, I really enjoyed myself. Derby won 3-2 against Wolves and Steve and I returned to Uni in good spirits. I would love to see another game one day, but next time I'll be sure to wear a few more layers.

* All names in this blog are fake in order to ensure the privacy of my friends and conceal their identities. However, the characters are all real people and the events actually happened

A Series of Unfortunate Events

For Everly*

Not sure why but Everly has never really come out partying with us. It's either been the excuse of Volleyball or the fact that she's overwhelmed with work. Both of which are lies, because why would one ever spend £9,000 to get active and work towards a first? Nevertheless, this Friday, Everly decided it was time to finally push the boat out and come to Everly for Steve's pre, pre-birthday celebrations.

For these pre, pre birthday celebrations, one of Steve's friends came up. By car.

This is a big thing because since coming to uni, I've had to struggle with the use of public transport and walking everywhere. Therefore, having someone who not only had a car but was willing to drive us places was a massive bonus.

Before going out to Steve's pre, pre-birthday celebrations, we decided to top up on alcohol. To do so, Steve's friend drove us to the local Tescos. When we arrived, Everly and I automatically got a cart and started food shopping. After all, why not take advantage of the fact we could finally do a big food shop without needing to carry it back?

We spent a solid hour and or so going through each and every aisle picking up whatever took our fancy. I mean, Everly went and got a sick pack of Coke cans - c'mon. After what seemed like a mere five minutes (which, by the way, was probably an hour), the three boys who were sharing the car with us came and stared in utter shock at what we were pushing in front of us.

"NO WAY ARE YOU COMING IN THE CAR WITH ALL THAT".

And with these damning words, the snakes left us to walk home with our cartload full of shopping.

But rest assured, this was only the first of our unfortunate events.

After a bit more shopping and a lot more impulse buying, we arrived at the tills. Everly went first, and beep beep beep. Sorry! No alcohol allowed since EVERLY WENT AND FORGOT HER ID! What was worse was that the cashier girl was younger than us and she had the audacity to tell us that Everly couldn't buy her alcohol, despite having adequate University ID.

This was the second unfortunate event, but there is more to come.

We obviously tried to fight the case but we soon gave up, due to pure lack of effort in fighting with a bloody minor. It was now my turn to go through with my copious amounts of food and alcohol. But alas!! Because I was seen as more than an acquaintance with Everly I wasn't allowed to buy my alcohol even though I had my ID with me.

WOE WOE WOE.

For the fourth unfortunate event in the series of unfortunate events, we had to carry about 10kg of food in our bags for more than 10 mins in the freezing cold. I was only wearing a t-shirt, which wasn't the wisest of my ideas, and one of Everly's bags broke on the way back, so we ended up on the floor sobbing surrounded by food and no alcohol.

What a way to start a Friday night out.




* All names in this blog are fake in order to ensure the privacy of my friends and conceal their identities. However, the characters are all real people and the events actually happened

Trump vs Hilary Debate

Okay so my parents and I were really pumped for the first debate and we decided to stay up until 2am to watch it live. To keep myself up, I drunk some coffee, and watched a film called 'L'auberge Espagnole' which was recommended to me by Stephen*. It's really engaging and I'd recommend it to anyone studying or interested in both French and Spanish.

Anyway, midnight approaches. I hear some embarrassed shuffling in the hallway and what do I see but my parents both getting ready for bed! Apparently they couldn't handle the late night - fair enough since they normally go to bed at 10pm and not a minute later.

So it ended up just being me staying up! After scrolling through my social media feeds a thousand and one times, the clock dragged its arms to a whooping 1:30am. I was ready to get up and go downstairs to watch the show on television but thank the Lord amen I had the bright idea of seeing if I could stream the debate on my laptop, and I could! Success!

This meant that I was able to lie on my side, on my laptop, watching the debate whilst cuddled up in bed. I saw Lester Holt from NBC Nightly News give a warm welcome to the crowd, and after a few house keeping rules, the camera only filmed the audience getting ready. By this time, it was about five minutes to two. My eyelids were awfully heavy, and I thought, 'why not take a quick five minute power nap?'. AND I FELL ASLEEP. I WAS SO STRONG FOR SO LONG BUT THEN I WAS WEAK AND GAVE INTO THE POWER OF SLEEP. I'M SO ANGRY AT MYSELF.

Anyway, I'm pretty upset and since I stayed up so late I wasn't able to wake up in time to catch it again when it was broadcast at 8am the next day. All I have to satisfy myself are some pretty dench memes circulating at the moment on Facebook. Not the best compromise, but that'll do, Donkey. That'll do.





* All names in this blog are fake in order to ensure the privacy of my friends and conceal their identities. However, the characters are all real people and the events actually happened

Going Braless

Although I'm all for the feminist movement of 'burn your bra', my decision to not wear a bra was not associated with it. Instead, it came about quite gradually and naturally. Nowadays, I currently feel comfortable within my own skin and no longer feel the need to wear one.

One of the few reasons why I used to wear a bra was because, well, I never really had the smart idea not to do so. It sounds quite silly when I type it out, but it's true. Once hitting puberty, I thought that it was necessary for girls to wear a bra. In Year 7, I would come out of compulsory swimming lessons and see all the girls around me in the changing rooms putting on bras. In a way, it made me ashamed that I did not wear one, even though I had nothing to fill it with. Soon after, I begged my parents to buy me a bra from Primark. It was a 28AA padded bra and had little pink monkeys on it, and it soon became my prize possession. I am naturally quite skinny, so this would add some shape to me, and it gave me a bit more confidence. In all honesty, it didn't serve any purpose other that to make me feel better about myself. I think it helped me identify with the girls around me a lot more, and I felt older wearing a bra. However, as I previously mentioned, it served no purpose whatsoever.

As I grew older, I started going out partying more. And when there are parties, there are boys. As my friends became shapelier and filled out in the right places to fill out, I stayed my 5"3 and still as flat as an ironing board. This resulted in the only rational decision I thought fit - to wear more padded bras. I still have some embarrassingly padded bras in my cupboard, some of which don't even touch my boob when I put them on. Nevertheless, it was normal for me to wear these oversized bras, and I used to exchange some tips and tricks with other small-chested girls in order to try and get the nice sized breasts we all wanted. In hindsight, it was all ridiculous. I didn't like my body, and I tried everything possible to try and change it into something it was not.

It was only this summer that my mental attitude towards wearing bras changed. Recently, it has been popular amongst my generation to wear 'bralettes'. These bras aren't usually padded, do not contain underwires, and are aimed at small chested girls. They're all so pretty and cute and many girls deliberately wear revealing tops just to have some of their bralette's lace peeking through. When Adam* got me my first Calvin Klein underwear, he also revealed to me the world of bralettes. At first, I was crazily insecure without wearing a bra, but I also liked the idea wearing such adorable underwear! I began wearing bralettes with big baggy tops, in order that people wouldn't notice my sudden lack of 'oomfph' in the chest area, but then as I gradually became more confident, I started wearing bralettes with tighter fitting tops.

The big step came when summer arrived. I was away from my friends, away from boys, and with no real need to wear a bra. I'd either be in my bikini, or in something casual that I could throw on between going from the apartment to the beach. I realised how comfortable and more at ease I was without wearing a bra, and learnt to embrace the sensation of freedom. I no longer felt pressured by society, or by myself to look a certain way as I was on holiday, in a place where nobody knew my name or even cared what I looked like. I became a lot less harsh on myself too, and began to truly love myself for who I was instead of comparing myself to other people. I feel that the transaction from over-padded bras to no bras at all was also made a lot easier due to my new-found love of meditation - something I will go into at a later date.

So as I began to love my body for what it was, I began to forget about wearing bras. Not wearing a bra isn't just a 'oh I can't be bothered today' or a 'I'm not going anywhere special' kind of thing, it now just feels normal to not wear a bra. I can wear the exact same clothing as I used to wear, and feel comfortable with my flatter chest. I'm aware that some girls reading this post may be concerned about the infamous 'nipple slip' or nipples poking through a t-shirt, but in all honesty, who cares? Most guys find it sexy, but if you have a chest as small as mine, they honestly never show so there's nothing to worry about. My only advice is that there's a time and a place for nipples. They're cool for nights out but perhaps not quite so appropriate for dinner with Nanny or an interview at your dream job!

Anyway! I think this sums up my little journey. I hope that this will enable to give other girls confidence to not wear bras if they so please, and that whatever your size, you love yourself for who you are!

Fall Out Boy

Truth be told, I have about five drafts which were typed out all before I even went to the gig expressing my excitement, so you can probably already tell how much this meant to me.

I love Fall Out Boy - a lot.

I really, really do.

But first things first (I'm the realest). Let's start at the very beginning. You may want to get a drink because this is going to be a really long post... 

About two days before the concert, I thought I had lost all chances of going. My friend Lauren* had printed off the ticket online, and guess what?! I lost it. She casually handed it to me at school and I must have misplaced it or left it in a classroom and lost it. My worst fear was that another student found it, picked it up, decided to save themselves £29.50, and went to the gig. You may be thinking that I could easily just, say, print another one off but NO, oh no, that bar code is a one and only and not only would I have lost a small fortune (gigs at the BIC in Bournemouth normally cost around a fiver but since it's FALL OUT BOY then it was undoubtedly dearer), but I would have missed the opportunity of seeing one of my favourite bands. smh. Thankfully, this didn't happen, and on the 10th of October, the day had finally arrived.

I went to the gig with Jane and Charlotte*, later meeting our other friends there. We didn't queue for long (despite arriving at 6:45 pm when doors open a quarter of an hour before) and we were within the main arena by half seven. As a side note, Lauren queued since 9 am!!! She's such a diehard fan, I love her. 

The support acts weren't that great. Charley Marley and Matt and Kim were both trying their hardest for audience participation, and admittedly I did enjoy trying my hardest trying to touch one of the balloons that were thrown vaguely in my direction (cons of being short at a gig), but all in all it didn't really work.

Professor Green was the main support act for Fall Out Boy, which I think everyone was shocked by. They're not even the same genre, and personally I don't think it was a great move. Might contact Bob McLynn to have a quick word. Anyway, my boyfriend Daniel* suddenly got into Professor Green about a week before the gig and forced me to listen to him, which I'm fairly grateful for as it got me quite pumped before seeing Fall Out Boy. We kind of went a bit crazy when Pro Green whipped out Monster and it was nice to have everyone sing along when they played Read All About It as it was probably the only song people knew there. Not that any real emo ever listened to pop radio, ew.

NB: Tap water at the gig cost 40p. If you didn't get charged, the waitress must have either been a b*tch or prejudice against my gay best friend who went to get me the drink. Let's sue them.

NB: If you're small and Asian like me, getting back into a crowd after getting water during the interval is really easy. 

NB: Finding your friends after leaving the arena isn't as easy as you may have expected. 

I guess it's more than you bargained for because I've been dying to tell you about wHEN FALL OUT BOY CAME ON STAGE! You may have guessed that they played Sugar We're Goin' Down, first of all, and then went on to Irresistible, then the Phoenix. I think it was around this time that Patrick spoke for a little bit, something about how great it is that Bournemouth is by the sea, but nobody really knew what he was on about, bless. Anyway, it quickly moved on and Daniel and I acted like that annoying couple at gigs who kissed in between the songs when the lights were off and moved our arms in time to the music. Go get that bucket if you need it.

After their 8th song, the screen came over the stage and a video clip was played. In hindsight, we should have all guessed that something spectacular was going to happen, but I assumed they were just getting some water. Patrick, Pete, and Joe all suddenly appeared on a platform at the back of the arena!!! They played an acoustic version of Immortals and everyone joined in the singing and waved our arms and it was all very cute. After that, they went back on stage through a secret underground channel (or so I assume) which Andy had a very intense session on the drums when everyone thought his arms were going to explode from the pressure.

The 12th song was American Beauty/American Psycho. Everyone knew that the gig was sadly coming to an end, and I secretly wished someone would just crowd surf or something exciting. AND GUESS WHAT MY BOYFRIEND DID?! HE OPENED UP A MOSHPIT. As soon as the chorus came in, everyone jumped in and started moshing, and all-in-all went a bit crazy. It was such a release of energy, and since our friendship group was quite big, we all dragged each other in and ran about and pushed and shoved and screamed at the top of our lungs. It was so amazing, I don't think I've done it justice in words. I guess you just ought to have been there.

By the end of the night, we were all exhausted. The crowds cleared, and we saw a few more friends who came running up to us in floods of tears because Pete touched their hands. (But would I have queued over 10 hours for Pete Wentz to touch my hand?! Probably.). I genuinely believe going to a gig should be considered a work out, because I genuinely sweated more last night then I do when going to the gym. Oh well, Thnks Fr Th Mmrs Fall Out Boy! 

* All names in this blog are fake in order to ensure the privacy of my friends and conceal their identities. However, the characters are all real people and the events actually happened

Manchester Open Day

Eek - my second uni visit finally done! It was a long trek from Bournemouth up to Manchester (roughly seven hours each way with only a couple half our breaks to stretch our legs and get a Costa) but it was worth it.

Friday afternoon, Grace* and I drove up to Manchester and had to spend the night at The Chancellor's. We were fortunate as this was only a few miles away from the University, and the next morning we caught a Magic Bus into the centre, which to our delight only cost us £1.

In total, I went to three talks. I guess I ought to have gone to more since I travelled all the way up there, but I just didn't have enough time! The language building named Samuel Alexandre (pictured above) was very grand and I really liked its interior. Despite dating back to 1919, the building had a very fresh atmosphere and the lecture theatres which I went to were ones which I could easily imagine myself studying in...

One talk that really intrigued me was the IPML presentation (Integrated Professional Masters in Languages). If anyone reading this blog has studied it or has heard about it, please comment below as I'd love to hear first-hand experience of it!

For lunch, Grace* and I went to the Univesity Place for lunch. I think its official name was University Place... Everyone around us called it the 'tin can' - I won't state the obvious and explain why. Anyway, we had beefburger and chips and the portion was absolutely massive and for £4.50 it was definitely worth it! I wish I had taken a photo but I was so hungry that I scoffed it all before I could whip out my camera..ooops.

I think this sums up my blog post! Apologies for not posting a lot recently - I've been overwhelmed with coursework of late and settling into Year 13.





* All names in this blog are fake in order to ensure the privacy of my friends and conceal their identities. However, the characters are all real people and the events actually happened

image link: x

Bristol Open Day

If we ignore my Year 10 visit to Exeter's Campus and my 'for the yolo' tour around Bournemouth Uni (no offence to anyone who goes there, it's just not got the best reputation for my courses..or many others...), Bristol Uni was my first so-called 'proper' open day I've ever been to.
I stayed over at Kasetty's* house the night before and had an early rise the next morning to drive all the way to Bristol in time for my 10 o'clock talk. My first impression was that it was a lovely city. As we drove through, I noticed the wonderful architecture, the diversity of the people, and most of all, the Banksy work. I think that if I were to apply to Bristol Uni, the city would be a big reason which would sway my decision. I did really like the talk given for Modern Foreign Languages (what I hope to read at university), but after the talk was over, I got the chance to really explore and look around.
Being a city uni, I had to trek quite a bit to get from one department to another. I'm sure that after a few weeks being there, I would get used to this, but it was quite tiring for a first-timer such as me. After looking around the Student Union (which has undergone refurbishments), Kasetty and I had a little tour of the city. There was a huge range of shops and little cafeterias (including a vegan bar which pleased K no end) - I would have really enjoyed spending a weekend looking around. I remember going to the Old Vic to see Jane Eyre with my friend Grace* a couple of years ago and I really liked the layout of the theatre, so if that's what you're into I would recommend seeing a performance there one day. 

Above is a picture from one of the quirky vintage shops Kasetty and I visited. I'm really disappointed that I can't recall the name of it, but it was along the main street heading towards Waitrose (wow, good one Mél). Anyway, this little boutique was by far the best shop that we visited. The downstairs part of it was a caféteria whilst the upstairs consisted of a mix of a bookshop, vintage clothes shop, and all round need-to-have goodies. The whole place gave off a young feel and I could have spent hours roaming around and spending more money than I own...

Another place we visited was the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. I dragged my friend in here because a) I love art b) I love finding meanings to bland pictures and c) it was free. I'm fun to spend time with, I promise... My favourite floor was the second floor with all the art pieces where I finally got to see Noah's Ark by Jan Griffier the Elder which was a wonderful experience for me and I greatly enjoyed it.

If you're also considering Bristol Uni as one of your options, please don't hesitate to comment in the section below - I'd love to know what you thought of it!





* All names in this blog are fake in order to ensure the privacy of my friends and conceal their identities. However, the characters are all real people and the events actually happened

My First (proper) Time At Aruba

For those who thought that this would be a holiday post about the island off the Caribbean sea - sorry, I deceived y'all. Aruba is a restaurant/beach club overlooking Bournemouth beach and pier. I believe it's open to all ages up until around 8-9pm when it turns into an over 18 club, but up until then, it's a nice place to chill and drink over-priced drinks whilst looking out to sea.
The reason I said that this was my first so-called 'proper' time here was because I had previously gone there once before with my Spanish Class but we were all so intimidated by the over-crowded bar that we didn't order anything. We had walked up the stairs, sat on the sofas for 10 mins in a confused and flustered manner, then sneaked out in pairs to not look too suspicious and in case anyone realised that we had not ordered anything... I'm ashamed to say that this was less than 3 months ago.
Thankfully, this time was a little less awkward. It was my close friend Mae's* 18th birthday and we had booked a table in the far corner overlooking the sea (which I thought was kind of pointless as it was already dark when we had arrived and the doors let in an unwanted draft..but this was besides the point).

Above is a picture of my Aruba Caeser Salad with anchovies & Parmesan cheese, Crisp Cos lettuce with seasoned croutons (£8.95). I also got a cheeky bit of shredded chicken on top for an extra two quid, but I was quite disappointed in this as you can see it was just dumped on top of my salad very ungracefully. I would have preferred it to look a little nicer, and my friends' salads (Summer Salad, £9.95) weren't that aesthetically pleasing either. And, yes, we are those annoying white girls that go out to restaurants to eat and order salads. 


We stayed on a bit after we finished our meal and gossiped over Mae's birthday cake (first photo). Whilst at our table, this balloon artist came over and after some of my friends rudely questioned how much he would charge us for his unwanted service and sexual innuendos, he produced a lady bug headband for Mae! I asked him about himself and he said that Aruba paid him (and not us - phew), and that he used to just make balloon shapes as his 'party trick' but his friends encouraged him to start charging people as his skills developed and he became more proficient. At first, he dismissed their comments as he never really believed that anyone would pay for them, but then when he started to charge a small fee, his name got passed around and how he goes to different bars and clubs around Bournemouth. I really like finding out how people got into the jobs that they are in, and Balloon-Guy is just one example of someone who managed to turn his passion into a business!





*All names in this blog are fake in order to ensure the privacy of my friends and conceal their identities. However, the characters are all real people and the events actually happened