SPRINGTIME

Spring. The first full season of the new year. When I think of spring, I think of all of the clichés surrounding it; small, fluffy baby animals, vibrant yellow daffodils, the beginnings of new buds on trees. But for myself, the idea of a 'fresh start' that spring brings, also gives me hope that the coming year will be the best one yet. And that is what has happened. Every year, I experience new places, people and things, and achieve more than I ever thought possible. Because of this, for the last few years, on the first day of spring (in 2015 being 20th March) I have created a list of all that I would like to accomplish in the coming year. Now the items on this list are not typical "bucket list" items, such as go skydiving, go on a road trip or visit a festival. Instead, they are tasks which I need to complete in order to ensure that I achieve everything in the future that I want to. So, I am going to share with you all that is on my list, for the year of 2015.

1. A-Levels.

In summer, I will be completing my second year of A-Levels in Biology, Psychology and English Language. At the end of my first year, I achieved CBA respectively, which, if I am being completely honest, was a disappointing result. This year I am working harder and longer than I ever have before, to achieve my goal of BAA. Despite not going to university, results like these will land me in good stead for other opportunities, and will also provide me with a platform for leverage should I ever want to go to university. Evidence of talent is useful, but every employer likes to see a high quality array of three letters on a piece of paper.

2. Get an internship.

This next point sort of goes against what I have just said, but if a balance of the two is considered then you will begin to get an idea of what I am going for. For a career in journalism, or writing, most employers will look to those with a degree first, this is true. However the factor which is just as, if not more important is evidence of your ability. By getting an internship at a magazine or online platform, even though I won't be paid I will be mixing with the right sort of people and will be able to begin putting my writing out there. I am aware that long hours will be spent fetching coffee and taking notes, but what else am I to expect when I have decided to take the hard way in? Working out how a magazine enterprise works will allow me to work my way up in their estimations, and get advice from the best on how to make it big.

3. Get a full-time job.

Due to not being paid, a full-time internship would not be appropriate. I will be an 18 year old girl living with her parents, hoping to travel the world solo in 2016. For this to work, I need a job. Now I currently have two jobs, both lifeguarding at a leisure centre. However for a full-time position I will be looking for a job in retail in the city of Bath. Bath is a city of opportunity and class, and so I hope that working there will give me the inspiration I need when writing and finding a suitable internship. I am aware that points 2 and 3 will not give me much spare time, but by filling up my schedule I will ensure that as little time as possible is spent doing nothing. Because at the end of the day, where is that going to get me?

4. Work harder on my book.

As some of you will know, I began writing my first novel last summer. I am 50 pages in, and have not written a single sentence for it in 6 months. This upsets me, as during the summer I would spend hours drafting and redrafting - it was my creative outlook. Therefore when I finish my A-Levels and have much more time to think and be stress-free, I would like to begin to work very hard on it in my spare time, and hopefully at the same time as being something to do, it will allow me to hone my writing skills and impact on my blog, and everything else I am up to.

5. Write more regularly on 'Welcome to my reflection.'

This is the third blog I have written on since learning about the activity. At first I had a fashion and beauty blog, and then was asked to write for a lifestyle blog, and then began this one. I have not written as much as I would have liked to while I have had it, and am putting this misdemeanor down to the stress of exams and coursework. It was my creative outlook, my little piece of the internet. My baby! So following results day I would like to up my frequency of posts to at least one a week, in order to build my online portfolio, as it were, in anticipation of potential writing positions!

Next spring I will revise this, and can see what I have and haven't managed to achieve in 2016.

L xx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LanCLS_hIo4 Bob Marley - Three Little Birds(because no one holds more optimism about the future than Bob, right?)

WRITING A BOOK

As a child, one of my favourite things to do was to write stories. They could range from adventure stories, in which I was the daring, heroic protagonist, or later on in my childhood, poems proclaiming the love I felt for a boy in the year 5 class. Whatever the subject matter, my teachers would read it and say "Liberty, you have an excellent imagination. I could see you becoming a writer some day." Well, I read a lot of books and I decided that despite my love of literature, I would be an inept author, primarily due to my lack of concentration. However recently I have realised that writing a book doesn't necessarily have to be a full time profession. So my most recent epiphany is that I could maybe begin to write a book, or novel, just if I have a spare half an hour here or there between exams. It probably wouldn't end up anywhere, and in most likeliness wouldn't even make it from my computer documents. However despite this, I think I may have a go. Just for something to enjoy, and to take my mind off of A Levels and exams.

What do you think? Should I have a go?

L xx

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS - REVIEW

So recently whilst I was on a family holiday in Lyme Regis, I decided to investigate my extremely large pile of novels that I received for Christmas. Book are the one item that I will always discover in my presents, because my parents know that whatever they buy for me, I will enjoy it. This year, I specifically asked for several books, and over the next few weeks I will post reviews and opinions on each of them.

The first book that I asked for was 'The Fault In Our Stars' by John Green. I know that this book has been published for a while, but I wanted to wait until the excitement about it had died down before I read it so that I had the freedom to form my own opinions about it. Originally, I was worried that the novel wouldn't live up to my expectations, however I couldn't be more wrong. For those of you who are waiting to read the book, in the next part of this post I will give a brief synopsis of the book, so to avoid spoilers, please skip to the next paragraph. The story is about a teenage girl, Hazel, who is suffering from thyroid cancer (which affects the lungs) and whose condition, unfortunately, is terminal. However, a miracle drug has bought her a few years, and currently she doesn't really see much point to the life she is living. Every week she spends an hour at Support Group, where a gorgeous boy catches her eye. He previously suffered with osteosarcoma, and lost one of his legs. Soon enough, Hazel and Augustus (aforementioned hot boy) are flirtatious friends and talk to each other about everything. They share her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, a trip to Amsterdam, and a rather steamy night. When they return from Amsterdam, a bomb drops. Augustus, who has been cancer free for a few years, confides in Hazel that the cancer has returned and has spread to most of his vital organs. In a truly heartbreaking scene, Augustus asks Hazel and his blind friend Isaac to read him their eulogies at their own, personal funeral before he dies. Soon enough, Augustus Waters takes his last breath.

At the start of the book, I was slightly irritated with Hazel. She had been told that she was going to die eventually, so why not make the most of her life, rather than wallowing in self pity? However, when Augustus appeared, I knew that was a turn up for the books. The Fault in Our Stars had me crying, laughing, and every moment in between. Having had someone very close to me suffering from cancer, it gave me a new outlook on the disease, and despite it's habit of making people quite ill, it also has the ability to bring people together in their hour of need. The story of a sufferer who journeys from knowing her end is near, to living the life she had imagined at last with the one she loved. When the tragic bombshell dropped, I am not afraid to say that I dropped the book and sobbed hysterically for an hour straight, as I am sure this was the reaction of many to the story.  Jodi Picoult, author of My Sister's Keeper, calls The Fault in Our Stars "an electric portrait of young people who learn to live life with one foot in the grave," which I believe is the best summary so far. I don't believe any further comments can do this stunning work justice, so I will finish with some of my favourite quotes straight from the novel itself.

"I fell in the love the way you fall asleep, slowly, and then all at once."

"Maybe okay will be our always."

"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."