THE PATH OF THE WARRIOR

I've been quiet recently - But I've not been idle.


I've been strength training 4x a week for the last five weeks. I'm learning how to build habits and become better than yesterday. This is what I've learned so far:

Things I've Learned So Far - I'm Calling this 

THE PATH OF THE WARRIOR

"psst Elyse, you are a warrior..."

1. FOCUS - BUILD ONE HABIT, ONE STEP AT A TIME

I like to think of myself as a bit of an overachiever, which means I usually set myself to many things to change at once. Anyone who's ever tried to change their life probably knows my pain of wanting to do everything at once. My first challenge I failed, because I set myself six HUGE goals : Bodyweight workout three times a week, 10 push-ups, plank for one minute, sort out personal branding, save £1000... What was I thinking? My brain can't focus on that many things at once!

So this time i kept it simple: Workout on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. And it's worked! I've done extra things on the side, for example I've made tonnes of progress in my personal projects and found ways of being a lot more productive at work. I started taking protein shakes and eating breakfast each day. But these things I did because I felt like I knew a better way, and I knew it was okay to fail. I've allowed myself to eat whatever i want- i have Chinese takeaway, pizza, pasta, bread, chocolate -You name it! And that's fine, because I know that the next challenge is going to be bring in a healthy lunch. I'm here to build long term habits, not change my life completely in 30 days. 

2. IF THE HABIT ISN'T EVERY DAY, HAVE SPECIFIC DAYS TO DO IT ON

I think another thing that helped, was that before when i missed a workout i used the excuse "It's okay, i'll start tomorrow/monday/wednesday/this weekend etc.". Now i'm like, okay if i miss my workout (haven't yet  my next workout day is... And i have to make that day. Much easier. And it also means that instead of just being really productive one week and doing all three workouts at the start of the week, and eventually putting them off at the end of the week - I've actually got into a routine of which days I workout. This also let me relax (HA! Relax, no i'm doing personal work!), or at least not feel bad on my rest days.. Because the rest days are part of the program. 

3. PROGRESS MAKES PERFECT  BETTER

Logging my progress has helped a lot too. I got discouraged with the bodyweight workout really quickly because I didn't feel it was helping. But now I have actual proof! Even on days I went to the gym and didn't get anything out of it - It's okay. I turned up. I made the effort. I kept the habit up. I have other days where I can be perfect, as long as today I'm better than yesterday. 

4. READY YOUR MIND

A new technique I've been employing the last week or two, is that I listen to this motivational speech on my way home from work (I'll link it if anyone's interested). It's a video that almost brings tears to my eyes because I have so much passion for my work, and travelling and I just want to be better. It's perfect because I power walk all the way home, sit down, blast out two hours work, shoot of to the gym, lift all the heavy things, come home and still have energy left to get a bit more done.  

5. MAKE A PLAN

If I make myself a day-by-day plan to work towards... I'm really good at sticking to it. I recently signed up to the Comicon 2015 animation competition, and for the last few weeks I've been struggling to make progress - which is especially frustrating for me, because I just sat and my computer trying to will things to happen. I made a plan from now to the competition's deadline, and have been powering through it each night. It's relieved so much pressure because I'm now "ahead" 3 days, and I know it'll get finished on time. I can't believe how productive I've been this week - It's truly amazing! And a lot of my negative thoughts have gone because I've been so successful with my goals. 

That's all I got for now! I'm hoping to expand this list as I learn better ways to achieve my goals. I realise a lot of this is obvious/already been said, but this is just a reminder to my future self . Oh and, if you didn't notice, i chose the warriors guild haha! I've always secretly wanted to be a warrior, but been told my whole life I'm built to be a scout. No more. I want to be strong. 

(Also i realise lara isn't quiet a warrior haha! But to me she's awesome kick ass female. My primary focus is still to get strong, but in the back of my head, I want to be a traveller, rock climber, arrow shooter, martial artist, survivor, long distance runner) 

Update!

Hi there! Haven't written in a little while and I wanted to post a quick update!

I've signed up to a gym! And I have a goal to go 4x a week for 6 weeks. I've been writing my progress down here (along with some sexy before/after pictures :) ). More soon!

-E

#81. Have an 1,000 pound emergency fund

Today is a great day - because I was perusing through my bucket list and I saw number 81 was to have 1,000 pounds as an emergency fund. This is something I've been dreaming about since I had to survive on 10 pounds a week at university for food, and eating the most horrible things - To actually having savings! So without even realising it (as my Level 2 goal was to save 2,000 pounds) - I've already achieved my goal!

BUT! In the interest of fairness... I diiid set out to put £2000 aside... So I guess I'll have to add in a new one underneath haha! I guess this comes into what I was saying about leaving room for change in your bucket list eh? Well I say bring it on -I've made it this far! 1,000 down - 1,000 to go!

On a side note, but also on the same track as things changing, so has my situation! My car share buddy is going to a new job on Monday and I'll have to start getting the train, because it's too expensive to drive just for me (aww :( ). But the good news is, I can now get to work much earlier, and leave earlier (I have flexi hours)- which means more time to go to the gym!

I'm still working out the kinks and timing, but I'm going to go check it all next week. I'm really hoping to start lifting some weights, because I've been reading so many good things about it (check this out if you don't believe me). If this works out, I'll replace my Scuba Diving Challenge (No. 3!) with a fitness challenge. This works too, because all of my goals are pretty money based, and I need something to be working on in the meantime. 

Keep at those goals people! Today is a great day. Feeling good :). 

So... You Want To Write Bucket List

On my last blog post (How To Be Happy In 2015) Jules asked in the comments

"What is your biggest advice you can give someone just starting out with having a bucket list (and bucket list blogging)"

What an amazingly good question! I started furiously typing out a huge response, and trying to be as helpful as possible- when I thought, why not just make a post about it?

I'm not pretending that I know what I'm doing by any stretch! This blog has been on and off at times, and I'm still getting round to crossing some of the really big things off- which I plan on hopefully doing this year (Check out what I'm aiming for to get to Level 2!). But I've put some pointers together for anyone else out there starting out, or anyone needing a bit of inspiration!


(I know this is a long one again, but bare with me :) )

1. Start.

When I was 16 (and most of the time before that), I found myself having all of these big dreams and goals that I wanted to accomplish. There was so much to do, so much to see! How was I going to get round to doing it all. And what if I suddenly got boring when I was 20, and forgot about all those dreams from all the people and articles that had inspired me? And worst of all... What if I got to aged 50 and I realised I had spent so much time and money... But not really... Done anything? 

So I started this blog. Terribly I might add! I hope my writing has gotten even slightly better from where I've come from. Most of my actual Bucket List is a Frankenstein of other ideas I grabbed from a multitude of blogs. So just start! It doesn't have to be amazing yet, it doesn't have to be something you can do in the next 5 years, it doesn't have to be 100 things - just post it out to the world! You know that journey you wanted to start? You've just made your first step :). 

2. Writing Your Bucket List

If you're struggling for ideas of what to put on your Bucket List, and are coming up dry when looking at other peoples, trying working out who you want to be, where you want to be, what you want to do and just start writing ideas down! Do you want to live in a different country, do you want to run a marathon, do you want to never drink coke again, do you want to fly an aeroplane-  what excites you? Remember to try and keep it simple, and specific - Don't write 'I want to be healthier', say what you want to achieve to do that 'run every single morning for a month' etc. 

3. Add Other Bloggers! Or if not... Find your support :)

I was so insipred by a whole bunch of other bloggers - sadly most of whom have been leading very busy lives, and like me - haven't blogged in a while. I want that to change! Some of the most active times I've had on blogger was directly the result of reading another blog that I'm subscribed to progress, or getting a nice comment to keep me going :D. It's great when you can build up a community of support. If you don't get that from the internet and are less private than I am about my blog- Friends and Family can be really helpful in making you feel good about your goals, and supporting you in achieving them. This was so helpful to me when I said I was going to run my 10K, because I told EVERYONE, which meant that EVERYONE was asking me how far I had run that day, if I was on track, how much money had I raised. Keeping you positive and focused goes a long way :)

4. Find Your Reason WHY

Discover for yourself that reason which you want to do this in the first place. Some of us are doing it because right now their life is dull, and they want to start doing more exciting things! Others just want a record of their already exciting lives. Some just want direction, something to work towards that'll make them happier than they were before. Or maybe it's all of them! My main reason was that I was desperate to travel, and it seems that all the things I wanted to do were out of my reach. I knew that one day I'd get to the point where I was able to finally start checking this stuff off - and that time is now! I've got my degree, let's go see the world! 

5. Change it! 

You don't have to treat your Bucket List like it's this rigid contract that you have to adhere to! Change up things that don't work or you no longer want to do. This is your life, do with it whatever you want! Right now I've decided to only focus on 5 things to cross off my bucket list at a time, and treat it more like a game where I can "Level Up" , so that I don't get overwhelmed with the sheer quantity of the list (and I also don't feel bad about the amount of stuff on there I haven't checked off). - After all that I know I need to change my own, I'm currently in the middle of writing my Must See Places list! 

6. Keep Writing

When I first started writing this- I hoped that no one would ever find it and read it, because it was so personal to me - I felt like anyone who found it, had found my secret diary! But don't be nervous about writing. I'm actively trying to write more than ever before, because the more time I spend on this blog, the more I'm encouraged and motivated to cross of the next big thing! It doesn't have to be amazing, you just have to do it. Make it a habit! Come up with ways of reminding yourself to write and remember your goals in your everyday life. 

7. Decided What You're Going To Cross Off Next

Here's the exciting part! Decide what you're going to cross off next! If you're new, choose one thing - if you're feeling brave choose ten! Just try and mould your life around achieving this new goal. A lot of them will require dedication and planning to achieve - do you need to change what you're doing right now to get to where you really want to be? If so just go one step at a time. You don't need to change right now - you just have to make a step in the right direction! 

Wow you made it through this whole list, damn I'm impressed... Seems like you've got what it takes!

If you're out there and have a Bucket List Blog, comment below because I want to add you! I don't know how you find blogs out there, I'm really struggling! Let me know if you're out there Bucket Listers! 

(p.s. hope that answered your question Jules ;) )

How Be Happy In 2015

Often, when we go on a big adventure, it's good to have some friendly advice. This post is a letter to myself of things I have learned of the past year, to keep me feeling good about myself and the world around me. Sometimes when you look back on a year, it can be easier to focus on the negative things that occurred rather than your successes.

1. Don't Worry About The Small Stuff

We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to help people around us, and we can sometimes get frustrated about things in life that get in the way - It's raining, my computer is broken, my family won't stop arguing, the tap's leaking - It can be any number of incredibly annoying events, that end up stressing you to no end. A friend of mine always used to say "If you are worrying and you can resolve the problem, stop worrying and do it. If you're worrying and can't do anything, then why worry."

This is obviously easier said than done. Sometimes the more we focus on the negative aspects the more they turn into an unmanageable mountain. When I'm in this situation, I need to learn to let go of the little things, and think about the bigger picture. I live in a nice home, I'm doing a job I love, I graduated from university - overall I am where I want to be, and heading down a pretty awesome path. Don't worry, whatever you are dealing with know that in time, it will come to pass (unlike the creature in the Lord of the Ring!).

2. Enjoy the Journey

On my ongoing journey to forever cross things off my Bucket List and trying to level up my life and "Reach Level Two", it's hard not to focus completely on the end mission of achieving your goals. Unfortunately, however sweet accomplishing that goal is, it can make you impatient to see the end results - often missing out on things around you. Although I believe it's great to have goals, needing to reach them to the point of missing out of the present would be a waste. I don't know about you, but whenever I find myself finishing one goal, I'm always looking for the next challenge. So for a good while when my goals were getting larger and larger, I got exceedingly angry with myself for not doing more. Why am I watching TV instead of working, did I not care about my dream job enough? Why had I spent money on eating out when I promised myself I was saving to travel? I convinced myself that if I wasn't 100% dedicated to scratching off the next goal, sooner, more efficiently, then I was never going to get there.

You are already on the path, and the path leads somewhere awesome. But enjoy the steps while you're taking them.

3. Look After Yourself

Looking after myself this year is pretty important to me this year, not just regarding fitness and health, but also about being happy with who I am and how I look. Looking back into 2014, I found at times my self-esteem got dangerous low, despite the successes I had. I won't go into detail, but suffice it to say that I was very isolated for much of the year, and ended up feeling very depressed and powerless to help myself.

2015 is my year of empowerment! I was able to fight it through those feelings, and although they still haunt me from time to time, for now they are defeated. I'm not making a strict resolution to work out x amount of times a day, or eat x amounts of fruit and veg etc. However if I can take some small steps to forming habits that lead to a healthier, happier, calmer path, i will certainly be able to be much happier.

4. Have Less

This seems almost counter-intuitive, does it not? In the process of trying to progress, achieve, travel, love and explore, it seems necessary to do that through acquiring the tools to help us. After being an avid reader of 'Zen Habits', I have been increasing persuaded by the idea of 'less'. De-cluttering my life, to streamline it for the things I hold of the greatest value. I don't need the newest phone, or upgrade, and the more I seem to own the more stress, and time is spent organising, moving, and re-arranging it all! Travelling lighter will definitely help me find the space I need to breathe and be happy in the new year.

5. Fecking GO FOR IT

Stop feeling you're inadequate. Stop making excuses you'll do it later, Stop waiting for it to happen. It takes 10,000 hours to be an expert at something, if you're worried about your skills just start improving. If you're worried about money start saving. If you want to travel, go see the world! The time is now! Carpe Diem guys! This is the year. Let's make 2015. Great. :)

These are my 5 tips for being a happier me in 2015 - give me a shout fellow bloggers, I'd love to see what you're all writing about :D

2015: Reaching Level 2

It's time to start levelling up my life, and what better way to start than at the beginning of a new year! However, this time of year so many people come up with tonnes of new suggestions and resolutions that they wish to keep to, and end up falling by the way-side.. Not this time.

Like many others, I gave up on this blog. This was a mere dream for me when I was 16 years old, that one day I would be able to actually save for, and do things I desperately wanted to achieve in my life. This, today, is where those dreams start finally becoming a reality.


In the footsteps of one of the other blogs I follow called Nerd Fitness (http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/), I'm going to start looking at my life more as one massive video game! And nobody wants to say as a Level One Noob. I've realised now that having a bucket list, it's very hard to focus on 100 things you want to focus on in achieving at any one time... So I'm condensing them into up to 5 things at a time.


All the steps along my journey have gotten me this far, but here's the plan to get my to the next level.

LEVEL TWO

1. SAVE UP AT BUY A GO PRO, SO YOU CAN START FILMING YOUR WAY AROUND THE WORLD 20 XP

2. GET THAT TATTOO WHICH REPRESENTS ALL YOUR HARD WORK AND STRUGGLES SO FAR, AND THE FINAL ACHIEVEMENT AND HONOUR OF EARNING YOUR DEGREE 20 XP

3. SAVE UP FOR AND GO SCUBA DIVING IN ...? (EGYPT, AUSTRAILIA? WHO KNOWS YET!) (STEP ONE, TAKE SCUBA LESSONS!) 20 XP

4. PUT ASIDE £2000 FOR A RAINY DAY FUND, AND START A SAVINGS/INVESTMENT FUND 20 XP

5. GO SKY DIVING (HOPEFULLY SOMEWHERE ABROAD ;) ) 20 XP

I've also decided to help spur me along with my TOP 100 BOOKS and my TOP 200 FILMS list that:

Each classical book counts for +10XP 

Each top film seen counts for + 5XP


Happy New Years From Elyse! What are your New Years Resolutions?

A look back at 2014.. And into 2015

A hell of a lot has happened in the last year, and unfortunately, it has been absent from this blog .I have be distinctly, apologetically awful at keeping up with something last a few years back was so close to my heart. And some of the things I've accomplished have been things to shout about!

 I graduated!

I funded a trip to Paris!

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower

Catacombs!

And I even managed to impress myself and ran 10 Kilometres. 

But even with this I think I can say that I'm only at Level 1 on my Epic Journey of Adventure, and now that I've got a job I can finally start saving up and ticking some awesome things off this list!

So! Here's the plan:

I AM CURRENTLY 

LEVEL 1 (0% to REACHING LEVEL 2)

LEVEL 1

- GET A 1ST HONS DEGREE

- RUN 10 KILOMETERS IN THE LONDON BRITISH 10K

- TRIP TO PARIS (CATACOMBS, EIFFEL TOWER, LOUVRE)

TO REACH LEVEL 2

...?

Time to decide what 2015 is going to hold. TBC

Reached 4 Kilometers today!

Just a quick update! Reached 4 Kilometers today! Wooo! It's getting horribly cold though, i don't have to run through the snow any time soon! Wish me luck!

What have I Done...

So, I haven't posted up here in ages, but I felt like this was news-worthy... I've been running again recently and I thought to myself "Stop putting it off! You know you want to run a 10 K why do you never just book the race and force yourself to do it?"

So... Long story short..I'm signed up for the London 10K Race in July XD

Hopefully it all goes okay :D I'm running for Parkinson's charity for my mum.

Wish me luck!

12# Give Blood

I went to give blood, but I wasn't allowed because apparently I'm slightly anaemic, which means I have too little iron in my blood. I'm now having to take iron tablets and i'm not allowed to give blood for another year! Absolutely gutted :(. Ah well, till next year i guess...

#58 Throw a Themed Party (/go to a themed party)

So a year ago today (or yesterday as the case may now be) my friends and I were all awaiting the A-Level results that could potentially change the direction of our lives over the course of the next few years.  365 days later, A-Level results night is holding a massive street foam party where you have to dress up like Noah's Arc! I couldn't miss it! So I had to apologise to my dad to rearrange us seeing Brave, and instead went about making a mask for the night.

I decided to go as a raving raven, carefully painting on strokes of blue, white and black, before grabbing the glue gun and smothering it in feathers!

 The three of us ready to go out, as a peacock, unicorn and raven.

We spent most of the night right underneath this huge foam blaster. At more than one point i couldn't see anything, just a haze of white. It also didn't help much that it got in you're eyes and really stung. But we had such a good night! Jumping around and throwing foam at everyone! It was up to our waists most of the time

This is us by the end of the night, completely soaking and covered in foam. 

Then I spotted a police officer....

Or two...

All in all a fantastic night! We were the most dressed up there too. I guess most people assume on leopard print belt or some zebra shoes are enough! But we went there! Ever hugged a police officer or had your own themed night? I'd love to know how far you went dressing up!

105# Start Running Again

I don't know how many out you have ever heard of something called an Iron Man, at least I know I certainly didn't until my dad started training for half of one. A Half Iron Man is one of the toughest, long-distance marathons in existance. It consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile (marathon) run. To put it in perspective, to finish this race properly with months and years of training, a good time would be eight hours....EIGHT HOURS! Which is why I am especially proud of my dad for completing it, (and in just under eight hours ;), don't be decieved by the time on the clock ). So in his honour, and mine, I have started running again. I'm really enjoying it so far, and starting slow. I'll keep you updated how it goes.

What do you think your greatest achievement is? Or what has someone you admire achieved?

88# Get A Summer Job

So I set myself the goal of getting a summer job, which although not the most glamorous or exciting thing in the world, is a nice milestone to make. Scraping pennies together for my first year of uni and a diet that consisted way too heavily of baked beans was... interesting. But I thought that having some extra money would really help and I couldn't do nothing all summer. Luckily enough for me, with enough CV's, I did get a job at a carework company. Only problem was working from about 6:30 Am to 10:30 PM for a month pretty much killed me and I had to leave after only a month. I won't forget the experience and the lovely people I met whilst doing it though. It was really inspiring to have the unique privilege to explore other people's lives. But I can safely cross this one off my list.

What was your first summer job? Or first ever job? Mine was actually working at a hairdressers but I don't like to count it because it only lasted a few days.

I'm Back

Hi guys! Did you miss me? I'm back. I decided it's been way too long since I've had a look at my good old bucket list and I'm raring to tick some things off. I've already booked for giving blood in two weeks, reading my next classical book To Kill A Mocking Bird, going paintballing and organising a themed party! Wish me luck :D and hope you're all well!

Chocoholic xx

#53 - Know phone number off by heart

I finally learnt it yay! How long have I had this phone? Since last Christmas. So it's taken me the best part of half a year to learn. Hahaha! The things you just don't get round to eh? How's everyone's summer going?

I Have A Dream...

I was reading up about the books on my booklist the other day and stumbled across one I wrote down a little while ago, which was the '4-Hour Workweek' by Tim Ferris. I got really excited about some of the concepts so -as you do- instead of waiting for the book (currently at the library but can't pick it up yet), I went and had a good look online for more stuff about him and what he teaches. One thing that really stood out to me was this list he had, in which he listed 5 things of each that he dreamed of; Having, Being and Doing. And I thought, what a great idea! 

When you look at a lot of people's bucket lists (like mine) you can usually see some crazy stuff like 'Milk a Cow' or 'Plant a tree' and while yes, it is good to be a bit crazy...Would you die happy if you'd done nothing else but milk a cow and plant a tree? I just get the feeling that in the process of making a bucket list, we're trying to do so much stuff a lot of it ends up being the smaller things. 


So here's the solution! I've written done my having,being and doing dreams that excite me the most at the minute, and the plan is, every year I'm going to try and accomplish (or work hard towards accomplishing) at least ONE of these things. For example, say I decided that this year, I'm going to get a Scuba Diving License, (or put all my money into getting one soon etc.). That's pretty exciting! And it means that whilst I'm working toward these HUGE goals, I can have fun in the mean time with the smaller goals, and still feel I'm accomplishing loads. And each time I do one, that's a "dream completed" and I can pick another thing to replace it.


Because seriously, when someone asks you what you did last year, it sounds more impressive to say you funded your own week trip to Italy, than milked a couple of cows, and went to a spa. 


Current 5 Biggest Things I DREAM of:

HAVING:
1. A Scuba Diving License
2. A Fiat 500 or Mini Cooper
3. A Passive Income
4. A Home That I Own
5. Read 200 Greatest Films and 100 Greatest Books

BEING:
1. Able To Revise/Learn/Work Efficiently
2. Able To Speed Read
3. Fluent in German and Italian
4. Financially Secure
5. A Great Cook
(6) Able to spend more time with family/friends

DOING:
1. Going on holiday to Italy for a week (with a friend)
2. Paragliding
3. Skydiving
4. Going up in a Hot Air Balloon
5. Getting Fit (specific...?)


Now I just have to pick one and figure out how I'm going to do it.... hmmmm

#73 Get a piece of art into an exhibition

I thought this one would be really hard to achieve, but it turned out that I didn't have to do anything more than finish my final piece of A-Level Art when we all got the opportunity to select a piece to put into this exhibition. I didn't have high hopes of getting in and I also had no clue whether this was a big or small exhibition, for all artists or just our school or what. But I submitted a piece anyway and I got in! Along with only four other pieces from my school!

What I did not expect was as I was walking up the stairs to the room to see my butt-ugly gothic thing staring me down from the front door as a horrible fear gripped me even more when I realised almost every other painting was a calm and beautiful watercolour...And mine was just...that. So deeply embarrassed (for I also had brought my mum and dad and a friend along, it was a private pre-exhibition for the artists) I didn't even tell them which was mine. Hell I barely looked at the thing just in case they would happen to look at the huge name tag next to it.

What I FURTHER did not expect, was after 10 minutes of looking at these brilliant pictures for the manager to clink his glass and to gather everyone up for a speech. He then announced something like, "Before I begin, I wish to point out this piece (to which I begged he was motioning to the one next to mine) and ask whether the artist is in the room. I waited a few dreaded seconds as everyone looked at each other before squeaking up from the back "You don't mean the corset do you?". To which many chuckled as I turned bright red and was ushered to the front.

I then tried to smile from my tomato face as he continued to say that my particular piece has caused much controversy and sparked much debate and conversation (to which I thought, if it was such a big problem then why stick it RIGHT BY THE FREAKING DOOR!?) and then stated that that was in fact something that all artists strive for and many do not achieve, especially at my early age. And that I should be very proud to have created such a stir or emotions. And then everyone clapped!

I then enquired if I could go back now, and scuttled back off the the back of the room, shaking and not quiet realising what had happened, further shocked when my dad turned to me and demanded 'Is that one really yours?". To which I meekly replied that it was, and he told me that it was amazing and absolutely brilliant - when I thought he'd hate it!. Still shaking and finally catching up, I tried desperately to stop shaking, stop blushing and stop looking so terribly smug.

It was such an honour to have achieved this great status, and making my ego even bigger only then proceeded to talk about two further pieces of work before thanking everyone for coming. A few people then gave me a few congratulations, one came and asked me if my friend's piece of work was on sale - to which I never knew that offers could be made-, and said I was sure she could contact the school and ask.

I'm pretty sure this isn't the sort of thing anyone would want in their home so I'm not going to hold my breathe for offers haha. But if anything, out of this hard and tiring A-Level I have achieved something that apparently most cannot. Phew! What a day. Oh! And have a look at my new book list blog if you've got time, thanks guys :D

(The tag behind it states "Elyse Gymer, 18: Black Swan inspired Corset) (like the movie?)

#15 Keep a blog for over a year!

One year old tomorrow! I have an early notice so when people get round to reading this, this website will be one year old, as I started it on the 1st of June 2010. Wow a year flown by so fast! I've had to change my list around a lot, so a few of the things that I did go out and complete aren't on there any more, but there are things I wouldn't have done without this blog and I intend to keep going! Oh and some other good news, I got my actual donor card today (which i'll post a picture of later) and this is what the letter said:

"Dear Ms Gymer,
Thank you for joining the NHS Organ Donor Register by registering on our website and making the commitment to help others live after your death.

The Register gives hope to more than 10,000 people of all ages across the UK who desperately need an organ transplant. Although more of these life saving operations take place than ever before, many people - on average three a day- will die waiting for a transplant simply because there are not enough organs avaliable.
(Then it goes on stating some of my personal details, and that I'm going to donate any of my organs or tissue, as well as where to get information.)
Thank you once again on behalf of the many people who need a transplant. Their future depends on the generosity of others, like you, to save and transform their lives.

And all I did was put in a few details online! Oh and thank you to my bloggers and other Listers out there who keep me going and ticking things off! (Not letting me post pictures... hmmpf)

100 Books in 100 weeks

So I was having a look at my list and I realised that although I started off well, through my exams and coursework I've kind of dwindled off of my book list. So I thought to challenge myself, I'm going to do 100 book in 100 weeks, in which i'm going to be reviewing a book every Monday until it's completely done! However, I realised that I have read 7 books already, and though that isn't a massive achievement - 93 books in 93 weeks didn't sound as good. So I'm going to swap a few round to make up the numbers and post the list on another blog I'm going to create that I'll leave a link to :).
CLICK HERE TO VIEW 100 BOOKS IN 100 WEEKS BLOG

#40 (movie list) Shawshank Redemption

Get busy living or get busy dying

I don't usually write reviews for films, even when they're great. Another thing I don't usually do is like to put a title or ranking on "my greatest films" or "my greatest books" of all time because you can't see and read them all nor really judge all the different genres and movies as one...However, there are times when you have to make some exceptions.

I just watched my number one on my movie list Shawshank Repemption, and can honestly say it is one of the most beautiful and greatest movies I've ever seen. There is a point in which Andy says 'Get busy living or get busy dying' and I think that truly if you stop being busy living you do get busy dying, and this is one of those films that makes me so glad to have a bucket list.

I greatly urge any fellow people, especially bucket listers, to see this film to the end. Very rarely have I been quiet so moved. Or if you only have a few minutes, take a moment to listen to this soundtrack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTeE4wdfEVY

I can't get enough of it. :)