Life Update: A Crazy Month!

March 1, 2016 ~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

What. A. Month.
February has been insane and so I thought I would give you guys a little life update to let you know what’s been happening. First of all, I have started my second semester of university. And it has been taking up all of my time as usual.
Going into this semester I was a lot calmer than last semester. Last semester I had no idea what I was doing but I’m glad that I have now established some sort of routine with myself.
However my timetable is different from last semester’s so I have been having to adjust to that. It’s not that different but it still shifts when I have to go to uni and how long I stay there each day. I’m still in til 6 on Mondays and Tuesdays though.
I have also decided to take up Mandarin this semester on Thursdays from 5-7. Looking back I wish I had picked a different timeslot to do it in because it means my Thursdays are now incredibly long. Still I am enjoying the class so far. It’s something new. And I have always regretted not learning Chinese when I was younger. So now I am taking the opportunity to learn a little bit. I’m not saying I’m the best at it but I wouldn’t say I’m awful either. I haven’t decided whether I should continue Mandarin to level 2 yet but I guess I will let you know by the end of the semester.
On top of that we have also started a new module this semester. It’s a group project one and I was super nervous when I found out about it. I have never been great at working in teams, mainly because it was always a case of no one wanting to do the work, leaving it all to you to do. So I was worried it was going to be the same with this module.
We were put into our groups randomly and so I had no idea who I was going to be working with. Considering there are over 400 people in our class the chances of me being grouped with someone I knew were very unlikely. I ended up being in a group of complete strangers.
Luckily though my group is really nice. We all get along well and I hope that we can all work together smoothly. I know we won’t always get along and there will be disagreements but I hope we make it through the semester without wanting to kill each other at least haha. It’s still the early stages of the group project though so you never know what could happen during the rest of the semester. I’m still trying to remain hopeful about the whole thing.
Aside from class, I have been spending more time with my university friends outside of class which is nice. I feel very lucky to have made friends so quickly since starting university. Although being one of the few girls in a computing course makes it a lot easier to make friends. All the girls kind of just stick together haha. So I have made a couple of good friends at university so far.
I have even decided to live with one of them next year which I think will be fun. Which is another thing I have been thinking about this month.
After realising just how much I had to go into university for class last semester I realised it would be a lot easier for me if I moved closer to the university next year. So I decided to move with a friend from secondary school but we needed at least one other person to live with so I asked one of my new friends.
And so for the past couple of weeks we have been house hunting. I have to say it feels very adult to be searching for a house. And I know it’s only going to be my house for a few years but I’m excited and also scared. I know we all have to leave home at some point but I can’t believe how fast this is all happening. But I will be sure to share the ups and downs of living with friends whenever the time comes.
Also this past month I have been busy with a boy… I don’t want to go into too much detail about it but let’s just say I’m really happy with them.We aren’t official yet but we are dating. And that’s good enough for me. I’m in no rush to be in a serious relationship. I’m just excited to see where it goes.
Moving away from student life I will also mention some TV shows I have been sucked into this month. As they have also been taking up a lot of time.
First off, Pretty Little Liars is always taking over my life. This season is leaving me with a lot of questions as usual.
I also started watching New Girl. I like it. I think it’s very quirky and fun. I am almost caught up I just need to watch the latest episodes of season 5.
Finally the Amazing Race season 28 has officially started and I am loving it so far. I think I will make a separate blog post talking about the Amazing Race because I love it so much. I got addicted to the Amazing Race when I watched the season Joey Graceffa was on. This season features Tyler Oakley and Blair Fowler, two other YouTubers that I love and so of course I am obsessed with this season. I’m excited to see how far these two teams make it in the race. I am also hoping that one day I get my dream of an all YouTuber version of the Amazing Race because I would love it so much.
And so that is everything I have going on in my life right now. When I write it down here it doesn’t seem like a lot but for the past month it just feels like time is flying by. It just feels like I have been going all the time and never have time to really stop and just breathe. Hopefully things begin to slow down this month. Although I kind of like that so much is going on right now. It keeps me busy. Compared to January when I was off university for a month and barely did anything. Still, I would appreciate if I had some more time to sleep.
I hope you guys are also having a good start to the year. I hope you are working hard to achieve your goals and haven’t given up on all your New Year’s Resolutions yet. Let me know in the comments how things are going. And I will be sure to keep you updated on my life as the year progresses. I hope to make blog posts more often than this but I can’t make any promises.
~ Courtney x

Girl Online On Tour Book Review

January 29, 2016June 12, 2019 ~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

My 7th blog post this month and my second 2nd book review. I’d say I’m on a roll.
Today I am reviewing Girl Online On Tour by Zoe Sugg. I wasn’t really sure if I was going to get this book because when I read the first one I was convinced that it was aimed at a younger audience and I didn’t enjoy the story. However, I decided to give it a chance Zoe had released a number of signed books you could preorder online and so…I gave in. I might have only done it for the signed Zoella book but I knew I couldn’t leave it unread. Especially when I know Zoe has so many fans and someone else would have appreciated the book a whole lot more. So I decided to see where Penny and Noah were headed and honestly, I really enjoyed it.

If you read my book review of Girl Online then you know it was probably the only YouTuber book I didn’t like so I wasn’t sure what to expect with the sequel. But Zoe definitely stepped up the game with this one. I tried not to have high expectations after the first one and I didn’t even really know much about the story. I hadn’t really thought much about what Girl Online On Tour actually meant. But it literally meant Penny was going on tour with Noah.
And I think that’s one of the things that really changed this book from the last one. Because life on a rock tour is so fast-paced and crazy the story had to reflect that. Which meant the pace of the book was a lot faster than the first one. There were things going on all the time and I just felt like I had to keep reading because I wanted to know what happened with all these things.
I feel like with Girl Online, Zoe was just testing the waters with her writing. And now, she knows what she can do and she wanted to showcase that. I could tell her writing had improved, which I was really glad to see. It still has the same style and tone as before but there was just something a little bit different. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s because there has been no ghost writer scandal with this one. Not that I was ever mad about that. Or I’m just getting used to the style of Zoe’s writing. Either way, I am glad to see Zoe is improving her writing skills. Because she can only get better from here and I love seeing that.
Okay moving to the actual story. So many things. Lots of spoilers ahead.
First of all, I totally related to Penny when she had to stop publishing her blog. Last year I had a similar thing go down where I basically had to stop something I was doing and it was awful. It feels like you are being told you aren’t allowed to express yourself like you’re being censored. And it’s not good.
You should always be allowed to express yourself as long as it isn’t offensive or hurtful to others. Although I know that can be hard now because people can get offended quite easily. But if you’re doing something you enjoy and you don’t intend for it to be offensive or to hurt people then you should do it. Although you should be careful if it’s personal or involves friends and family.
That’s what I have learnt about the whole thing and in this book Penny learns a similar thing so I think that made the book more enjoyable.
If you can relate to the character of the book it’s so much easier to read. At least, I feel that. Or if you have a connection with them.
Something else that kept me reading was the mystery. Who was sending all those messages to Penny? I have to admit I had my suspicions about Megan and Pegasus Girl. I would have loved if it was Pegasus Girl. Only because people online can’t always be trusted. That really would have been a twist.
However, that was a bit of a letdown. The reveal was still shocking because I never expected it but…then when it was revealed and the reasons behind it I kind of felt like it was cliche movie. I should have seen it coming. I think I’m more mad at myself for not figuring it out than the actual outcome haha.
Also, I’d really love a friend like Leah Brown. She really surprised me by being really nice. I think I’ve been watching too much Pretty Little Liars because I have to stop jumping to the conclusion that every girl character is secretly a bitch. I mean a girl should be able to take another girl shopping and give her a glam makeover without there being an ulterior motive right? At least, I’d like to think so.
As for Penny and Noah…well I actually liked how they ended. I think it was the right decision and I love that they are able to both pursue their passions. I thought that was a really great theme to the book. That you should pursue your passions because you could just end up living the dream.
It really inspired me. I remember being like Penny and not knowing what I was going to do with my life. I still haven’t got it quite figured out but I am piecing together things I want to do and going for it. One of them being my blog. I identify a lot with Penny and her blog, I’ve been blogging on and off since I was about 11 and I know how it feels to have a place to vent. It’s great.
Something else I loved about the book was Alexiot. I loved the ship name, I loved the big romantic gesture…I loved the whole thing. That was a love story I could totally get behind. It was so cute.
Another big thing in the book was the progression of Penny’s anxiety. Just like Zoe, Penny suffers from anxiety attacks and I really appreciate that Zoe was able to incorporate that into her book. I think it helps a lot of people who don’t have anxiety get an idea of what it feels like sometimes. It also helps a lot of people who do have anxiety and how to deal with it.
In the end, I’m so glad there was a happy ending. I feel like after everything that happened in what felt like a short amount of time everyone deserved the ending they got. I also couldn’t imagine a novel written by Zoella ending sadly.
I’m really glad I gave this book a chance because I ended up loving it a lot. And while yes, it’s a little cliche and predictable it’s a good read. I learnt I was way more attached to the characters than I thought I was too. I was happy, sad, and I even think I yelled at my book a few times.
I would definitely recommend this book to you if you loved the first Girl Online book. And even if you weren’t a fan of the first book, you should give this book a chance because you might end up liking it. I still think it is aimed at a younger audience than some of the other YouTuber books but that’s okay. I think if she did something for an older audience it would be very off-brand.
And so, those were all my thoughts on Girl Online On Tour! I hope that you guys enjoyed reading. Let me know what you guys thought of Zoe’s books in the comments below. I think the next book I am going to read will be Username: Evie. So look out for that book review coming soon (I hope. Depending how fast I read and if I actually have enough to say on it to write a book review.)
~ Courtney x

Fangirl Overload – Pretty Little Liars Season 6B

January 27, 2016July 3, 2018 ~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

This show.
I swear.
If you guys have been following me on social media for a while then you know all about how Pretty Little Liars makes me feel. And now that we are into the second half of season six things have never been so intense.
We are only three episodes into season 6B and yet I’m already freaking out hysterically. I have so many questions and thoughts about how this season has been going. The five-year time jump has really changed the game and it’s hard to believe that just a few months ago we found out the identity of A.
So much has changed and yet it still has that PLL flair that makes you want to come back for more. I love it, so much so that I have already made two videos talking about the second half of season six already. If you want to know all my thoughts on Pretty Little Liars right now check them out below:

And if you want to know my thoughts on future episodes then follow me on Twitter. I always tweet when I’m watching the show because I always have so many thoughts to share.
I’ll be so sad when the show ends because I don’t know if I’ll ever find a show to replace it. But I don’t have to worry about that for a while. I just have to think about making it through the rest of the series without freaking out too much. Although I don’t think that’s possible. It is Pretty Little Liars after all.
~ Courtney x

Meeting Bianca del Rio!

January 20, 2016July 3, 2018 ~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

Last week my friends and I went to our first ever drag queen show. We were super excited because the drag queen we were going to see was one of our favourites. Last year we all got addicted to the TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race and ever since then we have been wanting to see a drag queen from the show. And we finally got the opportunity.

So we bought our tickets, got all glammed up and mentally prepared ourselves to meet the one and only Bianca del Rio. Bianca was the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 6 and considers herself to be an insult comic. She is hilarious. And even more, glamorous in person.

When we first got to the venue we had no idea what to expect. We had never been to this club before, much less a drag queen show. The vibe there was pretty good. Lots of good music, lots of fabulous people. But as we got closer to the start of the show, the more people showed up and soon we could barely move because everyone was pushing to get a good view of the stage.
My friends and I were were lucky that we got there kind of early. That way we could claim the area we kind of wanted to be in when the show started but we still got pushed around quite a bit. That was the only downside to the whole thing. Too many people.
But once the show started you didn’t think about that. All you could focus on was the fabulousness that was taking place on stage.
The first two performances were by the two drag queens that host the special guests at the club. They both did lip sync performances which were amazing. Most drag queens are known for their lip syncing and these girls were perfection. And their backup dancers were giving me life.
And then finally, the queen herself appeared on stage. She looks flawless in person. And at first, I had my doubts because it had been a few years since Bianca was on drag race so maybe she looked different from when she was on TV. But no. She looked perfect. In a fabulous black gown no less. Kaftan realness.

She opened the show by explaining how everyone thought she was going to be on Big Brother and how she wasn’t going to be releasing an album anytime soon. Of course, she was her hilarious self.
So worth the wait.
Next Bianca turned to ask for people in the audience. She was going to hold a lip sync contest. But she wanted it to be a fair competition so she was looking for four different specific people. And I was one of those people.
I was in shock.
I had no time to process and next thing you know I was being brought onto the stage.
I couldn’t believe it. I was on stage with BIANCA DEL RIO.
It still feels like a dream.

When I found out we had to lip sync I was worried. My first thought was: oh my God what if I don’t know the song?!
I’ve watched enough Drag Race to know if you don’t know the words to the song you are lip syncing to then you’re out. And I was the first one to lip sync. So if I didn’t know the words but the other people did I was screwed.
Luckily, when the music started to play I got into it. They played Sissy That Walk by RuPaul and that’s when I felt more at ease. That was the one and only RuPaul song I knew the words to so I knew I could do this.
I was hesitant about it at first. Because I was on stage with about 200 people watching me and a bright spotlight blinding me. But as soon as I started to lip sync I just owned it. It was go big or go home and I went big.
It was a blast.
I have no idea how to describe the experience I just thought it was so much fun.
Unfortunately, I didn’t win the lip sync battle but I came in second. So I’m taking that as my victory.
When I got off the stage and was reunited with my friends we all freaked out hysterically. I mean no one was expecting that.
Later at the meet and greet, Bianca was so nice! She hugged me and my friends and thanked me for being such a good sport. And I got a photo with her.

I still can’t believe it happened. It all just happened in such a blur. But luckily I had friends who decided to document my lip sync performance. That was uploaded to Facebook the next day. I could have cringed about it but instead, I embraced it. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I was going to do it. I mean ever since Drag Race I have wanted to walk that runway and lip sync for my life. So I guess this was me half fulfilling that dream.
And if you guys are interested in seeing a little bit of how my night with Bianca Del Rio went I did vlog about it. Of course. So check that out below:

It was a fab night and I really enjoyed myself. And I think that’s the most important thing. So my advice for this year is to embrace the opportunities that come your way. And have a blast. Because life’s too short so live it up and party.
I have recently found myself saying “party” a lot and I owe it all to Adore Delano. She’s another drag queen from RuPaul’s Drag Race season six. I think that’s a great catchphrase to have. Because life is to be enjoyed. And what better way to enjoy it than to party?
So I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience meeting Bianca del Rio. If you wanna see me lip sync for my life check out my vlog. And let me know in the comments below what song you would lip sync for your life to.
~ Courtney

Binge Book Review

January 19, 2016June 12, 2019 ~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

My first book review of 2016! Exciting!
Today I am reviewing Binge by Tyler Oakley. First of all, I love Tyler Oakley so I’m sorry if this comes across as biased. But technically all my book reviews are a little bit biased because I love all the YouTubers. And I can’t help if I also like their books.

Tyler’s book was a fun and quick read. I seemed to find myself getting through his book faster than some of the other YouTuber books that I’ve read. I think it has something to do with Tyler’s writing style. His writing style is similar to a lot of YouTubers as he writes as though he were talking directly to you. Like if you didn’t have the audiobook you could still imagine Tyler was reading it to you. Which is what I enjoy about YouTuber books they are casual and fun. Yet can still touch on serious topics without being too serious.
Which was Tyler’s book in a nutshell. He bounced from talking about the serious issues such as his eating disorder to talking about his favourite Disney princes.
I enjoyed this approach to the book because it made it fun. I think it was done in a way to show that life isn’t always bad and it isn’t always sunshine and rainbows either. It’s a mixture of both. And I’d rather have a mixture of happy and sad stories rather than just having a happy one or a sad one. It’s about balance.
Which is ironic considering Tyler’s book is called ‘Binge’ and it’s about bingeing on certain things. And in this book Tyler shares his experience bingeing on the good and bad things in life.
To be honest, I was surprised at how much Tyler was willing to share about his life with us. I know all YouTubers have been spilling the tea in their books but Tyler’s shocked me the most. I think it’s because I was seeing a different side to him. It’s hard to imagine him as anything other than the character he portrays online. I think it’s refreshing to learn about the person behind the camera. That’s another reason I like YouTuber books. They expose the real person and not the one we see on a screen.
Tyler’s book was very real. The stories he decided to share with us were personal and things that I never knew Tyler had experienced before. Such as his eating disorder or his first heartbreak. The things people typically don’t want to share on the internet. Reading these stories honestly broke my heart. I mean it’s hard not to feel sad reading about the hardships people have gone through. But reading about how they dealt with the problem or overcame it changes how you view a person. It also makes me feel proud of them because they have come so far from where they once were. And I’m glad that Tyler decided to open up about these things and share what he has learned from his experiences. I know it will help a lot of people who are struggling through similar things.
On the other side of things, you have Tyler’s comedic chapters which I enjoyed a lot. These were the ones where you got to see the Tyler Oakley we all know and love. This was him showing his character. In his book Tyler explains he is both @TylerOakley and Matthew Tyler Oakley. He is both the person we see on screen and this other person that we don’t see. And to see both sides of him is great. He’s basically like Hannah Montana and Miley Stewart.
I loved all of Tyler’s funny chapters. I don’t think I can choose a favourite. They were all so entertaining. One of the chapters I wasn’t expecting that made me laugh a lot was the one about Tyler’s unexpected Toemance. I don’t have much to say on the chapter other than the puns were ev-er-y-thing.
I also enjoyed the photos of foetus Tyler. But I’m a sucker for any baby YouTuber photos. They just add so much more to the book. Because if you’re going to tell embarrassing stories about your life why not throw in the baby pictures too?

Overall this book was a great read. And when I finished reading I was definitely ready for more. So I’m hoping Tyler announces book 2 very soon. I want more gossip. All tea, all shade, hunty. I also recently watched Tyler’s documentary Snervous which goes hand in hand with his book. So I definitely recommend Tyler’s documentary if you haven’t seen it already.
And so thanks for reading another YouTuber book review! The next YouTuber book I am going to be reading is Girl Online: On Tour so look out for that book review soon. Also, if you haven’t already, check out my review of Zoe’s first book Girl Online.
~ Courtney x

My New Phone

January 11, 2016July 3, 2018 ~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

I always love getting new technology. Especially when it comes to my phone. It’s the one thing you use everyday and having the same phone gets boring after a while.
So I always get excited when it is upgrade time. I currently have a 24-month contract with Tesco mobile which means I have been using the same phone for two years. And I was so happy to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new.
It’s not that there was anything wrong with my old phone but over time technology progresses and what was the latest phone two years go is now old news. And like I said, it gets boring using the same phone after a while.
And yesterday I was more than happy to say goodbye to my old, Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini and say hello to my new Samsung Galaxy J5.
If I’m honest, there is no real reason as to why I chose this phone. I hadn’t actually given any thought as to what phone that I wanted to get. I just knew it had to be reasonably priced. With contract phones, you don’t pay for the phone upfront. You pay off a little bit of it each month as part of your monthly bill. And the more expensive the phone, the more you have to pay per month.
I have never really been one to know what phone I want to get. When I got my S4 Mini it was because I needed to get away from the horror that was my BlackBerry phone at the time. And I only really chose a BlackBerry phone because I liked their hardware keyboards. But the actual operating system of the phone was a letdown and I couldn’t deal with it anymore. And before the BlackBerry I had my last Nokia phone…those were the good old days before smartphones.
Anyway, I decided to get the Samsung Galaxy J5 as it was a recommendation from the guy at the store. And it was the same make as my current phone. This was good for two reasons, one it has the Android user interface I am used to. And two, it would make transferring the data from the old phone to the new phone so much easier.
So really, the Samsung Galaxy J5 isn’t that different from my old phone but it’s an updated shinier version. Upon obtaining the phone, I did look up the phone model online because I had never heard of it. The J5 was released in June 2015 and is supposed to be a good gaming phone. I don’t use my phone for gaming but I suppose if you did this would be one of the phones to go for.
One thing that is very different between the two phones is the size of them. I hate big phones. That’s why when I got my Samsung Galaxy S4 it had to be the Mini. Because the actual regular S4 was too big for my liking. If you’re like me and have small hands, a big phone is just not ideal. But the J5 is about an inch bigger than my S4 Mini. As shown below:

J5 on the left and S4 Mini on the right

It will take a while for me to get used to having a bigger phone. I just don’t see the appeal of them. Unless you like to use your phone to watch videos and things it just seems like a lot of hassle. Remember when we used to try and make phones small because they used to be the size of bricks? Can we go back to that?
Other than that the transition between the phones was very smooth. Like I said earlier because the phones are the same make and have the same operating system the backup and restore was effortless. All I had to do was log into my Google account. Sure, I had to sign back into all my social media accounts but all my contacts were transferred over. So most of the work was done for me.
The only thing I had to take off of my old phone were the photos which were saved on the device and not its external SD card. Which was fine, I just put them onto my computer instead of transferring them to the new phone.
Overall my first impressions of my new phone have been good. I like the android operating system and I love the option to add a theme to my phone. If you guys saw my tweet yesterday I was talking about how much I loved a cute pink theme.

The current theme on my phone

I like to customise all the settings on my phone when I get it. That way I can really make it my own. Also, going through all the settings on your phone when you first get it is a great way to familiarise yourself with it. So I definitely recommend you do it. Even if you do it one day out of boredom. You might learn that your phone can do something cool that you didn’t know about.
As for my review of my old phone…I can’t say anything bad about it. Apart from how it would sometimes freeze when it was updating its app and I was using it. However, I think that is just a result of the phone getting old. Which can happen after you use a phone for a long time. It can just slow down and malfunction. But for my first android phone, I would say the S4 Mini was a good choice.
And in case you weren’t sure where I was on the Apple versus Android debate I am 100% Android. Apple is nice if you can afford it, but Android phones prove to be more durable when you drop them and are more reasonably priced.
So I think that’s everything I have to say on the whole phone front. I wish I was more technical with this kind of thing considering I’m a software engineering student but honestly I only use my phone to text people and check Twitter on the go. So I am not one to come to on advice on which phone you should get. Still, I hope you enjoyed reading. Feel free to leave a comment below letting me know what you’re considering for your next phone. I for one will have to wait to see what phones are available in 2018 to decide what my next one will be. Oh the possibilities!
~ Courtney x

90210!

January 10, 2016July 3, 2018 ~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

Today we are talking all things 90210.

If you guys follow me on Twitter then you know that over this past week I have been binge-watching 90210 on Netflix. And oh boy do I have a lot of thoughts on this show. As usual, my main instinct when watching a TV show is to tweet every thought about the show. While I did a lot of tweeting about the show I still have a lot of thoughts that I need to get out about it. So here are my final thoughts on 90210.

I have decided to talk about each season individually. That way, I can hopefully cover everything I need to say. And then I can move on to another TV show, and you know how the cycle goes. Watch a TV show, fall in love, binge-watch it, obsess about it and then start a new TV show, and so on and so forth. Anyway, moving right along.

Season One

A new TV show. New characters. New setting. This show definitely took me a few episodes to get into not going to lie. It wasn’t until Adrianna overdosed that I got really interested. It doesn’t always take that long to get into a show but for this one I was pretty close to giving up. I’m really glad I stuck with it though because this is definitely my type of show.

Naomi Clark

My first impressions of all the characters were pretty minimal and I had no idea what these characters were capable of. When I first met Naomi I thought she would be a Serena van der Woodsen type character. An It Girl. But it seems that’s not a thing in Beverly Hills. There’s just a group of kids that are deemed popular. But there’s no real Queen Bee. I wasn’t expecting that.

Not going to lie I did compare this show with Gossip Girl for a while at the beginning but only because I thought it would be the same. Turns out Beverly Hills and New York do things completely different. And I couldn’t be happier.

To be honest for me, season one was just a mix-match of different storylines. None of which I thought were explored enough. I mean that whole thing with Naomi and Annie’s half-brother could have been a lot better. It just seemed to end abruptly and then was never really brought up again.

This seems to be a theme on the show. Big things happen and then they are just never talked about again. Like the drug raid at the school with the undercover cop, the whole ordeal with Naomi’s dad and also Kelly’s feelings for her ex…all these things kind of just disappeared and people forgot about them…However when you binge-watch a show it’s hard not to forget.

While the show had its rocky start there were two storylines I really enjoyed in season one. Adrianna’s and Silver’s. Adrianna went through so much in season one with the drugs, pregnancy and romance with Navid. Her storyline was the one that kept me watching the show after I was ready to give up. And Silver’s story may have taken a while to develop but her whirlwind love with Dixon was insane. But it definitely kept me interested and it wasn’t long before the show became binge-watch worthy to me.

Adrianna and Silver

Season Two

Coming into season two I had problems with the show. I did read they changed the direction of the show after the first season. Mainly because the show was originally paying tribute to the show Beverly Hills 90210 which aired years before. After season one, they changed the show up because of ratings. I didn’t mind that they changed the direction the show was going in but I did have an issue with some of the things they changed.

Ethan Ward

A major problem I had was the disappearance of Ethan. I read the show just never asked the character
to return after the first season. Which really sucked because he was a main character in season one. And to have him disappear was just wrong. Especially when he had unfinished business with Silver. Although with the addition of Teddy and Liam to the show I didn’t miss Ethan that much. I just wished he had a better reason for leaving other than he just decided to stay in Montana with his dad.

Also with the disappearance of Ethan, the lacrosse team also disappeared. Not that I minded that lacrosse was replaced with surfing. Because I couldn’t imagine Liam and Teddy playing lacrosse.

The other thing I really missed in season two was the Peach Pit. I liked that hangout spot and was not that fond of the beach club. I also thought it was interesting how Dixon stopped working at the Peach Pit and it was never mentioned again. It’s the little things.

Season two was one of the most dramatic seasons for me. What with Annie killing the homeless guy and then dealing with Jasper. I was not expecting that at all. I also don’t think people seemed to make a big deal about Annie killing that guy. I mean she served house arrest and had her punishment but I mean…it was a huge deal. Yet she seemed to be able to move on with her life with virtually no problems. Although it’s a TV show so maybe I shouldn’t be taking it so seriously.

Another story I thought would have been interesting if it was expanded on was Adrianna’s relationship with Gia. Can we please talk about how Ade explored her sexuality in this season? I wanted more on that. I really loved the way the show went with it but then it just seemed to stop and Adrianna went back to Navid.

Jen Clark

Season two also saw the introduction to Jen, Naomi’s sister. She was crazy and I didn’t like her very much. She was one of the most annoying characters on the show. If she was in Gossip Girl she would be Georgina Sparks. But Georgina was more likeable.

The only other thing I wondered about in season two was Dixon’s mum. She kind of showed up for one season and then never appeared again. And after that, it seemed Dixon tried to stop trying to find a connection to his family. This only bothered me because I thought Dixon wanted to keep his real mum in his life. So I thought we’d see more of her. I also thought it was weird how Dixon’s gambling addiction magically disappeared. Although I suppose he got scared out of it after he got in trouble for breaking into the school. Still…he seemed to get over it pretty fast. There was also that whole thing between Dixon and Sasha which I just thought was crazy. I didn’t like it at all and I am so glad Dixon was able to get over that.

Dixon and his birth mother

Season Three

This season had me feeling for almost every character. Starting with Naomi. When she got raped by Mr Cannon at the end of season two I freaked out. I needed to know that she was going to get her justice. I had such strong feelings about the whole thing. I wanted Naomi to tell people and get help and I wanted to see Mr Cannon taken down. It took a while but Naomi was able to get the justice she deserved. It was definitely a storyline that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Then there was the whole Adrianna ordeal. Her career was one thing but then the way she went after Silver and Navid was too much. I didn’t know if I could forgive Adrianna after she replaced Silver’s medication with a placebo. It was crazy. Although given everything Adrianna has been through on the show I suppose she can get away with doing crazy things like that. After all, she did steal that dead guy’s song book and use the songs as her own…

Two storylines in season three I needed more information on were Liam’s and Oscar’s.

Charlie (Liam’s half-brother) and Liam

Liam and his half-brother needed more time together. I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Liam’s half-brother had stayed around a little longer. Other than the fact that it would have been a bit awkward because of the love triangle that they had with Annie.

As for the whole Oscar thing…I thought there would have been way more explanation on what Ivy’s mum did to his family. Mainly because Oscar went through a lot to get his revenge. Sleeping with Ivy and her mother was just a bit weird. And then Oscar just left. And people never thought about him after that.

Ivy, however, went through a lot this season. With her relationship with Dixon, sleeping with Oscar, fighting with her mum, getting addicted to weed and meeting Raj. Girl had a lot going on. I just wish people paid more attention to her. Maybe then the whole weed thing wouldn’t have happened.

Teddy Montgomery

On top of all of this, we also had Teddy dealing with his sexuality. Naturally all I wanted was for
Teddy to come out. I have watched several TV shows where a gay character has been trying to keep his sexuality a secret and it is always so great when they finally tell everyone. And Teddy’s story was no exception.

I really enjoyed the guys’ attempt at showing Teddy they were comfortable with his sexuality by taking him to a gay bar. It made me appreciate Liam and Teddy’s friendship a lot more because they are real bros. I also loved how supportive Silver was and how she and Teddy were best friends.

And the last couple of things to talk about in season three are Annie’s cousin who was insane and Annie and Dixon’s mum dating Ryan.

The Wilsons

I hated Annie’s cousin. Especially because she was isolating Annie from her friends. And I couldn’t handle that after how Annie was isolated in season two. And I was never really sure of why her cousin was doing all of it? There didn’t seem to be a point. At least to me the reasons behind it didn’t seem strong enough to justify what went down. Which is something I could say about quite a few things that happened on the show.

And then there was the divorce of Annie and Dixon’s parents. This saw the disappearance of their father completely from the show. Which bothered me because I’m sure their father would have had a lot to say about Dixon’s drug addiction and Annie’s book from season five. As for their mother, she gets a job working for Jen and somehow ends up dating Ryan. I never saw that as a good couple pairing but that apparently works. And to top that off Ryan was the father of Jen’s child. As if Naomi and Annie’s families couldn’t get more twisted.

Season Four

Time for college! Although it seems no one in Beverly Hills actually gets a degree. They seem to take up and drop classes at college as if that’s normal. I’m not sure how college works in America but I’m pretty sure that’s not okay. It doesn’t look well to employers anyway.

Not that these characters have problems with getting their own jobs. What with Naomi starting her event planning business, Adrianna’s singing career, Dixon’s music career, Navid’s production career and Liam buying a bar. Not to mention everyone seems to just have money. Either their families are wealthy or they inherit it or something. Oh to be on a TV show. Seems like a great life.

This season didn’t seem to have as much drama going on as last season. I guess things seemed to be a lot less dramatic after high school. All I remember about this season is Naomi getting arrested a lot, Liam proposing to Annie twice and Annie becoming an escort.

I suppose these are things we never thought would happen. First of all, Naomi went head to head against sorority leader Holly. That I enjoyed. I love a good girl fight. I never really figured out what happened with Naomi and the sorority she joined. Did she quit? Did she drop out of CU? Because after she stopped fighting with Holly and focused on her event planning business the whole sorority talk just seemed to stop.

Austin and Naomi

There was also that whole thing with Austin and Naomi. And I guess the whole Austin thing in general. Austin just seemed to be one of those random characters that appeared on the show for only a season. But I wish he had stayed a lot longer he was nice. And he only ever had good intentions. Even if it seemed like he didn’t.

Next, Liam proposing to Annie. Damn. I would

Vanessa and Liam

have said yes. I mean how to reject someone like Liam? He’s too perfect. Well, he had his faults, but who doesn’t on this show? One thing I will say though is he was crazy to trust Vanessa who hit him with her car.

Although it was Vanessa that made Liam into a great actor she was shady. I never trusted her and I really didn’t like her. Even though I love Arielle Kebbel. She’s a great actress. And I think she might have had the biggest guest star role. Next to Jen.

Then there was Annie and her fight for her inheritance money. Okay, so it surprised me how fast Annie turned into a money-hungry bitch. I mean I know she deserved the inheritance money but she just came off as a spoilt brat during that whole ordeal. It bothered me that she didn’t try to earn money by getting a job. I know that wouldn’t have earned her enough money to pay for Dixon’s rehab but it would have been a start.

The whole escort thing was a shock. It surprised me that Annie was able to keep it a secret for so long. I was sure it was going to come out quickly considering how fast most things get out on this show. But she was able to keep it under wraps for a long time.

Oh and then Annie randomly dating a priest? Yeah, let’s not forget that was once a thing…

Adrianna and Dixon

Side note, Dixon’s drug addiction. Wow. Wasn’t expecting that. Again surprised no one noticed sooner. But I am so glad that Adrianna was there for him. As for Dixon and Adrianna’s relationship? I was not a fan. It seems like Dixon forgot how to be romantic when it came to dating Ade. Which was such a shame because Dixon was one of the most romantic guys on the show.

He just became obsessed with his music career. Which was a slippery slope.

Meanwhile, Silver is worrying about her future as she may or may not have a cancer gene. Scary. It’s also crazy how she turned to Liam to deal with the whole thing. I was not expecting that. Although Teddy was off to DC with his boyfriend so I guess she needed someone else to talk to. And she was on the outs with Navid. So many complicated relationships.

This season also was the last time that we saw Ivy. Who really needed more attention. I mean her husband died of cancer and then she got involved with a guy who was in the country illegally. Ivy definitely doesn’t have a lot of luck with boys. I kind of wish she had stayed around. But she decided to go to Mexico to be with her boyfriend. She just seemed to disappear without mentioning it to anyone. Naomi mentioned it once in season five and it seemed people didn’t seem to miss her much.

Season Five

The finale. Honestly with the way this season was going it didn’t feel like the last season. There was something about the end that suggests the show wasn’t ready to end and that they unexpectedly got cancelled. But I’ll talk more about that later.

First of all, Dixon didn’t die. Hallelujah. This show likes to put its characters in car accidents. Dixon’s was the third of the series. And while he didn’t die he did have a disability he had to work through. This caused problems with his relationship with Adrianna. Mostly because of his music career.

Riley

Due to Dixon’s disability we got introduced to Riley. He was pretty cool. I got excited to see Riley Smith on the show because I’ve been watching him on Nashville. I was so sad when his character died. I thought he and Annie had a real shot together.

Speaking of Annie, she became the Dan Humphrey of Beverly Hills by writing a tell-all book about her days as an escort and her romance with Liam. From watching Gossip Girl and seeing how everyone reacted to Dan’s book, I could tell this wasn’t going to go well for Annie. I wasn’t sure how to feel about Annie’s book. To me, it seemed so random. Like, I still don’t think I’ll get over how fast Annie gave up on acting. I thought she would have kept up the acting thing. I guess she didn’t want to be an actress that badly.

Also Patrick’s attempt at getting revenge on Annie was pretty lame. I was expecting some huge blow-up but planting drugs on her half brother just seemed lackluster. Just saying.

The other characters on the show seemed to go through a lot more than Annie did this season. For example Liam. Liam just seemed to fall into a bunch of random careers. I feel like he was the most successful out of everyone. I mean he owned a bar, became an actor, started running a club briefly and then started a surfboard shop. I don’t know how he did it. I mean the surfboard thing might not have worked out, neither did the acting thing but he still worked hard and had pretty good results.

I mean there was the whole thing with Vanessa and the police officer who kidnapped him but he got out of that. Thankfully.

Max and Naomi

Meanwhile, Naomi was getting married to Max and then getting divorced from Max. I really hoped
their relationship would have lasted. They were cute together. Sadly it wasn’t happening for them. And then Naomi tried to get her event planning career off the ground again. It never really worked out for her. She’d plan one good event and then something bad would happen so she would just stop her business. I don’t know if she ever established it as a proper company but she did end up with a new boyfriend at the end.

Then Naomi decided to bring her and Annie’s real half-brother into the picture which I thought was so random. We went through three seasons without it being brought up and then this guy just showed up. Again, he was just one of those random characters to only appear for one season. As always I was sad he didn’t stay longer but he did get a happy ending which was good.

As for Navid, he got caught up in a secret society thing? I wasn’t paying enough attention to the scene where Navid talked about the club. So I’m not sure how it came about. I just sort of went with it. Mainly because Grant Gustin is great. I also can’t believe Navid dropped out of Princeton after two months to come back to Beverly Hills. It was pretty pointless of him to leave.

Moving on to someone who couldn’t seem to catch a break this season…Silver. I had no idea how big a deal it would be for her to have a baby. Plus I thought it was heartbreaking that Teddy didn’t want her to carry the baby. That just made things even more complicated. Even though it was already pretty complicated since she decided to have a baby with her gay best friend.

Michaela, Silver’s surrogate

Silver got obsessive over the whole surrogate mother thing and I had a bad feeling that she was going to lose the baby. Not that I could see Silver being a mother anyway. I know she really wanted to have a baby but I thought that her thinking she was ready to have a baby and actually having one would be very different for her. So I guess I am glad the baby thing didn’t work out.

I’m just heartbroken that the writers decided to actually give Silver cancer. I mean no. I don’t accept that. Especially since we don’t even find out if she beats it or not. At least, she has Dixon to help her through it.

And then there was Adrianna. It always seems like no matter what she does everyone assumes the worst. Which I can understand given her history on the show. But it was still sad when everyone was assuming the worst of her when she only had good intentions.

Navid and Adrianna

Next thing you know Ade is trapped on stage after a collapse at the theatre. Which seemed very
random but I guess had something to do with the bag that Campbell gave to Liam which he left backstage. I’m just glad she was okay. And I didn’t even mind that Adrianna and Navid came full circle ad got back together.

I always thought they were good together.

And so it seemed everyone got their happy ending.I have to admit the last episode had me very emotional. I needed to know Ade and Navid would be okay. I needed to know that Liam and Annie would get together…I wanted Silver to be cancer free.

It was good to see that everyone got their happy ending but like I said, it seemed like that wasn’t the ending of the show. I think they wanted to have another season but the show got cancelled after season five. Which is a shame. I want to know if Naomi stayed with that guy, I want to see Silver fight cancer, I want to know if Dixon got his music career…I guess these are things I’ll just never know.

And so those were all my thoughts on 90210! It’s been a long journey but I am so glad we are at the end. Overall I really did enjoy this show and while yes it did have some flaws it was a great way to kickstart my Netflix subscription.

I’m not really sure what TV show I will be watching next but I think it’s good if I take a break before starting a new show. Maybe try to fix my sleeping pattern and start being productive again. It always takes me a while to find another show I really like. But y’all will be the first to know when I find that new show.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on 90210. Let me know what you guys thought about the show in the comments below. Maybe you can relate to some of the things I was feeling. Also leave comments for good TV show suggestions, and maybe I’ll check them out. 🙂

~ Courtney x

New Style Boutique 2: Fashion Forward First Impressions!

January 7, 2016July 3, 2018 ~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

Hey guys!
Today I am going to be giving you my first impressions of the game New Style Boutique 2: Fashion Forward.

I am a huge fan of this game series for the Nintendo DS. Mainly because it is something I have always wanted in a game. I love shopping, I love fashion and this game series combines those things and allows you to run your own fashion boutique.
I picked up the first Style Boutique game on a whim one day and I don’t regret it. Since then Nintendo has released New Style Boutique for the 3DS and now New Style Boutique 2.
One thing I will say about the series is that Nintendo wasn’t that great with naming it. I know in Japan the game is called something like “Girls Mode” which I suppose isn’t much better. But having the word “new” in the title is really confusing. Mainly because the previous game was also called “New Style Boutique”.
Either way this game definitely steps up from it’s prequels. In this game you can be so much more than a boutique owner, you can also be a hairdresser, model, designer and a makeup artist. This really excited me because it meant we were getting a lot more features to play around with.
This game also has a different storyline from the others. This time you are transported into a doll’s world? And it is there that you take the fashion world by storm. I have to admit I found this really strange but I went along with it anyway. I was just excited to be able to play a new game.
One thing I really appreciate about this game is that it takes a long time to unlock features of the game. I found that with the previous two games that things were unlocked far too quickly and you would have completed the game within a number of days. With this one I have found it takes a while for everything to be unlocked. I have been playing since November and I still haven’t unlocked all of the brands in the exhibition hall.
That being said, I don’t actually play the game as often as I would like. So maybe I just need to keep working on it to unlock everything haha.
Now let’s talk about the actual professions you can take on in this game:

My character in the rose garden

Boutique Owner: This is the role that we have taken on in the last two Style Boutique games and it is a role that I enjoy a lot. I love creating outfits for people and seeing them enjoy what I style for them. I also love the styles of clothes that Style Boutique has.
It’s definitely one of my favourite parts of the game to buy the clothes from the exhibition hall and dress my character up in the many different styles. It allows me to explore fashion styles I would never try in real life.

Applying makeup like a pro

Makeup Artist: I am not the biggest fan of this career in the game. Mainly because the makeup styles some of the customers ask for aren’t that glamorous. Sometimes, they will ask you to copy the makeup of a photo and it can be quite difficult.
I like that they do add this challenge to the game but at the same time I would like if the makeup complimented the skin tone of the character because sometimes it doesn’t.
Although that’s just a small thing on my part.
This career also gives you the opportunity to unlock more colours for your makeup palette by giving photos to a character in the game. She will look at your in-game photos and pick out new colours for your makeup which I find quite interesting. It also encourages you to take more in-game photos to see if you can unlock the colours.

Ready to style your hair to perfection

Hair Stylist: Another new career for the game. I do enjoy this one a bit more than the makeup artist career but again it’s not perfect. The main critique I would have about this one is that when you are asking a customer about the hairstyle they want they sometimes don’t give you enough information and so it can be hard to decide what hairstyle they want.
On the bright side, even if the customer is not fully happy with the hairstyle you have chosen they will usually go along with it anyway.

The design studio

Fashion Designer: I don’t have a lot of experience with this career in the game yet. Mainly because I just unlocked it. However it seems to follow a similar format to the design feature in the first Style Boutique game.
A brand from the exhibition hall will call you and ask if you will design a type of clothing for their brand. Once you create it then you will be able to wear it and sell it in your shop.
I like this idea because it allows you to create the clothes you want in the game. However it can be a little bit restrictive with the options that the game provides. But it’s still a fun feature to the game.

Say cheese!

Model: Again, I don’t have a lot of experience with this career either. I actually just unlocked this one in the game. I really like the idea of this one though, especially if you like taking in-game photos.
From what I can tell, you go to the photo studio and they will have a list of modelling jobs and the type of clothes they want you to wear for it. You dress your character up and take the photos and then they will be shown around the town.
I think it’s a really fun way to show off your style in the game. I don’t really know if this career has anything else to it but so far I enjoy it. I also like that they let you choose your character’s pose for photos. In previous games you didn’t have that option, so it’s nice to have a little more freedom with that.

My first fashion show

On top of that you are also asked to take part in fashion shows. I assume this is in place of fashion contests which were in the previous two games. For fashion shows you sell tickets by serving customers in the boutique, hair salon or makeup studio. Then you take part in the fashion show by dressing up to match the theme and working the runway.
Other features of the game include online miiverse competitions which I haven’t really explored and designing your own little room in the ski chalet. I’m not really sure what the whole miniature room thing is about but when you get a streetpass you get a copy of that person’s room too. I think it’s cute but it’s not a feature I use a lot in the game.
Another thing I enjoy about the game is that you don’t have to do all these jobs if you don’t want to. For example, I spend way more time selling clothes at the boutique and don’t really like to do people’s make up or hair. And the game gives you the freedom to do each of these things as much or as little as you want. Although it is recommended you do all the careers to fully experience the game.
I don’t really have that many problems with the game other than maybe the design of the menu, I preferred the style of map in the other games. And I guess I only have problems with some of the things I mentioned above but otherwise it’s a really good game.
I know I still have a lot more to unlock in the game though. I still have to unlock all the brands in the exhibition hall, I also have to explore more with the model and fashion designer careers to see where they go.
But like I said I like that all of these things weren’t unlocked right away. In the other games it didn’t take too long before you were winning all the contests and unlocking all the exhibition hall brands. So I like that you get more play time out of this game than the others. And like I said, there’s so much more to do in this game than the previous ones so there will always be something to do in it.
I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who loves fashion. It’s super cute and girly and I’m so glad that Nintendo released this game. I just wish they put a little more love into this series because I know it could also be so much better too. They definitely don’t promote this series as much as many of their other games and I think it’s a shame because I think it’s a really great series.
Anyway, those were all my thoughts on New Style Boutique 2: Fashion Forward! I hope that you enjoyed this blog post. If you guys want to check out more of my New Style Boutique in-game photos I sometimes post them to my Tumblr blog: cullengleekvonvanity.tumblr.com. Again, thanks so much for reading and I hope you will come back for my next blog post!
~ Courtney x

2015!

December 31, 2015July 3, 2018 ~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

Well guys, it’s the end of another year. And that means it’s time for a reflective blog post.
I used to make these blog posts all the time back when I had Bebo. I used to blog about all the big things that happened that year and talk about what I hoped for the next year. I actually think it’s a really good thing to do because I like looking back and seeing how far I’ve come.
This year in particular has been insane. So much has happened and I have no idea where to start with it.
I think I’m going to start chronologically and work my way from there because it seems like it makes the most sense.
So according to my Twitter, 2015 started off quite boring. I was pretty lazy. Which tends to happen when you are off school for Christmas. And even though you have a ton of work to do that’s due for when you go back, you always leave it to the last minute. Luckily the work didn’t seem to weigh me down too much as I still had time to tweet about it.

On top of trying to get through my a levels, I was also very distracted fandom-wise. Four words. Fifty Shades of Grey. For the first two months of the year I was busy trying to get as much information about the movie as possible. And I was freaking out at every glimpse of Jamie Dornan in a grey suit.
Unfortunately the movie was not all that I had hoped it would be. Yet I still enjoyed it for what it was. And I am still excited for the sequels, even though we will be waiting until 2017 to see Mr Grey again.

The start of 2015 is also when I started this blog! I have had many a blog in my life and I decided that this would be the one that I stuck with, for better or for worse. This would be the one I stuck with. I have taken many different directions with blogs before but I feel good about this one.
The only other blogs that I have had for more than a year are my Tumblr blogs, and while they are great I wanted a more serious blog to post to. One that I could look back on and read like a journal. And so this fabulous blog was born. Here’s hoping we make it through another year here and I don’t randomly change my mind and start a new one. *Fingers crossed*

2015 also saw the start of my love for Tanner Patrick. His cover of Love Me Like You Do was a related video on my YouTube and I clicked on it on a whim. Best decision I ever made. Since then I have been loving Tanner’s music and have been an active part of his fandom since around March maybe the end of February. He’s a talented musician and I would definitely recommend that everyone check him out.

In April, I was introduced to the show RuPaul’s Drag Race and that opened me up to the world of drag queens. I have to say that I love it. I find it so fascinating and I enjoy the show a lot. Everything about it is just fabulous. From the drag queens themselves, to their amazing costumes, to the challenges, to the shady drama. It’s all very entertaining and so much fun to watch. I also think it’s interesting to learn about drag culture and how much people give up to do something that they love like drag. It’s an amazing commitment, and I commend anyone who does it because it’s amazing.
After that, school was stressful as we headed towards exam time and the end of an era. Officially leaving secondary school was a huge accomplishment this year. I didn’t think I would make it haha. It’s crazy to think I left school seven months ago. I don’t even feel as if I really left. It just felt like the natural next step which was good.
If I had to say anything about my time at school I would say it was good. I know that it wasn’t always that great. There were always stressful times and you didn’t always get along with everybody in your class but overall I had a good school experience. I worked hard, got the grades I needed and made some amazing friends I know I’ll have for life. And some really great memories but also some not so great ones. Like I said, it wasn’t perfect but I had a good time there.

Once exams were over and I hung up uniform for good summer had officially started.
Over summer, I decided to put my focus on YouTube and begin posting videos on a regular basis. I aimed to post five videos a week, one for every weekday. It was a challenge, but I did enjoy posting regular content to my channel. I felt like I was being productive with my time rather than just sitting around playing Animal Crossing.

During the summer I also started watching two new TV shows, Orange is the New Black and Young and Hungry. Both really enjoyable shows. Both completely different. I’m really excited to see where they go with the new seasons.
Another big event that happened in June was that marriage equality was brought to the US as gay marriage was legalised in all fifty states. That was a really big step for the world and I couldn’t be happier about it.

June was also the month where I turned 18. However, I don’t feel any different than I did when I was any other age haha. Are we supposed to feel really different when we hit a big milestone age? I never have. I just feel the same, it’s just that now I say I’m 18 when people ask me my age hahaha.

I also went on holiday with my friends in the summer. We rented a house for the week in Portrush and it was a lot of fun. I did manage to vlog a little bit when I was there and I got to spend some quality time with all of my friends before we went to university. It was very memorable and I’m sure we will be planning many more group holidays in the future.

The rest of the summer was spent playing Sims or working on YouTube. I still made the occasional plans with friends to keep in touch too. All of this was just a distraction from the approach of results day.
Results day was pretty nerve wracking. It’s the moment when you find out if you are going to university or not. I tried to remain pretty calm about the whole thing but there was a tiny part of me that was worried that I didn’t do as well as I thought I did.

Luckily I didn’t have to worry much because I was able to get the results I needed to go to university.
That’s when the real nerves started to kick in.
I was about to start the next chapter in my life. I was going to be in a new place with new people…I didn’t even know if I would like my course.
Something else I knew that would really suck would be my friends leaving to go to university. I had went from spending everyday with them to never seeing them. It was an adjustment to say the least.
I was so happy that my transition from school to university was pretty smooth. Like I said, it felt like the next natural step for my life to go in. And I am so grateful for that. I know a lot of people that go to university because they were told to rather than that they wanted to and it doesn’t always end up going so well. So if you are thinking about further education then it has to be your choice, someone else shouldn’t be making the decision for you.

So for the past few months my life has been all about getting used to university and trying to make sure that I balance everything in my life again. Since starting university, my everyday life has changed dramatically and so I need to establish a new routine.
I have really enjoyed everything that university has been able to offer me so far. I have made some new friends, while still being able to keep in touch with my old ones. I find my course interesting and I am enjoying what I am learning. And I have been enjoying university nightlife.

Also during this time I was also trying to keep up with my TV shows. Most of them return after summer break in the autumn and so I always had to make time for them. In particular I have really been enjoying Nashville and The Vampire Diaries. I also decided to start watching Scream Queens this year as there is no more Glee to look forward to.
This year, my TV shows have really been on point. They have been so good lately that I really can’t get enough of them. And I haven’t even mentioned Pretty Little Liars in this post yet. Y’all know about how much I have been freaking out about Pretty Little Liars this year. It’s been insane.

The latest TV show that I have gotten hooked on is 90210. I started to watch it just before Christmas and am almost finished with season 2. I wasn’t sure what to think of it at the start but I have really gotten into it and am really enjoying it so I’m excited to see where that goes. I know the show is over now but I prefer to watch shows like that so I can binge-watch it all in one go. Waiting for new episodes of TV shows sucks.

And finally, the last big thing I can really think of that I have done this year is Vlogmas. If you don’t know what Vlogmas is, it is when YouTubers vlog for 24 days leading up to Christmas from the 1st of December to Christmas Eve. It’s actually not as easy as it looks to produce daily content like that. I was always staying up ridiculously late at night to make sure my vlogs were edited and uploaded for the appropriate times.
But I have to say it was definitely worth it. I really like vlogs because it’s just another way to capture memories and look back on them. So I felt really accomplished about that because I thought that I was going to get through the first few days of Vlogmas and then quit.

So overall, it has been a successful and productive year for me. It’s probably been one of the years in my life where I have experienced the most change. It hasn’t always been plain sailing though, like everyone I have my ups and downs, good days and bad days. But I would say that the good definitely outweighed the bad this year.
I am definitely looking forward to next year and all that it will bring. I have no expectations at all other than I just need to keep doing my best and see what happens. And of course I will keep you all filled in on anything big that happens.
So thank you so much for reading, I hope you all had a wonderful 2015 and that 2016 will be equally as wonderful. Or if your 2015 wasn’t so great that 2016 is your year and that it is so much better to you than last year. At the end of the day, I think the year is only as good as you can make it. Things might not always go your way but I think if you keep trying and don’t give up then life can be amazing.
Happy New Year guys! Make it count!

~ Courtney x

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2015July 3, 2018 ~ Courtney Shek ~ Leave a comment

❄️ Merry Christmas Everyone! ❄️

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and that you get everything that you want from Santa!

If you don’t celebrate Christmas, then I still hope that you have a great day and are able to spend it doing something you love.

My Christmas gift to you all is first of all, that photo of me above. That is indeed a snapchat filter thing. Looking fabulous.

Secondly, I wanted to let you guys know I have officially completed vlogmas 2015! Yes, that’s right I vlogged for 24 days straight. I’m very proud of myself for doing so because I could have just given up and been lazy but no I stuck it out.

So if you are interested in seeing what December was like for a first year uni student who is not so festive then please feel free to look at the following playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS-A2-2r_dIQxI2tDqUg0HXwZIjW4yyve

Once again Merry Christmas guys! And I hope you have a fabulous day!

~ Courtney x