Language Learning!

Heya,

As you may or may not know I studied 2 languages at A level, French and Chinese. I just about survived and ended up with quite good grades, and now I study Chinese at university, so I thought I'd share my tips about language learning, and how to survive what seems hell! 

Firstly, flashcards will be your saviour, build up your collection throughout the year so that by the time revision comes around you can just get them out and practice. Without having to create hundreds in one go (although this is great procrastination). This is perfect for just lists of vocab, even if you think you know them it is worth making flash cards anyway as it is quite likely you'll forget by June! What I like to do is go through the flash cards and sort them into red, amber and green piles. The green are those which I already know off by heart, so I will not check them for a week or so. Amber, I kind of knew them, either I didn't quite get the right meaning or I knew half the word, in which case I will check them in one or two days. And the red pile are ones I do not know at all and I keep practicing these constantly until they reach the amber pile.  However, if you're lazy like me and don't make flash cards throughout the year, there are many websites you can use which have preprepared flashcards. My favourite is a website called Memrise, which helps you learn words and keep them in your long term memory, so that you wont forget them in the exam. It is easy to use and free to sign up for, you can even get an app! But if memrise doesn't take your fancy there is always Quizlet, which is more game based and less structured. Or there is also an app called Skritter which is useful for Asian languages as you can practice the characters. Although it is quite expensive it is worth the money in my opinion!

Next, to practice grammar, I find that using text books are the best way to practice it. There are many textbooks all over amazon and ebay which just  give you lots of exercises to do, like fill the blanks, and then you can check your answers after. My favourite one to use for french is a book called Action Grammaire. However, if you find this too tedious another thing to do is just to practice writing essays. Although this is time consuming, the results are insanely beneficial! And I'm sure your teachers will have enough time to mark one extra essay a week or something! They don't even have to be long, just as long as you're practicing writing, you'll pick up the language.

Finally, in order to practice speaking and listening the best thing to do is to watch films and listen to music. In my opinion it is most useful to watch a film you already know quite well in your native language in the language you study. However, you must pay full attention and try and make sense of it whilst trying not to look at the subtitles too much! Although it takes time, you pick up so many useful little phrases that look so good in your oral exam because they're up-to-date. Another useful thing is to talk to your friends in your study language outside the classroom. Although it sounds stupid it can actually be fun, even if you just jokingly offend each other in the language, it's still practice! 


I know many of these tips are ones your teachers tell you to do anyway, but they're right, they are the most useful! Once you advance you can also try and read books in the language you're studying. I currently read young adult fiction books in french as they are about the same level as me. However, you can start from children's books and work your way up! Have you guys got any tips? I'm still learning myself, so any advice is welcome! 

Speak soon, 

Lois Mae

My Prom Look

Heya,

So last Friday I went to my year 13 prom, and I loved my outfit and makeup, so I thought I'd talk you through it!

Firstly, My dress. Our year 13 prom is more casual than most proms, everyone wears cocktail dresses and we all just have a great time! My dress was from a shop called TheclothingEnd and only cost me £19. It was a light blue midi skater dress, which came off the shoulder. It also had extra detail of mint green leaves and pink oriental flowers. I was skeptical of the quality due to how cheap it was, but it arrived and it was amazing quality with no faults what so ever. I would deffo recommend this store!

As usual i was very unorganised for the prom, I realised three days before that I had no shoes, however a quick trip to Primark led me to find the prefect heels. The were deep pink platformed heels and only cost me £14. The looked so cute and brought out the flowers in my dress, although I was stuck for choice as primark had loads of amazing heels!

My jewelry I ordered from Wish, and my necklace was only £2!! Absolute Bargain, although it did take a while to come so be prepared to wait.

A family friend did my make up and it was outstanding! She used mainly MAC products and it was so worth the money. The studio fix foundation made my skin look flawless, and the false eyelashes completely brought out my eyes, I am so glad I had it done as it made me feel so much more confident all night long.

Speak Soon,

Lois Mae

I'm Back!

Heya,

After a hectic 6 months I finally have enough time to run this blog again, and write about the things I love! So as an update, here are my favourite things of 2015 so far!

1. Film- Pitch Perfect 2

Bit of an obvious choice but it had me in stitches. We went and saw this the night before our last day of school and we were so excited. As a massive fan of the first film I was scared the second one would disappoint (as many sequels do!) however, that wasn't the case. With the same type of obvious humour and hilarious characters, this film was amazing! This film focused a lot more on the minor characters than the first one, and overall this made the story line more gripping and exciting. This film is a must watch  if you're  having a girls-night.

Rating: 9/10

2. Album- The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Soundtrack

When this film came out I was instantly blown away by the soundtrack. The use of classic songs perfectly captured the emotions portrayed in the film. From the freedom of 'Heroes' to the sadness of 'Asleep'. I was obsessed with this soundtrack when the film originally came out in 2012, but then I kind of forgot about it, However this year has been a year of making final memories and so, recently I have reconnected with this amazing album. I highly recommend listening to it, no matter what mood you're in!

Rating: 11/10

3. Make-up:  Body Shop Shimmer Waves Blush

In my opinion, The Body Shop is often underrated for their makeup. This blusher provides a range of shades of pink and even a silvery highlighter. So, whether you need a bright pink blush that stands out or a subtle coral you can use these waves to get a natural effect whilst choosing the shades you want!

Rating 7/10

They are my main three favourites for the year so far! However, I have also been loving the shop Monki (which I discovered whilst exploring London),  Cecelia Ahern's books (Currently rereading where rainbows end for the millionth time), the Women's World Cup and my signature lemon cake!

Sorry it's been so long!

I'll be back soon!

Lois Mae

2014- An Interesting Year!

Heya,

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had an amazing New Year's Eve, I did! I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2014 and what a marathon of a year it was. 

The year started off amazingly! I went to the RED tour with my four best friends and it was insane, I fell in love with Taylor all over again; There's nothing like singing cheesy lyrics at the top of your lungs with thousands and thousands of other people! It was a dream come true! I also saw You me at six, something that has been on my bucket list for years, it was mind blowing to see these people I have admired and loved for years suddenly in front of me! I can not describe how amazing it was to be there, it felt so surreal. 

After The Muddy Race For Life

Then it went down hill, I lost 3 of my close family members with in months of each other close to my A level exams. It was a horrible time, and seeing my family so upset broke my heart. However, with the help of my amazing best friends I came out the other side. After, I decided to raise more money for Cancer Research and  thank my family more often. I was determined to make 2014 amazing again. To my best friends, I can never thank you enough for always being there when I was at my worst, even if you didn't know it. 




Summer came, and it was the best summer of my life! I excelled in my AS Levels, I cried in shock; I thought they gave me the wrong slip of paper! I went on holiday with my family and friends to St. Ives, which is like a second home to me, and even though it's in England I can't imagine going anywhere else! To finish it off I went to Reading Festival,  which was insane! I saw so many amazing acts and had soooo much fun, I WILL go again sometime in the future!  That summer I also made some amazing friends I refer to as the biscuits, they are amazing and cheer me up when I'm feeling glum. However, they will never replace my gals!!

Winter brought hella load of 18th birthdays, parties and celebrating. It's weird to think that most of my friends are 18 and I still have 6 months to go! I cannot forget Christmas!!!! I was so spoilt this year and I am grateful for everything I received, however this year has made me realise, I am more grateful for my family!

Speak soon, 

Lois Mae

BlogLovin

Heya,

You can now follow me on blog lovin, <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/13396379/?claim=uxgmt9a9be3">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

 Speak Soon,

Lois Mae

Review: 1989- Taylor Swift

SWIFTIES LISTEN UP!

Hi Guys, 

FINALLY THE WAIT IS OVER!! WE HAVE IT! It, of course, is Taylor Swift's new album 1989. It's strange to think the last time Tay released new music was when I was on my way to China (just over 2 years ago!!),  but now it's here I couldn't be happier.  

Flashback  to Taylor's live-stream at the end of summer, in which she announced the title of her new album and premièred it's first single 'Shake it off'. As I sat there with 3 of my best friends (and fellow swifties!), I felt a pang of guilt from the fact that shake it off did not strike me as an incredible song. Through out the years I have always been fascinated by Taylor's ability to create and produce music that is both catchy and insanely well written, but this new style did not feel the same. At first I was reluctant to buy the album, but how could I resist my favourite cat loving, cookie baking idol? 

I do not regret it one bit! The album is incredible and completely captivating. The range of styles, tones and moods throughout keeps the listener engaged in this ever changing album. From the upbeat rhythms of 'Blank Space', 'All You Had To Do Was Stay' and 'Wonderland' to the emotions of 'You Are In Love', this album has twists round every corner. The thing that stands out the most for me in this album is the tempo changes within each song, the way you can be emotionally screaming at the top of your lungs to dancing crazy around the room, I love it!! My favourite song though has to be new romantics, it completely sums up me, my friends, and my life, and it is sooooo well written!! 

Sorry this is such a short review, and sorry I suck at posting!! 

Speak soon, 

Lois Mae

Hello October!

Heya,

October already! This year is flying by but luckily autumn is still in full flow.

Now, I am 100% a 'summer girl' however there's something in me that loves autumn. Maybe it's the hot chocolates,  the cosy knit wear, the movie marathons with the girls, the walks out in the countryside, or the  nice pots of tea. Something about it just makes me feel warm and fuzzy! And I know this winter will be just as good.

I have so much to look forward to this October as well! Firstly, It's two of my best friend's 18th birthdays! This means, parties, group hugs and singing at the top of our lungs as well as cute pressies! (I'll probably do a post on these!)

It's also the release of Taylor Swift's new album 1989! I know this is a bit controversial as soooo many people don't like her, but I love her. However, I am not sure how I feel about this new album, she has said that it will be a lot more 'pop' than her previous albums. This kinda saddens me because her country songs are my favourite! But I'm still looking forward to hearing it because I know that even if I don't like it at first, it'll grow on me!

Also autumn = shopping! I can't wait to build up my autumn/winter wardrobe this season with cute dresses and knitwear! I love the rich colours and textures that are used in autumn, especially deep orange and                                                       maroon! eeeeek!

Finally, the thing I'm most excited for, is the 'Love, Rosie' Film!!!! Now, this is based on my all time favourite book ' Where Rainbows End' , and has 2 of my favourite actors in Sam Claflin and Lily Collins. I'm so excited because I've been waiting for so long and I know it'll be just perfect! I can already tell they've changed the story line a bit, from the adverts, but we have to stay optimistic until it's released! (22nd October)

So there we are! A bit of a pointless post but I'm so excited for October!


Speak soon,

Lois Mae