LONDON DAYS

Since moving to Royal Holloway two years ago, I have taken central London being only 19 miles away for granted. My friends and I would just pop in and basically go to the same old place, you know the obvious places - Oxford Street, Westminster etc and I began to get bored of the city. My mum would come up to stay and she would just be fascinated and excited by the whole hustle and bustle of the place. She would love the tourist filled Selfridges and would just enjoy the fact that we were in London at the heart of civilisation rather than in the middle of nowhere with but fields to keep us company which is what we're normally used to back in Wales.

However, this all began to change (although Westminster is still one of my favourite places in the City). Days were spent discovering the city with friends, family and on my own (I quite like going around London on my own). We would have mulled wine and chorizo and rocket baps in Borough Market during christmas time after watching novice ice-skaters fall outside the tour of London. Brunch was eaten after a morning of strolling around Notting Hill and Portobello Market. I began to scratch the surface of London, the real London that is, the London far from Oxford Street.

Last week my friends and I decided to get all touristy and head to a few museums and galleries that are in the city. What's great about the museums and galleries we went to which were the British Museum, Tate Modern and National Portrait Gallery, is that they are all free. In fact the majority, if not all, of the museums and galleries within London are free so go and explore! We spent hours in the British Museum strolling through centuries of history that varied from the Enlightenment to Asia, Europe and my favourite, the ancient Egyptians. The Egyptian exhibition was extremely popular and you had to push yourself through groups of people in some sections but that didn't take away from the magic of it all. We were able to see and to read about actual mummies and their tombs. I know that I am a history student so this might interest me more than others but seeing coins or jewellery that were made in 400BC just blows my mind.

If modern art is your thing then the Tate Modern is for you. We strolled through  4 floors of free exhibitions with varying opinions of the art that we saw. On the top floor there is a great view of St Paul's which I urge you to see if you ever visit the Tate. There was a Matisse exhibition on when we visited but you have to pay to see that exhibition but from what I have heard, it is well worth the money.

The David Bailey exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery has been on the top of my to-do list for a very long time and since exams are finally over I headed over to Leicester Square last Saturday to witness the cool photographs for myself. This specific exhibition was £12 for students and it was well worth the money but there are plenty of exhibitions throughout the gallery that are free. With portraits of artists, african tribal figures, rockstars such as the Rolling Stones and models like Kate Moss the whole experience was awesome and I am glad I got to witness it before the exhibition finished last Sunday.

After a bit of lunch we roamed around Shoreditch in East London and it was great. Brick Lane was filled with Indian restaurants, underground vintage warehouses and vinyl sales. We roamed around Spitafields market where we sat, had a coffee and watched the world go around. While exploring the area we came across Rough Trade which is a famous and very awesome record shop and it is in here that we discovered their photo booth so obviously we had to have some photos taken :) I have to say I really enjoyed my first proper taste of East London and I am looking forward to another trip of East London exploration.

So the next time you head to London, steer away from Oxford Street, just jump on the tube and get off at a random station because I am sure you will find treasures in every corner of the city. Also, when you walk around the city you come across some spectacular architecture and some stunning houses. My friend and I would regularly stop and look at flats and houses and their great doors - massive strong doors which just makes you want to own a flat or a house in central London. If you are a lucky person and are looking for luxury apartments in the city then be sure to check out Redrow London :)

I'd love to know where your favourite London spots are - tweet/intagram me @lisagwawr and use the hashtag #LoveLondon :)

HALF MARATHON RUNNING FOR MIND

I'm a person who likes to be on my own a lot of the time. I am not a great fan of being surrounded by people 24/7. I have to have downtime to read, listen to music, to watch a few shows on netflix or to simply sit on my own with nothing but my thoughts. Being this type of person can be quite hard when you get to university especially if you live with very outgoing and extrovert people. Thankfully I lived with people who were understanding that not everyone wants to go out 3/4 times a week and stay up until the sunrises and I am INCREDIBLY thankful for this.

Also I am a morning person. A typical day for me would see my alarm go off at 6am and me closing my book or closing my laptop at 10pm. I have always been this way and will probably always be this way and this is a reason why I would never be able to work in a bar. I just get too tired. This tiredness thing is really annoying. Somedays (most days) I wake up almost as tired as I was when I went to bed. It's just one of those things I guess but it is tres annoying none-the-less. It is also for this reason that I get up early because I know that if I do all I need to do before 5pm then I will complete my tasks with energy that I will not have come dinner time.

I exercise a lot and eat very healthily, not as a part of a weight loss diet, but because it is something (the exercise that is) that calms me and gives me a sense of achievement. It's an hour or so out of my day when I am completely focused on the single challenge that I have to complete, be that an hour of circuits, some sprints or a 10km run. I usually do this in the morning as it puts me in a good mood moving forward, the rest of the day (during term time) is spent in the library and then in bed. Ohhhh what an exciting life!! It might not be all that exciting but I enjoy it :)

Despite being a person who likes to be on their own, if I spend too much time on my own then that is not good. My thoughts become very loud, I feel lazy, I feel like I never do enough and that I should constantly be doing things even though I know that I do more than most on one of my 'lazy days'. This feeling has begun to creep up on my during this time in limbo between exams finishing, 3rd year lectures beginning and summer.

If you haven't guessed it already I suffer from anxiety. I guess all of us suffer from anxiety from time to time it's just that some of us get more affected than others. Since about 3 years I have been dealing with a sort of chronic anxiety which never really goes away but certainly it comes in waves. It's not the most fun thing in the world and it gets a bit tiring after a while. Somedays I feel great, these are usually the days when I am busy and doing something that I love. Other days aren't so great and these days are not fun. You could say that I'm having a bit of a down day at the moment but as soon as I am busy again and feel like I'm contributing something to society then I will be tip-top or as close to tip-top as possible.

I worry about stupid things that I won't bore you with here and the annoying thing is that deep down I know that there is no need to worry which frustrates me even more. I am currently making a conscious decision to concentrate on the positives in life and see how far I have come rather than how far I have left to go. I am learning not to compare myself with others because this really gets me down and makes me very critical of myself. I yearn to live a simple life and not get bogged down with little trivial worthless issues which we all seem to obsess over. I want to just be happy. That is my single goal in life, well I have two goals in life - to be happy and healthy. Isn't that what life is all about at the end of the day?

I am running the Cardiff Half Marathon on October 5th in name of MIND, the mental health charity. If you would like to donate here is my Virgin Money Giving page. Thank You. 

ARCTIC MONKEYS FINSBURY PARK 24.5.14

I think it was less than a week after seeing the Arctic Monkeys in Cardiff back in November of last year that I had already bought tickets to see them at their Finsbury Park gig. The Monkeys are definitely the band of our generation and seeing them live now is totally different to when I first saw them back in 2007 - which is a great thing.

There is no doubting that Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not & Favourite Worst Nightmare are two of the best albums from the last decade and with songs such as Dancing Shoes, Fake Tales of San Fransisco, Brianstorm & Fluorescent Adolecence it is obvious why. However, their  2009 and 2011 albums Humbug & Suck it and See respectively, despite one or two songs such as Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair, didn't connect with their audience as much as AM has.
Since AM's release last year it has just exploded and their new live set that is filled with most of the tracks off the new album feels as comfortable and familiar as any of their hit-filled shows.

Armed with coats and umbrellas we headed on the tube over to Finsbury park last Saturday ready for an evening filled with great music. It all began at half 5 when Royal Blood came on to the stage. I had never really heard much about this Brighton duo but wow, they were awesome. Personally I felt that they were the best support group out of the three that performed before the main act came on stage. Their heavy rock sound made from just a simple bass and drum duo was insane and I have certainly added all of their songs to my Spotify playlist. Miles Kane was next, I had seen him once before as he was the support at some gig I went to which I can not for the life of my remember but despite one or two songs he was not all that great. I much preferred Royal Blood. Tame Impala were the penultimate act on stage at Finsbury and at this point we had made our way to the back of the crowd where we had THE best view of the stage as we were perched on a little hill and we had loads of room to dance/head bang and chat to random people. Tame Impala's tracks would be awesome to put on in the house on a sunny relaxing day when you just want to chill.

Just as the sun was setting the thumping sound of Do I Wanna Know sounded out around North London and Alex Turner and the band came on stage to perform to over 30,000 people. Their setlist was once again very awesome and I must say that I think my favourites from Saturday was Brianstorm because everyone just went mental, Dancing Shoes, Arabella ... actually I could go on forever. Although, there is no denying that finishing the show with R U Mine was genius and a great way to leave the crowd pumped as tens of thousands of us queued to get on the tube back to our homes after yet another awesome, mostly rain free, Monkeys gig :) Oh, and did I mention that there was a Last Shadow Puppets reunion during the encore ;)

EXAMS ARE OVER!!

This Monday just gone I sat my last exam of Second year. It was a three hour exam on the victorians and at 5pm I walked out of the sports hall a free woman. I hugged a few people, drank some Starbucks with some of my favourites and watched the last few episodes of the US Office. Over the last few days I have been attempting to adjust to the more relaxed life I now lead. However, I do not do well when I have nothing to do so I have been keeping myself relatively busy by exercising, starting new and hopefully very exciting projects, reading (a lot), hanging with friends, setting goals for the summer and travelling home for a few days of chilling.

I finished reading #Girlboss on the train home yesterday afternoon and wow, what a badass inspirational book which just made me want to go out and achieve. Myself and my friend Laura have some exciting goals for the future which I shall share on here in future but at this moment in time we are just concentrating on working hard (and God knows that we have worked hard academically over the last year) in university and in applying for internships and work experience. So many of my friends are rather weary of leaving uni but if I am honest with you I think it will be awesome, don't get me wrong I really enjoy uni but there is such a big world out there filled with potential opportunities that I am incredibly excited to enter. 

I've just attached some pictures of my journey home on the train to this post :)

LISA IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY // T W E N T Y

On the 27th of April, not the Sunday just gone but the Sunday before that, it was my birthday. I am now 20 years old. T W E N T Y! that's ridiculous if you ask me. I actually remember turning 10 and being like OMG, I am a decade old AND I am so old now that I have two digits in my age. Woooow. So many things have happened in those 10 years which makes me excited for what the next ten and the next ten etc. etc. will bring.

I was, and still currently am, revising hard for my exams over the easter so I didn't really do much for my birthday but that was just what I wanted. I woke up around 9 which was an awesome lie-in for me, did some Tudors revision in bed before Mam and Hendrix walked in with my cards and coffee, oh, and toast with a candle in it. I opened my cards, drank my coffee, had some porridge and went to the gym. Barring the revision it was a pretty nice morning finished off with a nice warm bath. After watching multiple episodes of The Office (US) and reading I did some revision here and there before mam made some homemade Chinese. I said that I didn't really want a cake so I asked for a scrumptious meal instead - it was the best decision.

While watching some Monty Python on Netflix my mam walked into the living room with some baby Collin the Caterpillars with candles in them which I blew out after some rather interesting singing from the parents. I packed my stuff and went to bed relatively early as the morning after I headed back to uni.

A nice, chillaxed birthday :)

LISI LOO READS // Tina Fey & Mindy Kaling

Last year it was the hilarious Miranda autobiography, this year it was the incredibly intelligently funny, Mindy Kaling's book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without me - I am talking about a book that got me hooked on reading once more. I love to read but while at uni I read all day everyday so when I get back to the house for the evening I just get into bed and sign in to Netflix to watch The Office (U.S) and Parks and Recreation. However, since being home for easter, after finishing revising for the day I sit on my bed and read page upon page until I turn around to see the clock has passed 10pm.

I loved The Mindy Project from the first episode and when I found out that Kaling was also a writer on the US Office (which I absolutely love) it sealed it for me - My Mindy Kaling obsession began. I think, the thing I like most about both Kaling and Fey is that they are incredibly intelligent women who are undeniably funny. That is something that, sadly, many people today still don't seem to believe add up. Kaling's stories about friendship, university and most interestingly, life after university, gives you some hope that you will eventually find your way.

I downloaded Tina Fey's Bossypants audiobook back in October of last year but only listened to a few chapters. I don't know about you but I am not too sure about audiobooks - I feel like I'm cheating a little bit. I prefer to read the book and feel like I've accomplished something. Selfish? Probably. Fey, like Kaling, writes about her hilarious upbringing on the East Coast of America and working her way up, via a stint in a Chicago YMCA, to become one of the most loved comedic actors and writers in the US today. From writing and performing on Saturday Night Live to creating the internationally known 30 Rock, Fey has become an American national treasure.

Not too many people inspire me, and I think that's how it should be. If everyone inspired you then who knows what you'd end up like - either totally amazing or immensely confused. My money's on the latter. Although, Kaling and Fey have made it on to my list. I know that's all I've been discussing lately but during this occasionally monotonous time of revision (I state occasionally because sometimes I find it quite interesting) I need something to keep me motivated, something to aim for. Reading both these books have reminded me that in order to get to where you want to be in life you need to work incredibly hard but you can have a laugh along the way.

Get Reading.

MOVIE NIGHT // The Giant Mechanical Man

The next time you have a movie night I suggest, no, I urge you to watch The Giant Mechanical Man. This film is everything. I am not going to go on about how awesome it is (and it really is awesome) because then I'll just oversell it and when you actually do get around to watching it (it's on Netflix if that makes it any easier), you will inevitably be disappointed.

I came across this film, that premiered in the Tribeca film festival a few years ago, during my relentless googling/YouTubing of Chris Messina. Messina plays Danny Castellano in the magnificently funny and intelligent The Mindy Project written by one of my favourite comedy writers ever - Mindy Kaling. Messina has been in a few Hollywood films over the years but he mostly acts in smaller Indie films such as The Giant Mechanical Man where he plays a rather lost thirtysomething man alongside The Office (U.S)'s Jenna Fisher. Both Fisher and Messina are so good in this film that I have watched it on repeat nearing on five or six times now.

Without getting too dramatic about it, I think the film appeals to me because it basically tells you to fudge what everyone else is telling you you should do or should be and just do and be what you want and that is the only thing that will make you happy. I think this is important to remember, especially in a world when there are so many pressures put on people from all different sections of society 'advising' them to change who they are or what they like. Stick to your guns and all shall be fine.

LIVE WITHOUT WALLS

// A few random photos from a week of outdoor exploring 

Over the past months at university I have made it my routine to go to the gym 6 days out of 7 as it gives me time to relax, but since coming home for Easter holidays I find that outside is where I want to be. Over the winter months its hard to exercise outside due to all the rain and the snow and more rain and the wind, oh the wind! Although, alas, the sun has started to shine as spring has made itself comfortable on these shores. As a result, every lunch time I take a break from revision and go for a cycle. I usually do a 14 mile sprint because I don't want to be out too long as I'll just have to revise later into the evening and I prefer to have everything done by the latest half 6. 

Over the last week myself and my mam have been going on long walks as she is training for the London Moonwalk that takes place later next month. Last Saturday we walked around 12 miles and this Good Friday I walked 15. There are so, so, so many steep hills around our area that it feels that you are doing 15 miles of constant lunges and squats. Ouchie! But it is really awesome to be outside and as we were discussing today, we really do live in a stunning part of the world that not many places on this planet can rival. Once I head back to Southern England I shall start to take my cardio sessions outside as I have something coming up later this year that will require me to train pretty hard - Exciting stuff!! 

If change one thing in your life over the next few weeks/months/years go outside more, leave the computer and your phone and get exploring.