5 Vegan Spots

1. Johnny V's, Gosport
Having opened very recently, Johnny V's already has a menu packed with delicious foods, and it's all 100% vegan! Vegan pizza, vegan burgers, vegan mayo, vegan cakes, vegan brownies, vegan everything!

2. Zizzi
Although a mainstream chain of restaurants, Zizzi are constantly expanding their vegan menu, which includes starters, mains, and puddings. The 'cheese' on the vegan pizzas are SO GOOD and taste just like mozzarella.

3. Exclusive Cake Shop and Vintage Tea Room, Chichester
Such a beautiful and quaint little tearoom, it caters for everyone from omnivores to coeliacs to vegans! I recommend the afternoon teas, but make sure to let the server know you're vegan before ordering, so you don't get a nasty shock.

4. Chimichanga
Another chain restaurant catering to all, Chimichanga's Mexican food can easily be made vegan; just ask! The staff are happy to remove cheese/sour cream from a vegetarian burrito, making it vegan.

5. Pie & Vinyl, Southsea
Next on my list of veg-friendly places to visit, Pie & Vinyl is in no way a traditional café. Serving pie, mash, and sausages, you can wait for your food while searching through the vinyls for sale. There are currently 3 vegan pies, vegan mash and mushy peas, and vegan quiche! I miss quiche so much. So much. Everything is clearly labelled if it is vegetarian/vegan/gluten free, and the concept is so unique; I can't wait to visit!

TV I'm Loving This Month

Here are 5 TV shows that I'm Loving This Month!

1. Pretty Little Liars
Omgggggggg!!!! I am literally watching the latest episode while I'm writing this... SO good!

2. Victorious
Don't judge. I rediscovered Victorious on Netflix recently because I was trying to remember the name of a song sung on the show (it was Beggin' On Your Knees by Victoria Justice if you're interested) and I've just been watching ep after ep ever since.

3. LOST
My family and I were pretty late to the party with regards to LOST, only discovering it a few years ago. We have the first 4/5 seasons on DVD and I've been rewatching slowly over the past few months. I'm still not over so many of the deaths, although I've been told to series ending is very disappointing...

4. Peppa Pig
Okay hear me out... I'm taking A Level French, and it's really helpful to be able to hear someone speaking the language but relatively slowly, so you get used to the sounds (and learn some new vocab). That's my reasoning for watching Peppa Pig (in French, of course), and ngl I'm actually kind of enjoying it.

5. American Horror Story
Again, I was way late on the AHS bandwagon, but now I'm on it I love it so much. I've almost finished season 3 (Coven) and am super excited to watch the rest!

What are you loving on TV right now?

Why Oversharing Is Important

Hi guys! Sorry this is going up today instead of yesterday, but yesterday I was surprised with free tickets to see Cliff Richard in concert that night! Crazy times... Anyways, today's post is about why is it so so so important to overshare.

Now, oversharing, by definition, is:

revealing an inappropriate amount of detail about one's personal life.

However, I don't think that oversharing is inappropriate at all! (For clarity, I am referring to oversharing within family groups, or groups of friends. NOT with colleagues/strangers/your boss.) I overshare massively with my friends, and they do with me. When one of us has awful cramps, or is worried about a spot on her boob, or isn't sure whether something she does is normal or not, we're all there to help her out. Without oversharing about your issues, how are you going to know how to solve them? I mean, of course, there's the internet, but it's a lot easier and more reliable to get the info directly from your friends. Plus, in the case of cramps, she'll probably give you some ibuprofen which she wouldn't have known you needed if you didn't overshare.

Secondly, oversharing is so essential to friend groups because it's important to know what's going on in one another's lives, and if you can help them out. If someone is going through a hard time with their friend/partner/parent/sibling/life, then knowing that will make you as a friend more wary of their feelings, and you won't be shocked and not know what's going on if they suddenly break down and cry.

Thirdly, almost every single person in the world worries that they aren't 'normal', especially in regards to the parts of us that we can't easily check. You know if your arm or your face is 'abnormal', because you can always see everyone else's and compare them, but when it comes to more intimate areas we don't have that luxury. Plus, when you're an insecure teenager (or adult, for that matter), you don't want to go to the doctor and see if everything's okay because what if they accidentally embarrass you? What if nothing's wrong and you're making a fuss? What if something is wrong? But, when you overshare with friends (preferably of the same gender for this one), you realise that you aren't the only one worrying about tiny things. Most likely, you're totally 'normal', but sometimes it's nice to be able to talk about the same issues without the prying ears of someone you wouldn't be comfortable talking about it with. Plus, if your problem is not suffered by at least one of your friends, maybe that's a sign to go to the doctor when you otherwise wouldn't have. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

In conclusion, not only does oversharing bring you closer to yourself and your friends, it could also save a life one day.

Films I'm Loving This Month

Here are 5 of the films that I'm Loving This Month!

1. Moana
Yep, I'm still in love with it! I mean, the soundtrack alone is enough to make Moana an instant classic. That iconic 'I am Moana' yaaaassssssss!!!

2. Hacksaw Ridge
I saw this a couple of months ago when it was first released, and (I kid you not) I literally cried from the opening scene until way after the credits. For me, the main character was so relatable even though his circumstances weren't, which I thought was a lovely parallel. I must rewatch, but I'll remember to bring the tissues this time!

3. St Trinian's
Having adored this movie (and it's sequel) for many, many years, I was thrilled to catch it on TV the other day. I still laugh, I'll be honest.

4. Kick-Ass 2
Both Kick-Ass movies are such feel-good guilty pleasures of mine. The characters are wonderful, the plot is hilarious, and yet there are still some gut-and-heart-wrenching scenes and themes. 10/10 would recommend.

5. Zero Day
Do you really expect a best-films list of mine to not contain Zero Day???? It's nearly 15 years since this masterpiece was released in 2003, and it's still just as relevant and just as fantastic. My love.

My Thoughts on the Recent Election

If you don't already know, the UK held a General Election on Thursday. The results surprised a lot of people, including myself. To start off if you aren't that aware of British politics, here's a rundown:
- Conservative Party, led by Theresa May. Before the election was the ruling party and has been for a while (therefore May was the Prime Minister) and is roughly equivalent to the right-wing US Republican Party.
- Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn. Roughly equivalent to the left-wing US Democratic Party.
- Liberal Democrats, led by Tim Farron. Supposedly neither left nor right-wing.
- Green Party, led by Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley. Mainly focussed on improving the environment. Always win in Brighton and nowhere else.
- UK Independence Party (UKIP), led by Paul Nuttall. Very right-wing, and often called racist/islamophobic.
- Scottish National Party (SNP), led by Nicola Sturgeon. Campaign for Scottish independence (even though they already had a referendum in which the public voted to stay in Britain) and generally only win seats in Scotland.
- Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), led by Arlene Foster. I'd never heard of them until recently, but apparently they're from Northern Ireland and their right-wing policies seem to be only focussed on NI.
- Sinn Féin, led by Gerry Adams. An 'Irish republican' political party, whatever that means. Main policy is to have a united independent Ireland (mainland + Northern Ireland) and never take their seats in Westminster as they don't acknowledge it. (Thank you Jemima for your Sinn Féin expertise!)
- There are other small parties but these are the main few, and the ones I'll be discussing in this post.
The UK governmental system is, in a nutshell: a party must win at least 326 seats (Members of Parliament [MPs]) in an election to get a majority, and then they govern the country. Their leader becomes Prime Minister (PM) and they can make the laws and essentially do whatever they want. If, however, no party gets the majority (which is called a Hung Parliament), then they can choose to form a coalition, where there is dual authority in Parliament. For example, in 2010 the Conservatives had 306 seats, not enough for a majority. The Liberal Democrats had 57 seats, so when the two parties combined, they had 363 seats overall, more than the 326 majority. Therefore, the leaders (David Cameron and Nick Clegg, respectively) became PM and Deputy PM.


I align myself most closely with the Labour Party, so I'll tell you now this is probably a biased account of this year's election, but it is my opinion after all. Actually, I align most with the Green Party, but as they're so tiny they'll never win, so Labour is my closest large party. This election was a huge surprise, and here's why:

1. The turnout for young people was off the charts. Having previously been criticised for being 'lazy', 'apathetic', and not caring about their futures, young people really stepped up their game this year, which will hopefully spark changes/additions in the manifestos of many parties to appeal more to the younger generation too. 
2. The Labour Party gained masses of votes. Corbyn had been campaigning like mad and targeting young people, which probably explains the huge increase in young voters. In the 2010 election, they had 29% of the votes, in the 2015 election 30%, and in the most recent election a whopping 40%. That is a likely unseen increase, which is a huge deal for every single party, as well as the country.
3. We don't really know what's going to happen next. The Conservatives 'won' the election (meaning they have the most MPs) with 318 seats, but that isn't enough for a majority. Therefore, we currently have a Hung Parliament (like I explained earlier). 
4. The Conservatives seem to be buddying up with the DUP, which is angering a lot of people. The DUP has some not PC views and had been called far-right, extremist, and populist. They are very anti-abortion, oppose gay marriage, and campaigned publicly against the legalisation of 'homosexual acts' in Northern Ireland in 1977 (for context, 'homosexual acts' were legalised in Britain in 1969).
5. Theresa May has been lying a lot recently. She firstly said that there was no way she would call a snap election, and what did she do? Well, there wouldn't be this post if she hadn't called that snap election. More recently, she said that should her Conservative Party lose 6 seats in this election, she would step down as leader. They have in fact lost 12 seats, and has she stepped down? No way. Also just to dig the knife in deeper, her main campaign against Jeremy Corbyn (and by extension the entire Labour Party) was calling him a 'terrorist sympathiser'. Is her getting all close with the DUP not terrorist sympathising? The British public seem to be at their wits' end with Theresa May, and I'm exactly the same.
6. On a lighter note, this is the most diverse Parliament in British history. !!!!! We now have 45 LGBT MPs (19 of which are Conservative, which surprised me), 52 ethnic minority MPs (who are still staggeringly under-represented, with 598 MPs being white), 208 female MPs (which is so cool when you think about how just over 100 years ago Emily Davison died for women to have the vote, let alone to be in Parliament), and the most disabled representation ever. No matter what it looks like from afar, I promise Parliament is progressing. I hope.

Music I'm Loving This Month

Happy Wednesday! This month brings a brand new series: Loving This Month! Each week I'll be sharing with you 5 of my top things for this month. This week is Music!

This is supposed to be a list of June favourites, but it's barely June (it's June 7th, by my watch). Therefore, this is what I'm loving currently, but who knows, it'll probably change throughout the rest of June. You can also listen to my June Playlist, which will be constantly added to as we go through the month, or check out the rest of My Spotify :).

1. blackbear
Chateau was my favourite song last month, and it's no different this month! The entire digital druglord album is incredible (and Help is pretty darn great too), and all blackbear's songs have such a great beat.

2. Bird Set Free - Sia
I never really jumped on the Sia bandwagon when she first became popular, but somehow I've only just discovered Bird Set Free, which has quickly become one of my favourite songs. I mean cmon, those damn VOCALS. GIRL.

3. The Eagles
Hotel California is both a classic song and a classic album. Both greatly loved by me atm. (My favourite song from the album is New Kid in Town.)

4. Wait - M83
I only found out about this song because (of all things) it's on the Skins soundtrack. Amazing show, amazing song. I'm listening to it right now and it's honestly making me emotional even writing this what I cant take it.

5. R5
I'm ashamed. I thought I was way out of my boyband phase, but R5 seem to combine the sweet boyband (yes, I know they're not a boyband) look of pretty-boy Ross Lynch and co with an edgier tone, and their album Sometime Last Night just seems to make you feel good. Very Summer. Much Love. (Also i am STOKED to see Ross in My Friend Dahmer; if only they'd release a trailer... Or a release date...)

10 Father's Day Gifts

Hiya!! Father's Day this year is on Sunday 18 June for both the USA and UK, which is next Sunday (not this Sunday, don't panic).
 Finding an affordable yet decent present is always difficult, so I thought I’d help you guys out by compiling a lil list of easily-gotten presents for the man/men in your life.

1. Hobby-Related Items
Is he into cooking? Golf? Gardening? Ge him a new recipe book, a personalised club bag, a beautiful plant. Personalise the gift(s) and prove you know him well by thinking about what he likes to do on the weekends.

2. Jewellery or Clothing
This is a little tougher than other gifts, because if it’s clothing then you have to make sure you get the right size, and with either option there’s always a chance that he won’t like it. Personal taste is especially prevalent when it comes to clothing and other wearable items, so don’t be disheartened if he doesn’t seem totally thrilled with the gift (and only go for jewellery if he's a man-jewellery kinda guy). Nevertheless, if you feel confident that you know his style (and size), then go for it! Pick a style or colour of clothing he seems to wear a lot, and keep the receipt! That way, if worse comes to worse then he can swap it for something else, and he’ll still appreciate the thought that’s gone into it.

3. Books
Does he have a favourite series? Favourite author? Favourite genre? If so, the newest book in the series/by the author is always a good shout. Plus, this is a little more personal than more generic (but still loved) gifts, which will show him that you’re thinking about him.

4. CDs
As with books, if he has a favourite genre of music/artist/band then their newest CD is always appreciated. Although us youths don’t tend to use physical music media anymore, drifting more towards online media like Spotify or Apple Music, the older generation are more prone to sticking by their guns and preferring to use music that they can hold, like CDs. Just make sure to check the CD shelf so you know he doesn’t already have it.

5. Tickets
Whether it be a sporting event, a concert, a play/musical, or anything else, buying your father tickets to a day out for the two of you will always be a hit, just make sure that the tickets are for something he wants to do, not just what you want to do. Tickets are an easy way of dragging out the celebrations over more than one day, giving him something to look forward to, and bringing a really personal touch to a gift. (Although admittedly they aren’t too fun to unwrap.)

6. Meal
Booking a table at his favourite café/restaurant (and saying you’ll pay) is, like tickets, a way of making a gift more personal. Although, this could get expensive, depending on his taste! Once again, it’s gotta be his favourite restaurant for this to be effective. Plus, you could make a day of it, and do something fun before/after!

7. Art
If you’re really struggling for money, then use your talent(s) to make him a present! Whether it be a poem, a song, a portrait, a dance, or anything else you can put your creative-ness into, then I’m sure he’ll be touched that you put so much effort into a present for him! After all, where gifts are concerned, the thought is so much more important than the expenses.

8. Photo
If you have a really nice photo of you and your dad, then printing, framing, and hanging it can be an incredibly touching and thoughtful gift. (PSA: Boots print photos very inexpensively and at a v good quality.) Surprise him on Father’s Day morning with the photo on the wall/his desk/the mantelpiece.

9. Star
Naming a star after him is not only AWESOME, but actually a lot cheaper than you might think. Go to Star Name Registry to find out more! I personally am OBSESSED with the stars, and if anyone did this for me I think I’d cry. Scratch that, I’d definitely cry. And possibly marry them on the spot (were they not my dad).

10. Gift Card
When all else fails, a gift card is the perfect present. If you’ve spent hours trawling through his favourite shop, and come out to no avail, then simply let him choose his own present by getting him a gift card. These can normally be found at the counter of the shop in question, or more general gift cards can be found literally almost anywhere, most notably in supermarkets.


If nothing takes your fancy, make sure you check out Not On The High Street for personalised gifts the are, as the name implies, not on the typical high street!
Good luck my friends.

Happy Birthday Walt Whitman

Hiya! Today is the birthday of one of my favourite poets of all time: Walt Whitman!

Walt Whitman

Born: 31 May 1819, New York, USA

Died: 26 March 1892, New Jersey, USA (age 72)

Nationality: American

Fame: Poet, essayist, and journalist. Dubbed the 'father of free verse'.

Why I chose them: Leaves of Grass is my favourite and most annotated poetry book in my collection. His work was very controversial in the 1800s, and he was one of the first to explore the gap between realism and transcendentalism (which is too long a word IMO), making him one of the most influential poets of all time. Also, his views on religion and the soul are fascinating to me, making him the subject of today's post!

Choosing A University

Choosing a university can be a very daunting task and can seem to be a lot of work, but it doesn't have to be that way. Here’s my short guide of how to narrow down your uni choices and pick one that’s right for you.

• research 
• go on as many universities’ websites as you can, and note down and courses they do that slightly interest you. I personally put this info into a table, alongside other factors (whether or not you could do a year abroad, entry requirements, when the open days are, etc.). If a uni doesn't do a course you’re interested in; don’t go there. Don’t even bother going to the open day, which is something that I don't ever say lightly. 
• ask around 
• do you have older siblings who’ve been through uni? Older friends? Family friends? Ask your friends and family if they know people who’ve been through uni (especially doing the course(s) you’re interested in. People who’ve ‘been there’ and ‘done that’ are great sources of unbiased information that normally isn't on websites. From speaking to people, you get a sense of how you would be living yourself, straight from the horse’s mouth as it were (what a weird saying). 
• league tables 
• although you 100% shouldn't base your choices off of league table results, they do come in handy. For example, if you’re looking into an art subject, check the tables for it. The ‘best’ uni for art is not necessarily the best uni for biology or engineering. Doing this may highlight a uni that you weren't even considering. 
• open days 
• once you have your list/table compiled; it’s time for the open days. These are my absolute favourite part of uni choosing, as you get a real sense of what it’d be like to live and study at said establishment. Check my Guide to Uni Open Days for more prep advice and info, and a full list of many universities’ open days. Come prepared with questions to ask the lecturers/students, and don't forget to check out the accommodation and food stalls/student life areas. After being at the university and trying out the courses, you should be able to narrow down your choices massively. Keep a record of your experiences, as by the time you’ve been to your final open day, you’ll have forgotten the first one! You can rate them on aspects out of 10, or write pros and cons, or take photos, or just make notes. 
• compare 
• once you’ve been to all your favourite unis, look at all the courses you’d like to study. Which would be your favourite? Second favourite? Are these at the same uni, or different? Also, remember to take the entry requirements into account. If you’re not gonna get A*A*A at A Level, it’s probably not best to only apply for courses with those requirements. (Also remember to check for specific subject reqs, you may need to do A Level Law to do a Law degree, etc.) On the flip side, if you’re on track to get A*A*A at A Level, first of all congrats omg, teach me how please, and second don’t apply for only unis with reqs of BBB. It’s always good to have a ‘safeguarding’ uni with lower entry requirements, but don’t feel like you shouldn't aim high, because you always should! 
• keep lists 
• I am a big fan of lists and organisation in general, but this list is essential. Keep track of whether you’re put of or put on (?) by a course/uni, because if you forget then you’ll have to go through the process again and that’s just a massive waste of time. 
• have fun 
• choosing a uni can be daunting, but you can also have fun doing it! Display your data in your own way, make it easy for you personally to understand. Write, draw, make tables, do whatever works for you. And remember: choose a course, not a uni. I’d definitely rather do a subject I’ll enjoy at a lesser-known uni than do Maths (which I despise, sorry) at Oxbridge solely because of the name. Choose what’s right for you, not your friends, not your parents, not your teachers. 

Checklist
Have you considered:

• subjects 
• location 
• entry requirements 
• accommodation (location, size, catered/uncatered, etc) 
• student life (societies etc) 
• study abroad potential 
• finances 
• atmosphere 
• number of students/staff 
• campus vs city 
• surrounding area

Hey guys, I hope you're well!
So I've had the next three posts written for a long time, but silly me completely forgot to post them...

face palm.

Sorry!! But hey, you're lucky enough to get three posts in one day!