The Land of Laura

Hello lovelies,

Apologies for not putting a post up in the week, hopefully this post will explain why. If you've read one of these "Lets Talk About" posts before you'll know that me and my best friend Jess collaborate on blog posts to talk about a variety a topics. This week we've gone a bit more rogue, and although our posts are similar in nature, we both really wanted a post that we could just ramble about our feelings - my brain couldn't possibly compose a coherent thought, so this one might be a bit all over the place, sorry !

If you're new here you might no know that i'm in my third year of university, which basically means i'm functioning with my stress levels at 100%. Although some of the pressure has been taken off by managing to get a job lined up for when I graduate, there is still a million and 1 things I need to do before that actually happens. With trying to complete my assignments and my dissertation, while keeping a night shift job a feel like i'm swamped with work! On top of that i'm trying to orchestrate moving in with Ross when i graduate, which is stressful in itself!

I had a moment this week where I honestly just wanted to book a weekend away, throw my phone away and get anyway from (almost) everyone for a bit. I lie awake at night just glaring at my phone screen, and it's addictive. It's not even like I post many things myself, i just lie there scrolling and scrolling. I'm hoping to go away with Ross this weekend to hopefully allow us both to completely switch off. The next few weeks are going to be crazy with house viewings and appointments at estate agents and banks etc, so we both want to take advantage of the last free weekend we have before moving in together.

As for my work, I've been managing better, I've broken everything I've got to do down into as many small tasks as possible, so even though my list of things to do appears longer, i'm getting more of it done because I'm not feeling overwhelmed by large tasks. For example 'clean room' can be broken down into tasks such as 'make bed', 'tidy desk','do laundry', 'vacuum', just little tasks that can be accomplished easily and fairly quickly. I've found breaking things down in this way really help me, so if you're also feeling overwhelmed by the amount of things you've got to do, maybe give it a try!


Thanks for reading,

A much less stressed,

Laura

For Christmas, I received the Paula Hawkins book 'The Girl on the Train'. Having recently finished it, I thought I'd give you a review and let you know my honest opinion on it.

Generally, the feedback around this book is incredible, everybody is raving about it! So, maybe it's just me? While I cannot deny that Paula Hawkins is an incredibly talented author with a beautiful writing style, something about the Girl on the Train fell a little flat for me. I'll try and explain the best way  can without giving away any spoilers.

Hawkins writes the book from the viewpoint of three different characters, each chapter alternating between these characters. By doing this, we learn so much about so many characters and really build up and bond with them, so props to her for doing that. It's just a shame that these characters, and their stories, become sort of irrelevant by the end. The book is certainly packed full of twist, which normally has me hooked on a book, but for some reason I often struggled to find the motivation to pick the book up, I think to me the pace became a little slow in the middle and I became so fed up of not knowing what was going on and "filler storytelling" (those bits of the book that add nothing, they're just there). Some people really love the fact that the story is dragged out and keeps you questioning and in suspense for so long, but this just wasn't for me. Furthermore, for it to be dragged out that long and for the ending to be what it was? Not a fan. I haven't yet seen the movie and I normally always prefer books to movies, but in this case i actually think the book would work better as a movie. The "filler" storytelling wouldn't occupy as much time and you'd get to the end of the movie not feeling pissed off that you'd spent a week and half reading it. With the movie, its only an hour and a half of your time gone, no biggy.

I am fully aware that I am in the minority, so it is probably just down to my personal taste, since everyone I know LOVES this book. The high reviews around it are a testament to Paula Hawkins, but this one just wasn't for me - sorry !

Always Read,

Laura xoxo

Hello lovelies,

Top 10 Relationship Tips (Not necessarily in the right order)

1) Compromise - I know I said these weren't in the right order, but this is probably my absolute number 1 tip! Compromise is so important in all aspects, whether its fro

Bonus Tip From Ross!

As a little bonus I asked my boyfriend for his number one bit of relationship advice and can't believe I didn't think of it myself! Ross' top tip is to never try to change a person and love them for all their positives and well as their negatives (which i have bags of). I have to say I 100% agree with this one. Love them for who they are, never change them and never let them change who you are!

Hi Guys,

Welcome to the first official post in my new series "Lets Talk About:"! To see what this series is all about check out my previous post (although, its fairly self explanatory). To kick things off I wanted to talk about something that I've wanted to do a post on for ages - university! I kept putting off writing about university because I wanted to wait until I was close to my graduation (which I now am, go me!), so that I could truly impart some proper wisdom, rather than just saying "jaegerbombs are grim after the second one", which is truly the only advice I could have offered as a fresher. I've broken it down into categories and given you my top 3 pieces of advice for each topic, although not necessarily in the right order! I decided to focus on advice for when you're actually at University, if you'd like a post offering advice on the application process and choosing where to go, let me know!  So here it is....

Books
 - don't go nuts buying loads, they cost a bomb and you most likely won't need half of them ! Try taking them out of the library and see which ones are worth getting first !
- for books you do need to buy, try getting second hand ones, university forums and social media pages are great for this, there is bound to be people in the year above you that don't need their anymore.
- for books you need from the library, get in there early! The library will only have a limited number of books and if it's a core text book for the course, they will run out !

Accommodation
- stay in halls in your first year (if possible), it's a great way to meet new people and make friends. Be careful about what accommodation you use though, look at what you can realistically afford. For example, my student loan wouldn't cover me having an en suite room, so take this into consideration!
- if you choose to move into a student house, NEVER GET 12 MONTH CONTRACTS. They seem great at first because you don't have to move all your stuff home at summer, but if your in my position (I.e you get basically the minimum loan) you won't be able to afford rent over the summer. Look at the cost of renting and see if you can afford it, but realistically, most people don't stay at uni over the summer, so it becomes a waste of money anyway.
- If you do live in a student house there will sometimes be a downstairs bedroom, if this is the case, avoid it like the plague! You'll be woken up constantly!

Work
- get a part time job (even if you don't need one), it looks great on your CV and it's a good way to meet new people.
- get into a habit of starting your uni work early. Getting into a good habit with this will make your life much easier later on ( I didn't do this, and boy do I wish I had)
- any extra things you can do such as volunteering will look all go on your academic record and look great on your CV, anything extra you can do makes you more employable when you graduate.

Social
- be yourself, literally anything goes at uni and you're pretty much guaranteed to find someone who likes the same stuff you do, so there is no need to pretend to be into stuff you're not.
- depending on where you go, there is a pretty big 'drinking culture' at University and it is ABSOLUTELY FINE to not be in it. If your not a big drinker (or you don't drink at all) do not feel pressured, you can still go on nights out if you want to and people will like you just as much!
- Join a society. Societies are massive at university and they range from the academic (such as the medical society) to the down right wacky (my university has a Quiddich Society!). There's bound to be something for you and they're a fantastic way to meet people and escape from work every now and again.

Graduating
- If you're not graduating until June, start applying for graduate job before Christmas, since this is when a lot of the application deadlines are for graduate schemes.
- Even if a company isn't advertising a job, drop them an email and your CV anyway, it shows passion and initiative - I got an interview from doing this!
- Don't promise loads of people that they can come to your graduation, there is normally a two person ticket limit!

Money
- Live within your means. It may be nice to have an en-suite bathroom but if you cant afford it you will begin to resent that bathroom more than anything. Nothing stresses you out more than not being able to afford your rent - shared bathrooms honestly aren't that bad! (depending on how many people you're sharing with).
- Food shopping is extortionate. Make a rough meal plan and a list before you go shopping, try to buy things that can be used for a lot meals (chicken breasts for example) and buy things that can easily be frozen. Its horrible spending a fortune on food and having to throw it away because it's gone out of date.
- When choosing where to bank, don't be drawn in my by the massive overdraft limits and freebies. I went with Santander for the big overdraft and free railcard. BIGGEST. REGRET. EVER. Setting up their online banking is a nightmare and their mobile app is shit. Mobile/Online banking is fantastic at uni for when you inevitably have to pay your housemate for your share of the Dominoes.



There is probably a million things I've missed but these were all the main things I wanted to cover! I hope if you're thinking of going to University or are at University already you found at least some of these useful! I had a fun time writing this, laughing to myself about all the stories that inspired each piece of advise. I'll be back on Sunday with another post and next Thursday  with another "Lets Talk About:". What would you like me to cover next?! Leave a comment or tweet me @LauraCharlotteG!

Until next time loves,

Laura xoxo

Hey Guys!

Just a quick post to tell you about my new blog series called "Let's talk about:..." where every week I talk about about a new topic - some serious, some not so serious, just a variety of things I feel I could offer insight, advice, or opinion on. First post coming to you Thursday!

As well as writing about things I want to talk about it, i also want to address topics proposed by you guys ! I'd love you hear your ideas ! To have your topic featured on "Let's Talk About:" simply comment or tweet me; @LauraCharlotteG.

I'm so excited to start this!

Back Thursday,

Laura xoxo

The beautiful Jess tagged me to do this, and I thought it was a nice idea, so here it is, all the things i would tell my 15 year old self.

Dear 15 year old Laura,

Things seem bleak right now, but really you're just being dramatic, which you will come to realise soon. You're not far off from meeting the meet the guy that will turn your life around, he'll come into your life, change you for the better, and stick around. Love him with all you've got because Lord knows he loves you more you than you deserve, and he deserves everything you've got. He'll encourage you to do things you never thought you could do (like go to uni) and support you with all your failings (you'll fail your driving test at least twice - it'll suck).

When you get to college shit will hit the fan and you'll wish you'd have stayed at your old school with all your old friends. You'll think this for like 3 days and then you'll meet a girl who likes your jacket, and you'll think she has cool eyeliner. Looking back now she wore far too much, but so did you, so you rocked the panda look together. When you meet her you'll realise that life at your new college isn't all bad and that you have someone you can talk to about everything you've got going on your life (which will fix itself, by the way!). Speaking of talking, talk less in your philosophy lessons, your teacher will hate you for it and you'll need her on your side when it comes to applying to university! (Thanks for the laughs Jess)

You'll also meet a girl with crazy cool hair who'll you'll want to be friends with just so people think you're cool by association. When you get to know her you'll realise there is more benefits to being her friend and she'll be one of only 2 people you'll keep in touch with when you leave. Go to more Fever Thursdays with her, your body will hate you and you'll feel like your dying the next day but you'll regret not having more when you're older. Although, don't drink 10 jaegerbombs in one go EVER, you'll never be able to drink them again and Russel Howard will be pissed at you (inside joke).

When it comes to university, get yourself in a routine early, third year will kick your ass an you'll need to be prepared. Choose where you live wisely, paying rent over the summer is a bad idea! Work as much as possible and save money, you'll move in with Ross when you graduate!

Try not to stress too much kid, you'll end up exactly where you want to be, moving in with the person you love and ultimately you'll be happy, really happy!

Lots of love,

A much happier and wiser version of you

xoxox


Dedicated to the people who help me through and make me laugh on days I need it most. Ross, Jess and Neesey, you the real MVP's xoxo

So, in classic Laura fashion, as soon as the January sales hit I spent way too much money buying things I definitely did not need! (You'll have to forgive my lack of photography skills, I haven't quite grasped the concept of flat-lays yet!)


Select

From Select I managed to pick up some absolute bargains, as well as some beautiful things that weren't in the sale.
 Skirt - £10 (in the sale)
Tops - £3 each! (in the sale)


 Bag - £3.99 (in the sale) - I've been after a small going out bag for ages, so when I saw this one which was exactly what I was looking for, i had to get it!

 Urban Decay

I can't remember how much these both were, all i remember is that they were far too much money on something i definitely didn't need, but that's what happens when Ross leaves me unassisted at the Urban Decay counter! Despite the price, i am so glad I brought them - they're amazing!


One of my New Years resolutions was to make sure i read more, since i love reading and didn't make anywhere near enough time for it last year! I haven't managed to read any yet since I'm finishing the Girl on The Train, but as soon as I do, i'll be sure to give you a review!

So that's it, everything i brought in the January Sales! Since I'm a student and I'm now very poor, you probably won't see another one for a while, but i hope you enjoyed it!

TTFN,

Laura xoxo