Don't be a bitter single!

January is now long-gone, many have survived dry January, Veganuary and maybe even paid off some debts from Christmas. I feel that January was a very positive month for me - learning new hobbies to take up in my free-time, working towards goals in volunteering and learning to drive again after a  long 10 month break (some women have babies in that time). There is much more that was enjoyed as discussed here in my last post about my goal progress for the year. However for those who weren't as lucky, the January blues are truly over!

As February is upon us, I thought like many bloggers I'd discuss Valentine's Day, but as a single woman of 24, I don't wish to pretend I like it. Not because I'm a bitter single and wish to be spoilt by a man like many others will be. I can assure you that I strongly believe in true love, fate and romance as cheesy as that sounds. 

If a secret admirer felt like sending me a card or a thoughtful gift, I wouldn't reject it, but at the same time, why wait until Valentine's Day? If you like, love or care for someone, surely you should be making them feel valued every single day.

Here are 5 reasons I'm glad to be single on one of the most romantic days of the year:

1. I don't want to settle!

Photo credit: Google Search

Despite how that sounds, this doesn't apply to many people. It doesn't apply to any of my friends, who are happily married or engaged. It doesn't apply to any couples in my immediate family. However, you do hear of people settling for someone treating them rubbish because they don't want to be alone for occasions like this. Some people even choose to date to avoid being alone for the occasion. The same might apply to birthdays or Christmas.

2. Rather no relationship than a bad one!

I've not found the right person, but maybe I will. However I'm glad I'm not wasting a year with the wrong person. Why waste it with someone who doesn't appreciate your weird and wonderful quirks? Why be with someone who doesn't appreciate the things that matter, or who doesn't have the same values?

3. The pressure

It has become such a big thing now. You need to go out to be in a restaurant that seems to charge double what they might already have done the day or week before. You have to buy the perfect gift. You need to think of a lovely romantic gesture. Why bother? I have only spent one Valentine's Day as a couple and simply exchanged cards and bought thoughtful gifts. It felt a bit forced. Surely spontaneous and unexpected romantic gestures are less stressful and more exciting! Put it this way, if every man/woman proposed because they were told they needed to at a certain time, would it be as memorable and romantic? It's romantic as it comes unexpected and from someone you really love (under the right circumstances, of course).

4. Crowds

I dare you to say this doesn't look like a love heart!

While picking the perfect gift, card, or going out on that fateful day. It is bonkers! This year, I hope mum chooses to show me she loves me through food. This was a picture taken an ordinary day making me my tea/dinner.

5. No expectations

Even if you say you don't expect anything, it's hard not to be disappointed if you don't celebrate in some way. However as a single person, I genuinely have no expectations. It will be an ordinary day. As it is a day off work, I will probably walk my dogs, promote the blog on social media where I can, read a book and perhaps binge on some films. 

There are also several things that irritate me about the day:

1. The singles

Yes, I know. You have read right; I'm single and hate other singles. Why? Because a lot don't appreciate it as a day like mother's day or father's day. Just because you're not a mother or father, you don't envy those who have children who spoil them. So why moan on social media about being single? Why become so desperate? Appreciate what you have. Don't get me wrong, I have days where I'd love someone to cuddle, share my secrets with and to love/be loved. However why should I spend one day every year being miserable about it?

2. A day about love doesn't celebrate all kinds

It is a day to celebrate love and bring about romance, but why not celebrate other types of love? Love for your pets, children, family, friends and neighbours. Why not encourage people to show love and care for others, or even help people in the community.

3. The overindulgence

Photo credit: LA Times (wordpress blog)

I can't help but find it cute when friends describe what they're doing. Despite how singles, I'm not in any way envious. I don't want to date them or their partner. I probably wouldn't even celebrate it in the same way. However I find they celebrate it in different ways; personal to their relationship and in ways that show real care. Baking a favourite cake,  buy something their partner wouldn't treat themselves to or simply buying something that shows an "in" joke. This being said, it's not Christmas; it's not their birthday, but people will send hundreds on things for this romantic occasion. To me, it's utterly overindulgent. That money could be spent on many more valued things like giving to charity, saving for a mortgage, buying a car or even a nice holiday.

4. The discomfort of others

Photo credit: Life of a Doctor's Wife (blog - wordpress)

I try not to bring it up too much to couples because they tend to put their foot in it. They will say things like "you'll meet someone soon" or "I don't understand why you've not found someone. You're so lovely." Their heart is in the right place, so I just smile and nod. To them, it's perhaps a special day, but to me it's just any other day. I've not dedicated the day to mourn that I am single despite popular belief.

5. The consumerism

Picked red this week and didn't even plan to! 

I suppose it's like Christmas or any occasion. It is advertised everywhere from billboards, TV, print or radio. It feels like Christmas is over and the Valentine's Day ads are then on! You then can't escape red hearts, cuddly toys, chocolate boxes dedicated to Valentine's Day and everything red, pink or heart related!

In the spirit of my post, don't pity me for being single; don't feel I'm being too negative. This is meant  more with jest as I would never want ANYONE to have a bad day. I hope every married or committed person has a lovely day, and those singles don't become an annoying stereotype!

Let me know what you think of Valentine's Day. Is it an over-consumerised event or another way to celebrate love? 

Day 8 of Blogmas - 10 things

Monday's post was very negative and listed the things I dislike about Christmas. However I want to make it very clear - I don't completely hate Christmas. I don't feel as excited this year. It could be because it doesn't feel as cold, or that I feel I've only just moved; it could be getting older or it could be the fact I'm working Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

That being said, I do like spending time with family and all it entails, so here is my positive post about the things I love, am grateful for and goals for 2017.

10 things I love about Christmas:

1. Presents
Yes I'm still a total child! I've had to stop myself opening presents from two of my friends as they posted them.

2. Food
I love being greedy, and it's the one time Mum doesn't lecture me about how I will feel bad about it

3. Day off
It's a nice day off that you can spend off, where neither parents are stressing, and I can be with them

4. No pressure
There are no plans. I am not judged for staying my pjs most of the day!

5. Naps and time to chill
Sometimes I  get to sneak off for naps (I am known to have one, sometimes two and maybe three once).

6. Irn Bru
I've banned myself from drinking it as religiously as I used to. Unfortunately my skin flares up so I like the occasional treat of it on Christmas Day. Most enjoy a bellyful of alcoholic beverages, not me. I don't actually tend to drink anything alcoholic on Christmas Day

7. The aftermath
I love what comes after Christmas. It is the start of organising things for the new year, writing goals and tidying away anything new you've received.

8. Giving
I know presents came first, but this comes in equal measure. I usually start Christmas shopping at the end of October or early November, so love when I can finally exchange gifts; see how much they like it; if they like it.

9. Time for reflection
As it sounds, time to reflect similar to point 7.

10. Coming together
So many families might be far in distance, but come together and celebrate.

10 things I'm grateful for this year:

1. My dogs
2. My friends
3. My family
4. My increasing confidence
5. A home (this time of the year makes me feel for those less fortunate)
6. Learning new hobbies e.g. blog, scrapbooking and more
7. Enjoying being single - no need to look, and learning to enjoy own company
8. My health
9. A job
10. Having everything I need in terms of possessions

10 things I hope for in 2017:

1. Pass my driving test
2. Be the best Maid of Honour I can be for my close friend's wedding in August
3. Get a job in fundraising
4. Make a difference volunteering
5. Go somewhere abroad - preferably to visit my friend, Zara in Norway
6. Visit family who live further afield
7. Go to more gigs and events
8. Pursue more creative hobbies such as jewellery making
9. Start yoga properly again
10. Complete a charity challenge as discussed in yesterday's post here.

Hope you enjoyed this post. As you can probably tell, I love writing a good list! What are you looking forward to? Love to know!

Gilmore Girls is FINALLY back!

You may know from my other blog posts how much I love Gilmore Girls, and with that I knew I had to write about it coming back. Due to the move, I've not managed to binge on the latest episodes (I've only seen the first episode of  A Year in the Life: Winter). Gutted! That being said, on the run-up I've been watching a lot of the old episodes and fell in love all over again. My Mum jokes that she thought it was finished. Oh how wrong she was!

I've also watched lots of clips on YouTube and know about the ending. The cliffhanger. The four words that leave you with more questions and wanting more. I was so upset to know the ending before seeing, so will not spill like I've seen some bloggers, Youtubers and fans already have. I was thinking of further reviewing the new episodes, but will see about that...I'm not good at keeping quiet!

This post will be my hopes for the upcoming episodes and my predictions:

Team Logan

When I left it originally, I was Team Jesse all the way. I disliked Dean a lot. He made her feel bad about herself. The way he dumped her when she didn't say "I love you" right away, the way she messed with her head after he said he still loved her despite being married and of course how he never challenged her. I also find it unrealistic to have someone falling for their first love; he live and move on. He has no ambition and has little in common with Rory.

Rory had been instantly attracted to Jesse; there is obvious chemistry and they share a love of books. They have grown a lot since they first started dating. They got on at an intellicental level, and made each other better in some way. Rory trusted Jesse, and became more interesting with him. I think he might have done as well without Rory's influence.

Initially, I found Logan spoilt, entitled and very different to Rory, but upon watching it again I have found that out of the three he is the most perfect for her. He was hard-working to make his own way in the world outside of his family riches, loved Rory and she loved him back. They met during university, and out of the three she was with him longest and from that I noticed they went through the most. He was instantly there when her grandfather had a heart attack, he saw her during her graduation, he supported her through falling out with her mother and quitting Yale (although brief) and most of all they made it through the brief long-distance. Therefore I hope they do make it back together. I feel Rory was right to refuse his proposal as she had more to achieve than just becoming Logan's wife. That being said, he has supported her through any decisions and I hope they make it.

Obama Campaign

I hope to hear how Rory got on during the following of the Obama elections, and the relationship there. I loved the clip with her and Michelle. Typical Rory with the books! It would have also been entertaining if it had been filmed after finding out that Trump is president. I know she was a big fan of Hilary Clinton after all. Remember, how she wanted to say she'd be the person she'd most like to eat with, when applying for university (or college).

As someone who wanted to go into journalism, I will adore hearing all the opportunities that came her way. Will she make it to New York Times?

Rory & Lorelai's lives

I've seen hints that Rory is out of work, and even starts working at Chilton. This would be an interesting one as this is where it all began. Stars Hollow is where we fell in love with the mother-daughter relationship, and it brings it all back now that Rory is coming back to the small town. I can't wait to see their antics, witty comebacks and fast-talking! Will Lorelai still be running the Dragonfly inn or does she have more ambitions in the eccentric town?

Lorelai & Luke

I always wanted the other Lorelai to marry Luke and have his babies. However I feel since we don't see this in the trailers and she's likely to be 48, the likelihood of children might be off. I'm still hopeful for the right wedding this time. Christopher was always unsure, immature and too spontaneous for Lorelai. Luke was always right for her. He argued, challenged her funny ways, loved her, appreciated her and always wanted what was best for her. He supported her where she needed, but never told her what to do. He helped with her crazy ways - when her car broke down, he made sure she got the same exact model (helping get it fixed), and organised the entire party for Rory leaving in the final episode. What more can be said? He's perfect! Who doesn't love a happy ending?

Sookie

Sookie is one of my favourite characters despite Lorelai and Rory of course. I can't wait to see how the kids have grown 7 years on (I can't remember how old the first one, Davy was, so wonder whether there will be a teen?) Anything with Sookie is always funny though. Especially her and Jackson arguing. I also hope she's still showing her passion for cooking, and can't wait to see what they named the youngest. Yes, I'm that sad!

Lane and Zac 

Oh how I loved that rock star couple so much! I hope they're settling into parenthood, and Lane hasn't given up on drumming. Are they still working in Luke's? I was gutted to see so many fans who disliked Zac for Lane; I thought he was perfect. He adored her and was always there, quirky and managed to find ways to relate her scary mother.

There is one mystery that eludes me though. Where is Lane's father? Did he die? They always mention it in the plural - parents, but never has he appeared. They have had many Korean family occasions, even her wedding and still to see him...

Taylor madness

Are Taylor's town meetings still crazy? No doubt. The comebacks of Taylor and Lorelai were well-worth it. I also love how he managed to encourage the townspeople to do things they totally disagreed with. Remember, when Jackson did his job for a while? Yeah, it didn't last long...

Kirk

What jobs is Kirk doing now? Has he married Lulu? I've seen him attend the traditional Friday night dinner, so can't wait to see the comedy at that one! I also like the hints of his advice column which have circled around on facebook pages. See below:

The "Gilmore Girls" 

So many good pictures for these 3!

Richard passes away like the actor did unfortunately. I loved him! The fiercely loyal and protective father, mentoring and supporting nature to Rory and the way he proved to be Emily's solemate. It will be interesting to see how Emily copes. I saw a clip where she gets a wall-sized picture of him, which made me chuckle. It sums up Emily's quirky character. Friday family dinners are still on too!

Stars Hollow

It's exciting to see what all the townspeople of Stars Hollow are up to, and what unusual events will be on! I honestly can't wait to get back to it.

To finish this post, here are a few screenshots of Gilmore Girls quizzes I've done (sad I know):

Always get different ones - had Sookie before!

Hope you enjoyed the post, and love to hear your comments especially if you like the show as much as me!

Still unsure whether to review the new episodes, when I've finished watching.

Festive Gift Ideas - for her *

How exciting! This is my first festive post. Working in retail for approximately 4 years; listening to christmas songs on repeat for two months and listening to moody shoppers in the festive period slowly sucked the christmas spirit out of me. That being said, I feel like it might be coming back! This year I look forward to drinking a snowball, eating, opening presents, more eating, dressing up, more eating and obviously giving something.

This year, I've realised I don't have too many to buy for - my mum, dad, a few friends and my grandparents. I can't complain at that! That is not to say that I find christmas shopping to be plain sailing. This year, I plan on getting most things online. So far, I've bought a small personalised gift for my friends from a local seller on the island, who I might discuss in a future post.

Discovering Ezebee was a fun one, it has unique things that you don't find often around with lots of handmade gifts similar to things you might find on sites like Etsy. It's not something you find in your usual shops or typical to marketplaces like Amazon. It's so lovely to find gifts with that personal, handmade touch. This posts show 10 gift ideas for her (whether that is a friend, family member or even girlfriend/fiancée/wife):

1. Personalised Cushion, £35

This is a wonderful present for an older relative who you struggle to buy for, and feel has everything. Get personal family pictures on and it will mean the world to them!

2. Flirty Berry Soap Gift Set, £5.36

I sometimes find it so hard to find something decent for under £10, sometimes even under £20. It might even serve as a fab secret santa gift at work! This amazing gift set includes: bath salt, a strawberry cupcake soap, oats & honey cupcake soap, 2 strawberry hearts and a loofah. Perfect for those friends who loves beauty products or a nice bath!

3. Liberty Make-up Bag, £12

Crafted Chic design a few lovely print designed makeup bags. This was one of my favourite ones! Lovely for friends, mums and any woman in your life!

4. Personalised Hanging Heart Duo, £8

Similar to gift number 1, it is a lovely personalised gift for older family members. It would also be lovely for mums to have with cute pictures of their little ones, engaged or newly married couples.

5. Ring Made Con Austrian Crystal, £6.08

I find it so rare to find beautiful jewellery at reasonable prices. I noticed a lot of lovely Austrian crystal jewellery items to choose from. This was one of them! Only problem is this one I'd rather have for myself...

6. Contentment Jars (Spa day in a jar), £9.57

Similar to number 2, I believe this would make a great secret santa gift. It is perfect for those that love beauty items.

7. Elegant Tree Pendant, £17.36

This gorgeous pendant comes in many different colours; this was just one of my favourite. The tree connotation reminds me of family, and the family tree.

8. Silver Leaf Filigree Statement Necklace, £12.72

Again, this might be more of one that I'd like to receive. That being said, no girl can be without a statement necklace to brighten up an all-black outfit or make a day outfit into night! I firmly believe that jewellery makes an outfit so much better and more fun.

9. Trinket Heart Box, £5.21

Another low-cost gift that can have many uses. You can pop other gifts in, and it would make a lovely ornament, keepsake or trinket box. I also love that it reminds me of asian art. I've always loved items from China and something about it has that vibe.

10. Be your own hero frames, £7.14

I love this picture frame and with so many friends moving into a new home recently, I love it as a gift. I don't think you can go wrong with a home-related gift. This is so quirky too!

This concludes my list. In summary, I think the best gifts are those that are personal and make the person feel like you've really shopped for them. Buy them something they asked for, talked about or something that shows you take interest in the things they care about. If that fails, get those women close to you, some lovely jewellery, something personalised or something beauty-related.

What do you like to buy for gifts? I'm keen to get started properly buying for christmas once November starts! This year I've already got started for my friends. How are you doing with your purchases? Are you more last minute?

*For full disclosure this is my first sponsored post, which I hope will increase my visibility online. I was asked to pick out gift ideas for Ezebee.com. However I hope you can tell that I found this fun to write, and helped me find another great online marketplace, which I can honestly say I will buy from this christmas!

Blogtober16 - A letter to someone

Today is my penultimate Blogtober post, which asks me to publish a letter to someone. In honesty, I wasn't sure what to do. I'm not in love, so there is no love letter and writing a vengeful letter to an ex isn't me. I thought about one to a family member, but that's a little too personal. Then I thought about writing a letter to one of my heroes, Audrey Hepburn.

I have many printed images of Audrey including this picture, a mug and small dish. I hope to also read the biography written by her son.

She is someone who I greatly admire because of her dedication to charity, her love for her children, her iconic personality and of course the fact she features in some of my favourite films including Sabrina, Roman Holiday and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Audrey lived a fascinating life. For instance, she moved to Netherlands after her parents divorced. While she was on holiday in Arnhem, Hitler took over the town. She fell on hard times during the Nazi occupation - suffering depression and malnutrition.She was fluent in English, Dutch, Spanish, French and Italian. This was of great benefit to both her careers as an actress and humanitarian.

Audrey helped in her humanitarian work with UNICEF, and a charity was set up in her name after she died. However, she always wanted to help. She saved the life of her friend, Capuone who attempted suicide on several occasions.

Her legacy continues to live on in her films, advertising (her image continues to be used world-wide), charity work and she is one of 15 actresses to have won Triple Crown of Acting (Oscar, Emmy and Tony awards). She believed in growing old gracefully, and did not follow the fashion of plastic surgery. This is why she chose her last film to be Always in 1989. She did it for the opportunity to work with Spielberg after enjoying watching E.T with her son.

I feel like there is so much more to say about her than that, and so much I feel like you could learn from someone like her. I will leave you with something she said that resonates with me:

"Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, it's at the end of your arm. As you get older, remember you have another hand: the first is to help yourself, the second is to help others." 

Anyway, that was a little longer than meant! I have instead decided to write a letter to myself (well for future me).

The Letter

Dear Jodie,

I write to you in the hope that I can insert wisdom. Although I am younger and know you're probably much wiser than me, I know I have the ambition to keep you on track of important goals.

Family life is not something you can control. You can only treasure those relationships you have with close friends, parents and extended family. You can't plan for meeting the right person and marrying them, or having a family of your own. Therefore you can't schedule to have children before 30, but I hope you have. I hope you have found someone who treats you well, and doesn't put you through s**t.

You can control your career and what you do. I hope you pursue that career in fundraising and make a real difference to the lives of others. I hope it's something that you can recognise you do well. I hope you realise what your other talents are, and enjoy being alone. I hope you take those trips to Australia and China. I hope you visit many places, and learn from the journeys you take.

Most of all, I hope you're happy. I don't care whether that means you've not achieved any of the goals you set out. While I write this, you've never had a friend or family member die; you've been lucky in many respects. The worst thing you've experienced is unemployment and a sense of failure from it.

You have spent too much time crying over many things, being upset or feeling bad about yourself. Make sure you surround yourself around people who care, love and treat you right. You will only feel worse around those who can't support you in good times and bad.

Stay happy and healthy. Most of all, take care of those who matter!

Love from,

you

xx

Old Diaries - 2009, Part 2

I decided to look further over my souveirs box, and look over my diary. From this, I can't believe what a silly 16-year-old I was. Some entries are just too funny not to share. If you like my blog, you might have already read embarrassing diary entries from a few weeks ago here.

So here goes...

2nd March 2009

"Finally, I had media. After P.E., I felt so icky and hated being around Aidan and Kelsey, but only because I thought I felt that I smelt of B.O. I kept thinking about it - I think I was paranoid. They didn't seem to notice, but they may have thought it! How annoying is that? I was proud in Media though because I found out that I was like 2 marks off an overall mark of a B."

Some of this makes little sense, but I can't deny how funny it is. To me at least.

4th March 2009

"Lessons went well. Media was funny - it always is with Kelsey and Aidan combined. Aidan prodded me in the eye (accidentally) and it managed to send me in hysterics - it hurt at the same time as making me unable to stop laughing. I had no attention in science because I really can't be bothered. Finished bouncing ball coursework though."

This doesn't make sense in parts either, but...bouncing ball coursework? WHAT?

3rd April 2009

"Today I used my debit card for the first time. It was a great experience. I know it's just a card, but it made me feel more grown-up. It made me feel more independent and like I'm handling my money in my own way. I like that. The way my parents give me money to get what I like seems shameful. I want to stand on my own two feet and be able to do things by myself. It would be nice to have a job and pay for the things I need - without them  doing so."

6th April 2009

"I've been trying to read Lord of the Flies, so I can finish it by the end of the week. I don't think I will though. I'm a very slow reader, but I am determined. When you're determined you can do anything!"

Wow! 

8th April 2009

"I can't stop thinking about the dream I had last night: I had moved house and lived in a countryside. There was a sea not far, where a killer whale lived. Black and white print. It was a danger that mentioned when I met our neighbours (it was all very close-knit in that department). The problem was a whale bit me and I had scarring all around my mouth. It was horrendous, but I learnt to be happy with myself. I learnt to accept my imperfections and I know it wasn't real, but I can't help thinking: 'Why can't I stop caring about what others think? Why can't I accept myself ? Warts and all!'"

My dreams aren't any less weirder. I've dreamt about a street of people in different jeans and not able to see their faces. I've dreamt of giving birth to a labrador; I think that was weirdest.

24th April 2009

"Girls Aloud was amazing tonight...It felt so surreal in my fresh experimental environment. I was up high and it seemed so scary at first. Girls Aloud did so much  - dancing, singing and spectacular stunts. It was a long enough wait. The support acts weren't too bad. They did need to ditch the crap dance routines though. Some of the routines frightened me senseless...I bought a programme and laminate necklace for souveirs. I'm proper thrilled at the thought of putting it into my scrapbook, so I remember for life."

My first ever concert and it was a great experience. I'm kind of embarrassed to have loved Girls Aloud.

23rd May 2009

"I stayed up to watch the film version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It wasn't too good; mainly due to the fact that it was old and created in the year I was born. It had Hilary Swank in before she was famous and others that I didn't recognise."

I find this so funny since some of my favourite films are old including Breakfast at Tiffany's.

2nd June 2009

"The heat is suffocating. I'm too hot with even a t-shirt and can't wait to get home, so I can strip off my clothes to be frank"

I can guarantee it wasn't as hot as living on the island, where the fan is almost always on. Even when it rains it is kinda hot and often sweating from doing very little!

26th June 2009

"I started the day by waking up to no parents. I ate 2 bowls of cereal to discover that they had gone plant shopping. Mum and Dad expected me to get dead excited about plants. Why? Mum knows I have no interest in gardening, don't care and why ask?"

I didn't know I could be so self-absorbed. I still love my two bowls of cereal but try to save one so I can have it for my supper instead.

15th August 2009

The rest of my entries seem to be written in bullet points, which is harder to find the funny stuff, so my final post isn't as funny, but I thought I'd include this post anyway:

• Woke up at 10ish
• Glad to get my cartoon that I bought. Cheered me up [Ronnie from Porridge]
• Got showered
• Enjoyed Penny [my dog was a puppy]
• Penny had her first walk in a place called...[no idea why I didn't complete this]
• Tried a deep fried mars bar. I was pleasantly surprised
• Enjoyed 3 Only Fools and Horses, French & Saunders best bits and 2 Criminal Minds. I hope I haven't missed anything
• Hope to get called by Gino's soon for details of starting work [forgot about working there - horrendous]
• Penny has started chewing on the coffee table
• Dad got us a lovely new rug in the lounge
• Not long before results where I'm excited to know, but then I have no findng out the results [waiting for GCSE results, where my best marks included 3As, 2Bs and 3Cs. Not bad]
• Penny cried at around midnight
• Wrote a bit towards the letter I hope to send to Roseanna until the pen ran out that is [after moving to Aberdeen, me and my best friend, Roseanna at the time decided to keep in touch with occasional letters as well as the usual Facebook, email and text.]

Hope you liked this. Has anyone else got any embarrassing and funny diary entries to share?

Book Review: Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes

I figure writing a blog post can be like writing the first chapter, or first sentence to a book - intimidating, but once you start you're onto a good thing. Well I try to convince myself of that. A blog post is a lot easier though; it is easy to get it published, and it's easy to write a short blog. There is no word limit like a book, but no pressure to keep to the same theme or story. Each post can be different if you wish. I've tried a few times to write a book with little success.

It's only recently I've started to enjoy reading again. During university, I thought it was important to read every book on my reading list. Spending a lot of time taking books back to the library, speed-reading things that were relevant...long story short and my love for reading faded. However with free time on my hands, I've started reading again. I can't believe how much pleasure it can give. I always read before bed and sometimes during the day. It's nice.

Two days ago I finished reading Rachel's Holiday written by Marian Keyes. It was an amazing read. I bought the book maybe two years ago, maybe less. I got it from a charity shop; I tend to get most books from charity shops or they are books that family members buy me for birthdays. Books I've asked for.

At the time I remember seeing an interview with the author, and thinking, "She sounds interesting. I want to read one of her books!" So when I'd visited Aberdeen's Oxfam, I just got the book, not really realising its context. I assumed it was a nice book about going on 'holiday.' How wrong I was.

It tells the story of Rachel Walsh, who is known for her love of recreational drugs. Her ex, Luke Costello says of her: "If it's a drug, Rachel will have taken it. She's probably taken drugs that haven't been invented yet."

Living in New York with her best friend, Brigit, she is known as the Walsh daughter who loves to party. However before long she is 27, unemployed and being mistaken for a drug addict. Her parents hear of a recent hospital stay and have her back in Ireland. They even pay for her stay at the Dublin's answer to the Betty Ford clinic, Cloisters. Rachel happily agrees as she thinks of it more of a holiday (hence the book title). She thinks it is the place that all the rock stars go cold turkey with jacuzzis, gymnasiums, massages and lots of luxury. Without giving away too much, Rachel learns a lot about herself while at Cloisters. I don't think I'm meant to, but I find this book to be hugely uplifting with a side of humour and intrigue. I started off reading it slowly and before long I was spending most of my days reading it.

Researching into the Irish writer, Marian Keyes and her other publications, I discover that she has written about the Walsh sisters with other books including: Angels, Watermelon, Anybody Out There and The Mystery of Mercy Close. Apparently Marian is known to tackle hard-hitting issues such as domestic violence and mental illness. I know she tackles addiction well, and reading inside I learn that like any dedicated author, researched many treatment centres to learn how they differ. I want to read more of the adventures of the Walsh sisters, and these books will definitely be on my birthday wishlist. 

Now that I've finished, I've stacked up quite a list of books to move onto:

1. Dexter in the Dark by Jeff Lindsay
I've read the first book, when my kind friend lent it about a year ago (give or take). Loved it. I adore the series, but love how the book differ in some ways. For example, some characters are killed off sooner and some parts happen later than they did in the series. Nevertheless it was written brilliantly and I can't wait to read this one.

2. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 
I've been trying to read this classic for quite some time. I can't remember when I first got it, but find the subject matter difficult to get to grips with. It is very descriptive, and the books I like most have a lot of dialogue and things actually happening. There seems to be a lot of discussion of feelings in this, as the main character is stepfather to Lolita who he is physically attracted to. It feels like you're invading a disgusting family's nightmare. I feel like a bit of a trespasser when I pick it up, if that makes sense. I'd be interested if anyone else has read it. I just can't warm to it!

3. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
This is another book I've had for a fair few years, and not got to read. I only started the first page this week. With over 1,000 pages it is maybe a bit intimidating to get started.

4. Black & Blue by Ian Rankin
I've heard a lot about the writer and thought it seemed interesting when I came across it in East Cowes' Age UK charity shop. I'm not sure if I've read an Ian Rankin book before. I seem to remember reading a crime book on a long journey back from Glasgow to Aberdeen...Aye well! Either way I will let you know what I think of this.

5. The People V. O.J. Simpson: The Run of His Life by Jeffrey Toobin
It's an interesting case that I've wanted to learn about. Unfortunately I missed watching the TV series so I'm looking forward to reading this instead