First Christmas Post: Secret - Santa / Stocking Fillers Ideas

Hey guys!

It is hard to believe how close Christmas is! Only a month left! I may be 20 (almost 21) but that doesn't stop me from being just the tinsy bit excited. I just love everything about Christmas - the songs, the food, the general feel, and the presents, of course. I always look forward to this time of year.


In this post I am going to share some cute gifts that I found on the Dot Com website whilst looking for presents to give my own friends. I thought that there were some really great gifts to give a Secret Santa or to put in stockings.


Here's the link to the website: http://www.dotcomgiftshop.com/

1. Set 40 Heart Shape Petit Four Cases - £3.95
2. Ice Cream Sundae Lip Gloss - £2.95
3. Wooden Frame Antique White - £8.95
4. Vintage Libertine Notebook - £4.95
5. Vintage Meadow Flower Notebook - £4.95
6. Blue Bouquet Oilcloth Coin Purse - £3.95
7. Bundle of 3 Retro Flora Notebooks - £4.95
8. Set of 4 Highlighter Pens - £4.95
9. Red Bouquet Oilcloth Coin Purse - £3.95
10. Pink Doughnut Trinket Pot - £3.95

Don't you just adore these gifts? They're so cute and useful. The lipglosses are perfect for those with a sweet tooth and the highlighter pens are cleverly designed to look like nail varnish pots. The notebooks are really pretty too. I think these gifts are perfect for girls of any age (well, maybe not too young).

Hasta luego!

Serena

Late November Book Haul

 

Hey guys! 

So as you know from my previous post, I recently did an Amazon order. The books finally arrived so I can do a post showing you what I bought. :D

 

It is evident from the photo above that I went a bit cray cray with the number of books I purchased. What can I say, I just love books! I still have The Nature of Jade (by Deb Caletti) to arrive. For some reason, the last date it will be delivered is the 12th of December, which seems like a long way off (thought in reality it is only 3 weeks away).

Anyway, the first book I ordered is Ransom My Heart. I was a big fan of Meg Cabot as a young teenager - I was obsessed with the Princess Diaries and also read some of her other books, for example How to Be Popular and Teen Idol. I recently read the first book in the Heather Wells series, and Queen of Babble is on my bookshelf back home in London. In some of the Princess Diaries books there were snippets from a book the protagonist (Mia Thermopolis) was working on. I was so excited when I heard that Meg Cabot was going to turn Mia's story into a book. I always wanted to know what was going to happen next.

 

 

 

Bright Young Things is the next book in my pile. As I loved Gossip Girl, I was keen to read a similar sort of book but set several decades earlier. On the back cover there is a quote from Grazia magazine saying that Bright Young Things is "Gossip Girl set in the 19th century". That definitely captured my attention.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher is a book I've been meaning to read for YEARS. It sounds like a really captivating book, though I was a bit put off by the use of the second person voice. Nevertheless, I'll give it a go...

 

 

 

I saw a couple of trailers for the TV series of My Mad Fat Diary and instantly thought "I must watch this". However, I didn't get round to watching it so I'm going to read the book first instead. It looks utterly hilarious and I know I will be laughing non-stop when I finally get round to reading it over the Xmas hols. I have always loved real-life / diary books (e.g. Anne Frank and Confessions of Georgia Nicholson) so My Mad Fat Diary is perfect for me.

The next book, Forgotten, is about a girl who forgets her past and remembers her future instead. I have recently gotten into books about memory - a couple of months ago I read Before I Go To Sleep.

 Between sounds a bit like Before I Fall (Lauren Oliver) and If I Stay (Gayle Forman), two books I really enjoyed during the summer. It doesn't seem to be a very well-known book so I'll be uploading a review once I've finished reading it.

 

 

 

  

The final book in my book haul is Safe Haven. Nicholas Sparks is an author I'd like to read more books by. I read The Last Song a couple of years ago and watched the film adaption of Dear John a bit more recently. On my list of books to read, along with Safe Haven, are The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, The Best of Me, The Lucky One, The Choice and Nights in Rodanthe.

So there are the books I bought! I'm going to try to do a book haul every month but it's pretty hard on a student budget. There are some good bargains around though. ;)

 

 Hasta luego!

 

 

Serena

Some photos!

Hey guys!

So I've been in York for five weeks now. I've started all my lectures and seminars, and I (think) I know what societies I will be a member of for this year. They are as follows:

1. Sociology (As I study Sociology, I kinda have to be a member of the Sociology Society)

2. Spanish (Unfortunately, the Spanish society doesn't seem to put on many events. Last year there were a few dance classes so hopefully there'll be some again this year)

3. Photography (I love taking photos!)

4. Dance (I'm doing Street Dance classes this term. I've done Street Dance before, for a term at Sylvia Young, but I'm not very good)

5. Trampolining (I will actually try to go at least once every week this year. I was kinda put off after my elbow bleed onto the trampoline. Damn you, front drops!)

6. Vanbrugh Voices (College Choir)


I am also a member of Vision, a student newspaper!!!! :O





In other news, I took some pictures of sports on campus this week. They can be found below:

That's all for today!


Hasta luego!


Serena

September Book Haul

 

Hey guys!

As I have only been out at night a couple of times in York since I have been here, I have saved A LOT of money. Which is somewhat surprising considering I have been spending an awful lot on food.

Anyway, I decided to put the money I have saved to good use: a book haul. I've done a few of these before, but it's only today that I have decided to do a post on the books I have bought.

So a couple of weeks ago I paid a visit to The Works, a shop that sells books quite cheaply. I found three books I wanted for £1 each!!!!

 

I've wanted this book for a while. It's recommended for fans of Before I Fall (Lauren Oliver) so I should enjoy it.

 

All These Things I've Done is by Gabrielle Zevin, author of Elsewhere and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, which I read a few months ago. Elsewhere and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac are amongst some of my favourite YA novels. Hopefully All These Things I've Done will live up to my expectations of a Gabrielle Zevin book.

 

I couldn't resist buying Hidden. Although I still have yet to read (and buy) Destined, the ninth book in the House of Night series, I just had to buy Hidden. I mean, it was ONE POUND!!!! It's quite hard to find the books I want for that price.

Onto the books I bought on Amazon...

Looking For Alaska is John Green's first novel. It is described on Amazon as "The unmissable first novel from bestselling and award-winning author of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS", and apparently it "will stay with you forever." Looking For Alaska is "Poignant, funny, heartbreaking and compelling".

This book is EVERYWHERE at the moment. I wasn't sure whether I would like it or not but a friend recommended it to me so that should be a positive thing.

One thing: WHY DIDN'T I BUY THIS BOOK YEARS AGO?!?!?!?!?! (I apologise for the caps)

                                       I'll definitely be reading this book during the summer.

Gossip Girl is great. Typically, I watched the TV series first before I embarked on reading the books. I read the first book around April / May, just before my end of year exams. Obviously, there were a lot of things that were different from the TV programme. I won't go into detail on what these were.


                                     

Sarra Manning (above) and Cat Clarke (below) are two new authors I want to get into. I just LOVE the covers of their books!

Have you bought any books recently? If so, what are they?

 

Hasta luego!

  

Serena

What I Am Reading At the Moment

Hey again!

During the last few days I have been reading two books: Paper Towns by John Green and Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast. I'm reading Paper Towns on the Kindle app on my laptop and I've got Awakened in paperback form. Over the summer holidays I have developed a habit of having two books on the go on the same time. Before starting Paper Towns and Awakened I read Anna and the French Kiss (I can't believe I only just got round to reading it) and Before I Go To Sleep. It's just easier to read one paperback book and one online book since there are so many books I want to read and so little time to do so.


Having recently enjoyed The Fault in Our Stars, I was eager to try another book by John Green. I settled upon Paper Towns as it has good reviews and I know it's coming out as a film in the near future. According to IMDB, it should be in cinemas next summer. I'm currently on Chapter 17 and, despite not being as great as the reviews claim, Paper Towns is a fairly good book. Of course, it will never be as amazing as TFIOS. I'm surprised Cara Delevingne was chosen to play the part of Margo. I think someone like Kaya Scodelario or Juno Temple would've been more suited to the role. Speaking of Kaya Scodelario, I am so excited to see the Maze Runner. The book was great!









Anyway, enough pictures...


Around the time of the first Twilight film, I got really into another vampire book series - House of Night. Unlike Twilight, P.C. Cast's books are based around a school - for vampires, of course. A teenage girl called Zoey Redbird gets "Marked" and is sent to a boarding school for people like her. The books falls Zoey as she falls in and out of love, deals with the deaths of people close to her, and tries to stop evil from ruining her life, as well as her friends' lives. Okay, so it's not a very good summary, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read House of Night yet.


Apparently they're making a film of House of Night. I've always been curious to see who they would cast to play the protagonist. I'm thinking Nina Dobrev or Lucy Hale or Shenae Grimes. Angelina Jolie would probably make a good Neferet. AnnaLynne McCord, Dianna Agron, Hayden Panettiere and Britt Robertson are my suggestions for Aphrodite. I'm still not sure about the other characters yet, but Ed Westwick would be great as one of the male leads (Rephaim?), possibly Matt Lanter (Heath?), Kellan Lutz (Erik?) Ian Somerhalder (Kalona?) and Andrew Garfield too. I saw that on one of the forums for the "Ideal Cast" someone said Stark should be portrayed by Andrew Garfield. I think that would work quite well. Another fan suggested Chace Crawford for Stark. Ooo, definitely! ;)



So there you go!


Hasta luego!


Serena

August 2014 Favourites

‎

Ok, so I know it is the beginning of September, and I haven't really done a post like this before, but here are my August 2014 favourites:
 

1. Portugal

 

Last week I went to Portugal with my family. We stayed in a beautiful villa near Faro. The weather was amazing, unlike England (though apparently it was sunny while I was away), so I was able to use the private swimming pool every day. The only downside to the holiday was that we weren't there for longer. 

 

2. Summer in the City

 

Ah, I will never forget this incredible weekend! I met some lovely people, including Youtubers Hazel Hayes and Tessa Violet. Cross fingers I will be able to go again next summer. 

 

3. Divergent

 

Yes, I know, it's really late, but I FINALLY got round to reading this captivating novel by Veronica Roth. It is definitely a lot like The Hunger Games, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. 

 

4. Le Touquet

I went to this chic French resort with my mum a few weeks ago. I did lots of walking and explored the endless miles of sand dunes. 

 

5. The Maze Runner

 

Another book I enjoyed reading. James Dashner did a superb job at grabbing my attention right from the very first page. Before I started reading The Maze Runner, I thought that it would be a lot like The Hunger Games. However, it turned out to be very unique. I can't wait to see the film.  

 

6. If I Stay

 

One of the best books I have read this summer, If I Stay is both tragic and uplifting. I cried several times. Hopefully, the film will be as good as the book. 

So that is the end of my August 2014 favourites. Below is a brief list of the things I am looking forward to during the rest of September: 

 

1. Going back to York. I am so excited for uni! It will be great seeing my friends in York again. 

2. The Host. A book that has been sitting on my shelves for a long time. 

3. If I Stay. The movie, of course. I have been waiting to see it for months. 

What were your August favourites? Are you looking forward to anything this month? Let me know in the comments below! :D

Hasta luego!

Serena

My Favourite Songs 2014

Hey guys!


Okay, I am really bad at this whole blogging thing. I'm sorry, I went to France on the weekend and I haven't had much inspiration recently. I guess I'll do a list of my favourite songs so far this year, since I am soooo good at making lists.

                                         1. Happy Little Pill - Troye Sivan

I recently discovered this song, literally straight after Summer in the City. I loved it STRAIGHT AWAY. It's amazing!!! Here's the video:

 

 

 

2. All Of Me - John Legend

I first heard this song in a club and it was the dance version...I thought it was ok...I then listened to the original version and asdfghjkl it's so good!!!

 

 

 

 

3. Let It Go - Idina Menzel / Demi Lovato

I actually really like both versions of this song. It's so catchy and I have to try not to sing along to it! Definitely my most favourite song from Frozen! I'll post Idina's version and then Demi's, so you can see which one you like the best. Or maybe you're like me and like both...

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Rather Be - Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glyne

 

I am officially OBSESSED with this song. I listen to it practically EVERY DAY. No lie. The live version (with Jess Glyne - the other ones are just meh) is great too.

 

 

 

 

5. Extraordinary - Clean Bandit ft. Sharna Bass

SHARNA BASS IS THREE YEARS YOUNGER THAN ME??? NO WAY THAT IS SUCH A LIE. HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?! Incredible voice though and catchy song...

 

 

 

 

6. Ghost - Ella Henderson

Ella Henderson has an amazing voice. Her new song Glow is good too (though sadly it doesn't come out for a couple more months in the UK).

 

 

 

 

7. Stay the Night - Zedd ft. Hayley Williams

 

I love Zedd. I love Hayley Williams. So obviously I love Stay the Night too.

 

 

 

 

 

8. Rude - Magic!

Magic is a peculiar name for a band but the song is good.

 

 

 

 

9. Boom Clap - Charlie XCX

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS!!!!! (Boom Clap is on the soundtrack, BTW)

 

 

 

10. All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor

No matter what people say, this song has a good message. It is encouraging people to be happy with their weight, no matter how fat or thin they are. Lots of people are calling Meghan fat and having a go at her for putting down skinny people...she's really not!!! And that's to both of those insults.

 

 

Apart from Meghan Trainor, Sharna Bass, Jess Glyne and Troye Sivan, I have discovered a lot of other new singers this year, for example Melanie Martinez (check out her song Dollhouse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcVv9R1ZR84), Tessa Violet (who I was fortunate enough to meet at Summer in the City), Emma Blackery and Lancifer.

 

 

 

So that's enough of that! What are your favourite songs from this year?

 

 

 

Hasta luego!

 

 

Serena :D