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.

Patience, Breathe, Think Happy & Believe | QUOTES

Hello!

"I know it's all about being calm and collected, but also not giving up."

During this time of year, quotes are a great reminder to keep one on the 'Be Calm and Positive' bandwagon. As it is exam season, you'll probably be seeing a few of these on here - and who knows, maybe it'll benefit you to clear your head and remind you of the good things, even if you're not taking exams.

source, source

Patience is an aspect many often forget about. I know I do. It's all about letting go, having less control and just understanding that things will happen the way they're supposed to - so just let it be. The quote above really does bring the idea of patience home, and sometimes, we just have to accept it. 

source, source
"it'll benefit you to clear your head and remind you of the good things"

Roald Dahl, ah the famous Roald Dahl! What wonderful things he said, and things I totally agree with. Happy thoughts WILL shine.

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This one's a little different - it almost changes the entire mood of the post. I know it's all about being calm and collected, but also not giving up. 

Best of luck to those taking exams, and those not, I hope you have a great week anyway. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for more quote posts on here sometime soon - but if you feel like you would like to read some more now, and you want to be on the positive boat, here are some links:

Smile, Be a Dreamer & Bloom
Be Bright, Truthful, Positive
Fight the Fear
Cherish the Days

Tell me, any exam tips you have rolled up your sleeves? Share them below :)

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: Fireworks, London, Flowers and Piercings

Hello! 

"our family got together ...we ordered pizzas, played charades and blasted some fireworks!"

As you know, it was Diwali last week, and this week was also my week off! You know when you want a relaxing, chilled out week but it turns out to be super eventful - well this was one of them! So, here's what happened.

" There is now a hole in the top of my right ear"

I got my cartilage pierced. There is now a hole in the top of my right ear with a shiny gold and diamond stud. Did it hurt? It was bearable! But so far, I love it 

Also, I got this awesome bottle in the post and have been loving it. The image is a sneak peak of what's coming your way next week! ;)

"When in London, there's always good food!"

Going back to Diwali, our family got together at our house on Friday night, we ordered pizzas (a whopping 12 extra, extra large ones - you can imagine how big our family is!), played charades and blasted some fireworks! It was a beautiful display and my dad was sad to see one of the trees get a little burnt as the firework blasted in the wrong direction... whoops!

I also popped down to Covent Garden on Monday to see a huge crowd of people surrounding an entertainment man, but what I admired the most was the stunning Christmas decorations up in the square! 

When in London, there's always good food! A post coming to you next week on the dinner we had, but for dessert, it was Snog we went to. I ordered the Coconut Frozen Yogurt, with granola and raspberries and some chocolate sauce! It was super yummy!

 As for the flower part of this BerryWeekly, this arrangement was a put together of two bunches of flowers. I took the pleasure in snipping and trimming the stems, presenting them in a large, red vase and taking a million photos! Oh, and you can't forget tweeting about it! 

"took the pleasure in snipping and trimming the stems, presenting them ...and taking a million photos!"

Well, that's it for this weeks BerryWeekly! I hope you have a super fun Halloween, if you celebrate, and an exciting, fun week ahead of you!

What would/do you order at a Frozen Yogurt Place?

TGIF: Movie's in the Cinema

Hello!

"a movie this weekend sounds good."

Another Friday and I'm sitting here watching last weeks re-runs of X Factor, thinking a movie this weekend sounds good. Looking at the movie listings, these are the three caught my eye:

"It's action packed and science-y!"

Although it's been out for a while, the storyline of this is quite cool! It's about someone who unlocks their brain potential to 100%, other than the average 10% that everyone else uses. It's action packed and science-y! Trailer link HERE.

"We've seen the likes of golf movies: Happy Gilmore... Now it's Cricket's turn!"

The sports movie of the year. We've seen the likes of golf movies: Happy Gilmore, american football: The Blind Side and even basketball movies: High School Musical. Now it's Baseball's turn!
Trailer link HERE.

"Oprah Winfrey helped create this movie - it must be good!"

This is the one the foodie in you may be the most excited for! Mentioned in this post, Oprah Winfrey helped create this movie - it must be good! Trailer link HERE.

Out of the three - which would you go to watch? 

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? 

New TV Series: The 100

Hello!

TGIF! Another Friday means another start to the weekend. Whether you're going out tonight or staying at home, at some point you may find the time to want to... I don't know, start watching a new TV series? Well if you do, here's why you may want to watch The 100:

"will there never be life on Earth for the humans"

I hadn't heard of 'The 100' by word of mouth, unlike Game of Thrones and The Vampire Diaries, but stumbled across it after searching on google for the perfect new show to watch. If you've been reading BBXO for a while, you'd know that Suits in an obsession - there's evidence of that here, oh and here. #sorryimnotsorry 

Reading those you'd know that I was looking for a new show for a while and nothing stood out as much as this one.

"those 100 are not the only ones on Earth - and the 100 are not wanted there.. "

The 100 is about people living in a spaceship thing (in space, obviously) as there was a nuclear explosion on Earth 97 years (3 generations of people) ago. They had finally decided to let 100 kids from prison down onto earth to see if it is safe for the rest of the population to return too. Unfortunately, some of these kids are rebellious and risk the fact that everyone on the spaceship, including their family and future generations, may die due to lack of rescources to live. 

However, they find that those 100 are not the only ones on Earth - and the 100 are not wanted there.. Will the 100 prove it's safe to be on earth, to save their waiting families on the ship, or will there never be life on Earth for the humans?

If you like the action behind the likes of Hunger Games and Divergent, you will like The 100!

Have you heard of 'The 100' and what do you think of the storyline?

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!

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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? 

Mothers Day 2014

Hello!

Mothering Sunday has approached us again! It's only when it's during annual events that we realise how fast the year has gone by and how many memories we have created within that time!
Seeing as my mother is always laughing, this post is inspired by both her and the fact it's almost Mothers Day!

For Mothers Day this year we've bought my mum an iPad Air, she's wanted one for a while now and so it was the perfect time to get it! She knows about it and I'm sure she'll love it! Oh, and for the record, we got her the white one - because it's more girly! :)

Everyone has the normal ups and downs with their mothers, but in the end, no matter what, there will always be love between a mother and her children (especially the daughters, duh!) - my mum will always be my best-est friend!

I've seen this so many times, and I guess it's worth a few laughs!

Finally, this picture speaks the truth - home is where your mum is!

I hope you wish your mums and loved ones a very happy mothers day - and cherish every moment!
What are your plans for Mothering Sunday?

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