WHAT I HAVE LEARNT THIS YEAR!

The last day of the year is a time for reflection, for thinking about the time gone by and how we can better it...blah blah blah. This year has been FUCKING AMAZING for me. I have seriously enjoyed it to the fullest, I am happy, I am healthy and I am right where I wanna be in life. Everything is great, I have been very lucky. So lemme tell you what I have learnt this year...

THERES NO PLACE LIKE YOUR OWN HOME



I started off the year without a proper home. I was bumming at peoples house, I had no money because i was getting half my student loan (it was my placement year) and i didn't wanna do any shitty jobs, so I was a hobo. I lived with Simon, then i moved in with Alex, it was a stressful time, then i moved back to Wolverhampton, which sucked me emotionally dry and left my crying myself to sleep every night and then Kabir offered me a place in his flat in Covent Garden all summer, I had the most amazing time, and now I got a lovely flat in Hackney with my beautiful friend Meghan and her boyfriend Steve and I am now happy n settled. All the moving around wasn't good for my health, like literally! I was getting sick at Simons house because its colder than the Arctic and i was getting depressed. People need roots, you need a room to call your own, you need your own space in your bathroom shelf for all your beauty products.

WORK FOR FREE AND PROVE YOUR WORTH



I hated the idea of doing a shitty job for lots of money, but I was really quick to do a great one for free! This summer I interned at a mens fashion magazine, the only one worth working for, Arena Homme +. I had to do it as part of my degree but that was really the only place i was gonna go. I love menswear more than womenswear. It was really hard work, stressful, long hours, crazy people, but tons of perks. I know my worth and I know I am good so I worked hard for free, confident that i would prove my worth. It paid off immensely. I got a huge bonus at the end of it, completely unexpected, and I got other freelance jobs off the back of it, again bringing me in more money. And now, I have no worries about when I graduate, I got job offers and am looking forward to beginning my career.

LIFE IS HARD AND LOVE IS COMPLEX



I know he hates me writing about him but when something is so ingrained in your life, its hard not to. For the past 4 years I have been on and off with the same boy, we are still in a psycho love thing and i see/speak to him pretty much everyday, but now I feel we are better than ever. Me and Alex have been through pretty much every argument possible, but I'm glad we done it in the first four years, i hope the next forty are better...Although we aren't going out right now, and therefore free to do what we please, I feel closer and more calmer to him than ever. I think its because I truly believe in the following - WHATS FOR YOU WILL BE YOURS. (That and the fact that no other girl is all round better than me for him, and vice versa) And I think most people should think like that when it comes to love. I guess what I am trying to say is that I dont clutter my head with what he gets up to while we are not together, because if we are meant to be together, married with kids etc, it will happen. I don't force things. And by not concerning myself with what hes doing, its means we don't argue, because there is nothing to argue about. When it comes to love, just relax and things will work themselves out.

FRIENDSHIPS ARE CRAZY





I've find maintaining meaningful friendships really difficult. Call it Future Shock if you will. I have a handful of people I can depend on 100% and i guess everyone else is just trial and error. I've had an amazing summer with my girlfriends: Grace, Jenny, Jennifer and Elle have rocked my world. We've had fun, we've partied hard, we look fresh, we've fought, but everything works out in the end. I am always truthful with my friends, I believe I owe them that much, even if they don't wanna hear it. But one thing they should remember is that the fact that I am spending time and energy telling them those things means I love and care for them very much. Tis true, I may not always say it in the right way, but we all have our faults. Also, your friends should SUPPORT each other, work together, collaborate, help each other, we're all in the same fucking rat-race. Stay positive, I hate negative, whiny people. It achieves nothing. Assess the problem and deal with it. Friendships are great. I get cabin fever if I ain't seen my girls for ages...

LOVE YOUR PLANET



Everyone will remember 2006 as the year the world woke up. Global warming is a serious matter affecting our planet and it has changed the way i live my daily life. I never litter, i don't leave the tap running ever, i dont use any CFCs, I try and buy organic where i can, its the little things that make me feel better. I am very aware of the deeper issues, thanks to many magazines devoting entire issues to the cause, and constant newspaper articles, so i know where to put my support. We are already feeling the effects. Its sunny and warm in December! So lets try and make things better for future generations.


So I think I have covered it all. Come on guys, just relax, 2007 is gonna be great. I hate to get all Ned Flanders on you but stay happy, healthy, keep smiling and it'll all work out. People truly do get what they deserve. xoxoxo