5 reasons to like the rain....

Yes, I hear you. "There is nothing positive about this weather." "England is horrible." "I want to move to a hot sunny country."

 

Well, for most of us, the moving isn't an option. However, I would like to remind everyone about the positives of this rubbish  <---- nice (in some ways) weather...

 

1. Nobody likes going outside in the rain. For once, this is an excuse to stay indoors and just chillax! Whether this means watching your favourite disney movie, or making yourself a hot chocolate and reading a good book, baking some brownies or just turning on some music whilst having a good old dance! There is no point in going outside, so have fun inside!

 

2. Rain =

        

 

3. Yes, I admit that the next positive is a little childish. However, it is satisfying and is one of life's free pleasures...

 

4. In a trivial / vain context - if you are having a bad hair day, everyone else will be having one too. And you can blame your frizz on nature.

 

5. Rain washes your car for you!

Learning a language - apprendre un langue

Halfway to becoming fluent in french (it's getting there!!) I am constantly noticing the benefits of learning a language

When I first began, I started with the obvious. I would sit in class reciting "blanche, rouge, noire...." before my very enthusiastic teacher by the white board at the front of the class. Although this, at times, could be rather tedious - there was something very satisfying about being able to say these colours in two different ways.

Further down the line, we learnt how to (partially) string sentences together - and this was even more exciting. This new advancement led to the knowledge of "I have a cat" or "I like chocolate."

As we gradually aquired basic grammar knowledge and new vocabulary (beyond basic foods, clothes items and pets!) we could begin to practice our accent and pronunciation. This, for me, was the best part. Being able to completely transform my dialect allowed me to feel a little bit smug!

There is something very sophisticated about speaking french, and indeed any other language. Not only does it act as a key in which to open a whole new box full of oppurtunities, it also gives you a sense of achievement. You can now talk to an entirely new population of people (having said this - many french people can speak perfect english already!)

à bientôt !

Revision help...

I admit that whatever age you are, there are always demands in life. For instance, when you are in primary school; one has to deal with arguments about party invites, and who plays with who in the playground. As you progress into the early years of secondary school, the biggest concern is making friends and keeping up to date with all your homework. I beleive the next few years in your life, exams and work seem to take over. I think the exam stress hits at about year 10 - when GCSE's are first mentioned. This is the beginning of (excuse the cliche) the huge rollercoaster journey that is your teenage years nightmare!

 

There are lots of positives of being around the age of say, 14-18 years old. You get to meet new friends, you are given more independence all the time. You can learn to drive, you are trusted to stay out later...

 

However, there always seems to be an underlying anxiety throughout this fun. When you are revising, you are not having fun. But when you're out having fun, you're worrying about revising! Essentially, it's a lose lose situation.

 

However, as it's coming up to exam time - I would like to try and use my experiences to help everyone else beginning the process.

 

If I could redo my first exams again, I would change many factors in my management. I would concentrate on quality, not quantity. It's so important (and helpful) to revise smart. Do NOT get distracted by social networking sites, youtube, or your mobile. Switch off everything and sit down with the intention of getting some work done.

 

Don't push yourself too hard either. It's very easy to set yourself unrealistic goals which quite frankly are impossible to achieve. I remember waking up extremely early (6:30am on some days) to get as much work 'crammed in' as possible. In reality, it took me a long time to properly wake up - and throughout the duration of the day I felt far from fresh and alert.

 

I would also like to stress how important organisation is. Not only because you will know exactly what you need to do for when - but also it helps to clear your mind. There is nothing easier than sitting down at an immaculate work desk - fresh pads of paper and a colour coded revision chart hung up in front of you. It would be an entirely different story if you had to fath around finding a clean sheet of paper under mountains of rubbish - only to guess what you actually had to revise.

 

So, what i'm saying is - be prepared. This stage comes in everyone's life - and in general, you get one shot. Use your time wisely - and don't overwork (or underwork!)

 

Happy revising....

Lazy Saturdays

It's a Saturday afternoon in April. It's one of those afternoons when you have absouloutely NOTHING planned. You are free to relax and enjoy they day. It's an opportunity to relax and appreciate the little pleasures in life. I do admit that it helps if it is sunny (which quite frankly is a bit touch and go in the UK) but you can still find things to do despite this.

As it happens, it is sunny today. Although it is a bit chilly, I spent an hour outside earlier today with a book in the garden.  Earlier this afternoon, I also made a cake (which I havn't done for absoloutely ages.)

Nowadays everybody is so hectic, that it's nice to take a breather and relax. I guess the message is; it's healthy to have a little time off now and then....

Introduction

Before I begin to post on this blog, I just wanted to introduce you all to my ideas and aspirations...

I've always loved writing, but in the last few years I have been too busy to properly sit down and start.

I thought writing a blog would be a lovely, and casual, way to express myself and to post about a variety of things.

I love that there is no time limit or expectation on a blog. It's yours, and you can do what you want with it. 

So before I properly begin, I hope you enjoy my 'writings.' It's nothing structured ; it'll comprise of a mishmash of all things - music, makeup, the news, and just incredibly random things...

I can't wait to start. Happy reading!