Posts with the label books
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
10 April 2020
Good vibes, Good life
I really agree with Vex’s quote ‘Sometimes you have to unplug yourself from the world for a moment, so you can reset yourself’. I shared a picture of the quote on my Insta stories, and it made me laugh at myself because clearly I was not ‘unplugging’ whilst reading that particular page, but sharing is caring, right? But I do like to stay away from social media or if I don’t totally avoid it I won’t read comments on pictures and videos because it’s important to give yourself time to develop your own opinions and understanding of something, whether it’s a news story, a social cause, or an outfit - and not base your views on someone else's opinions, either consciously or subconsciously.
I follow Venetia Falconer on Instagram, who takes part in a 48 hour digital detox every week. I really want to try this, I haven’t mustered up the courage yet. The thought of not going on social media for 2 days is scary (I know, so dramatic), and even more so during this period of isolation and physical distancing, and I have definitely been living through my phone the past weeks just to feel slightly normal and connected. However, as Ramadan is coming up, I believe this will be a great challenge to take part in leading up to it, and during, as it will be a great time to connect with myself and to not be dependant on social media to feel like I'm keeping in touch with people. But instead try to have more meaningful interactions such as a good old phone call.
4 August 2018
Best reads of 2018 so far...
At the beginning of the year I set myself the challenge of reading 25 books this year. Now a few years ago this was doable in a few months for me but as I have found out that it's difficult to take out time to read when working and basically being an adult.
Last year I started lots of books but only finished a few as I kept getting distracted/bored/found a new book, so this challenge is keeping me on track to finish books! I've been using Goodreads to keep a record of my reads as I can update my progress page by page, as well selecting books I want to read next.
So far this year I have read 9 books and I'm currently reading 7 books. It's already August so I had hoped I would be closer to the target by now, but I definitely read a lot more during the winter - when I have spare time in the summer months I'd rather go out and do something active with friends/family instead of hiding away in a book.
The Golden Legend by Nadeem Aslam
This novel has made it's way into my top 5 books of all time; it's the first time I've read anything by Nadeem Aslam and he just writes in such a beautiful way, as soon as I finished the book I wanted to pick it up and start it from the beginning.
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (Still reading)
This novel has made it's way into my top 5 books of all time; it's the first time I've read anything by Nadeem Aslam and he just writes in such a beautiful way, as soon as I finished the book I wanted to pick it up and start it from the beginning.
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty (Still reading)
This book is so different to anything I've ever read before, it's a fantasy novel set in the enticing Daevabad, where there are all sorts of wonderful creatures, half-human half djinn's, evil spirits and much more.
This collection of short essays/stories by lots of well known writers was recommended to me by my best friend. If you've ever felt like an 'outsider' there's a chapter in here that you will be able to relate to.
I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman
This YA novel was a quick read, with 3 main characters facing very different issues such as the fear of failure, identity crisis and grief, who come together under strange circumstances.
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
This was a super interesting read, quite relevant to what's going on in the world right now. Whilst reading it I wasn't sure if I liked it, but once the story came to an end I realised I felt like that because it was shocking and tragic.
This was a super interesting read, quite relevant to what's going on in the world right now. Whilst reading it I wasn't sure if I liked it, but once the story came to an end I realised I felt like that because it was shocking and tragic.
20 September 2016
University tips | Lectures and getting support
Hello,
I really enjoyed writing about my study tips in my last university advice post, so I've decided to write another one because I have a lot to say! As I said in my last post, my advice might not suit people doing creative/science courses because my course was very academic, so bear that in mind when reading.
Towards my final year I used my laptop a lot more when making notes for my dissertation and assignments. This sounds super obvious, but if you are someone who prefers writing notes from lectures, seminars, books, all by hand, then you will know that transferring these notes to a word document can be very time consuming.
Therefore, I started to make notes from my reading straight onto a word document, and referenced as I went along. It made organising my notes and writing out my essays so much easier because all the information was in one place, and all I had to do was move my notes around the page and put them into my essay plan.
I still continued to write my lecture notes by hand, but I would print the lecture slides so I could make notes around the bullet points. My lecturers were really helpful as they uploaded their lecture slides on the on-line portal beforehand, and this helped me as I was able to listen and understand the topic instead of trying to scribble down all the information from the slides.
Google is your friend - Google books was a saviour at times, it's always the worst when your university doesn't have a subscription to that journal you need or that e book so it's good to have a little search on-line.
Also, just because you're doing a degree doesn't mean all the on-line resources you use have to be degree level, if you need a quick refresh on something for example the causes of the First World War have a little look on BBC bite size. It's easy to understand because it's at GCSE level & there's no harm in using resources like that if you are struggling to get your head around something. Just don't put it in your bibliography!
Also, just because you're doing a degree doesn't mean all the on-line resources you use have to be degree level, if you need a quick refresh on something for example the causes of the First World War have a little look on BBC bite size. It's easy to understand because it's at GCSE level & there's no harm in using resources like that if you are struggling to get your head around something. Just don't put it in your bibliography!
Communication is key - if you're struggling to find a source or just need some help then send your lecturer a polite email and they will help you out! Also don't forget that you have your peers! My course had a Facebook group where people would ask questions and keep everyone updated if a seminar was cancelled (the best notification you can get if you've forgotten to do the reading and prep but not the best news if you're organised, for once).
Make use of available support - most universities have skills tutors, who are staff dedicated to help you with the skills part of your course. As I did History, our skills tutorials were based on topics such as writing introductions/conclusions, planning, how to make notes, referencing, presentation tips, time management etc. We were also able to make appointments with the skills tutors, who can give you 1 to 1 support with assignments or organising yourself when it comes to deadlines!
I hope this post can give you some ideas, and if there is anything you would like me to talk about in regards to my university experience, then leave a comment below.
Hafsah
I hope this post can give you some ideas, and if there is anything you would like me to talk about in regards to my university experience, then leave a comment below.
Hafsah
30 May 2014
May Favourites 2014
Hello! I'm back with a favourites post; for me these are the best type of posts to read as well as write because you get to see what people have been up to, what they've been eating and new discoveries they might have made whether it's a new fashion/make-up item or just a general life discovery.Thinking about the past month, week or even the day you've just had gives you a chance to reflect, which is something I have been doing a lot recently. As we're all in the rush of life, it's very easy to overlook the small blessings in our lives because we're 'meant' to be out there looking for bigger and better things that we think are worthy of being shared on social networks. Recently I've taken a step back and have been appreciating all the little things and just trying to enjoy everything I do. Obviously the word 'trying' is very important here, I can assure you that I did not enjoy the masses of revision I had to do for my exam. But this new attitude has helped me be more positive and happy and that's all that matters really. I think that's enough deepness for one post so I'll get on with my May favourites!
Of course I'm going to start with food, so this topcorn/popcorn is delicious and the great thing about it is that it comes in small packets, like crisps, so it's really good for on the go or if you don't want to eat the whole thing in one go. The fact that it has the word 'skinny' plastered all over the packaging caught my eye and I had seen it flying around the social networks so I gave into the hype and thought I'd try it out for myself. It's a great revision snack if you've still got exams going on! Another food favourite has been Pizza but I won't be mean and add lot's of pictures. You could say that Pizza is a life favourite but it deserves to be mentioned as I have eaten a lot of that stuff this month.
So this is another blogger/youtube induced purchase and I don't regret it one bit! Even though you will probably see someone walking down the street wearing them or even a friend might have them and then everyone thinks you're twins, I still love them. (See image below!). They are super comfy but do need breaking into at first. They have complemented all my outfits recently and I've even surprised myself by actually wearing them as they are not my usual kind of shoe. I never wear trainers and skate shoes were so not my thing before Topshop bought these out, but I've been converted so I maybe investing in some Converse shoes or Nike Roshe Run's.
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| I'm getting quite good at taking sneaky pictures (shhh) |
Remember when it was really warm for about a week? Well I got super excited and pulled out the brightest jewellery I have, which included lots of turquoise and stone pieces. Turquoise screams out summer right? It's always great to find pieces that you have totally forgotten about, and to just 'shop your stash' as everyone's calling it now! I do go overboard with layering jewellery sometimes so I always take off a ring or two before I leave the house (thanks Coco).
I've always been a books over films/television person, but recently I just haven't had the time to read because of life. When I was revising the last thing I wanted to do was to pick up another book, but once my exam was over I was like 'where are all my books at'. I'm currently reading The Silver Linings Playbook, and the other three are next up on the huge pile of books I'm reading over the summer. I have watched The Help and The Silver Linings Playbook, I absolutely loved both films and I really recommend them but I just wish I had read the books beforehand, and not the other way round.
Of course I had to throw in a beauty favourite, so last but not the least it's the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet lipstick in the shade 06 Pink pong. I was super excited when I heard about this collection a couple of months ago and couldn't wait to get my hands on one. It's very similar to the Collection Cream Puff lip creams, but it's not as drying as them and not patchy at all. It is a matte finish and drys as a lipstick and stain all in one. It's super comfortable and light, when I first wore it I was super pleased as it felt like I had nothing on my lips! It claims to have 24 hour staying power which is something I cannot confirm as I haven't stayed up all night just to see if it stays on, but it does stay for a long time, I wore it for 10 hours without having to reapply! All the shades are nice but I went for Pink pong because I've wanted a bright fuschia for a long time. The last time I bought a fuschia lipstick was a Maybelline one for my year 11 prom, which I still have but obviously I can't wear a lipstick that's 4 years old but it's nice to have rediscovered a colour that I loved when I was 16.
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