Life through my iphone

As I have failed to update regularly, here is a snapshot into the past few months of life. There has been some amazing weather, which I have tried to take advantage of by wandering along the river, or sitting reading/drinking cocktails in the sunshine. I have also become the carer for some more plants, because I am pretending to be an adult. Obviously I have picked plants which need very little looking after because lets be honest, I am not ready for the commitment of daily watering...

Radio One's Big Weekend

Yes I know this happened several weeks ago, lets just think of this as a nice way for me to reminisce rather than disorganisation... 

Anyway, this year Radio One's big weekend was held in Norwich, which I was super excited about when I found out because it's my home city. I mean, I grew up about half an hour away and it's where I went to all of my first gigs, so it was cool to see such big artists playing in the city. Me and my friend went on the Sunday and we had the best time. It rained for several hours but then the sun came out and Imagine Dragons started to play and it was pretty special. They were definitely an highlight for me, along with the Foo Fighters who were just incredible.

I enjoyed the whole atmosphere of the day, it felt like everyone was having so much fun, including all the DJs who played sets between acts. I think listening to them on radio one every day meant that you felt like you were a part of the festival rather than just a spectator, which made it extra special.

I also managed to catch up with some of my other friends and actually made it home to celebrate one of my friends birthdays for the first time since we turned 18 which was lovely. I always love escaping to the country for a weekend. It's just that normally Taylor Swift and Dave Grohl aren't there too.

Getting back at it

Sometimes life throws something at you that is so devastating, so life changing that manages to veer you off course, like a meteorite knocked out of orbit. That happened to me recently and meant that things like this blog kind of got put to one side. I enjoy rambling about the fun and happy things in life, but sometimes you need a break. Now however it is time to start blogging properly, especially as summer is coming and I plan to make the most of it. I have always been quite bad at this blogging thing but once again I am going to try extra hard to keep this updated. Even though I will probably have to spend a vast majority of it trapped inside wishing I was in the park, trying to do science.

So here we go, welcome to the life of a masters student in London.

Fringe Life

If any of you know me you will know that I am a bit obsessed with my hair. I just love doing different things with it, and I also have an awful habit of constantly mussing it up. sorry.

Anyway, I have been growing my hair for over a year now, and whilst it had got pretty long it had also got completely shapeless. So I decided to finally let someone take their scissors to it and slightly spur of the moment decided I should get a fringe. I am  so glad I decided on the fringe, I have quite a long face and I feel like having long hair sort of drags it down and makes it look longer. I think if you have the same face shape as me a fringe is really flattering.

Fringe care for me has been kept to a minimum, I just blow dry it and then spray some dry texturizer through it to stop it looking too styled, as I like my hair messy. In these photos I have slept with my hair in french braids and then used sea salt spray to get the messy waves. I always think my hair looks better the day after I have washed it.

The tips of my hair are currently dyed with 'the big pink' from Bleach London over my faded coppery brown. It has faded to this slightly rusty pink which I quite like. I can't decide whether to keep dying it like this or go lighter for summer. 

See, I am already thinking about how I can change my hair again!

Life in pictures: February

I know everyone always says this, but I actually can't believe that it's March already. This month has gone so quickly, but it has been so much fun that I can't feel that cheated. At the start of this month I turned 23 and celebrated with James and my friends, which was lovely. Honestly I think it was one of the best birthdays I have had for a while, and I love birthdays.

I also had a lovely weekend with one of my best friends, Caroline. I already wrote a blog post about that weekend and the amazing gig, but lets be honest I am going to mention it again it was so much fun.

As well as those memorable events I have had a generally busy month, with several fun visits to the musuem collections where I explored beetles, ammonites and plants. I have also wandered through Hyde park after lectures on the rare sunny days we have had, something I plan to to more of as the weather gets warmer.

And I bought myself my first ever house plant! Which reminds me, I should probably water him at some point. Overall, another busy and happy month in London. Now come on spring, surely it's time for some proper sunshine now?

All Time Low and You Me At Six

Last Saturday me and Caroline headed to the O2 for a gig that I have been ridiculously excited about since I booked tickets last summer. All Time Low and You Me At Six are my two favourite bands, and getting to see them both in one evening was amazing.

We decided to be proper fangirls so we left our coats at home and queued for 4 hours to get close to the front. It was definitely worth it, it's been a while since I have been in the standing area at a concert and the energy was just so good. By the end we were sweaty and aching all over but also mega happy. 

I felt like both bands proved why they are playing such huge venues, they put on a great show and they are just incredible. For some of All Time Low's songs I wondered who else was singing with Alex and then I realised it was just the whole arena. It was pretty magical. I think my favourite moment was when Alex came out on his own and played Therapy. Some people had brought paper hearts and we all held them up during the song as well as phone lights and it was a really surreal moment. I got quite emotional!

I definitely had the post gig blues after this one!

Life in pictures: January

I welcomed in the new year at the pub we used to visit when we were 18, and it almost felt like we were going back in time rather than forwards. The rest of January passed in a blur of assignments and deadlines, but I managed to get out and about; see the city at night and drink cocktails in jazz bars, explore the tourist hot spots with an old friend and swap lectures for brownies.

The start of this month, spent in the countryside, feels like a lifetime away. But it has been a good start to 2015. Now time to move on to another month, where I am looking forward to turning 23, gigs, friends and more learning.

Living alone

 

    

    

In September I moved into a studio flat in London to study for my masters. So I currently live alone in a single room, which I actually quite like. Although I am a social person I enjoy my alone time and it doesn't bother me at all. Here are some of the perks and downfalls of living alone:

There's no one to judge you. This can be a good thing. I can sing away to my hearts content without anyone moaning and attempt online exercise videos without anyone wondering what the hell I'm doing. But it also means that no one knows that I couldn't be bothered to wash up tonight. Or that I had a glass of wine for a second night in a row. Or that I went to bed at 3am. It's actually really hard not to fall into bad habits when no one has to know.

But at least you know that all the dirty dishes in the sink are yours - no one is eating baked beans and leaving the plates in the sink. My literal worst nightmare.

Every time I trip that part in Bridget Jones where she worries about dying and being found 3 weeks later half eaten by Alsatians runs through my head. How long would it take people to notice I wasn't there? How long without ringing before my mum started to worry? All I've done is stub my toe and I'm having a life crisis.

Sometimes you don't talk to someone for a whole weekend. And you don't even notice until Sunday evening. And then you have to ring your mum and rabbit on for an hour to get a bit of human contact. 
So yeah there are some downsides, but I like having my little sanctuary of calm in the middle of London, I like that I have made it homely with my photos and fairy lights. And I like that it's my flat. Sometimes I almost feel like a grown up.

My 2014

I guess now is the time of year when we all think back to the year behind us. I had this feeling that I didn't do as much as I could in 2014, determined to change this in 2015. But then I started thinking about the milestones that I achieved. I handed in a 12000 word dissertation which out of everything I have ever produced I am currently most proud of. I graduated from my undergraduate degree with first class honours and then moved to London and started a masters at the Natural History Museum. Career wise 2014 was a pretty good year.  

I also had a lot of fun, spending quality time with my lovely friends and family.

So what about my goals for 2015? Well I am hoping that come the autumn I will have a masters degree and will be starting a PhD which is incredibly exciting. I am also hoping that I will have time to travel to a new country, something which I regret not doing in  2014. I think these big goals are more exciting and interesting than the usual 'loose a stone and drink less' or whatever. And honestly, in 10 years time I'm not going to look back and remember that boring stuff, I'm going to look back and reminisce over the happy memories of getting out there and making the most of life.

A Farewell to Summer

This summer has been long and lazy. Probably too long, recently I have been eager for the next phase of my life to just begin already, and this weekend it will. I am moving to London (ohmygod ahh), and so the last wisps of summer are slipping through my fingers. Because as always I have been a terrible blogger I decided to compile a bunch of photos to keep the memory of summer alive for a little longer.

Brighton: In July me and James spent a few days here as a getaway before he moved to Amsterdam. We had so much fun and I completely fell in love with Brighton.

The view from our hotel room. Literally, there is the sea.

Spending quality time with the family: I did a lot of this, which was just lovely. We all enjoy each others company and I love to spend days with them all. Places like Minsmere and Southwold are favourite trips out.

Amsterdam: James now lives in Amsterdam, and is now busy working away for his masters. I managed to distract him for a week and also do so touristy things. It was

a lovely week, living in a different country kind of sucks so it was so nice to just be together. And watch mad men play instruments on a bike.

So that was my summer. I am so excited for autumn; for the cooler weather, the excitement of living in London and the unbelievable fact that I will be studying at the Natural History Museum (how on earth did that happen?!). Life is exciting right now.

Harry Potter Studios

I am a massive Harry Potter fan. I grew up with the characters and was even one of those mad people who dressed up and queued at midnight to get the last book. I'm not even embarrassed. So when Ella asked me to visit the studios with her I obviously said yes and danced around the room. 

We met up in London and then caught the bus to the studio. Even the bus ride was exciting. Once at the studios it just felt like we had stumbled upon a world where its cool to like Harry Potter. All of the staff were so knowledgeable it made the whole day even more enjoyable.

The sets are amazing, and so detailed that they actually add to the magic of the Harry Potter world rather than dispelling it. One thing I really enjoyed was the special event that they had on. Throughout the summer there were different special events, and when we went it was 'bludgers and broomsticks' which meant that they had people talking about the quidditch props, including the guys who had made all the brooms. It was at this point that me and Ella realised that we had spent 4 years doing the wrong degree...

If you are a massive Harry Potter fan then you have to go, and take a friend who is equally obsessed. You will come away excited but also a little bit sad that your Hogwarts letter never arrived.

Growing your hair out

Growing your hair out is such a pain. I have avoided it for years by slowly getting my hair cut shorter and shorter, but last Christmas I decided it was time for a change and took the leap. The top photo is my hair last summer, and the two bottom photos are of my hair a few weeks ago, and as you can see it really has got much longer! I thought I would share my tips for growing hair (ps. you might have seen in my graduation blog that my hair is now brown, so excuse the dodgy blond in the photos!).

Appreciate the difference

I think its good to look back at pictures to see how much your hair has changed to keep the motivation and resist the urge to chop it all off again. It is easy to get frustrated and think it will never reach the length you want it, so remind yourself how quickly it actually changes.

Set hair goals

And make them achievable. Going from a pixie cut to elbow length hair is going to take years, and you will likely get bored before then. I have decided I want to get all of my hair to the same length so that it looks less messy and then grow it to just above my shoulders. 

Change your hair products

When I had really short hair I used to style it using gel. Using gel now would just make my hair feel sticky and horrible. I have recently discovered sea salt spray and love the texture it gives my hair at this length. If you are getting frustrated with styling your hair it may be that you just need to switch up your hair routine.

And finally, have patience. Seriously, you can search for as many weird treatments for hair growth online, but I highly doubt they will make any noticeable difference. Just eat healthily, browse pinterest for hair goals, and wait.

I Graduated!!

Yes, you may now all call me Hannah Norman BSc. Please feel free.

Graduating is the best thing, and it turned out that even an aggressive letter from the university angrily telling us that we could NOT wear bow ties didn't dampen the day. I felt like I was in Hogwarts for the day (and green hood = slytherin which everyone knows would be the most fun), and it was just so lovely to celebrate with my family, friends and lectures who all made my final degree possible.

After a lovely (and mostly sunny) day celebrating in my gown and forcing my Dad to take more photos of me, I reluctantly gave it back and we headed out for dinner. If you live in Aberdeen and are looking for somewhere for a special meal, I thoroughly recommend Rustico. The food was SO good, the atmosphere and staff were lovely and it was just such a happy end to a happy day. 

I am now relaxing at home for the summer before I move to London in October to start a masters at Imperial. Life is good and the future is exciting. 

A Weekend in London

This weekend me and James headed to London for a weekend away. We went to a wine tasting workshop which was a lot of fun (although beginning drinking at half 10 in the morning was a bit of a shock to the system...). The wine tasting was near tower bridge and the weather was beautiful, so afterwards we wandered along the river in the sunshine.

The next day we explored the natural history museum, and visited the human evolution exhibition they have on at the moment. I would definitely recommend a visit, it was really interesting and some of the artifacts they had on display were amazing. We also walked through Hyde park which was lovely, it was full of people enjoying the sun and so had a really happy atmosphere. And I got excited about moving to London in October!

I am now back in Norfolk for a couple of weeks before graduation, so hopefully the next fortnight will be filled with catching up with friends and relaxing in the countryside.