2016 SO FAR...

How has this year gone so fast already?! It's been a pretty good year actually. Of course there have been ups and downs but definitely been a good year and I reckon it will get a lot better towards the end of it! Thought I'd give you a life update of what my year has been like, considering I've only just started blogging properly. I know my blog is dedicated to travelling and a bit of photography but I follow so many lifestyle bloggers and I enjoy reading them all so much, surely it can't be that hard right? Hopefully I'll have a stab at it and see whether it suits me or not..

JANUARY - EXAM RESULTS AND CELEBRATIONS
Starting the New Year off partying it up in Cardiff, I was so grateful to welcome the year with my favourite people. Unfortunately I didn't have much time at home after New Years before heading back to university, but I was excited to see all my housemates and catch up with them after a few weeks off. It was my friend Alex's birthday in early January so we had a night out in Manchester to look forward to. We went to 2 clubs, both of which had great vibes, one which was video game themed! The rest of January was quite busy with work (when is it not?) as I had a few exams and presentations to prepare for. I managed to make a surprise trip home for my Grandma's 80th birthday and it's fair to say she was quite shocked to see me.

FEBRUARY - TRAVEL PLANNING 
February was a pretty hectic month as me and my friend Toya had a lot of planning and booking to do for our trip to China in Easter.  In December we were very lucky to have been granted a travel bursary for a trip to China. We had created a day-to-day itinerary, just had to start booking everything. I was very close to being forced to cancel the trip and I stupidly forgot my passport ran out in a months time but luckily the process was very quick, as well as applying for a visa (I got it 9 days before we were leaving!!) I also took another trip home during February for a week (it was a "reading" week) as I knew I wouldn't be able to come home until the end of the university year.

MARCH - ESCAPING TO CHINA 
The month has arrived and the countdown began to the days before we left. Everyday me and Toya saw each other we kept getting more and more excited. On the day, I was slightly nervous and I have no idea why. Another thing I forgot to mention is that my sister was already out in China on her year abroad. On that date, we hadn't seen each other for about 6 months and if you know how close we are, it was a big struggle for both of us. Knowing that I would see her as soon as we got out of Pudong Airport was getting me full of excitement.

APRIL - DEALING WITH JET LAG AND DEADLINES 
We got back from China on the 3rd and were starting back at university on the 4th. It's fair to say that jet lag was a pain and I was struggling for a good 2 weeks. The day we arrived back I thought I was fine, until I fell asleep at 11am and woke up thinking it was midday, whereas it was actually 9pm..woops!

MAY - FINISHED 3RD YEAR?!
I started packing up my room as I was heading back down south in a few weeks time. Before thinking about heading home, I had a list of exams to get through. Nobody enjoys May because it is full of constant revision and no free time. I spent many days and nights in the library and hardly any time spent at home, my housemates thought I had disappeared I was never at home.

JUNE - REUNITED WITH FAMILY IN AMERICA
The whole of June was spent in America travelling with my best friend and seeing my family out there in Colorado. To read more, I have day-to-day blogs about my journey so go and have a read :)

JULY - WORK, WORK AND WORK 
I think my whole family was waiting for this month because my sister was arriving back after 10 months spent in China. Many tears and big hugs, we were glad to have her back!

I spent the whole of July mainly working (as a lifeguard) as we have Summer School for 4 weeks. It is a lot of fun but it very tiring as well. I got to catch up with old friends and enjoy lots of good food (the best part about my job). I also got to see all my best friends one night who I hadn't seen for a good 7 months, you notice how close you are when you see your friends after a long time and it's like no time has passed by.

AUGUST - PREPARING FOR CHINA
Pretty good start to the month as Summer School had finished so work wasn't so hectic anymore. Time to start preparing everything for China...where to begin? August is always a busy month as I have a lot of birthdays to celebrate, including mine!! My best friends birthday is 15 days before me so on one Monday we headed off to London with her family. Having only heard of it a few times, we booked to go up to the Sky Garden at the Walkie Talkie, and then watched the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall that evening. All in all, it was the perfect day. Me and a group of friends set off to the Newbury Races for Ladies Day which was a ball of fun.

Finally, before I set off, I had a leaving do at my house with all my favourite people which was lovely. Was emotional but on to the next chapter of my life!! 

How has your year been so far? Let me know in the comments :) 

 

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AUGUST SHOPPING HAUL 2016

Helloooo everyone! It's been such a busy month with getting everything ready for my big move so I've been going shopping an awful lot, not that that's a bad thing or anything. I thought I would do my first shopping haul and see what you guys think. I'd like to do a few a month when I'm out in China to see what bargains I can find and barter my way through to some good deals.

The products below are half my buyings and also presents from family and friends.

1. NO 7 Essentially Natural Foundation (& Beautiful Blossom Gift Box)

Having to top of my foundation before leaving, I went back to my usual product which is the No 7 Essentially Natural Foundation. I have been buying this foundation for about 2 years now and it is perfect for me. I am not one to cover my face in layers of foundation and with this one you do not need to do that. It comes very lightly on your skin and finishes with a very natural and fresh look. For anyone who is the same as me and doesn't like looking completely covered in foundation, this is the product for you! 

2. NO 7 Beautiful Blossom Gift Box

I love buying No 7 products as they do very good offers throughout the year. At the moment, not sure how long it will last, they are doing their Beautiful Blossom Gift Box giveaway when you buy any 2 No 7 cosmetics. The gift box includes an Airbrush Away Primer, 10ml (find the 30ml product here), Stay Perfect Eye Shadow Middle Shade from Cappuccino Trio (full Eye Shadow Trio here) and the Dramatic Lift Mascara in Black, 4.5ml (7ml product here). I have had the mascara as a freebee before and I used it nearly everyday after a layer of my other mascara. The other two products I am yet to use but am excited to see how well they work. 

3. NIKE Zoom Pegasus 31

If you don't know already, my sister and I are BIG shoe lovers, especially when it comes to Nike. Whenever we head over to the Swindon Outlet (the only part of Swindon I will shop in), we always have to go and have a peak at what is in the store. This time round, the sale was too good to not try on a few shoes and see what was available. After a few brightly coloured trainers and hard decisions, I decided to buy these amazingly comfortable Nike Zoom trainers. They are blue with a bright coloured pink shaded underneath the blue, and under and inside the shoes. We don't buy these shoes to run in or exercise, just for our own comfort, as casual shoes, which you will find it very common. The only factor with these shoes is I went up to a 7, I am usually a 6!, so they are look quite big but I am not too fussed as I am in love with them. 

4. FLYER, CLARKS Brown Ankle Boots

So about 6 weeks ago, Mum and I took a shopping trip where I found these lovely looking boots in a lighter brown colour. Unfortunately they were not in my size, but were in my mum's size instead. I got quite annoyed when she went ahead to buy them for herself as I was the one to find them and did not feel she had much interest in them. I soon let it go but still hunted for some very similar. 

Last Saturday was my leaving party where I got some birthday presents as well as leaving presents. I was so happy to find these in a box that my grandparents gave me and cannot wait to wear them when it comes to the winter season. They are suede so not very practical for the rainy days but are for the dry ones. Comfortable, soft foot sole and nicely designed boots...I'm one happy girl! 

5. CREW Classic Half Zip Sweat

Last month I bought the same sweater as shown above but in different colours (white and navy) and I am in love with it. They are so comfortable, very practical for the winter season and cold nights in summer, and so soft on the inside. My first one was quite pricey but I treated myself as I had wanted one for quite a few years now. This one was quite the bargain as my mum found it in T K Maxx. As much as I hate T K Maxx (just because theres so much to look through), I do like finding the occasional bargains now and then, let's be honest...who doesn't? 

6. PAPERCHASE Personal Organiser 

I am one for the old-fashioned style of having a diary in my bag 24/7 and noting down my deadlines, work schedule and social life. I feel I am a lot more organised when I have it all written down. Of course, I don't always have it with me so I do use my calendar on my phone as well but not as much anymore as I will usually have a diary on me.
The diary I use at the moment is perfect for organising as it has 2 pages per week so one side I write my work hours down and the other is more to do with my social life. Therefore, I was in need of another one similar which would start from July 16 until June 17. It sounds silly, but I am very picky with what my organiser/planner has to look like, so you can probably guess how long and hard the search for one was.
A look around the last shop of the day, I luckily found the perfect organiser in Paperchase which separates your diary, to do list and meeting notes. I love the feeling of being organised; this organiser is perfect for anyone who is the same, and isn't too pricey (especially as it is currently in sale!)

Let me know if you liked this shopping haul and if I should do more throughout China :) 

 

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BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE SHIRE

Scheduled to be a nice, sunny day, me and my best friend Lia took a walk up the downs, in Cherhill, which is a few minutes drive away from my house. I took my Nans dog with us so he could enjoy the fresh air for good while.

I thought this was the perfect opportunity to whack out my camera and get snapping photographs of the countryside. It's not everyday where you have beautifully clear days like this, especially in England! Wiltshire is such a nice county filled with stunning views of the landscapes.

I met Lia at the top as I had to take it slow with Charlie; he has arthritis on his hips so long walks are not very practical for him anymore, but we made it in one piece!! 

I love days like this day where you can just embrace your surroundings and not worry about what work you have to do, or what chores are needing to be done..just nice to get away from the madness once in a while and chill out. 

Charlie is my absolute favourite dog in the world and I couldn't ever picture my life without him; he isn't even my dog, he's my Nans! I love this photograph as it just shows how much an animal can make one person so happy. Anyone else think it's just nice to get away from humans and spend time with your pet?!

It is sad to know that I won't be in this county for a year in just under 2 weeks time! 

 

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LADIES DAY AT NEWBURY RACES

Before this day, I had never been to the races so I was mega excited to see what all the fuss about going is. It's the perfect day to get all dressed up in your best attire and spend the day drinking and betting on the races, which is just what we did.

I went with a group of friends, some of my best friends, and some friends of friends. There was about 15 of us in total, the perfect amount of people to have a good laugh with.

When we arrived, you could already see the effort people put in to these events...there were so many beautiful dresses around and the men were all suited up nicely. We started our day off by getting a bottle of rosé between the three of us and decided to do that all day as it worked out cheaper, still wasn't that cheap though. Food and drink at the races is extremely expensive so either prepare before by eating a full meal and only have a few snacks there, or just don't buy anything there. I managed to go the whole day without eating food which I definitely don't recommend as it is very bad for you. I spent my money on wine and a few bets. 

Unless you have tactics, or you know your horses very well, betting can just be a guessing game. I always chose the horse with the best odds to win as it just seemed obvious. Unfortunately, every horse I bet on lost. I even bet on two horses for one race and neither of them won. Annoyingly, my friend Laura won all her races apart from the last. Being my competitive self, I was not happy that I lost all mine and she won nearly all of hers...that's just luck! 

The hunt for my outfit of the day was a real struggle. I'm that sort of person who is very picky with their clothes and how they look, and I think with an event like this everyone will go all out with their outfits to look their best. I think it took approximately three days of shopping to finally find one. After a trip to Bath, and eight shops later, I found a floral-patterned, aqua, grey and white structured dress from Apricot. It was the perfect colours to match my skin tone and I had plenty of accessories to go with it. My dark nude-coloured bag was from Mulberry (it is fake but no one knows that ey?), my left hand ring was a present from my sister for my 18th birthday, my other ring with the big turquoise stone in the middle was from Pia (unfortunately I don't think they sell it anymore) and my other ring was bought in Turkey a few years back. The bigger bracelet was one of my mums which I stole from her (she didn't actually realise it went she has that many bracelets) and the smaller one was another present from my sister for my 18th birthday. I thought these subtly patterned, and silver accessories went perfectly with my dress and bag. Finally, my shoes (which are my sisters) are from H&M which matched my bag...safe to say they were not the comfiest of shoes and the most practical of shoes for this day but it is not like we were running around all day. 

I was very impressed with the length of my nails, as I never grow them out, so I painted them a neutral colour from Sephora (my favourite nail varnish!)

The perfect day which I'm happy I agreed to go to. If you're ever looking for a nice, chilled out day where you can dress up in your best attire and spend a bit of dosh on some bets, then I recommend you take a visit to the races at some point. 

 

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WHERE SHOULD YOU TRAVEL TO?

Travelling is a big part of my personality and I will be exploring our beautiful planet for the rest of my life (I hope to anyway). I've been to many countries in Asia, a lot more than I have in Europe. All these trips happened when I was younger so I wasn't able to appreciate the cultures and sceneries as much as I would now, however, I remember them like I was there yesterday. Asia is a BIG ASS continent so next year I am hoping to travel around to a lot more countries whilst I am living abroad in China.
There have been a few major highlights through my life...Sadly, a lot of these places have changed for the worst because of tourism, environmental issues and some other nasty factors. I was very lucky to visit these places before they started developing further. Sadly, they will never look the same as to when I was there, but they are still stunning places.
This year has definitely been my lucky year as I have been fortunate enough to stay in some of the most breath-taking places, and they will of course be mentioned in the list below.

PHUKET, THAILAND

A beautifully quiet, yet incredibly popular destination. The crystal clear water and white coloured sand makes this place look unreal. Sadly, a lot of the land and cultured buildings were destroyed after the tsunami in 2004. However, the town has been rebuilt and renovated, and although it will never look the same, it is still a place you should NOT miss off of you bucket list!
Phuket was a perfect holiday destination for us at the time we went because it was child-friendly, lots of families and children the same age as us (we always made friends with another family) and it was always quiet at the times we went there; Christmas spent on the beach was not one to forget. 

BALI 

Bali in general is becoming more and more known for travelling to for backpackers and gap year students. 

Nusa Dua was where we would always holiday to, located in South Bali. There would be a big group of us, about 5 or 6 families, and it would be so much fun as we would make the most of the holidays; do all the waterspouts available and stay at the nicest resorts. 

Kuta and Seminyak are the destinations known for backpackers to travel to as they have many hostels around and the areas are reasonably cheap, especially compared to Nusa Dua! Kuta is famous for its very good surfing beaches; time to get those surf boards out and get surfing! As well as Phuket, Bali should definitely be on your travel bucket list, I couldn't recommend it enough, I will be going back myself very soon! 

These next three places I have been lucky enough to visit this year and, without a doubt, have been the highlights of this year. 

JIUZHAI GOU, SICHUAN PROVINCE, CHINA

Jiuzhai Gou is a hidden yet lively town situated in the valley of the mountains just outside of Chengdu, China, in the Sichuan Province. Based in this town, which explains it's popular status, is the Jiuzhai Gou National Park, shown above. This park is filled with outstanding nature, scenic mountainous views and eye-catching lakes. I have never been to a place in China before with such beautiful surroundings. It took a painful 10 hour bus journey to get there from Chengdu but I would do it all over again to see those magnificent views.

The place we stayed in was a homestay which was a bit pricey but the family was so welcoming and the house was just something else. If I get a chance to re-visit this beautiful town, I would definitely stay at the same house.

Go over to my blog post about my Easter trip in China to read more about the wonderful places I was lucky enough to visit.

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, USA

Probably the highlight of my year was being able to stay in the valley of Yosemite National Park, accommodation was called Curry Village, right in the heart of the park. The Half Dome was our view as we were walking to breakfast each morning; it was an unforgettable moment. I was hesitating whether to share my photographs on social media because they just don't do it justice.
Yosemite National Park is certainly one to visit. Breath-taking views all around, sparkling lakes, and challenging yet stunning hikes. They offer so much through the National Park: day and night tours, water sports, and group hikes, to name a few. Some advice, if you are thinking of going and wanting a tour...BOOK IN ADVANCE!! We were let down after realising all the tours were booked for the whole week.

BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA, USA

I had never actually heard much about this place until this year. My friend was hoping to go during our America trip and it mentioned it to me so I did some research and it looked lovely, one of the most adored segments to pass by on California's Highway 1. We were lucky enough to make friends with an Austrian girl, Julia, who offered to drive us down there from Monterey (where we were staying at the time, also very beautiful). Read more about our Big Sur trip here.

After our trip I was thinking how underrated Big Sur is, in my opinion. Perfect for hiking, camping and embracing those coastline views; what more could you want?! If you ever find yourself road tripping through California, take the scenic route down Highway 1 where you will pass by Big Sur as well as popular towns such as Carmel and San Simeon.

 

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