My First Wheels...

So we all know how important our first cars can be. It is the car which you make all your memories with, the scrapes, the near misses and also the first one you take your friends around in to show off your newly learnt skills. It is also the first car you feel free and independent in, it becomes your space and the one you own and have all your awkward moments in. It is not your first house, but your first real 'practical' item that you own.

My first car was a Nissan Micra, it was a closest thing that i could get to a Volkswagen Beetle and i was completely in love with it. It was purple and so so adorable and i christened her Minnie because she looked so scared on the road next to the big gas guzzlers.

Only issue was that it was a victim of the cliche where it was constantly breaking down. It had so many problems from having defective parts to having some splendid breakdowns including its clutch collapsing on a  busy road about. I ended up being towed through lots of traffic and a one way system - an experience i never want to go through again.

I had some great memories in there too, from getting stuck in tiny car parks when my parking skills were zero and i couldn't figure out how on earth to navigate out of it, to driving to Canterbury for my best friend's wedding. I always remember fondly how driving on the motorway meant that i could not go past 60mph or the car would start to shake and feel like it was going to roll over at any minute.It exasperated my family and friends but i was just in love with it.

In the end, the car did just die on me and refused to move. It developed an electrical fault, one which mechanics and the Nissan dealership could not figure what on earth it was. I had a good year with this car, she served myself as a first time driver pretty well and she tried her best to soldier on right till the very end.

I now drive a much sportier model of a Seat Ibiza but i still remember Minnie fondly, she had a good heart but just couldn't muster up the courage to stay well on the mean roads of London. 

Welcome to 2015 people!

2015. When did that happen? I seriously cannot tell you where last year has went, it has gone so quickly and i have a strange feeling that this one will not be any different. Last year was full of many life changing decisions on my part and 2015 will be my year of self change and self preservation. It is easy to live this life where we stay on the treadmill which never stops going. I feel as though all i have done is run from one thing to another and not really taken time to enjoy moments which should be enjoyed. There are probably many of you who are reading this who agree with me.

So here are my new year's resolutions, i loathe to call them this though as they always do end up being broken by many. Here are a few things which i would like to focus on to try and find a happier medium in my daily life.

Be healthier

I took the decision towards the end of 2014 to join a professional gym and that has started to make a real difference for me. I am starting to get more exercise back into my life and this helps me sleep better but also feel better after long dark stressful days at work. I have also got myself a lovely personal trainer, Carly who is motivating me to make my gym routines more enduring and checking up on my daily eating to make sure i am eating regularly with higher energy filled food. I didn't realise how much i needed this so i am pleased to be taking this forward.

Take care of me

Over the years, i have become rather obsessed with working and that has meant that i do have a tendency to neglect myself. I want to make sure that this year, i take the time to have treatments like facials and massages and treat my body a lot better in the long run. I don't do this often enough at all and i want to make an effort to do this because i love the way it makes me feel when i do.

Nourishing my spirit

Whether this is through prayer or through self discovery, i want to learn how to understand myself better and who i am. Like anyone else, i am plagued with my own insecurities every day and sometimes no matter how confident i look from the outside, i am shaking from the inside desperate to feel more confident and happy. So this year, i want to find myself through new experiences and learn more about the world around me,

Blog more

I have always loved to write, i find it highly therapeutic and i love writing for an audience. I don't do this nearly enough and i want to be more organised so i can blog more. Who knows, if i can keep this up then i will be creating video blogs by the end of the year!

Good luck to all of you with your new year's rules and let's all try and keep at least one this year!

The time i went to Disneyland Paris... Part 2

Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris

Disneyland Paris was pretty much what i was expecting but that did not change my excitement for it. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the incredibly beautiful Sleeping Beauty's castle as is iconic for Walt Disney. No matter how many photos you have seen of this, nothing can beat how beautiful it is in the flesh. Absolutely stunning and the lawns around the castle were decked in snow for Christmas. The whole resort is structured with the castle in its very centre so we used that as a point of navigation when getting around the park. 

Pirates of the Caribbean shipwreck

One thing you have give Walt Disney credit for is their commitment to bringing those Disney films to life, the ones we love and adore. In particular, i loved walking around the Pirates of the Caribbean caves and discovering the shipwreck, it is a maze of tunnels but so much fun just to navigate the tunnels. 

Christmas at Walt Disney

Though the park was decorated for Christmas and that was the point of all the decorations, it was a little disheartening to see how much of the park is dedicated to shops and getting visitors to buy ornaments and merchandise. The shops were housed in Walt Disney style shops for example, there was Chipettos house which was a toy shop inside, but it would have been good to have more spaces to explore instead of having Disney sell us stuff. 

However, the park has to be given credit for its commitment to the decorations it puts up for Christmas. There was not one surface which had not been decked in holly or had lights added to it. The tree is simply spectacular and they also did a light show around it on the Disney Parade. 

Inside Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Disney Christmas Parade

Light and Sound Christmas Show on the Sleeping Beauty Castle

It is impossible not to get swept away with the Disney fun and grown adults were celebrating and revelling in the magic. It was astounding to see the Christmas show at the end of the day and it was beautiful. The whole show was heavily influenced by film of the moment Frozen but it would have been good to see the classic Disney films being equally celebrated too. It is a great day out though so i would highly recommend it, purely for the magic and fun Disney brings to it. 

The day i went to Disneyland Paris... Part 1

I have to admit i am a die hard Disney fan so any fangirling i do throughout this post is a result of this. I was incredibly excited to go on this visit to Disneyland Paris and as it was during Christmas, my favourite month of the year, i was even more psyched. Since i was a little girl, i have always wanted to to Disneyland in Florida so when i saw the deal come up on Groupon, i felt like i had to pay a visit to Disneyland Paris which is closer to home and more affordable too than the real place too.

Disneyland Paris is incredibly exciting and when you enter, they ensure you feel like you are in the land of all things happy and magical. All the car parks, for example, are named after Disney characters. We were parked in the Tigger car park. After quite a walk on travelators, we reached the entrance. Disneyland is split into two parts, one is Walt Disney Studios and the other is Disneyland Paris. Walt Disney studios closes first so it is always wise to tackle that first.

Walt Disney Studios

Disney own a lot of film franchises and it was actually astonishing to see how many they actually did have. We entered the studios through this heated indoor 'street' which was lined with gift shops and restaurants. We were not hungry when we arrived so headed straight through to discover the park. First up, we did the special effects tour by train through the sets of various famous Disney franchised movies. It was amazing to see the film sets come to life. To show just how much goes into a special effects scene, we were put into one complete with an earthquake, raging fire and a flood of water.

After this we headed into Toyland which is a real life adaptation of Toy Story. Greeted by Buzz Lightyear, us mere humans are made to feel smaller than the larger than life toys. This was catering for a younger audience but i loved the spinning springy dog as one of the rides.

We also took part in the experience to be on the sets of an action film which was a space station set being attacked by asteroids. That was brilliant, complete with special effects and fire flares in the background.

One thing to be aware of is that Walt Disney studios closes earlier than Disneyland Paris so it is worth doing this one first. It has meet and greets with the Disney characters dotted around the studios and we stumbled on them purely by accident. We had the chance to see some of them, the odd thing was that Jasmine and Aladdin were tanned to look Asian, ironic considering there are is an Asian population in Paris.

Part 2 about Disneyland Paris coming soon....

Visiting the Clothes Show Live at the NEC Birmingham

I haven't been to a Clothes Show Live since i was 16 and studying fashion at A Level. All i remember it to be is shopping heaven with lots of opportunities to shop and see the upcoming trends for the coming year. So going back after 10 years, i was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the show has not changed one bit. It has just got bigger and better.

It was a little daunting at the start to arrive and see hordes of teenage girls heading into NEC Birmingham but once you got inside, it wasn't so bad. The deals on clothes and beauty were second to none. I managed to get some amazing dresses for as little as £10 and they were beautiful. I think i might do a lookbook soon with those on. They also had a vast beauty section at the show where you could get deals on make up and beauty products. Rimmel were doing a bag full of products for only £10 as were Barry M, so some great deals to find.

The ticket to the Clothes Show Live also gives you access to the Fashion theatre where they put on a choreographed dance/fashion show, showing off designer fashions and upcoming trends. These were very well done with an awkward introduction from Peter Andre starting off proceedings. The segments were split by trend and accompanied by dance performance. I particularly loved one where a model came out in this beautiful white gown as a snow queen and also another where these models in suits were acting against a project of themselves depicting Wall Street.

The Clothes Show Live is a great day out with your girlfriends and really good for some bargain deals. It is like an affordable version of London Fashion Week and if you don't mind buying your summer fashion early, it is perfect!

Visit Leeds Castle at Christmas time

Leeds Castle through the trees in the woodland

Leeds Castle is one of those places which are not talked about enough when it comes to must see castles. It isn't discussed in any of our tourism brochures but it is one of those castles which are truly English. The pure heritage value of the castle can be worth a lot and it is such a majestic and beautiful place. It is set in miles of woodland and grounds which alone are worth exploring on a nice sunny day and one thing is for sure, you will not be faced with lots of tourists and their selfie sticks. At Christmas time, they go all out and decorate the castle and the grounds in tinsel and lights. This year in particular, they have been working with the Biscuiteers to create all their Christmas decorates and even more amazing is a biscuit creation of the entire castle. 

It is based in Kent by the way, not in Leeds if the distance is a deterrent for Londoners and it feels like you are in another world out there. For families, you could easily spend the day there, have a picnic in the grounds and work off the food in the extensive maze which sits behind the castle.

For more information see here: http://www.leeds-castle.com/home

Enjoy the pictures!

Biscuit model of the interior of the castle

Peacocks roam the grounds and they are stunning

Biscuit model of the whole castle

Victoria's Secret Show: London 2014 - My Favourite Moments

The Angels line up

When i heard that the Victoria's Secret Show was coming to London, i was so excited. I have been watching out for the shows for year, not because i like to oogle girls in their lingerie but because they always look like so much fun, The girls look like they are having a great time on and off stage around the show and they always look healthy. They work out to get their bodies for the show and it all pays off on the catwalk. However, much to my disappointment, the tickets were not on sale. In fact you had to be either dirt rich to make huge donations to their chosen charity to get one or be considered to be famous enough to attend. It is a real shame because having seen some videos from the show, the crowd looks dead silent and rather bored when real fans would have been enthusiastic and wanting to a part of the experience.

Anyway, i digress. These are some of my favourite moments:

This show was all about Taylor Swift. She looked amazing on stage and her interaction with the girls was so cute. She literally has the world at her feet at the moment and despite being surround some incredibly stunning women, she stood out and gave some of them a run for their money. 

Taylor Swift on stage with Karlie Kloss

Is there anything more cute than this picture? Taylor and her bestie Karlie Kloss were on stage at the show and i loved their sweet moments interacting and cheering each other on.

Alessandra Ambrosio and Adriana Lima lead the way at the Victoria's Secret Show as they dazzle in $2m Dream Angels Fantasy Bras

Of course the million dollar bras which are always so epic as part of the shows. I never seem to think they are as pretty as the rest of the collection but they are always centre stage.

Speaking of centre stage, Ed Sheeran did look like the cat who had got the cream surrounded by all the beautiful women at the show!