Thoroughly modern millennial

Author: Ria

  • April | In Retrospect

    retrospectapr16

    Song of the month: Freedom (ft Kendrick Lamar) by Beyonce

    This retrospective post has been brought to you by LEMONADE *cause a winner don’t quite on themselves.

    Oh April you are never a dull month. Overshadowed by my trip back to New York at the beginning of the month and then bookended with a busy Bank Holiday Weekend and my birthday right at the end, I can always count on April to keep my on my toes. Funnily enough like last month, I find myself once again back in my old bedroom in my old blogging ‘happy place’ in the comfort of my parent’s house for the weekend.

    Let’s start from the very beginning shall we? (*A very good place to start*) New York – in short as it already feels like eons ago – was wonderful, reflective, and fecking cold (minus 1 chills! Thank God I brought my Winter coat!). Again I left with my heart heavy and am already yearning to be back in the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. No matter! Exciting things ahead of my as I’ve just started a (kinda) new job. I don’t think it’s secret that I work in Publishing but I’ve shimmied over to a brand new team so I have some of those new-job-nervy-I-don’t-quite-know-what-I’m-doing-here feelings at the moment.

    And then of course, I turned 24 last Thursday. I’ve posted some reflections on reaching this age and being ‘in my Twenties’ though I’m finding it very hard to get into the mindset that I’m not a teenager any more seeing as not a lot has changed since University. Family is still family. Friends are still the best. Boys are still forever an enigma. I am still socially awkward. I am finding that I’m more comfortable with being social, though that may be to do with easing into a good place in Oxford and life in general – I don’t think the introvert in me has completely disappeared.

    I’m going into a much less busier May to hopefully get into the swing of writing (both blogs and creative writing projects!) and planning Summer adventures!

    p.s. if y’all wanna catch up on my NYC posts click on the linky below!

    Ria

    This month in blogs:

    On TMM

    24 // Plath & Poetry // Spotlight On Hamilton // Postcards from New York 2K16 Series // Favourite Underrated Female Youtubers // Thoughts On Waitress & Female Narratives

    Elsewhere

    John Green Reading Soundtracks, Blogger’s Bookshelf

  • 24

    24-birthday

    Small little post. It’s my 24th birthday today ^_^

    The number Twenty-Four seems to come with a bit more gravitas. It’s not the awkward embarrassment of being a ‘teen’ or the semi-adult-ness of 21-23 where you can get away with eating pasta out of a saucepan with a spoon. It comes without the ‘sh*t I might actually have to act like a grown up’ feeling that I already know will come when I hit ’25’ or ’26’. It’s a nice middle of the road number. It’s a nicer number to say than 23. It’s the age I knew as a teenager that I wouldn’t have everything figured out but I’d at least have some sort of foothold and enough decent experiences under my belt to inspire a chapter or two in a novel.

    So here are 24 snippets of ‘wisdom’/’advice’ now that I’m turning 24, for you (and some I need to make sure I repeat to myself on a daily basis).

    1. Patience may be a virtue but don’t waste it on people who make you unhappy.
    2. If in doubt, cry it out. Or sleep.
    3. Travel solo at least once.
    4. Opt to become a good listener.
    5. Your relationship status is your business, not the world’s to know about.
    6. Don’t let anyone devalue your online friendships, they are just as important as ‘real life’ friends (and can sometimes turn into IRL friends anyway).
    7. No means no, especially in relationships (if a guy/girl etc. says otherwise please feel free to dump their ass in the Ocean to rot between Sam Pepper’s career and the Titanic).
    8. Regularly check your privilege.
    9. Your body is capable of doing amazing things, so make sure you look after it.
    10. London is always a good idea.
    11. Cast negativity out of your social media feeds.
    12. Learn how to spend and enjoy time on your own.
    13. Smile at babies and old people.
    14. Stay passionate about things.
    15. No job, no salary, no position is worth more than your mental health.
    16. Make an effort to re-connect with your loved ones (whether that means your actual biological family or the one you create is up to you).
    17. Find joy in the small things. Like puppies and finding 50p in your handbag.
    18. Be an ally to those without a voice and raise their voices high.
    19. You’ll find the most interesting people the least likely of places.
    20. Start a journal to emptying your thoughts into once in a while (take it from me it’s cathartic).
    21. Never settle – you’re worth more than you think.
    22. In the words of Jon Stewart “…the best defense against bullsh*t is vigilance, so if you smell something, say something.”
    23. Wear sunscreen.
    24. You are flawed. You are human. Don’t beat yourself up for making mistakes.

    Ria

  • Postcards From New York | Thoughts From Places

    new-york-skyline

    As I keep mentioning this trip to New York was a re-visit holiday rather than a brand new experience.

    With parents and mini Cagz in tow it was harder for me to actually go back to some of the more ‘off the grid’ places I’d been before like Strand, Greenwich Village and quiet corners of Central Park. We never ‘explored’ further than Chelsea and I barely brushed past SoHo and didn’t even set foot in Brooklyn. The bitter cold winds and packed schedule confined and exhausted us most days as we collapsed into hotel beds at 5pm to rest up for evening activities. We were seeing family most nights, going to shows we’d booked, celebrating my parent’s wedding anniversary and making sure my sister got to see ‘movie New York’ to the best of our ability.

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