More things to do in the remainder of my time off

I had made a post recently about things I could do in the remainder of my gap year since I didn't want to completely waste it. I feel that it's more important that I focus on things like work experience, jobs, volunteering etc. (i.e. things that will boost my CV), so I explored all those options in that post. However, there are, of course, activities I can take up in this time that will still be enriching, even if they don't necessarily improve my employability, so I've decided to make a post about some of these activities.

• Draw/paint/come up with designs and stuff just for fun. I've bought myself a proper sketch book in order to do this, so it would be nice to fill this up.
• Read lots
• Keep writing and blogging, and try and do this as regularly as possible
• Learn something new, like an instrument or a language (this would be really cool, especially the language one, but I don't really know how to go about learning it without paying someone to teach me or buying a bunch of books. Also I'd have to buy the instrument as well if I wanted to learn it, unless I just stuck to guitar)
• Teach myself to cook (or learn from mum)
• Improve driving
• Focus on losing weight/getting healthy
• Help around the house (which I actually don't mind doing too much)
• Get myself prepared for university again
• Find ways of improving my self confidence/self esteem
• Look into making friends online 
• Find my own style and learn to do my make up better
• Take weekly trips into the town centre

That's all I can think of doing for now. I'll update this as and when I think  of things (if I do).

Things to do in the remainder of my time off

It's March, which means I have about six months left until I go back to university. While I've adjusted to being off and I'm embracing the fact that I have nothing to do and no real pressure since this will most likely be the only time in my life that I have this much time off, I still think it would be a shame to let all this time go to waste. I feel like my attitude has changed- not for the worse but not necessarily for the better. It has just changed. Therefore, my ideas and ambitions have been altered as a result, and the plans I had made in November don't have as much of an appeal any more. I want to do things a bit differently, and I keep coming up with ideas then forgetting them, so I'm going to make this post in order to keep track of everything idea I come up with.
These are a few ideas of things I'd like to do with my time in the remaining six months (other than relaxing and watching Netflix):

• Find some work experience in a sector I might be interested in going into (and begin researching this pretty much NOW)
• Maybe find some other voluntary work to do alongside the work I'm doing, just to have a little extra 
• At least keep the prospect of opening my online art shop alive. This is something I still want to do and I am very close to finishing, but I need to make sure that my money will remain safe in doing so, and I need to consider whether it really is worth taking the risk. 
• If I open the art shop, do some research into business stuff since I'm completely clueless about that, as well as looking into doing promotions and using social media as a way of doing this. I plan on using Instagram initially (I've already been posting some of my drawings on there so it makes sense). I'll branch out if my shop starts to do okay.
• Promoting this blog (or starting another blog with a theme to promote). This blog has always been for me really, and I've never been to bothered about it getting popular or anything. If someone reads it and it inspires them and makes them happy then that's great, but I pretty much do this for myself. However, I read this article about a woman who started a blog in a gap year and learned how to promote it etc. and gained a lot of skills other than writing from doing this, and this made me consider doing the same, since I'd love to gain all those skills too.
• Find some sort of job. I'm definitely going to be more careful about this and I've cooled down my search since I left the last one because I don't want the same scenario to happen again too soon (plus I've been focusing on choosing a university). I've also found it quite difficult to find a job which makes the search a bit arduous since it includes filling out multiple forms that take ages only to be rejected. I really don't understand how people say 'get a part time job' so matter of factly like it's something that it's very easy to come by. Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong. I'm probably doing it wrong. Anyway, I don't plan on giving up looking, just being less aggressive about it and taking time to find a job that will suit me.
• Start reading and preparing for university. There's a lot of reading to be done on an English course (obviously) so it would be great to get a head start since I have the time. It'll help me to manage my time more effectively later on when I begin my course too. I'll probably also make some notes on the books and possibly highlight a few things in preparation (though it's difficult to know what might be relevant in the book without knowing what perspective we'll look at the literature in).

Alongside these ideas (which were pretty much all my own)  I've also been doing some research so I could add to this list, but, sadly, most of it revolved around getting a job and working for a bit then travelling. Of course I would love to have a job (that's what I most wanted when I realised I would have all this time off, but finding one that's at least slightly reasonable (i.e. doesn't involve me working until late in the night) has been a massive struggle. These seem like my best options so I'll look into them and keep posting regularly about my plans to keep track of all the things I'd planned, as well as keeping my mind organised. I'll update this list if I come up with any other ideas. 

Reflection #2

I had planned to do another reflective post a while back when I had the job and thought I might be happier. Things didn't end up working out as I'd have liked, but I still want to reflect on the time that has passed since it has been a while since I've done a reflective post, and stuff has happened (though, unfortunately, not a lot).

The first thing I wanted to discus was the job I held for an impressive two days. I'd found searching for jobs really rough and , though my confidence was low I persisted, determined to apply for as many suitable positions as I could. Considering this you could probably imagine my delight when I was offered an interview roughly two months after I'd began this process. Even better, I was offered the job right there on the spot. It seemed too good to be true! Well, it was. I quickly learned that I would have to be working until late at night- later than I'd have liked or felt comfortable working- or they wouldn't be able to take me on. Although this did frighten me and made me feel wary of taking the job after thinking it through carefully I decided that I would take the job anyway. I would be earning my own money and it would give me an opportunity to get out of the house and meet people my age (I was told the company employed a lot of younger people like myself). Plus it would be great experience and something to put on my CV. My first day was a disaster and I was pretty hesitant to go back afterwards. I worked in the kitchen and was told I would receive training, though this was not discussed when I began working. This was probably because they were severely understaffed, and for a long period it was just me and one of the managers working in the kitchen. Since I hadn't been trained all I could do was wash pots, which wasn't a great deal of fun (actually it was really awful, and was probably the one aspect of the job that really got to me). Despite the fact that I was desperate not to go back and was already miserable even though I'd only worked there for a day I thought I should try and stick it out. At least until the end of the week, though a whole month would be better if I could. However, the second day really broke me. I asked to leave that day, I realised I couldn't wash pots for even a single second more. I was also being kept way past twelve though I'd been told that was when I would finish. Actually, that was pretty irritating- if I'd known I would be working beyond midnight I doubt I would have taken the job. I'll try not to ramble on too much about this, though. I think it's a shame that the first job I was offered ended up being so terrible, and it almost makes me feel worse having quit so soon. However, I feel like this was the trial period I wasn't offered- if I'd known it would have been like this I wouldn't have taken the job at all. I'm not sure whether I'll keep applying for jobs- I don't want a repeat of this. I'll definitely be more careful next time; I won't apply to everything I see just to make a point. For the next few months I plan on going back to the voluntary job I'd been doing- I don't get paid but I prefer the work there and I think that's more important.

I've been...I don't want to call it a diet because it's not, I generally tend to refer to it as my healthy lifestyle but saying 'I've been on my healthy lifestyle' sounds really strange. Anyway, I've kept up my lifestyle changes quite well actually. Quite well for me, at least. I think I've done pretty well in avoiding sugar and fatty food. I could do better, but I think this is quite a good start. I know it's unrealistic for me to expect myself to completely avoid sugar and fatty foods altogether since I'm a bit of an addict and complete restriction could lead to me ending up over doing it and indulging way too much. Plus I'd be really unhappy. I think the diet thing is actually a pretty huge achievement for me since it's what I've always struggled with. I'm trying to keep it up but also get even better- I've had a few more slips than I'd have liked. Having said that, usually when I slip I fall, and I haven't done that this time, which is something I'm hugely proud of. We also bought a new Zumba Wii  game and I'm just slightly crazy about it, which is pretty awesome. It's nice to know that I'm enjoying something that is also really beneficial for me, and it helps keep me motivated. I'm actually doing one hour classes, which (apparently) burn around six hundred calories. The only disappointing thing is that I don't feel like I've lost much weight. I know it's not really supposed to be about that, but focusing on fat loss, at least a bit, gives me something more to work for. I'm going to try and remain undeterred and continue putting in a lot of effort as I usually stop around this point, and I want to see what would happen if I kept this up for months, if I'd see any changes.

I'm in the process of setting up a shop on Etsy where I'll sell my art. My laptop is being annoying and won't save some of the photos I've taken of my paintings, which is causing a bit of a delay. I'm trying to sort something out, though. Hopefully I will have the shop properly set up by the end of the week (sooner if possible); this is something I'm really keen to do. It's terrifying though! It will be a huge, scary leap for me (kind of like starting up this blog actually), since I'm not particularly great at putting myself out there. It will be very rewarding if it goes well though! I've also made some good tracks as far as art is concerned, even producing one full drawing that I was very proud of! I really want to put some pictures up of my work since this blog is a bit lacking pictures wise, but considering the fact that my laptop is being a nuisance in terms of uploading photos that's looking quite unlikely. I might make a post specifically about my art and include pictures of my progress. Unfortunately I haven't quite thrown myself into most of the other activities I said I would, but I suppose there's still plenty of time! I've pretty much decided that my talents don't lie in making music (unfortunately) and on this basis I've decided to take a break from learning the guitar since I don't seem to be getting anywhere with my attempts. Sadly I haven't tried cooking anything properly yet, but hopefully that is something I will accomplish, I might set aside some time to get it done. At least I'm still blogging!

My mood has dropped significantly and I feel very isolated. I guess this was to be expected. Since I didn't have the time to plan this properly it's been difficult finding activities to fill the time that require me leaving the house. I guess that's why I jumped on the job when I was offered it (even now I would like a job, just one with slightly better hours and more stimulating work). I'm hoping that I will stumble upon some opportunity but I'm becoming less optimistic about this happening. I really wanted to work on improving my confidence as it was destroyed quite badly by my university experience, but I'm less sure of this happening now. I might have to find other ways to do this, like devising my own mental challenges and changing my mental attitude and perceptions of myself/ certain situations. However, as low as I feel at the moment, I know that it could never match how terrible I felt when I was actually at university. I don't really like thinking about it much because all those old feelings resurface.

I now plan on continuing with the voluntary work I had begun doing. I'm also in the process of thoroughly researching universities and making a decision about the one I want to attend. I recently went to some applicant days which were lovely. Id like to discuss them but this post is already insanely long so I might reflect on those in another post soon. It might even help make my decision easier, I'm having such a difficult time choosing! I'd also like to look into maybe doing some work experience, or something along those lines. I really need to end this post now, it's way, way too long.

Mistakes I Made When Choosing A University

It's coming to that point again where I have to make the careful decision of which university I should choose, and considering the whopping great mistake I made the first time round I want to make sure I make a better decision this time round. I've started thoroughly researching the universities I've chosen and assessing their best qualities (well, the best qualities for me). As a part of this decision process I feel that it will be useful to note down the mistakes I made when choosing a university so that I can make sure that I avoid them this time round. I might also do a post rounding up everything that I felt was wrong with my experience so I can try and prevent this from happening again.

1. The university was too far away. Well, it wasn't an absolutely huge distance, like the other end of the country, but it was about a two and a half to three hour car journey which made it difficult for my family to come and see me regularly or for me to see them regularly, which I really needed. I've already avoided this by applying to local universities only.
2. The accommodation was ages away from the university. There was a bus service provided but this service took around twenty minutes and cost a fortune. Also, while it was regular there was still a bit of a wait, and it was prone to filling up pretty quickly. Being so far from the university caused me to feel quite detached from it, which had a significant impact on the way I perceived the university and how much I enjoyed it. I have, again, avoided this problem by applying to campus universities only so I can live pretty much within the university itself. 
3. Focusing way too much on league tables. The university I first attended was pretty high on the league tables when I was applying (it ended up dropping quite a bit within the space of a year.). However, it also had lower grade requirements than other universities in a similar position, which led me to believe that it was perfect for me. In fact, I think this was probably the biggest mistake I made, since it made me adamant that I was going to go to that university, resulting in me dismissing all the other universities I applied to. It turns out that it was a load of spin anyway- they just wanted to make the university look good and cared more about reputation and money than the students. I'm avoiding league tables and they're certainly not going to have any influence on my decision this time- I'll choose the university that I genuinely think I'll be happiest at.
4. Not giving the course much attention. I was lucky that I largely enjoyed what I studied at this university, but I also realise that the course is a huge part of your university experience (actually it's what you really should be going to university for), so it's vital that you choose the course that you feel you will enjoy the most. I was an idiot for not doing thorough research into courses before applying to university and after I had applied and was choosing between the five unis I'd chosen, I'm giving the courses and English departments a lot more attention now and this time they will be a major part of my decision (unless they both look really good and I can't really say that one seems better to me).
5. Not visiting enough universities. The only universities I visited out of the ones I applied to were the university I was sure I wanted to go to and one other that I was called for an 'interview' at (but had no intention of attending). The latter was awful and I hated it, which only made the former seem even better. I should have visited, or at least tried to visit, all of the universities I had applied to and maybe even a few in the summer before I applied to university. I think this would have been the best way of comparing and contrasting the different atmospheres and figuring out which university really was the right one for me. It would also have helped lessen the bias I had towards the university I knew I wanted to choose, as I might have been less likely to succumb to the appeals of the atmosphere there if I'd experienced universities with similar or better atmospheres. I've already visited one of the universities and will visit the other in a few days time.
6. Not doing thorough research. I think this was another massive slip up. I should have scoured the websites of all the universities I wanted to apply to and the universities I had applied to in order to really get a feel for them, as well as to discover stand out points of the universities that really appeal to me and could strongly influence my decision to go there. Unlike the first time, this time I have thoroughly sifted through the websites and made lists of everything the universities offer, so I can take all of this into account when making my decision. I realise that this isn't something I would have been able to do in as much detail as I'm doing now since I had much less time and far more universities, but if I'd started earlier (maybe around the summer time rather than October, even though I didn't know what I wanted to study, I could still have checked out the universities) but a condensed version of this would still have been hugely beneficial and might have prevented me from making such a stupid, rushed decision. I feel more comfortable now having done a lot more research, though my decision is still hard because they both seem really good!

There were probably other mistakes that I made but I think I'll leave it there since these are the most significant and had the biggest impact, and would probably have led to a different outcome if they had been properly taken into consideration. This post is largely for reference since I will be making my decision very soon.

Improved Confidence- January

I've decided that I'm going to make monthly posts up until I go to university (and possibly even beyond then) where I keep track of everything I've done in the month that has gone towards improving my confidence. These things would usually be stuff I wouldn't have normally done, but could also include things that made me feel much happier and gave me a better perspective on life. This will hopefully help me achieve my aim of improving my confidence over my gap year. These are the things I've done over January:

• Pushed through a huge mood slump where I experienced a massive drop in confidence, picked myself up and kept going and applying for jobs even though I felt like there was no hope.
• Found a new wave of motivation that pushed me to carry on with my healthy lifestyle and completely resist temptation.
• Getting a job offer after appearing friendly and confident in an interview. 

These don't seem like a lot but considering how I was feeling at the beginning of this month and how I'm feeling now I know that I've undergone a huge change and these seem small but they're actually pretty big. I also feel like not everything that I've listed in this post and previous posts of this kind, or that I will list in future posts, focuses on improving my confidence, so I'm going to add 'achievements' to these post titles because I can certainly say that they all are. However, I don't want to completely abandon the 'improving my confidence' aspect of these posts (and this gap year, in fact), so these posts will still be a place for me to discuss the various achievements of mine that have helped me to improve my confidence.

I also wanted to discuss these points in a bit more detail because I'm quite proud of myself this month. I started it out in the worst state. The effects of my time at university had finally caught up with me and had hit me with full force. I knew it was inevitable that I would feel very depressed about the fact that it had been a disaster and I had left while others were out there living it up and having the best time. I had been looking forward to the fun and freedom for years. Also, I had very little to do and it felt like my life had truly lost direction. The search for jobs was getting me down and the application process was incredibly draining. I felt so weak and fragile but I managed to pick myself up of the ground and keep on applying for jobs, even though it was sapping my energy. I realised I didn't have to take the application process too seriously- it was way more stressful that way. If I was lucky I'd get an interview but if not it didn't matter too much- more lie ins! After a few days I found I was feeling quite a bit better, which was great. I had more energy and I was happier- and I was proud of myself for actually getting past my fear for once.

I'd also told myself I would begin eating more healthily, after stuffing my face with crap for the entire month of December. I knew the food I was eating wasn't good for me at all, and it was best to try and stop before I found it more difficult to. I think I'm doing a pretty good job. Initially it was hard, and I found it difficult to stop sugar, but then I suddenly found a wave of motivation. Since then, I've hardly had any cravings, which is actually a real surprise. I feel like I can do it and I'm determined to stick to it this time. I always end up giving up, and I really don't want that to be the case now. I actually want to make sure I see and feel the results. I'll keep updating as I progress, both as a way of celebrating my achievements and also keeping myself motivated.

Improved Confidence- December

I've decided that I'm going to make monthly posts up until I go to university (and possibly even beyond then) where I keep track of everything I've done in the month that has gone towards improving my confidence. These things would usually be stuff I wouldn't have normally done, but could also include things that made me feel much happier and gave me a better perspective on life. This will hopefully help me achieve my aim of improving my confidence over my gap year. These are the things I've done over December:

• Gone over to my neighbour's house (like actually going over there and knocking on her door) and had a conversation with her
• Met someone I knew in one of my AS classes and had a conversation
• Attended a second interview for the same company I had my first with, but at a different store
• Filled in the online application for the job I had been interviewed for immediately after I got home (they did things in a weird order)
• Got rejected after the two interviews by an automated email
• Filled in another online application which took forever (I don't particularly like online applications, as you can tell), and handled the rejection well enough

If I'm honest I didn't do much confidence wise this month. December was kind of a step backwards, disappointingly. I 'relaxed' a little too much over the Christmas period, which didn't really do me any good, and by the end of it I ended up feeling like complete shit. I'm trying to pick myself up from that now, and if these feeling bubble up with the same potency again I will definitely try and work them out in this blog (or at least my tumblr one). That is the whole point of this blog, working out my feelings and preventing me from completely crumbling in this 'gap year.' I'll at the very least try and do something addressing all of this, and maybe set up a self help day, which I'll blog about. I'm rambling now, so I'll stop. Hopefully January will be better.

Improved Confidence- November

I've decided that I'm going to make monthly posts up until I go to university (and possibly even beyond then) where I keep track of everything I've done in the month that has gone towards improving my confidence. These things would usually be stuff I wouldn't have normally done, but could also include things that made me feel much happier and gave me a better perspective on life. This will hopefully help me achieve my aim of improving my confidence over my gap year. These are the things I've done over November:

• Successfully reapplied to university and managed my online application without getting stressed.
• Began the activities I said I would (art, playing guitar, reading, cooking)
• Started this blog
• Looked into doing some unpaid work at a school
• Started applying for jobs
• Made contact with and visited a friend
• Got contacted by another friend 
• Attended a recruitment day in a different town, dealt with the rejection well and learned from the experience
• Attended an interview the day after the awful recruitment day in the same town

I've bolded one of my points because I feel that this was a real breakthrough for me confidence wise, and because of this I wanted to discuss it in more detail. When applying jobs I was contacted to say that one brand were having a recruitment day that I could attend. After debating whether I did actually want to attend I remembered that part of plan for coming back was to make the most of every opportunity I could get, and this included going to this recruitment day. The fact that it was in another town and I would have to get the train there made it even more challenging, but I decided to take it on. This was part of my plan, to push myself and to go beyond my comfort zone in order to improve my confidence. I arrived early and sat in McDonalds eating some cheap porridge and reading (I only went early so I could get a lift to the station). When the time came I plucked up the courage to enter the store it was held at. I won't go into to much detail about the actual process- it wasn't pleasant and is not something that I particularly want to remember. My lack of knowledge of the company (a make up and, apparently, skin care company) was completely embarrassing. This was the basis of my rejection, which seemed fair enough, though I have to add that I was really proud of the way I managed the handing out leaflets task- most people actually took one! However, I didn't like the woman's attitude, she was completely devoid of any warmth and relatively snobbish, though she had no reason to be. This made the rejection a bit harder to bear. It was my behaviour afterwards, however, that I'm most proud of. Instead of letting it get to me and rushing on the first train home, I picked myself up and took myself round town asking about vacancies and distributing CVs. This definitely had a great impact on my confidence, and it cheered me up to since most of the people I encountered were pretty nice and friendly. Even though it was a terrible experience in hindsight I realise that I got a lot out of it and discovered that I was capable of far more than I thought I was, and it helped eradicate a large portion of the anxiousness I had been feeling since I'd come back. Also, the town had all its Christmas decorations up, which was very pretty.

I think this month has been quite productive considering it's been my first month back and I have struggled with my emotions since coming back. I'm really pleased.

Reflection #1

I thought I'd reflect on my progress since leaving- it's been nearly three weeks! I can confidently say that I'm glad I left, I know it wasn't the place for me, and though most people would preach about how it gets better, I just need to give it a bit of time, the first year is always difficult or it takes time to make good friends I'm happy I left when I did. It lessens the effect the environment would have had on me. I do feel a bit strange though- not completely miserable like I did before, but... a bit lost I suppose. I didn't plan to leave so didn't expect to have all this time off, and I'm sure what to do with it (plus I feel weirdly guilty, like I should be doing something. I suppose I just need to give it time).

Despite feeling a bit strange, I'm relatively proud of myself. I haven't accomplished as much as I'd have liked, but I've done a few things, and I'm quite happy with that. It's eased my mind, since I was worried that I wouldn't progress at all. I've managed to complete my university application, which I was probably most worried about since I didn't want give up on getting my degree, I just felt deeply uncomfortable in the environment I was getting my degree in. Hopefully I'll like university better the second time round! (and if not I'll be just a stone's throw away from home so I can come back regularly if I need to.)

I've also applied for one job, and will shortly start applying for more. In the mean time, however, I have arranged to do some unpaid work in the school my mum works at to gain some more work experience and fill my weeks out, because it gets quite lonely staying at home by yourself all the time. Hopefully it will help boost my confidence too! I've made a start on some of the activities that I said I would undertake during this time off- I've done a few paintings/drawings, started reading 'Jane Eyre' and I've been in the process of trying to teach myself a song on the guitar (though I haven't touched the guitar in a few days- it probably needs tuning). I've even done a little bit of cooking (and written a blog post about it), which is good for me, because I'm not the most talented chef and, therefore, try to avoid cooking as much as I can. I've also done, and enjoyed doing, a bit of housework. More that I'd normally do. It's relaxing in a way, and it makes me feel like I'm being productive. Plus it's nice to know that I'm helping my family.

I think the next thing I need to do is establish a proper routine, I've been waking up and going to sleep way later than I should, which is mildly disruptive. I think I'll get more done if I set myself a proper routine (and stick to it).  I think I might make a post about my routine pretty soon. I also need to work on applying for jobs, lots of jobs. I'll do reflective posts like these fairly regularly to help me track my progress during this 'gap year,' and to also help me pick myself up if I feel I'm slacking. I'm hoping they'll keep me on track.

Making the most of my free time

Since leaving university I have an abundance of free time, in which I have chosen to work on improving certain hobbies and pass times of mine (at least until I get a full time job). I just feel like I need to be doing something productive with my time, and I think that this will really help with my self development. I have certain things that I have prioritised, such as reapplying to university and finding a job, and I will also be doing most of the housework now (I'm very grateful to my parents for supporting me through the whole process and letting me come home immediately when I wanted to), but rather than waste the rest of my time binge watching Netflix, I thought it would be character building to focus on improving on activities I already enjoy. I will probably still do a bit of Netflix binge watching.
These activities include:

• Drawing- I like drawing but I have always wanted to be better at it and learn how draw more realistically. I've decided to choose something to draw and follow some online tutorials and persist at it until I'm really happy with it (if I'm actually ever happy with it). I'll post the progress and results to this blog.
• Playing guitar- I've been playing guitar on and off for years now. I've never been particularly good at it, though I've always wanted to be. Maybe if I stuck at it I'd be a lot better at it. This time I'm going to try and stick at it and see where it gets me.
• Cooking- I generally want to improve my diet actually. I'd like to be healthier and ultimately aim to clear up my eczema as best I can. It would be much easier to achieve a healthy diet if I could cook well and make healthy food, so I've decided to do that too. Again, I'll blog about my progress with this, and share my favourite recipes. 
• Reading- technically this isn't something that I want to improve as such, but I do want to read more widely, and to read things that I wouldn't usually read for leisure. My aim is to basically never be without a book.
• Writing- I want to write more. I've always wanted to write more. That's why I've set up this blog, in order to encourage me to do so. I haven't really had the confidence and I've never known where to start either, so I think this blog is a good starting point. 
• Hair and make up- this one is pretty frivolous, but I thought it would be pretty fun nevertheless. I know there's more to life than looks, but I think it would be nice to see what I can do with my appearance too, and it would be awesome to learn some hair and make up skills. It's not a priority, but it might make me feel a little better in some way. I'm focusing on the inside, but it might be nice to give a bit of thought to the outside too.

I'm going to try and bog about these activities- for the moment this is most likely what I will focus on in my blog posts. I'm quite pleased with my progress so far- I've filled in quite a bit of my UCAS form and I'm beginning my personal statement (this was a great source of anxiety for me but it's far less terrifying than I thought it would be), I've already started reading Jane Eyre, I'm practising a song on the guitar and I've made healthy brownies which tasted fantastic! Oh, and I set up a blog and made two posts :)