Hello!

Let’s be honest - most of us want to at least be recognisable to people, and for people to think that we are particularly unique in some way or another. The truth is that this is a pretty normal human instinct, and rather than feel bad about it, we can utilise it to try and improve the way in which we relate to our lives. If you are keen to try and stand out from the crowd a little more, then there are a number of things you can try doing which ar likely to be pretty effective in ensuring that this happens. That will mean that people respect you more - but more importantly, that you respect yourself - and that will lead to a much more fulfilling social life for you. Let’s take a look at some of the ways to stand out from the crowd much more effectively.

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Focus On You

First of all, the irony here is worth repeating: if you want to stand out, you have to not really focus on the crowd. Having an attitude which is all about what people think of you will be sure to make you either invisible or unpleasant to be around, and in either case you wont’ get what you want. What this is all really about is ensuring that you focus on yourself, rather than the opinions of those around you. You can’t ever change their opinions for them anyway, so you might as well ensure that you are just doing your thing. Ironically, once you focus on yourself in that way, you will find that it does have a positive effect on your social life, and that you stand out for merely being so personally confident and radiant. It’s a powerful thing, and worth investigating.

Look Unique

By focusing on your looks, and how you present yourself, you can be sure to stand out much more effectively from the crowd, and often in such a way that you are able to make it a much happier experience too. It is great if you have one thing which is distinctly you and your style, whether that is ear stretchers or a particular colour that looks great on you. Whatever it is, it will ensure that people associate you with a particular thing, which in turn makes you unique and interesting to be around.

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Be Sociable

Finally make sure that you are focusing on being sociable and making others happy if you really want people to notice you. You will be amazed at what a difference this makes, and actually it is one of the most powerful things you can do. It will also ensure that you are living a full and happy life, and that those around you are too, so it is definitely something to focus on as best as you can. If nothing else, it makes for a much better way of living.

Hello!

University is one of the most progressive and important experiences a person can have in their lives. There are so many things that play a part in the whole uni experience, and it’s fair to suggest this is something that will be different for everybody. The best thing you can do is to dive into the process head on and make sure you think carefully about the best way of ensuring you have the full experience.

There is no right or wrong way to approach university life, but there are certainly ideas that will help you make the most of things in the future. There are certain ways you can throw yourself into the lifestyle that can really give you an edge and make things more enjoyable. Take the time to indulge in these ideas, and use them to make your university experience complete.

Open Your Mind

You need to make sure you do as much as you can to go into this experience with an open mind. There are a lot of new cultures, backgrounds, and races that you will encounter when you are at university. There are so many different and diverse people you will encounter who might be different to what you are used to. And you need to go into the process with an open mind and not be afraid of things that are new.

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Choose Your Accommodation Wisely

It is also very important to choose the right accommodation when you start uni as well. You want to make sure you are living somewhere secure and safe that will allow you to remain sociable as well. Student accommodation is affordable and enjoyable, and it is important that you choose somewhere that is going to help you improve your social status within uni.

Get a Part-Time Job

While it is true that university is about study and learning, it is also about helping to prepare you for the working world. You have to make sure you are focused on improving your future, and getting a part-time job is one of the most important things you can do. This will provide you with income in order to help you through uni, as well as setting up contacts for the future.

Take Your Studies Seriously

At the end of the day, you are at university in order to learn, study, and enhance your future. There are so many excellent benefits to getting a great education, so you have to make sure you make time for your studies. You need to make sure you think about getting the best from your studies, and this means taking things seriously and dedicating time to your education.

As you can see, there is a lot to think about when you first start out at university. And the more you can do to embrace the different facets of this lifestyle, the better it will be. Think about how much it takes to improve your experience, and you will be well-placed to understand why it is so important to make your time at university count.

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Hello!

There is no better time to travel than right now – although that’s not always possible, so thinking ahead to 2019 is also good! Whether you are planning a family holiday or an epic gap year, there are so many amazing and exciting places to see – I find that the more places I visit, the more destinations I want to add to my bucket list. So here are just 5 exciting destinations to visit in 2019.

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is unlike anywhere else and needs to be seen to be experienced. Despite being incredibly busy, the locals are known for being super polite, and the younger generations’ fashion is really fun and colourful.

You will not want to stop eating and exploring, which is ideal because the food is delicious (although most of it will not be familiar!) and the public transit is the busiest in the world. However, it is also incredibly efficient and clean – so that makes up for the busyness.

Be sure to experience the beautiful temples and shrines and walk around the gardens for some respite from the busy urban city.

Tanzania

One of the biggest draws to visiting Tanzania is the fact that it is the home of some of the biggest game reserves and parks in Africa. If you want to see the Big Five, then there is no better place. If you time your trip right, you could also catch the Great Migration, which is where over a million wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle take on the yearlong trek between Tanzania’s Serengeti and the Masai Mara in Kenya. It really is a sight to behold. Alongside seeing the animals in their natural habitats you could also spend time relaxing on the white-sand beaches or taking a boat trip across the turquoise waters.

Iceland

There are very few places in the world quite like Iceland. If you visit between May to June you will experience 24-hour daylight, or around the 20th - 22nd June jump on a tour to experience the midnight sun.

Another incredible natural phenomenon is the aurora borealis or Northern Lights, which can often be seen between September and April, so you’ll have to choose between the two! The Geothermal baths are a must visit to bathe in, and it wouldn't be the “Land of Ice and Fire” if it wasn’t for the glaciers and volcanoes that cover the island.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Over the past 20 or so years, Dubai has sprung up from the desert and become one of the most exciting places on the planet. The skyline is breathtaking and this cultural melting pot is home to incredible diversity, which makes it a perfect place for anyone who wants to eat their way around the world while staying in one place!

It boasts over 300 days of sunshine per year and has fantastic beaches to relax on. Dubai doesn’t do things small, from the tallest buildings in the world to the biggest mall which hosts incredible giveaways in January, including prizes such as gold and cars. You might end up coming back richer than when you left!

The Maldives

If you are looking for some ultimate luxury, book yourself a trip to the Maldives; it’s an absolutely stunning place to relax and indulge. For a little more adventure, try some watersports such as snorkelling, surfing and jet-skiing or just rent a private yacht to spend a day sailing around paradise. The food is delectable and you can treat yourself to a spa treatment in your beachside villa. Bliss.

I could easily go on and on with other places to visit in 2019 – there are just so many options! 

Where are you planning to visit? Let me know in the comments!

 Best wishes on your holiday booking!

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Hello!

Travelling can have a huge impact on the world. Sure, it can really help a destination’s economy be boosted by all the extra cash brought in by tourists, but there are also some big negatives that can affect the local community too. For instance, it often leads to gentrification that can price local families out of the cheap areas. Not only that, though, but the environmental impact can also be huge as long plane journeys and car travel can damage the environment.

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Because of this, a lot of eco-conscious tourists and travellers now try to give back while they are on vacation. By doing so, they can improve the local community at the destination they travel to, and lessen the overall impact of their travels. Is this something that you are interested in? Here’s a quick guide that can help you give back while travelling the world.

Take an ethical tour

If you are interested in travelling with a tour group as part of your trip, you should investigate the company you book with. Ideally, you should always book with an ethical tour group. These are ones that donate part of their profits to local charities based in the areas they travel to. Some of them will even hire local people to help create jobs in the area. It’s always best to go with these ethically minded companies rather than ones that don’t try to fix the negative impact they have on local communities.

Volunteer with a local charity

Some charities welcome tourists to volunteer with them while they are travelling. This is usually a very popular option with people who are on their gap year. But, as you can see from the example set by Kirk Chewning, you don’t have to just be on your gap year to help out with a charitable organisation. If you are travelling through a region that has recently been blighted by disaster, you might be able to help with the relief effort. Alternatively, you might want to travel to an African country and help to build schools and wells.

Support local businesses

Of course, supporting charities isn’t the only way you can help local people. If you buy products from local businesses, you will be helping to keep their economy afloat as well. Similarly, it is always best to use public transport rather than hiring vehicles from outside companies. It may not seem like much, but you will actually be providing a big boost to the local economy.

Donate unused air miles

If you are a member of an airline loyalty scheme, you will have probably been collecting air miles for quite some time. Got some air miles leftover that you might not use? Well, if so, you can donate these to a charity of your choice. Most charities accept them and use them to fly out their workers and volunteers so that they can help on the ground in developing areas.

There are lots of ways to give back while you are travelling. Which one will you try out?

Hello!

If you are looking to make the most out of your gap year, you will be thinking about partying or earning some money. The good news is that you have many more options that you can think of suddenly. You can take on an apprenticeship, a course, or a work experience abroad and see the world before you get your head down and study hard for your degree.

Below you will find a few tips on how to plan your gap year and make the most out of it.

Image via Flickr

INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERING

In case you would like to spend the year travelling the world, but don’t want to spend a fortune, you can get your costs covered  by an international organisation. You will be able to get free food and accommodation, and volunteer in remote locations, such in wildlife sanctuaries or within disadvantaged communities. You can volunteer in Central America and meet new people, while discovering your true mission.

STUDYING ABROAD

You might also want to take on a short course abroad and expand your horizons. You might be able to pick up a new language and improve your people skills. No matter if you are interested in marketing, business, or hospitality, you will find a course. Check out various opportunities to study at a prestigious swiss hotel management school and find new opportunities and interests, even job prospects in Europe.

FOREIGN APPRENTICESHIPS

You might already have a degree or skill you can put to good use and increase your knowledge about your selected industry. Foreign apprenticeships will help you get a better view of the global economy and understand the industry. If you come back with more knowledge than the rest of your future classmates, you will have a competitive advantage on the job market.

TEACHING ENGLISH

Many students choose to teach English during their gap year. The good news is that you will get to know new views, cultures, and languages, so you can improve your employability. You will be able to make friends for life, and even get free language courses and accommodation. You will, however, need to complete an ESL course before you can get a position at your selected destination.

HIRE A CAR

This may be one for those who have taken a few years out and have passed their driving test but it is still a mode of travel to a foreign country that is often overlooked. Whether to drive on to a ferry and head to Ireland or fancy going across to Europe and driving as far as land can take you, there are so many places you can go with your own car. However, if you fancy going that bit further, you can look into hiring a car! Not only do you get to experience a country behind a wheel, but you get to experience a new type of car and in some places, that is an adventure in itself. Beware though as many places only allow you to hire a car if your over 21 or have had your license for at least three years. Check the fine details!

Not learnt to drive yet? How about spending your summer learning!

Image via Army.mil

Talking of driving...

Fancy staying at home and getting nervous about university? Then another good way of spending your gap year is test driving various courses. Some colleges and universities have open days or weeks to help you make an informed decision about your education. You might also spend the time to take on online free courses, so you can find out whether the topics still appeal to you, before you make your final decision about the university or college. Instead of enrolling and finding out later that the course is not for you, it is possible to visit some of the lessons to see if you can get used to the schedule and the teaching methods.

It is important that you spend your gap year as productive as possible. Time never stops and never comes back, so you have to turn this free period to your advantage.

Don't worry about making the right choice right now! Life changes so do what you enjoy doing!

- KC xx

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Hello!

July feels like ages ago yet August has gone so quickly. It is now September and I have now moved into my new university flat, ready for the first semester of my final year to start. I haven't quite managed to put a finger on how I'm feeling just yet, I guess I'm both anxious and relaxed about the whole thing. I do want to start, and I also don't want to. I know this next year is going to go so fast and I'm going to have a lot of work to do but in the meantime, I want to make sure I'm making the most out of my time in Hull. Last year I barely read anything and often found myself slobbing around not doing much other than studying. This year I want to manage my time much better by getting myself to the gym, reading books and also studying as much as I can.

The best way for my to stay motivated is often writing about it and throughout August I had quite a few books sent to me to review. Hopefully I'll keep on receiving those books so I'll just have to make the time to read. What an excuse!

Before all that, let's get to my monthly round up! Here are all the books I read throughout August:

I Let You Go - Clare Mackintosh

Paperback

Since I read I See You on holiday last year, I had been really looking forward to reading this book, especially since I kept having people tell me how good it was. I definitely very much enjoyed it and found myself literally gasp out loud on the odd occasion. It's not very often a book creates an actual physical reaction! Read my review here!

The Darkness Around Her - Neil White

Paperback

After reading the first chapter or so on Readers First, I was very excited to find out I was to be gifted a copy in return for a review! The book did not disappoint. Between this and I Let You Go, I now have a serious love for crime and thriller novels! I want to read more! Read my review here!

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

eBook

I read this on BorrowBox every so often when I wanted to read but was unable to read a physical book (like I prefer). It was perfect for times when I was sat in a pub and not feeling the conversation. Sorry for being anti-social! I enjoyed the book but, not going to lie, I kind of enjoyed the programme more. That's perhaps a controversial opinion but there it is. Review coming soon! 

The Saturday Girls - Elizabeth Woodcraft

Paperback

This has got to be my least favourite book this month. No, sorry, this year. It was more of a majority read as I couldn't finish it. I got so bored that it sent me into a reading slump. Knowing I had to read it to review it, I kept putting off reading by watching TV. Still I did review it and you can read that here!

(Ignore the non-English translation cover, it was the first and best one I could find on google images to take this photo! I also didn't realise until I just uploaded it on to here.)

Simon vs the Homo Sapien Agenda

eBook

I can still feel the feels I got from this book. I laughed out loud and found myself smiling throughout. It was just such a wonderfully lovely book to read and found myself needing to watch the movie so badly. Now I have seen it and really can't compare the two. The movie was definitely and over dramatised version of the book but it was done in a way that captured the humour and the feels perfectly. I thoroughly enjoyed both and look forward to reading the second book to read more about Simon and his new boyf. Read my review here!

Killer T - Robert Muchamore

Hardback

I can't stop talking about this book. It was so unique and thought-provoking that I found it astonishing. The more I think about it, the more I love it. I had not read a Robert Muchamore book before so I didn't know what to expect but now I want to pick up some CHERUB books. I think I already have the first which I've never read so I think it's time! You can read my review here!

TOTAL BOOKS READ: 5 and a majority

I didn't read as many as July, most likely down to the reading slump I got into from reading The Saturday Girls, but I still very glad I'm still reading a lot and I am not 2 books of my 2018 reading challenge of 30 books. I originally choose to try and read 30 because normally I do 50 and don't make it as life tends to get in the way but this summer I have proved that I can read at least one book a week when I want to! Here's to keeping it up when I'm back at uni. I would imagine you'll start seeing plays being added to my list. 

Until the next book...

- KC xx

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The modern world moves at such a speed these days that it can honestly be a little overwhelming. We're all constantly made to feel as though we have to be rushing around at all times. It's like we're all constantly late for something without really knowing what it is. From work to family to relationships to maintaining some semblance of a social life, it can often feel as though you're being pulled apart in a whole lot of different directions at once. That can make it near impossible to actually take some time for yourself to rest, relax and recharge. So what can you do if that kind of life is getting to you and you just need to take some time for yourself? Well, why not consider getting away from it all? Sure, a vacation probably seems like an obvious choice but what if you really want to go a step further and get away from the modern world entirely. Well, if that's the case, you might just want to get off the grid and head into the wilderness. Of course, that kind of trip comes with its own complications that you have to think about but if you really throw yourself into it, it can be one of the best antidotes to the modern world there is. With that in mind, here are some things to consider when trying to get off the grid.

Choose the kind of trip you're taking

After all, there are a lot of different ways to get off the grid. Are you going to help out in a remote village, building schools? Or perhaps you're really looking to get into the wilderness, sleeping rough by night and exploring the landscape by day? It's a good idea to think carefully about what kind of trip you want to take so that you don't come up against any really nasty surprises along the way.

Think about your health

Your health is always going to be a much bigger concern when you're going off the grid than if you were taking a city break or other, more standard, vacation. There are plenty of places where the risks to your health are very real and you should take them incredibly seriously. Luckily, there are always things that you can do to protect yourself. For example, Malarone is used if travelling to a malarial zone but you should always speak to your doctor before taking any kind of trip like this. From bug bites to dirty water, your body may not be fully prepared for the kinds of conditions that this kind of trip can present.

Alone or with company?

One of the biggest decisions that you have to make when it comes to this kind of trip is who you're going to travel with? If you're travelling in a group then you're still going to have a reminder of the world around you which, for some people, can completely defeat the point of taking the trip in the first place. However, travelling alone can be an incredibly lonely and difficult experience for a lot of people and having company can make life a lot easier. It might be less "pure" than going it alone, but you may find that your trip is made much more pleasant by the presence of some friends.

How long are you going for?

The other thing to consider is how long you're going to be away for. How much time away from the world do you really need? Is this going to be a short trip to recharge your batteries and let you get back to the world feeling happy and confident? Or are you looking to have a much longer experience that lets you entirely change your life for months, if not years? There are a whole lot of factors that impact this choice, from financial to personal, but in the end, it's always going to come down to you and what you want.

The truth is that there are a lot of challenges involved taking this kind of trip and it's certainly not going to be for everyone. You need to think carefully if this is the right choice for you. After all, for some people, a couple of weeks by the side of the pool sipping cocktails is all they really need to charge their batteries and get back to feeling in control of their life. However, if this is the kind of trip that appeals to you, make sure that you do as much planning as possible so that you really can get the most out of it.

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Hello!

After a recent visit to West Yorkshire I ended up taking over 800 photos in three days, clearly too many to be using on individual posts so I wanted to share some more of them on a photo diary type post. Here goes:

There we are, loads of photos! These are all from around Settle, Skipton, Hawes, and walking trails around. It's such a beautiful area to visit and I always love going back. Plenty of photo opportunities so perfect for playing around with my camera! 

See you later,

- KC xx