Become what you Respect | QUOTES

Hello!

"You can become what you respect. That's the least that you can do."

These posts are one of my favourites. Why? Well, they're all about spreading positivity, encouraging thinking about who we are and who we want to become, and I can almost feel myself coming 'back down to earth' as I write this, and maybe you feel the same when you read it. There is a reason quotes are ever-so popular, and here are 4 that you must read today.

New TV Show, Summer Inspiration and a Quote | FRIDAY FAVES

Hello!

"The story line totally hits home in terms of my 'dreamer' self,"

Usually on a Friday you may see a BerryWeekly, and rarely a 'Friday Faves'. Why the change? Well, a BerryWeekly is usually written when the week has been somewhat interesting. With exams just around the corner, my week has been mostly sitting around, so not much to see there, really! However, LaurenConrad.com does the most beautiful Friday Faves posts, so I thought I'd share mine!

Favourite Summer Inspiration:

source

Looking at this makes me realise that summer is coming! As soon as exams are over, it'll be all about beautiful summer nights and fun-filled days!

Favourite TV Show:

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A new show on my list - Once Upon a Time is one I've thought again and again about beginning to watch, but only now have I started - and I'm loving it! The story line totally hits home in terms of my 'dreamer' self, and better yet, it's available on Netflix! 

Favourite Quote:

source

A total blogger thing to say, hey? ^

So, that's my favourites for the week! What has been your favourite? Oh, and do you watch Once upon a time? :)

Cameras, Pets, Bars & Baking |BERRYWEEKLY

Hello!

"it was practically waiting for us to open the door to freedom"

Another Friday has come, and it's time to reflect. These BerryWeekly posts are so lovely, as it's almost like a mini scrapbook - with pictures and small descriptions of some of the weeks highlights! Actually, seeing as scrapbooking is kind of become a thing, I wanted to get on board and made an actual scrapbook (see here)! Who say's scrapbooking is only for kids?! Not. Me. :)

The idea of scrapbooking actually came to me when I ordered this baby. It's the oh-so-beautiful Canon 700D. I was debating whether or not I should jump into the DSLR bandwagon, wandering whether it's really worth it or not. Being a blogger, it is (silently) believed that having a DSLR makes you an "official". How much I agree to that is another post entirely. For the record, even though I now am lucky enough to own one now, I still don't regard myself as an 'official'.

So far, I have been loving it! The crisp photo outcomes are lovely. What made me feel it was the right decision to pick the camera up, was your responses in this post, which was the first I properly used it.

"I used to be a rabbit owner and miss her to this day."

On another note, I paid a visit to Pets at Home the previous week and saw the cutest little animals. I've forgotten the name of the animal species on the right, but they were super cute snuggling on their little wheel! Though it did sadden me to see the rabbits in their tiny cages. The rabbit next to the one pictured was jumping about, and when we came close to the cage, it was practically waiting for us to open the door to freedom.

 I wish I could say I adopted one, but we have foxes that come to our garden, and it wouldn't be right to put the animal in danger.

If you didn't know, I used to be a rabbit owner (see here) and miss her to this day.

With birthdays come birthday parties. Was it me or did everyone seem to have their birthday in February? My good friend had her birthday and took us all out to Piccadilly Circus. We went to a bar called Jewel Bar based in Glasshouse Street. It's beautiful, and I fell in love with the decor. The seats reminded me on my headboard on my bed - so it felt a little like home! I loved that they had separated sections so you don't feel intruded on by strangers, and you even have your own little area to use as a dance floor.

Although I'm not a huge fan of clubbing, bars I can deal with. Nonetheless, they probably wouldn't be my outing of choice, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't try to get out of it. Though I was told I must attend, and I didn't have a choice, it did end up being a lovely night. Give me anything with coconut and I'm happy (hello, Piña Colada!).

"We went a little artsy and even tried some marble biscuits - completely unplanned but they looked gorgeous."

Finally, to wind off the week on a calmer note, I resorted to baking. My mother and I had some bonding time making these lovely biscuits. We went a little artsy and even tried some marble biscuits - completely unplanned but they looked gorgeous. We had a little cocoa biscuits going on, some plain and the pretty marble mix! It was a lovely time and definitely therapeutic!

What do you think of the whole blogger/DSLR debate? 

The Netflix Tag

Hello!

The Netflix Tag has been floating around and if you know me, you know I love a bit of good ol' Telly!
So, seeing the Netflix Tag, how could I not. hey? How. Could. I. Not.?
Right, so lets dive in!

1. What are your favourite series' to watch on Netflix ?

Sherlock is an incredible series. It's full with intelligent details, and I can't believe I started the series as late as I did! If you haven't watched Sherlock, you're missing out! Run to your Netflix account and watch all 6 episodes currently on there! You can thank me later! ;)

2. What are you currently watching on Netflix ?
At the moment, I'm up to date with Pretty Little Liars. Actually, on Monday we had a little chat on here on all things PLL. Here's the link, incase you missed it! 

3. If you could have any series, old or new put on Netflix, what would it be ?
Suits. Although it is currently on there, I would love up-to-date episodes on Netflix, like they've recently done to PLL. I love Suits, definitely my favourite show (it's up there with Sherlock!). 

4. What is your one peeve about Netflix ?
Just the fact that Suits episodes are not up to date. Also, the third series of Sherlock is not on there either. I did catch the first two episodes of the third series on BBC iPlayer, but by the time I got around to the final one, it was no longer available! I was gutted. 

5. What are your essentials for a perfect night in with Netflix ?
A cosy blanket, my go-to furry pink roses blanket is my favourite. I was catching up with the latest PLL episode on Netflix today and the blanket was in the wash - definitely not the same experience. Good, nonetheless! 

6. Recommend one series or film for someone else.
I have yet to watch a film on Netflix, there aren't any that catch my eye but in terms of series, Sherlock! (These questions are all interlinking, aren't they?)

7. Name a series on Netflix you keep meaning to watch but haven't yet.
Hmm... none off the top of my head. I think I keep up with the ones I am a die-hard fan of, and happy with my selected few. (I say few, but there are quite a lot! *shh*)

8. Did you discover anything awesome because of Netflix ?

Homeland was a series I found only due to Netflix. Although, I have watched every single one on there, so there's none left to watch. To be honest, I'm just super happy Suits is back so Homeland is not missed!

Is there any show you cannot recommend enough on Netflix? Would love suggestions! 

& I Tag YOU to do it too! 

Red Everywhere, a Fresh Room & a Special Snowman: BerryWeekly

Hello!

"feel like such a grinch saying that... but it's the truth"

Another Friday, another week over! It's been a pretty relaxing week, recovering from the first week back to college and just taking it a step back. You may have seen these images on my Instagram... well not ALL of them, there must be some special ones reserved specifically for the blog, right?

"great for this time of year where it feels like everything is just piling up"

More than a fortnight past 2014 meant it was about time the Christmas decor had to come down. To be honest, there came a point when I was sick of Christmas decor in the room... I feel like such a grinch saying that... but it's the truth, and that's that!

Instantly, my room felt more 'fresh'. Not 'fresh' in the context Will.I.Am uses it in (btw, anyone keep up with The Voice?), but the more airy, spring-is-coming, kind of fresh! So, from that day, there was a little less red to be seen in my life.

How cute is this notebook? Little birdies hold connotations of freedom, relief and nature... okay, I really bought it because it's the most gorgeous colour! Debriefing yourself is a good way to wind down - great for this time of year where it feels like everything is just piling up!

"this nail paint makes life so much easier...See more in Wednesday's post HERE"

Did I say there was a little less red in my life? Well, I take that back. Shortly after taking down the christmas decor, I decided to paint my nails. The colour I went for? Red! I haven't really painted my nails in a while but this nail paint makes life so much easier. It has a wide brush so a coat is done in a matter of seconds! See more in Wednesday's post HERE. Oh, and so far, no chips! Yay!

"It's the little things in life! :)"

A special photo not shown to the instagrammers: I present you: Snowy.. the snowman! He is the little pattern on my PJ bottoms (which I'm wearing right now, actually), and guess what? The nails matched his scarf! It was meant to be! It's the little things in life! :)

I hope you have a super fun weekend, full with the little things that make you smile!
Tell me, how do you wind down from a stressful day?

The end of Christmas 2014, Quotes & iPhones: BerryWeekly

Hello! 

"Who would've thought such a small gesture would transform a room into something a lot more festive?"

That's it. This marks the end of Christmas. The 25th is gone by a day, the presents have been open and families are cherishing the moments they've had together. Not to mention, we're probably knackered from all that shopping we did today, right? Or were we tactic enough to do it online? Either way, we can pack up the decorations soon (okay, we'll allow it for another fortnight, shall we?) and reflect on this beautiful holiday we just had!

"Time to pack these beauties away"

My bedroom looked super festive this year. It wasn't because of the tinsel handing on my window, the wreath hanging or the festive printed candle holders. It was the draught excluder turned long pillow that was the centre of attention. Who would've thought such a small gesture would transform a room into something a lot more festive?

Oh, what is winter without candles? Also, what's a BerryWeekly without some candles, right? Time to pack these beauties away too... until next year, my friends ;)

"Don't be affected by the 'end-of-Christmas Blues' - we can get over that. "

As of this past week, I am a new owner of an iPhone 6. Not as big as people make it out to be, let me tell you! Now looking back at the 4S, it seems tiny! I can't believe how quickly you get used to the bigger screen! Nonetheless, the phone takes great photos and I love the Touch ID feature - seriously makes it so much easier to unlock your phone! Oh and the background is, of course, non other than winter inspired scenery at the moment! ;)

" the presents have been open and families are cherishing the moments they've had together."

Finally, a little quote to get you going. Don't be affected by the 'end-of-Christmas Blues' - we can get over that. All you need is a little enthusiasm (and the leftover Christmas dinner) to keep you going! 

Hope you had a fab holiday, grabbed awesome stuff from the sales, spend quality time with family and look forward to the new year!

What's the thing you're going to miss/cherish about Christmas 2014?

BerryWeekly: Hot Chocolate, Candles & Baking

Hello!

"add a bit of whipped cream and marshmallows on top if we're feeling it - you know how it goes!"

It's always nice to reflect on the good things of the week, and hearing about what others did for their week is always fun too (admitting to my nosiness here). Another post I've been loving the idea of is '10 Happy Things' of the week, it's all positive thoughts and reflecting back at the same time. Totally agreeing with the moto 'you've got to look back to move forward'...might have just completely butchered that famous quote but... you know what I mean! 

"I usually just fold the page (shock horror, some people absolutely hate that)"

First of all, I've been loving my bookmark. A bookmark included in a BerryWeekly? What is so special about it? Well, like you can't already tell from the picture, it's personalised with my name on it! I was gifted it as part of a birthday present, and have been loving it. I usually just fold the page (shock horror, some people absolutely hate that), but fear not, I now use this bookmark. 

SNEAK PEAK into a possible BerryReads post in the future!

"what better time than now"

Next, this has been my go-to drink of choice. During this time of year, when it's frosty outside and for some reason the heating automatically turns off, then while waiting for it to turn back on again we make ourselves a lovely hot chocolate!! Occasionally add a bit of whipped cream and marshmallows on top if we're feeling it - you know how it goes!

"These tasted heavenly and you gotta bet I add a couple throughout the day"

Adding to that topic of consuming stuff, I did a bit of baking. I say baking, but it's no-bake chocolate pieces - sort of a dupe for the 9 bar (which is basically a nut and seed bar). These tasted heavenly and you gotta bet I add a couple throughout the day. Definitely good as pick-me-up energy bites. Let me know if you'd like a recipe! 

"all positive thoughts and reflecting back at the same time"

Finally, if you follow me on Twitter, you'll already have seen this picture. A candle always makes me happy and what better time than now to light one?!

Tell me, is hot chocolate your go-to beverage of choice, if not, what is?

BerryWeekly: Chocolate Fondue, Food and MORE Flowers?!

Hello!

"looking like a complete weirdo trying to get the perfect shot"

BerryWeekly is such a fun segment on BBXO! You know you're a blogger when you take photos of everything, looking like a complete weirdo trying to get the perfect shot of the things in front of you in a public place - that's what it was like while getting photos for this post, too. I was at the restaurant standing up and kneeling down and whipping out the camera at every opportunity! 

However, due to the likes of Instagram, this is much more usual now than it has ever been... And I'm okay with it! 

"if you had seen the menu you'd understand why we went for the Fondue"

One of the more exciting food-related places I visited was a dessert place in London. Actually, I was taken there as a treat and it was super fun! There were four of us that went and if you had seen the menu you'd understand why we went for the Fondue for Four - there were so many amazing options that it was difficult to decide one each, so choosing this option meant there was a bit of everything! 

"Is your mouth watering already?"

The platter came with a wide array of choices: brownies, cookies, 16 mini scoops of ice cream and a bowl of fruit, all to dip in the melted chocolate! Yummy! And on the side, there's chocolate fudge cake with ice cream and whipped cream. Is your mouth watering already? 

If you have read the previous BerryWeekly earlier this month, you would realise my love for flowers. Having a garden whose blooms are looking beautiful this season, who can resist picking some? I did some more arrangements for the study and the bedroom!

"makes me feel so good inside!"

Seeing fresh flowers as soon as I wake up makes me feel so good inside! I also read somewhere that seeing green, fresh leaves and plants in the morning is great for eyes and I'm a firm believer in this as it also makes me feel more peaceful!

 "lasagne was made from Spinach pasta sheets"

Another restaurant we went to was Pizza Express. Funnily enough, I've never actually been to Pizza Express and when we got a chance to go, we all ordered the Vegetarian Lasagna! It was nice, though and the lasagne was made from Spinach pasta sheets!

Well, that was a few pictures from the week and you can imagine some of the awkward positioned shots taken!

I hope you liked the pictures and do you prefer chocolate fondue or cake? 

BerryWeekly: Flowers, Room Scents & Vita Coco

Hello!

"prepare to get some tips to spice up your room for Summer"

Another Friday has approached us! OMG I feel like every Friday I start with the same intro, either that or 'TGIF'. Gosh, it's getting old! Anyway, that may be getting old but lets see what's new and loving this week! Also, prepare to get some tips to spice up your room for Summer, too! :)

"you would have NEVER in a billion years thought of it"

The flowers in the garden have been blooming and that's when the most creative idea ever hit me: Cut up a few flowers and leaves and stick them in a vase for the room! Yes, I know - you would have NEVER in a billion years thought of it!

Why not make the most out of what we have - so if you have flowers in your garden or if anyone allows you to take their flowers, definitely do this - it's super easy and looks amazing! Plus, it's always lovely to wake up to these beauties in the morning!

"you would understand my excitement when a whole box of it landed on my doorstep"

You may be as hyped about coconuts as I am - as shown in this post, this post and this post - and if you are, you would understand my excitement when a whole box of it landed on my doorstep on Monday! I ordered it from Amazon, by the way.

"Definitely recommend it"

Finally, another thing thats great for your room is this fragrance diffuser. It is a plug-in and has 3 scents which change every 45 minutes. This makes it so you can smell the fragrance every time it changes and realise it is there. I have the trio in 'Thai Orchid' and this is the 3volution fragrance diffuser by Ambi Pur. Definitely recommend it and it lasts forever!

I hope you had a fantastic week and tell me: What's your favourite type of Flowers? 

BerryWeekly: Boba, Babies and Buses

Hello!

It's that time again - a wonderful Friday to reflect on the pictures of the week! 

This week I had popped down to London twice - both very fun days and the weather has been amazing the entire week, making the experience even more fun!

Coconut Drinks are the Best!

These two drinks were drank on different days - for the record! The one on the left is a smoothie - it has a bunch of great ingredients like Guava, Lychee, Pineapple and my favourite: coconut! It is a superfood smoothie and tastes so amazing!

Speaking of Coconut, we went to China Town on one of the days we were in London and I got the coconut milk tea (with boba, of course) and it tasted AMAZING!! Definitely recommend that one. Plus, it was cold and great for a hot, summer day!

Also on the day we had boba tea/bubble tea (whatever you want to call it), we had lunch at EAT. If you haven't heard of EAT. it is basically a chain of healthier foods and it has great choices! It was out of this or Pret, but Pret was super busy as usual, so we went with EAT. I had a falafel and hummus wrap and I totally recommend it.

On another day we popped down to London, we saw a '1' bus! If you live in London or know about buses, this is quite cool - like the buses I know of are mostly 3 digits or sometimes 2, but I've never seen the 1 bus!

Finally, after college one day, I went to go visit my nephew! He is super cute and just begun walking - we gave him ice-cream for the first time ever and he loved it. Obviously, we didn't give him too much as he was hyper enough already! haha! I just love how he knew to look directly at the camera!

So, tell me, do you call it boba tea or bubble tea, and whats your favourite flavour?

BerryWeekly: Weddings, Lashes and Bill Gates!

Hello!!

I hope you're having a fab Friday (or weekend, or tuesday or whenever you're reading this!). If you're like me, all you hear and think about right now is EXAMS. For those of you in the UK, you'd know that although May is the season the sun pops out, it's also the time of year to stay in and STUDY.
Although, on the positive side: it'll be over before we know it!

Last weekend, I had a VERY important wedding to attend: the eldest of my first cousins got married! It was a super fun weekend and I want to do it again!! Anyway, considering I had dressed up for it and all, a selfie (or few) had to be taken, ovi*:

Secondly, the new mascara featured in this post is amazing!! I have been loving it and have received a few compliments so far! It's amazing!

Finally, a quote to keep you inspired, and possibly make you chuckle:

Well, that quote reminds me that exams are not everything - so stress less and be happy!

I hope you all had a fabulous week and tell me: any exam tips?

*ovi= obviously 

Divergent or The Hunger Games?

Hello!

Happy Friday! I hope you have had a lovely week and are looking forward to the weekend as much as I am! Being a Friday, it's MOVIE NIGHT! Actually, I watched Divergent last week and wanted to tell you all about it! Long story short: it's a good movie! Better than Hunger Games? Well, read on to find out!

1 // 2

Having started reading the book, it was one I had not got round to finishing, simply because I got bored. Weirdly enough, the same had happened with The Hunger Games - I started reading the book but never finished it.

Many people have compared the two movies due to the similarities in genre and same target audience. I, for one, loved Hunger Games Catching Fire - mainly due to the ending of the movie where (spoiler alert) the place catches fire. The reference to this and the title of the movie got me excited so it ended on a happy note, I guess!

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from Divergent. I thought it'd just be another movie, not so special, yet average. Boy, was I wrong! I loved it! It was surprisingly good - even though the ending was quite cliché. I loved the way that Tris picked up her game and the message 'work hard, play hard' was shown throughout the movie. Also, it shows that people are not one dimensional, they do not have one trait but various traits of different amounts.

Overall, I did prefer Divergent over Hunger Games. Maybe because I felt that the Hunger Games was also overhyped about before I saw the movie, and I guess it was a bit of a let down. Compared to Divergent, which I didn't think much of, so it did exceed my (low) expectations.

Well, are you Team Divergent or Team Hunger Games? 

BerryReads: Losing It by Cora Carmack

Hello!

Another week, another Friday and another Book Review! Before last week I could have easily said I haven't read a book in ages. You know the feeling: it's like you want to read but somehow can't find the time and excuses excuses.... Yet I thought it was time to jump back on the bandwagon as reading is a nice sense of escapism and puts our imagination to good use. At the right time and the right place, this book stepped into my life, due to spontaneously downloadng the book after reading a book review (here) - and am I glad I did!

Losing it is about a girl in college in Texas experiencing the joys of college life, but there one thing she hasn't done.

Blurb: Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier. 

So I guess it seems like quite a typical story line, think PLL Ezria - but it's not all about that it may seem. The book is packed with humour, awkwardness and friendship. What I liked about it is that it is not all perfection on the girls behalf, it's more realistic. I like the way you can clearly imagine everything, from the location of the apartments to the actions of her best friends. The book is very well written and the storyline is fun!

If you're looking for a rom com, chick flick kind of book - this is for you. It's filled with humour, girl problems and all the components of a chick flick! 

Having read this in about a week, when I normally take about 3, it's definitely a book you will not want to put down.

I am literally on the last 20 pages of the book and have loved every moment of it so far, hence why I'll be reading the other books in the series!

Have you read any RomComs books that you recommend? 

BerryWeekly: In the city of London

Hello!

Another Friday, another Week pretty much over! It's a good and bad feeling, that - well, on one hand we have two days to just… chill, but on the other hand, time is flying by too quickly. To be honest, do you find that the months of Jan-April just SLIP out of your hands and you just don't know where that time went? I find that during Sept-Dec, the time goes a lot slower, or I just tend to remember more of it?!
Anyway, that doesn't mean to say you and I can't make the best of every month and every week of the year!

This week, I took a trip down to London and being in the beautiful city, a blogger simply cannot forget to take pictures… and share it with you… duh! :D

Walking down the streets of Westminster, you could see the London Eye peeking out from the building! It looked so lovely! We took a little break from the exhibition we went to to grab something to eat - we hadn't realised it had been 8-9 hours since last eaten and suddenly realised we were hungry! As we were walking down the streets, the sun shining and clear blue skies, the London Eye was a nice sight - hence worth having 4 copies of the same image - haha! 

I have never been this close to Big Ben. Literally being at the foot of the famous building was astonishing - the weather making it look even better! It is such a lovely atmosphere in the area - clean, intricate and the Big Ben is very practical, especially when your watch has ran out of battery and the iPhone battery doesn't last long! 

One truly cannot get over the admiring architecture in London! Not to mention, the love that London seems to have with it's clocks - see, us Londoners really value time, don't we?! :P

Erm.. another pretty building! :) I love the pretty buildings of the city and the atmosphere is just sophistication with party - kind of like 'Work Hard, Play Hard' - I'm definitely a city girl! ;)

On another note, I got a new laptop cover! Yay! I'm using my laptop now and love the fact that the cover is new - it feels like a whole new laptop (with a much lower price tag!) and this time I ordered a keyboard cover too - it is still black and feels a little weird but I am almost used to it! Plus the cover matches my wallpaper!

What do you think of London, and are you more of a city/country person? 

PS. Notice the new title? Do you like 'BerryWeekly' or 'Weekly Roundup'? :D