Hello everyone, long time no see! I have been incredibly busy since lockdown has started to ease and I honestly feel like the past month or so has been a whirlwind, but I've finally found a spare moment to write a blog post and catch up with you guys! I've been doing a lot of writing and career-related activities (how exciting, I'm finally starting to feel like I've got my life together) and also some forms of socialising whilst still being cautious in the pandemic, so make sure you keep reading to hear exactly what I've been up to!

Internship at The Manc
It's only been over the past few months that I really discovered my passion for journalism and recognised that it's a potential avenue to explore once I finish university, and so I was eager to get some professional experience in this field. As if by magic (thank you to the law of attraction, I'm crediting you) I was approached by The Manc to be a contributing writer for their fashion section! Let me just tell you, I have absolutely loved every second of this so far! Not only is it really insightful and beneficial gaining experience in pitching ideas and creating articles on a professional level, but the icing on the cake is being able to create content that I'm both passionate about and proud of. I've had a few of my articles published so far, so make sure you keep an eye out on The Manc's style section as I continue creating some exciting content for them!

Fashion Editor of Student Newspaper
Still along the journalism theme, I can officially say that I will be the fashion editor for The Mancunion (my university's student newspaper) for the upcoming academic year! This is honestly a dream come true, as it's something I put my mind to when I started writing articles for them but never envisioned that it would actually happen. I never thought I'd be eager for the summer holidays to end, but I really can't wait for the academic year to begin again so I can dive into this opportunity and work alongside all of the writers to create some amazing pieces for the fashion section!


University Results for 2nd Year
2nd year of university was definitely not the experience I expected - my final in-person class for the year was in mid-February due to a month-long strike followed by the campus closing due to the pandemic. I know people always say that university is all about the independent study but this was really intensified this year, except the lack of libraries and study spaces open made it even more difficult. However, I managed to pull through and came out with a first overall for the year, which I'm over the moon with! Although I really want to get a first in uni once I graduate, I didn't think it would actually be within reach and that I'd be able to get this in 2nd year, especially with the various other commitments that I have. I'm honestly so pleased, but now I just need to knuckle down ready for my final year.

New Hobbies
I'm quite lucky that my lockdown boredom was minimised due to being consumed with university work and essay submissions, but I still had my fair share of sitting in the house with no clue what to do. However, it's really helped me to discover some new hobbies and rekindle my enjoyment of spending time with myself. I've baked an unhealthy amount of cupcakes, continued teaching myself how to sew and also reignited my passion for reading since I can choose what to pick up rather than being restricted to academic texts. It's honestly been so refreshing to have this break and kind of pause from constantly being on-the-go, especially for my headspace and mental health.

Life Returning To Normal
Over the past few weeks especially, I've really enjoyed having some kinds of normality back in my life. Although it's still really difficult not being able to do things like give my grandparents a hug or properly spend time with my friends, it's been lovely reintroducing a few little pleasures back into my life. I've had trips to the pub, spent time in the park with friends, celebrated birthdays and graduations, went on shopping trips, spent time with my boyfriend and tried my hardest to have a little bit of enjoyment whilst still being extremely cautious and careful in the pandemic. I'm definitely still really wary and being precautious, but it's been lovely to feel like life is somewhat normal again.

I'd love to know what you've been up to lately and how the post-lockdown life is treating you, so make sure you let me know in the comments!