THE BEST PLACES TO EAT IN RHODES

If you follow me on Instagram you just might know I've been away to Rhodes this past week and if I am being perfectly honest my favourite part was the food because oh my god it was so damn good. 

My initial top tip which I hope you all know already is if there is someone outside the front simply hired to get you to go in shouting 'all the English love it here! We have burgers! We have pizza!' for god sake do not go in. I'm not saying the food will be gross and not edible but just please have a little look for the hidden gems first. 

My one true love when looking for little gems amongst the crap was Trip Advisor - of course it doesn't ensure a lovely meal but it sure does help you navigate through the endless amount of restaurants. So let's get into it - my top 2 places you need to go to in Rhodes.

1. Tamam

This restaurant is at the top of the list on Trip Advisor and my god there is a reason. If the delicious food isn't enough then it is the incredible service. With it being a family run restaurant - the dad and daughter out front and the mum cooking in the kitchen - you will not get this service elsewhere easily. Every night it becomes queued up with people waiting for a table in which you are greeted with a free glass of wine while you wait - BIG YES. I don't want to spoil the experience for anyone by doing a full run down - as personally I liked experiencing it for myself and not expecting anything. But yes this restaurant is incredible - so incredible we went there twice. So I really do urge you to go if you can.

2. Hosteria dei Cavalieri 

When I tell you this - again this restaurant is one where the owner is front of house serving - is up there for some of the best food I've ever eaten - I am not exaggerating. Just thinking about it makes me starving. The service here is very fitting to the environment of the small quaint courtyard in which we dined - with the owner being attentive to each table and ensuring the menu is explained. Again myself and my boyfriend went here twice because it was just the best food ever so please if you go here search out this little gem as it is divine.

The list could go on but I wanted to keep it short and sweet. But I'm not lying or exaggerating these really are the two best places we went to in Rhodes and I'm sure many others would agree!

Sophie xx

MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY PHONE

My relationship with my phone has had its ups and downs. Sometimes we're joined by the hi...hand, other times I can easily go without checking it all day. I'm sure a lot of you are the same. What I find interesting is going from my first flip motorola when did it happen our phones weren't just a phone, but instead our life? All stored on a little device. 

Although my relationship has got to the point where I'm really not on it as much as I used to be - countless hours of procrastination in the library might be to blame for those endless hours on it? but it still remains my third arm - just slightly more detachable.

I'd well and truly be devastated if my phone got lost or stolen - thank god for iCloud so not all would be lost. Regardless though, I really would be upset/lost. Now, is that healthy?

Like I said, phones aren't just phones anymore, in fact the thing I do least on my phone is actually ring anyone. It's your music collection, your games, your connection point with social media, all your photos aka memories, and your conversations with your nearest and dearest (and co). In this digital age its your portal to just that.

The positive and negatives of this is clearly endless. Some people's relationship with their phone is probably the most committed relationship they've ever had. But in a world where AI (Artificial Intelligence) is a threat to jobs within banks, is it time to accept that phones are just a new limb?

I'd love to know your thoughts!

Sophie xx

THE PRESSURE OF TIME

The pressure we put into a change of year, season or even day is fascinating, for what is wrong with now? With the idea of time and how we idolise it in order to achieve so much is something I've never really put much thought into. Until now...

It wasn't till the other day when I saw a tweet basically saying they can't wait for summer to be over, as with a new season comes a new vibe etc. they're going to be happier. Now firstly, upon us is autumn...that cold weather isn't making me feel any vibe anyhow, this tweet really made me think and realise how much pressure as humans we put on a change in time.

You'd be lying if you havent said 'I'll start the diet on Monday' and it's just Tuesday. This outlook and attitude to how a new week can bring a positive attitude and motivation is intriguing, for I personally believe socially we have accustomed to expecting a lot from a new week, year or even season. I just can't help but wonder why not now? How have we become so accustomed to waiting for a new day, week, year or season to change our ways.

Don't get me wrong I feel the same sort of newness a new season, year, day etc. brings, with the idea of starting from fresh. Is this outlook in fact negative? As why are we always waiting when we have now?

This pressure on time won't be changing anytime as I think it's in our blood to say 'the diet will start Monday'. Personally I'm going to be trying to stop myself saying it and just instead live now, and not in a weeks time or till the new year hits. 

Sophie xx

MY HONEST THOUGHTS ON THE CONSUMERISM BLOGGING ENABLES

I personally believe there is a very fine line between needing and wanting something. A line which is actually very blurred. Unless you sit and think about it, you really can't easily decipher whether seeing your favourite blogger in that dress you've been eyeing up is in fact a need, or just a matter of want?

One of a few reasons my blogging took a halt these past months is due to the never ending consumerism blogging enables. Now it's clearly down to the self control of the person (spoiler alert: I had none). Simply being involved within the blogging community and just being on social media makes you deep down want the latest trends yet in reality you fully feel as though you need them. This for me meant I needed to take a step back, with my student budget not quite covering all my rent, life and an unnecessary amount of clothes I apparently needed to then only wear in a blog post and never make use of again. It was time my wardrobe stopped growing.

Living in this age of endless obsessive consumerism is hard. Scrolling through Instagram often leads me to scrolling through ASOS or Topshop, bringing me to my next item of clothing I apparently need when trying to justify why I'm even considering getting another jacket when I don't wear the ones I have now. 

Now don't get me wrong *reality check* I do not have the greatest willpower, I am still fairly impulsive with buying clothes and I still spends hours online putting things into my basket (only now I have to have a stern word and make myself exit the tab or app before I press 'continue to check out'). 

It's not easy but since actually thinking whether I need this or want this it makes a difference in my consumerism. FYI I am all for treating yourself and indulging in things you want - just personally for me not at the obsessive rate blogging encourages with fast fashion and trends coming and going like buses. 

So, to round up this little ramble, my honest thoughts on the obsessive consumerism blogging (for me) enabled isn't all that positive and once you take a step back and really consider if you need that dress of want that dress, you might just find you buy one or two dresses' less. 

Sophie xx

LIFE | 2018

Hello, it's me, I'm back. Again. And as if it's 2018?! I'm pretty sure it was 2016 like two weeks ago.

Sooooo, this year I think instead of resolutions I'm going to instead look at how I can improve myself generally and not just focus on one specific thing.

1. First up, I'm going to try and be a better friend. Now don't get me wrong I'm not a bad friend. BUT I find myself very easily consumed into day to day life and not make plans till plans are way overdue. SO, one way I'm going to better myself is actually make plans with my besties.

2. This second one is a tad daunting to even think about but...it is officially the year I graduate. With that, I really want to finish with the best grade I can and wether I go onto to do a Masters or get a job, just do my best to do well in whatever I chose to do.

3. The final one is that cliche one you can't help but hope for when a new year comes but I really want to be happier, 2017 brought a few new low points for me and I really want to spend more energy on positivity than negativity, which I've been guilty of not doing in the past. SO, I strongly believe 2018 although being the year in which I'll no longer be living with my two besties *crys* can and will be a bloody gooden'.

So there we have it my three ways and wishes that'll make 2018 better than the last.

Whats your guy's new year new you mottos?

Sophie xx

STYLE | STYLING A DENIM SKIRT FOR WINTER

With winter upon us, it's time to get out the jumpers (or like me go out and buy loads more) and find the winter boots you shoved to the the bottom of your wardrobe. For me, the worst part about winter is that it means you can't leave the house without having to wear a coat that 9 times out of 10 makes an outfit go from a 10/10 to a solid 3/10. Nonetheless, layering and styling summer staples into more winter friendly pieces I am a fan of.

Take one of my favourite skirts from the summer, now perfectly acceptable on a more mild winter day with tights, and not forgetting a good old pair of boots. This combo is one of my favourites. This khaki jumper (one of the many many I own) I recently purchased from Primark for just £10. I bought it oversized to have the baggy look when tucked in to a skirt/pair of jeans. 

The finishing touches of this outfit are definitely what makes it. The brown leather belt, and the leather tassel bag, makes the look all the more autumnal/wintery. 

So there we have it how I love to style my denim skirt for a winter look!
xx

UNI | THE 3 THINGS I'LL MISS THE MOST

With my third year being in almost full swing now, and the word dissertation looming just that little bit more also comes the thoughts of what the heck I'm going to do when it's all over. Which lead me to thinking about what I'll miss most when it's all done and dusted.

1. So, first things first, I'll miss my best friends. Katherine and Monique aka my little chickens. I didn't come to uni expecting to meet two better people. Firstly Kat whose put up with me from day dot and then Mon who was the best friend we didn't know we needed till she ended up moving in with us in second year. Even the thought of us this time next year not living together makes me want to cry. So yes, seeing my favourite lil chickens everyday will be one of the things I miss most.
2. The freedom. Moving away from home is weird, you're just one day fully independent - no having to do the dishwasher or be forced into walking the dogs. So yeah freedom to do whatever I want whenever is up there.
3. The spontaneity. I'm going to miss the random nights that myself, Kat and Mon share in the kitchen. With us trying to be nice to each other for 5 minutes and not lasting 5 seconds, to the random dancing and singing and all those girly chats. I'll also miss the spontaneous trips to the pub, and the random last minute decision to get drunk playing card games in Harry's room on any day of the week (come back Harry). 

So there we have it. The three things I'm not quite sure how I'm going to live without when uni is officially done.

STYLE | MY MUST HAVE WINTER COAT

Hello loves!

So I finally had time to go do the autumn cliche of visiting a 'pumpkin patch'. However, the so called pumpkin patch I went to in Norfolk had more squished up ones than they did whole ones so that wasn't great. Anyway, to the post...

Alas with cooler weather coming to play I could finally wear my all time favourite coat (I never thought in my life I'd be wearing a pink teddy bear coat but here I am and loving it). Since I'd bought it from Topshop a month ago (it's already no longer available?!) I've wanted it to be cold enough so I didn't melt to death whilst wearing it so thank god it's finally feeling like autumn as I'm quite literally obsessed. 

I decided to keep it simple with the rest of the outfit as the coat really does the talking lets be honest. So I went for another favourite Topshop item of mine, the gingham top which ties at the waist and just some black Joni jeans.

What other styles of coats have you guys been obsessing over so far this autumn?

LIFE | WHY AUTUMN REALLY IS THE BEST

Hello again my lovelies!

First of all, lets acknowledge the fact that I haven't posted in a few months...the ironic part being the last blog post I posted focused on the topic of disconnecting from the internet. Seems as though I definitely heeded my own advice on that one. However, I'm back. A few things being different, one being my hair is a lot shorter than it was, and my life being very very different. But anyway, let's get to why we're all here.

AUTUMN

It's officially here, with all of our Instagram feeds being filled with pumpkin patches, the mentioning of the word Christmas, pumpkin spice lattes and the must have photo of feet in leaves that have fallen there's simply no denying it.

So why is autumn the best?

1. Firstly, the clothes. It's the perfect excuse to 'have' to go shopping to pick up those must have chunky knits, scarves, hats and buy those amazing new boots you just 'need'. There's no better time to have a wardrobe refresh than a change in season. Whilst putting the strappy tops and shorts away and getting out the trusted winter coat at first is a tad depressing. Once we accept the fact that you can't be wearing sandals outside anymore it's actually not half bad.

2. HALLOWEEN! need I say more? 

3. Cosy nights in are now back to being 'acceptable'. There's no guilt in not going out and enjoying the longer warm nights, with it now getting cold and dark at 6pm everyone can agree the best thing to do is get tucked up with a cuppa and binge watch crappy TV. 

So there we have it, three reason why I really think autumn might just be the best season.

Do you guys agree?

xxx

LIFE | THE STRUGGLES OF DISCONNECTING FROM THE INTERNET

It's 2017 and if we're being real everyone struggles to disconnect from the internet. For it's our lives and it's what we do with our time. How on earth do we fill the void of looking at our phones? Can we?

I think with checking social media being a very routine thing to do, which we do all day long, it now seems strange and slightly impossible to disconnnect from it. When I say that, I mean have a day, a week, a month, with none of it, don't have a peep at Instagram, don't refresh that Twitter feed (a hundred times waiting for something new) and don't bother watching the never-ending reel of snapchat and insta stories. 

UNI | HOW TO SURVIVE MOVING TO UNI

University. A word that either feels people with dread, or excitement, or maybe even a bit of both.

If you've applied to go to Uni and have just received your results you're probably feeling a definite mix of emotions. For me I always knew I wanted to go so didn't think a single thing about it until moving day. Moving day? I was filled with dread, nerves beyond belief and a sudden desire to never leave home. However, fast forward two years and it's the best decision I've made in my 20 years.

So how did I survive? For those who aren't like me and actually want to read something that might just help ease the nerves or get you more excited. This ones for you.

TOP TIP NO. 1 

BE PREPARED 

Go with pretty much everything you need so once you get there you can just move in and relax, and focus on socialising rather than getting that last minute duvet cover from Dunelm before they close. To help with this I made a long long list of everything I need, looking back there was a lot of things on that list I don't think I've used in my two years but hey at least I've got third year to try. You can easily find really helpful ones online everywhere, some uni accommodation actually supply them too!

Another way to prepare is to get on Facebook and join your accommodation Facebook page and put the most cringey post which everyone does of 'Hey I'm Sophie, I'm going to be studying Marketing and I live in room...'. Trust me I did not want too by far one of the most cringey things but it works and for me I found my best friend who lived 3 doors down from me (yes, it's you Katherine). 

TOP TIP NO. 2 

BE SOCIAL

This applies for before you go and when you get there. Me and Kat spoke a little before we moved in on Facebook which made moving that little bit less scary.

Another tip to learn here is not to worry about if how the people come across on their Facebook doesn't seem like ya cuppa t cus in my case, Kat was worrying we weren't gunna get along and two years later we're the bestest of friends and I actually wouldn't know what I'd do without her. As well as accommodation, you can find people on your course from going on your uni's freshers page and finding or writing another cringe post.

Naturally that type of socialising is a tad easier, with not actually being in the same room as them but I think whether your the most confident person or not when you initially move in there is nerves coming from everyone, cus really until you find someone you click with it can be lonely. For me it didn't take long with Kat making friends before I got there I tagged along, the rest being history. Important note to remember here every single one of you are in the same boat.

TOP TIP NO. 3 

RELAX

Although the first two weeks are undoubtedly the hardest, with home sickness not ever seeming to go and tears also being a common thing. It's very important to remember that because for most of us the first 18 years of our lives everything has been the same, the same kids at school, the same group of friends, your best friends living 5 minutes away. Suddenly, your best friend has moved away themselves, or still at home and your mum isn't there to cook you dinner and it's all a lil' strange.

What you're facing is change and personally it's one of the best changes I've had, with Cambridge now feeling like home to me, with having found some of the best humans about from moving there (and yes, Harry, you're on the top of that list, cus if it weren't for you who else would make me laugh so much??)

So I think the biggest tip I can give is to relax, so the people you thought you would get a long with at first really turn out to not be your type of people, or you make a mistake, after time you'll find your feet and naturally find your type of people but in the meantime it's important to relax and enjoy yourself however you do, whether it's going to every event or hanging out in your kitchen with flatmates till late hours nothing at uni is scarier than the first two weeks. So just make the most of it.

I just wanna say obviously this post is very much based on my own experience, for me two weeks is all it took me to settle but I know for others it can take longer or even shorter. Regardless of the time factor I wanted to make this post for those going to uni and petrified or even those who aren't going and wanna read how others survive moving away. 

Soooo, to round this post that's ended up lengthy I'll probably be doing more of these sort of posts creating a lil' 'uni' series. So keep an eye out and if there's any specific uni related topics you want me to discuss feel free to comment.

Till next time x 

STYLE | MAKING A CASUAL DAY LOOK READY FOR THE BIG CITY

Hello lovelies!

This style post was one of my favourite to shoot I think the city location was partly to do with it as well as a newly found love for this specific outfit.

Soooooo, it was another hot day (which are now a thing of the past) and I wanted to keep it casual to go about Cambridge in yet sometimes I do like dressing up an outfit a little. I also knew I wanted to wear this incredible frilly cropped, Topshop jacket which can be found here and costs £45. Since pairing this with a pair of light denim mom jeans in the past I knew that for Summer days pairing the jacket with light denim is lush but it was a tad hot for jeans so went for this Forever 21 denim skirt (which isn't available online anymore).

Still wanting to keep the jacket as the statement of the outfit I decided to pair it with a simple white jersey vest which is also from Topshop and can be found here. Wanting to keep it simple and casual so the whole outfit isn't too dressy and just let the jacket do all the work!

 I think this outfit is perfect for strolling round a city shopping etc and it's fast become one of my favourite summer day outfits!

Thanks for reading xx