Real-Time Update

When I don't feel like talking or smiling anymore, I cry and try to find solace in my blog; in you guys.

My life isn't perfect and I'm not always happy... I cry, lots and I wish my life was different from time to time.

I'm normal and so are you!

Happy Halloween

IT'S THE SPOOKIEST DAY OF THE YEAR!

Make the most of the holiday. Dress up creepily. Spend the day and night with your family and friends. Eat lots of sweets and stay safe. But remember, the whole point of Halloween is to be as spooky as you can, and scare as many people as you can!

AND CARVE A PUMPKIN! It's so much fun. You don't need to be incredibly creative or good at art to be able to carve a pumpkin.

Happy Halloween everyone.

Also, if you find a witch out and about, don't look her in the eyes because she might just turn you into a frog. Any brooms that are hanging around are witches' form of transport so touch it and you'll vanish in a poof of smoke. Don't say I didn't warn you.

ALSO, I have a black cat... I think I might be a witch ;)

Have a brilliant, fun but safe Halloween. 

And look at my Halloween safety tips here: http://nicolespearlsofwisdom.blogspot.com/2013/10/halloween-safety.html

xxx

Looks A Lot Like Christmas

Today, I walked over 15,000 steps all over London sightseeing and going to Harrods for our annual family tradition. Ever since I can remember, around this time in the October half term, my family and I go visit the Christmas section in Harrods to buy some new decorations for our Christmas tree. This year was no different... 

Here is my day in pictures where Christmas came a little early!

Lego Santa thought he would come and visit the traditional fabric Santa.. When two Santas' collide. It begs me to question what young children think when they see Santa all over the place, with there sometimes being two real Santa's sometimes in one shopping place.

I think the one on the right looks a little too creepy for my liking. I definitely prefer the lego Santa. He looks like a happy chappy that'd go for a cup of tea with me!

And then there were rows and rows of different Christmas decorations in all colours. Well, the real theme of this year was red, gold, silver and white. I love white decorations so much!

Harrods is always so expensive and so you can see so many things that you like but you have to be selective to decide what you actually can afford to buy. Otherwise you'll be skint for the rest of the year. And this is just the Christmas section. You don't want to know what the prices of some jewellery and clothes are because you might just blow your mind... Let's just say, you could put down a deposit on a house for the price they're asking for for some of their watches.

 And then we went to the pet section and found some of the cutest kittens and puppies. But once again, the price of them are extravagant and you could buy a pretty decent car with the price that you would pay for one single kitten. MENTAL!

And that was my day out! I have to admit though, it was much more exciting and magical when I was younger but I still enjoyed myself nevertheless. I look forward to seeing some of the things we bought today on our tree this December.

How was your Wednesday? We're now at the middle of the week! Only a couple more days left.

xxx

Great Nicole Bake Off

During this half term, I am aiming to do as many things that I don't normally do as possible. This means that for today, I am going to be baking until my heart is content. I do not do any fancy smancy baking like those on Great British Bake Off. But I do like making cakes, cookies, jam tarts and brownies. And that is good enough for me. I don't need to be the best baker or the most adventurous one because it makes me happy to bake simple things for my family.

Yesterday, I went to visit my cousin who moved away about a year ago and it was lovely to walk around where she now lives. She comes down to visit us and my Aunt a couple times but the distance to travel is problematic when you are already so busy during the week. It was lovely and relaxed.

Once I've made some bakery goodies, I shall put some pictures up. If they look attractive enough ;) and hope that you do something you don't normally do today. It doesn't need to be an hour long or something huge, but do something that you miss doing. It might be reading for fun, or sitting down to watch your favourite show or text a friend you've been out of contact with. Just do something this Tuesday to make you happy and remind you of why it is you love your life.

And voila, this was the outcome of my baking day!

Getting ready for baking!

Baking in the oven!

Ta'da!

Flutterbyes!!

Motivational Monday #27

 Doesn't Monday come around quickly when you're looking forward to my amazing motivational speeches? I thought so too ;) So, yesterday there was a big storm that hit the UK. A lot of disruption has been caused by the storm that spread across from the West last night including a lot of trees being blown over and causing incredible cancellations and delays on the trains and tubes. It's an annoying situation and one that is undesirable but thankfully, we have to think about all the positive things surrounding this storm where a lot of people are safe and well.

It makes me question what it is like in countries where hurricanes and tornadoes are rife and a lot more damaging than the storm last night.

Today's message is a lovely short and sweet message about how no matter what we are going through, we cannot lose the one thing that makes us distinct from every other animal in this world. It would be wrong to say that animals do not know love and faithfulness because they clearly do with the hierarchies of their groupings etc but it could be said that only humans feel love and faithfulness to the extent that we do. It is what gives us a conscious and makes us better people.

The second we lose that love and faithfulness to life is when we lose all our humanity. We need to wrap the love that we feel around ourselves to be able to see the right and wrong in the world and choose the right thing. And love doesn't necessarily need to be a romantic coupling, it could be family love, friendship love and sometimes the most important, a love of life. The same goes for faithfulness, it doesn't necessarily mean faithfulness to a partner or to a promise, but a faithfulness to yourself and being yourself no matter what people say

Never let them lose you because that's what makes you who you are. I really love this quote because it takes me back to the priorities of life. Sometimes, we get so caught up with jobs and who has what that we forget the basic premise of life and how life has continued through love. We get too involved with what everyone else is doing that we are completely blindsided by everything else we thought was important.

Do not be driven by sadness and despair, look for the beauty of love and faithfulness drive your life and where you want to go! Never lose sight of the ones you love.

Love you all to the moon and back.
xxx

And if you haven't had enough of my mumbling motivational talks, here are some more:

Motivational Monday #1
Motivational Monday #2
Motivational Monday #3
Motivational Monday #4
Motivational Monday #5
Motivational Monday #6
Motivational Monday #7
Motivational Monday #8
Motivational Monday #9
Motivational Monday #10
Motivational Monday #11
Motivational Monday #12
Motivational Monday #13
Motivational Monday #14
Motivational Monday #15
Motivational Monday #16
Motivational Monday #17
Motivational Monday #18
Motivational Monday #19
Motivational Monday #20
Motivational Monday #21

Motivational Monday #22
Motivational Monday #23
Motivational Monday #24
Motivational Monday #25
Motivational Monday #26

Greenwich Mean Time

By the time you are reading this, the clocks have already been back and I hope you have all had the luxury of spending the extra hour in bed. I for sure spent every single second that I could in bed because I never get to on a normal weekday and so it feels like Christmas... The clocks changed back one hour at 2AM. Hopefully all your clocks automatically changed or this whole day could be very confusing for you!

The history of us changing our clocks back and forth during the year dates back to 1916 by a man called William Willett that proposed the idea in order for people in the summer to make the most of the sunlight during the morning. It does make sense because in the summer, the sun rises awfully early; if we didn't put our clocks forward, we would still be asleep at 8 when the sun had rose at 6:30. 

There has been a great debate recently about the abolishment of this old tradition given the fact that the nights are getting dark so early that it could save lives and reduce accidents if we stop changing our clocks back and forth. I don't know why but if we stopped this tradition, I think it would made me a little sad. For as long as I've known, I've always judged when spring/summer and autumn/winter starts by when the clocks go back and forth. It's a tradition that is so far rooted in society that I think if it was gone, it would be a loss. I understand all the arguments about saving lives and making it safer but it's one of those things that adds to our history.

Although, having said that, I don't think I'm going to enjoy it being dark by 4:30PM every afternoon. That's not late at all and it will already feel like it's bedtime! Especially for most people that get up in the dark and come home in the dark.

If your phone hasn't done it already, make sure that you check your clocks with the times on the TV- they always change automatically.

And welcome to Autumn! :)

xxx

Halloween Safety

Halloween is the time of year that children absolutely love and it's just around the corner. It combines two of their favourite things to do: getting dressed up in something cute/funny or scary AND consuming as many sweets as they possibly can before they puke. I used to love going out trick or treating on Halloween when I was younger. And back in my day, if people didn't have sweets, they used to give pound coins. I haven't gone trick or treating in so many years with opting to go to Halloween parties instead so I'm not too sure how much it has changed nowadays. I know that children aren't as free to go roaming the streets knocking on strangers doors and to an extent rightly so.

We equip our children with the knowledge of stranger danger on a regular day to day basis but this sometimes goes out of the window on Halloween so if you have children or are taking children out, please read some of these tips to keep you and your children safe on this fun holiday.

TIPS FOR TRICK OR TREATERS'

1. Stay in areas that are well lit. 

You don't want to find yourself down a street that is dark and full of people in costumes that you can't identify. Like any other night, all people are strangers and just because they are dressed as one of your favourite characters, does not mean they are friendly. It might be a good idea to take a torch in case you do find yourself in a dark street by accident but stay in well lit areas and you'll be able to see where everyone is to avoid danger.

2. Do not ever enter any person's house.

Stay on the doorstep and if they invite you inside, walk away. There is no need for you to enter a house if you are trick or treating. Make sure that you stress the rules of trick or treating to any child. And if your child is young or you do not feel comfortable, always go with them. Never leave a vulnerable child to go out by themselves.

3. Only go to places and houses that you know.

It can be quite a frightening time for both trick or treaters as well as home owners with people dressed up and trying to be spooky so don't add another scare to your fun night by getting lost or being scared of the place where you are. Keep yourself safe and stick to places that you know and houses of family and friends that way you'll have a super fun night out.

4. Don't knock on houses that say "No trick or treat."

Respect people's choice to be able to say no to people trick or treating where they live. It is after all their house and their choice should be respected. Move on to a house that you know will welcome you.

5. Have fun but stay safe.

The whole point of Halloween is to have as much fun as you can and dress in whatever costume you would like. It's important to stay safe but make sure that you also have a fun night whilst you're keeping yourself safe.

I'm not sure what my plans are for Halloween yet. I've been invited to a Halloween night out but whether I will go or not I have not yet decided. Are you doing anything this Halloween? If you are, let me know in the comments below. And if you're dressing up, let me know what your costume is as well!

xxx

Half Term

This has been a long time coming..

It's finally half term for me. After 8 long weeks of waking up at 5:45 and not getting home til at least 6PM, I can say that I thoroughly deserve a week off before the manic of my first placement begins. I know some people may hate me at the moment for having a week off but I have worked my butt off these past couple of weeks and I haven't had a day where I've sat around to do nothing.

This PGCE course is go, go, go all the time and truth been told, I have had so many emotional breakdowns because I've been physically and mentally exhausted. I don't know how people do this with children as well. I'm tired all the time and find it so hard to motivate myself to do anything when I go home. But I do. 

I'm looking forward to doing absolute nothing except for these few plans that I have. I try not to plan because they always make me feel a little trapped in a schedule OR they never work out and I hate it when plans change. I'm a little OCD with timings etc...

♥Tuesday: Tutoring a little boy.

♥Wednesday: Going to Harrods on my yearly tradition to get some fancy Christmas decorations.

♥Friday: Shopping with the girls from uni to get some teacher'y clothes. I look forward to doing this but feel a little bit of my youth fade away from this fact!

And then the rest of the week will be a delicate balance between chilling out, moving myself into my new room AND getting myself ready for my placement on 4th November.

I'm so excited and so buzzing for today to be over so I can feel like a birdy!

xxx

How To Tackle Assignment Deadlines

Tomorrow, I have my first deadline for my first PGCE assignment. It is one that I just want to submit and get it out of my mind because it has been so built up and such a long time with such little guidance that I want it gone. The deadline is tomorrow at 9AM, and they have already told us that it can not be a second later or you get a 0. So, everyone is submitting their assignment today in order to avoid the risk of hitting bad traffic or late public transport and being late to uni because they will accept NO excuse... It makes it easier to just give it in the day before so that you know you are well in the deadline and not going to get zero. That is what I'm doing :)

Here are some handy tips that I use when I'm just about to submit my assignments:

1. Make sure you recheck your work.

The worst thing that can happen is that you submit your assignment and then afterwards find a silly mistake that you could have rectified if you had only re-read over it that one last time. Don't just leave your assignment for a night and then read over it because the chances are you know off by heart what you want it to say and not what it actually says. It's best to be able to leave it for about a week without looking at it so your brain has a chance to forget it and then rereading it with a fresh pair of eyes to spot the mistakes. And better yet, get someone else to read it as well to make sure it makes complete sense and they can pick up all those mistakes you've missed.

2. Check the presentation requirements.

Most of my assignments require the margins to be at least 3 cm, the font to be a size 12 in Times New Roman and to be double lined spaced. It also needs to have your name, student number, the module code and page numbers on it. You don't want to get marked down for not having abided by the presentation requirements because they take two seconds to complete. Your presentation skills are all part of your assignment because they show your ability to follow instructions etc. 

3. Make sure you reference.

When you get to university, you are introduced to the bane of your life that is referencing. It means that you have to put down your sources in the exact way that is specified by the referencing style you are doing. For both my universities, I have had to use the Harvard style. Make sure that before you submit your assignment you check over that you have the commas, full stops and the brackets in the right place otherwise it won't be correct. They will look at the general style of your references and it could affect your mark if you haven't got it right! It comes under the presentation part of your marking and it shows how capable you are.

4. Don't look back.

If you've decided that your assignment is done and you've already done the 3 other points before this, don't rethink or doubt yourself. Don't reread and think that it's rubbish because chances are it's not and you're just worrying yourself for no reason. As long as you can say you've done all you can with it, just submit it. If you've put in your all, there's no point worrying about it and rereading until you're ready to pull your hair out. Submit it and then let out a huge breath of relief. It's done and don't you dare look back or wonder if it's good enough. You've done all you can!

5. Celebrate after.

When you get any assignment in, it's an achievement. Simply because most of the time afterwards, you're completely knackered from having spent so much brain power trying to make it perfect. It means that once you've submitted it and know that you have been well within the deadline, you should go and do something to celebrate. Tonight, I am going to the pub with my friends for dinner and I am definitely going to have a cheeky alcoholic beverage because I can!

DONE! Assignment handed in, now just for the pub! Bring it on.

See you all soon Hollie, Alice and Rach!

And I'll see the rest of you tomorrow. Ta'raaaa

xxx

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is the month of breast cancer awareness. I have thought long and hard about what I could do for this. It's an incredibly sensitive subject and one that has personally affecting my family as well as many around me. I didn't know how to approach this to do it justice. In my time, I have raised money for breast cancer research in the Race for Life twice and felt amazing afterwards. Instead of blabbing on about how important it is to raise money etc. I just wanted to enlighten some of you with the statistics on breast cancer. I don't know if this is the right way to handle the topic, but knowledge is power. And I want each and everyone of us to be powerful against cancer!

The more we know, and the more we can look out for things, the better we can identify cancer early and fight it. The more we know, the more we can fight it!

1. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK.

2. 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.

3. Around 400 men in the UK were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010.

4. More than three-quarters of women diagnosed with breast cancer now survive.

5. In the last 10 years, death rates for breast cancer have fallen by almost a fifth.

6. There are five signs to look for for breast cancer-

- Change in size or shape including a lump (not seen but felt)

- Redness or rash or crusting/skin texture e.g. dimpling/puckering

- Discharge from nipple

- Swelling in your armpit or around collarbone

- Appearance or direction of nipple

It may feel like a taboo subject to talk about, but the more we can talk about, the more we can notice the signs. The more we can share it with the people around us, the people we love and don't  want to lose. Don't fall short to cancer, be the one that holds all the cards. And never forget that breast cancer can affect men too. 

The earlier it is found, the better the chance at beating it!

Together, we will beat cancer!

If you spare a £5, please donate to the cause and help the research that will finally find a cure for cancer! http://www.breakthrough.org.uk/support-us/donate-now-and-save-lives If you don't, you can fund-raise or just keep yourself knowledgeable and spread the word. Spread the word of regular checking. Stay safe.

I love you all and I hope my blog has been helpful to you all. Never forget to check. 

xxx

Mature Student

Dear blog readers,

I have something very scary and disturbing to tell you...

I'm a mature student!

I never thought I would see the day that I would be labelled as a mature student. I'm only 21 and I'm already on the downward spiral on getting old. I don't believe that simply because I am doing a postgraduate course I should be labelled as a "mature" student. And we all know that they call them mature students because they don't want to say old. Let's all be frank with one another, from one mature student to another, I can tell you that they only say it so they don't offend old people. I'm not old.

I don't want to be old or a mature student. I want to go back to being a fresher, young and free. Do silly things and frankly not give a damn!

This is what I used to be...

This is me now...

Oh, I know this is such a lame problem to be having when compared to some of the things people are going through but I'm having a mini-meltdown over the fact that I am now way older than my age. I go to bed ridiculously early, I avoid eating things that are bad for me and I am already thinking about being adult-like and getting a proper job that I will stick at for the next 30 years... Dear Lord, please help me before there is no going back.

I'm a mature student! :(

Good day everyone. I'll just be over in the corner inspecting my grey hair and granny cardigans...

Depressed, mature (old) Nicole...

Motivational Monday #26

Not only is it Motivational Monday today, it is also National Everyone Writes Day. It would be wrong for me to say that everyone should write loads today or everyday because I know that everyone has their likes and dislikes and people have things that they are good at but I think that it's important to stress how integral writing is to our lives. We write every day whether that is at school, at uni, at work or even writing a Facebook status/Tweet... It's everything about who we are and I love it. As you can tell.

Writing is not just a means to get across what you are trying to say, it is a way of expressing everything that you are, and everything that you believe in! I love being able to completely show you all who I am by the way I write, by what I write and sometimes the most important, how much I don't write. If I'm inspired, I will share my inspiration with you and blab on and on about everything and anything but the second that I am upset or don't feel like writing, I won't. Silence or limited writing sometimes says more than a whole essay. We like reading people's writing and most of us love the creation part of writing. The ability to create whatever we want, the possibilities are endless!

I want you all to take a moment today to write something that is not related to school or work. I want you to write something that makes you happy and something that you don't have to write. That could be a diary entry, or a Facebook status or it could be the start to a story. It could be the creation of a quote or it could simply be a comment to this blog. Whatever it is, make it your own and completely love it!

If you do like writing, there is this brilliant thing running during the month of November called NaNo WriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month. It is an excellent way for people who love writing to channel their love into one month. It gives a marvellous outlet for people that might not be brave enough to write any other time or simply not have the time. There is an ultimate aim for you to write a 50,000 word novel by the end of the month. If you fancy extending your abilities, give it a go. I wish I could but I have got a lot on in the month of November and don't think I will be able to have enough time for it. 

I have in the past written 80,000 and 100,000 word novels and it is a huge accomplishment. It's such a brilliant goal and when you reach it, it feels amazing. Definitely do give it a go.

Writing can be for anyone, not for people who you think are good at it. It's personal to you and if you love it, you're good at it. It's simple as that.

Extend your mind and your efforts, get writing today and please, leave some of those writings below. I'd love to read some of your thoughts!

xxx

And if you haven't had enough of my mumbling motivational talks, here are some more:

Motivational Monday #1
Motivational Monday #2
Motivational Monday #3
Motivational Monday #4
Motivational Monday #5
Motivational Monday #6
Motivational Monday #7
Motivational Monday #8
Motivational Monday #9
Motivational Monday #10
Motivational Monday #11
Motivational Monday #12
Motivational Monday #13
Motivational Monday #14
Motivational Monday #15
Motivational Monday #16
Motivational Monday #17
Motivational Monday #18
Motivational Monday #19
Motivational Monday #20
Motivational Monday #21

Motivational Monday #22
Motivational Monday #23
Motivational Monday #24
Motivational Monday #25

Weekend for Champions

This weekend was very much anticipated to be the weekend when I would veg out in front of the TV and do absolutely nothing. And it did not disappoint me! Yesterday, I had the house to myself and what did I do?

I made Jam tarts- my Dad has been requesting them for ages and I haven't had the time to make them. And when I have, I've been ill.

I watched Les Miserables (for like the thousandth time ever) on surround sound (so loud, coupled with my God-awful singing, I felt terribly bad for my neighbours) and I did nothing but sit on my butt. I loved it! 

On an average weekday, I do over 10,000 steps, but yesterday, I didn't even reach 400... Mission accomplished.

This was me. Beautiful glasses I KNOW! ;) You don't need to tell me how much of a fitty I am!

And now today, I get to spend most of the day with my best friend, before I have to come home and get to work on some more of my essay that is due in at the end of the week. EEK!

If you're a weekend lover like me, I demand you do this for your next weekend. It really is the weekend for champions!!

Love you all, have a brilliant Sunday and I shall talk to you all tomorrow with a more productive blog.

MWAH!

xxx

Halloween Costume Ideas

Halloween is just round the corner with only a week and a half before everyone dons their homemade/shop bought costumes to go out trick or treating or potentially going to a party. In my time, my halloween costumes have varied from the very simply to my idea of quite extravagance (when it actual fact, it's still very simple.)

I thought I'd give you some ideas for some simple ideas of what to do for this halloween:

1. Pumpkin.

Buy an orange shirt and draw a pumpkin face on it. You can be as imaginative as you like for this one. Put a simple green bow in your hair and voila, you're a super cute pumpkin...

2. Zombie.

Buy loads of fake blood and some face paint. Paint yourself white with some darker blotches to replicate shadows and a gaunt face. Put the fake blood on your face, around your eyes and mouth as well as on some old clothing that you can rip. There, you've got yourself either a vampire if you team it with some teeth or a zombie.

3. Regina George.

Get yourself a white t-shirt and a coloured top underneath. Cut out holes where the breasts are meant to be, a pair of jeans and a coloured cardigan. You've become one of the meanest girls in history!

4. Little Red Riding Hood.

You can get yourself a red cape, a basket and some bread- this is one of the most simple ones. You can always get someone to dress up as a wolf as well to fulfil the duo. If you're really going for a halloween spectacular, you can give yourself the zombified make up from point 2 and be a dead little red riding hood.

5. Animal.

You can always turn to one of the greatest halloween ideas and that is transform yourself into some sort of animal. Most people like becoming a cat but be imaginative- you can be a tiger or a giraffe. If you're really stuck for ideas, you can always pop into Primark and get yourself a onesie. Original!

6. Become a roadmap.

Get yourself a black t-shirt or cheap hoodie and draw lines all over it or stick tap over it to represent the streets. You can then stick toy cars onto you and you are done!

7. Smurfs.

Paint yourself blue, get yourself a white top and hat. Smurferific! Also, best if you get yourself an army of people with the same costume. Smurf village!

Are these any of your halloween costume ideas? No. What IS your costume going to be or are you going to be boring like me and not dress up?

xxx