Will I Get My Happily Ever After?

Sometimes I feel so vulnerable at the immensity of love. The idealistic dream to be part of a love story that you see in movies and TV dramas feels like it could be conceivable, but maybe I’m just too starry-eyed and something inside of me hopelessly wants to believe that it is possible to live happily ever after.

I am currently sat on a cross-country train returning from my old parental home (London) to my new home that I now share with my boyfriend (York). My boyfriend is lovely, but nowhere near as romantic as the perfect guys in all the movies. He has moments of romance, but these are extremely rare. During this journey, I have started reading the book ‘One Day’, and already the sexual tension and desire between the two main characters is overwhelming me. I spend my life longing for my fairy tale life where everything is effortless and perfect. In reality, I am unemployed with a temperamental boyfriend who has frequent flashes of jealousy and paranoia, but in all honesty, I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. Our new life of living together has its ups and downs with me moaning about tidying and cooking and my boyfriend moaning at my lack of job (which I am desperately searching for in case you were thinking of me as lazy and inactive). My future is finally starting to take its shape one step at a time and as every day goes by I feel closer and closer to my own happily ever after, but will it be as perfect as I dream? Probably not, as life isn’t plain sailing as all the films make out, which is heart-breaking in a way as I know I am going to have to work hard for my happiness to continue to flourish as it is currently.

In chapter 3 of this book, (the chapter which fuelled the concept of this post) the male lead, Dexter, is travelling in India. He writes a letter to his friend, Emma, back in London telling her to leave her life behind and meet him in the Taj Mahal on his birthday at noon. He instructs her to take a red rose and her favourite book and he will be waiting with a white rose and another book which means a lot to the both of them. After drunkenly writing this letter of lust and longing he manages to lose it along with his book. These are found by another traveller who reads the letter and desperately wishes to send it to the girl, but there is no address. Twenty years later the book and letter are found on her bookshelf, untouched, and so never read by Emma.

After reading this, I felt devastated at the thought of Emma never receiving this beautiful letter and finding out his true feelings for her. I also felt a hint of jealousy at the fact that I will never receive a letter resembling this one. Why is it that I still yearn for love even though I have it? I cannot seem to get past the fact that my life isn’t as perfect as a fictional love story and I often find myself feeling disappointed after watching romantic films. The up-side is that every time my boyfriend shows a glimmer of romance, all my hope is restored in finding my happy ending.

One day…

Pretty Girl x

Online Dating: The Things They Don’t Tell You

I think many people have this view of dating sites being full of old, ugly men that spend more time alone, in front of computer screens than they do being out-and-about socializing. Personally, I have never tried online dating myself, but did recently set up a page for a friend. Turns out he wasn’t so impressed with me doing this when I started asking for his credit card details, so his page has since been deleted. Therefore, he is not one of these people spending an average of $239 a year, making online dating worth over $4billion worldwide!

Adverts for various dating sites may tell us that 1 in 5 people have tried online dating and 17% of weddings in the last year were of people who met online, but there are some facts that they may want to hide. Apart from the 400 question survey you must take to set up the page in the first place, there are some things about online dating that I think everyone would like to avoid.

1. 55% of British online dating users have come across or have been victims of online dating dishonesty. This is when people put fake pictures of themselves or tell lies about their appearance/personality. This will then obviously lead to disappointment and is a big waste of time for both sides. So, try to make sure you know who you are meeting. Ask for more photos of the person and check they match what you are expecting before your first date.
2. Only a fraction of dates actually go on to be a long-term relationship, so have you thought about how you could be let down by the ones that don’t work out? Well, around a half of break-ups of online relationships are done by email. I don’t know about you, but the thought of receiving an email which can only make me feel rubbish is not tempting me to try online dating if I ever needed to. There is no way to avoid this though I am afraid, just be prepared for it.
3. 10% of sex offenders use online dating to meet people. This means that you may be putting yourself in danger on dates, although this could be the same in normal dating. Just be aware and let your friends know where and who you will be with. And most importantly, if you are unfortunate enough to be a victim of an online sex offender, make sure you tell the police so that it cannot happen again to another unfortunate dater.

So, if you are considering joining the other 15million online daters in the UK, then I would say ‘Go for it!’, but be aware that it isn’t all love and romance. There could be hours of sitting waiting for someone to give you a wink or send you a message, but stick it out and I’m sure you will find a match. Just remember to be cautious and stay safe!

Pretty Girl x

The Style of Astaire

Spending the afternoon watching Fred Astaire films got me thinking, where has the class and glamour gone in the world? “Glamour” now is viewed as orange and tarty – the girls from The Only Way Is Essex (as much as I love the show) would class themselves as glamorous, but they have nothing on Ginger Rogers. Guys now will walk about in their trackies and tank tops, which again, I can’t complain about because that’s the fashion, but how did fashion get to this? Fred Astaire brings class to every scene in his films. His charm and grace makes me jealous that I didn’t live in the 20’s where girls would dress up in beautiful gowns everyday – even if they just spent the day doing housework at home.

Asides from his style, Astaire is a great dancer, and if you haven’t seen one of his films before, then maybe you should. His intricate tapping may look and sound professional, but as a tapper myself, I can tell you how incredible he actually is, especially as the age of the movies means that dances would have to be done in a full take – no cutting and sticking allowed during the edit!

So, back to my movies…

Pretty Girl x

KONY 2012 (Invisible Children)

A great man is campaigning to make the world a better place.  If you haven’t heard about KONY 2012 (Invisible Children) yet, then watch this video:

http://vimeo.com/37119711

This world-changing feat is one of the most refreshing ideas I’ve heard in a while. For once, someone is doing something about the things that are wrong in the world – and not just his world but the world of thousands of others that he doesn’t even know. This selfless act has been thought through to perfection and, so far, seems to be working.

I heard about this campaign through many Facebook posts and invitations and I believe that the word definitely needs to be spread. So I ask anyone reading this to please watch the video, if you haven’t already, and get Joseph Kony’s face known!

So now its your turn. Pass on the message, donate money, get this news viral, make the world a better place!

Pretty Girl x

Weekly Photo Challenge: Distorted

Sometimes you have to distort the things in the background to focus on the things that are beautiful.

When it all gets too much and nothing seems to be going right, the best thing to do is take some time to yourself and just take a minute to forget about all the worries that are building up around you. Sometimes you just have to blur them into the background and relax. Do something you’re passionate about or talk to someone you love – just find that beauty in your world and focus on it just for a minute. Then you will feel so much better about going back to that day that was just dragging you down before.

Pretty Girl x

10 Things We Wouldn’t Wear 5 Years Ago

There are some weird fashion trends going round at the moment, not all of which I am yet convinced by. I thought I would share with you some of the current top trends that 5 years ago would have been charity shop rubbish.

1. The Sleeveless Shirt:

£28 from Republic

£32 from Topshop

I am still not completely convinced by this one as it’s not really my style, but many people it looks great on. Who thought we would want to bring more attention to our upper arms?! But yes, 5 years ago blouses like this would not have appeared in our wardrobes, especially buttoned up to the top, but now they are one of the top trends and are going to be looking great this summer.

2. Loafers:

£30 from Topshop

Again, not so much my style, but loafers and brogues are massive at the moment. A few years ago, I would have definitely described these as “Granny shoes” but now they are sweeping the nation and ever other girl will be seen with a pair in various colours.

3. Vintage Style Satchels:

£100 from Asos

 Another trend that in my mind relates to old people. Satchel bags have become massive lately and are so useful for that casual look. In a range of colours, this vintage style look is just going to get bigger.

 

4. “Christmas” print knitwear:

£55 from Asos

That hideous jumper that your Grandma gave you 5 years ago for Christmas that you threw to the back of your cupboard has probably been reborn over the past few months as these bold prints have made a huge comeback into the fashion world. Now, all types of clothing will be covered in this print and everyone is wearing them. Not only winter items though, this tasteful jacket will be great for the upcoming British Summer.

5. Cut-Out Dresses:

£42 from Miss Selfridge

The most recent trend to sweep the Nation are these dresses with skin-exposing holes around the waistlines. Stunning for those with perfect figures, but maybe questionable for others. Still, they generally look great on the right person but different holes will suit different body types so make sure yours places right on you. This example picture also shows off Aztec print which is another trend peeping its head at the moment.

6. Lace:

£175 from Whistles

Another item linked to my Grandma’s curtains, lace has come into its own recently with virtually any item of clothing being made in this material. From dresses to skirts, probably the most popular being the tops/leotards to seductively show off your bra beneath your see-through top. Again, great style if you have to body to show it off, but still looks great with a plain top underneath for those not quite as lucky. Lace has gone from Granny to sexy in the space of a few months and I’m sure it has a big future ahead.

7. Colour popping:

£42 from Dorothy Perkins

£35.99 from AX Paris

5 years ago, everything had to match; accessories, clothes, shoes. Now, the more you clash, the better! Colour popping is a great way to get noticed and a great way to build confidence in yourself. Be ready for all eyes on you!

8. Plastic Style Sunglasses:

£60 from Link

Maybe seen as childish and tacky, these sunglasses are another strange trend hitting the festivals this year. In all shapes, sizes and colours, pretty much anything will go, so just pick your style and rock ’em!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Sequin Hot Pants:

 

£25 from River Island

Not necessarily sequin everytime, but you could be rocking every night out with a pair of sexy hotpants with tights and killer heels.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Revealing Leotards

 

£20 from Miss Selfridge

5 years ago, if I knew I would be wearing something like this now, I would have put down that doughnut and rushed straight to the gym! These sexy leotards look incredible and can be worn with so many different outfits. The skin-tight tops may not be flattering on all body types, but if you are lucky enough to make one of these look good, then do it for the rest of us!

 

 

 

Now we have seen how our crazy fashion world is going at the moment, I can’t wait to see what we will be wearing by 2017!

Pretty Girl x

Do You Love Valentine’s?

I happen to be a big fan of St Valentine’s Day. Maybe this is because I haven’t been single on a Valentine’s Day since I was 15, which basically means I have never been single on a Valentine’s Day (when it has meant anything to me). Most of my housemates have the opposite view of the day. Out of 5 of us girls, 2 are single, 1 has a long distance relationship, 1 has been in a relationship for about a month and a half, and the other is me. The two singletons hate Valentine’s Day, but they are taking the day by the horns and going out for dinner followed by clubbing after, which is possibly the best thing to do. The lost distance girl isn’t seeing him until the 16th but she isn’t the romantic type anyway so is probably massively against it in the first place – I tend not to ask her about lovey-dovey things. The 1 month couple haven’t got any plans, so she says, but knowing him, he will have a whole night of treats sorted out. Me, I told my boyfriend not to buy me any tat – I have plenty of that already! I just said take me for dinner and maybe throw in some flowers and I will get you presents. Done :).

Being a massive romantic, I will always make sure I get my share of treats on Valentine’s Day, even if it takes weeks of nagging to my boyfriend to make sure he books the restaurant we went on our first Valentine’s. But on the night, it’s all up to him. He won’t be getting the usual hints from me of how to make me happy, so we will see how that pans out.

Did you know, 64% of US men do not make any plans for Valentine’s Day ahead of the day. What are they thinking?! And do their partners not nag them up until the day like I do? Obviously not. I suppose, the older you get, the less Valentine’s Day means anything. Most people have much more important things to think about, and I completely agree with that, but I see it more as the one day of the year which is a guaranteed Date Night. And who says you have to celebrate it on the exact day? Valentine’s is just one day a year when the husband is expected to take his wife out for dinner, just the two of them, no distractions. Some couples try to have a Date Night at least once a month, some once a week. Well I think every women out there deserves at least one a year!

So yes, I do love Valentine’s. I love the romance and I love the treats 🙂

May everyone out there have a beautiful day on Tuesday. Surround yourself with those you love and everyone will be happy.

Lots of love,

❤ Pretty Girl x ❤

Hangovers…

If we woke up in the morning feeling this ill out of the blue, we would be seriously worried. Yet we still drink ourselves silly and go through the pain of the next day. Why would we do that to ourselves?!

Now there’s something for you to think about…

Pretty Girl x

New Year, New Start…

First of all, I have to say HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2012 is definitely going to be one to remember…

This year is pretty much the start of my life. I will graduate from Uni in July and then its all new to me from there. My resolutions this year include; win back my boyfriend’s trust, become happy with my body and GET A JOB!

Now, it looks as if these are all going to be almost impossible. My boyfriend’s trust is not easy to find and has not improved much over the last year, even though I have been nothing but good to him! But, hopefully I will be able to move in with him after Uni and that might sort it out.

Becoming happy with my body shouldn’t be the hardest thing. Notice I put body and not weight; my weight seems to be strangely high for the actual size of me and somehow I am 2 stone heavier than my own boyfriend even though he is considerably taller than me! So I don’t care about my weight at all, just what I look like. I’m not at all fat and most people would tut at me if they knew I wasn’t happy with the way I look. I put on around 2 stone while at Uni, and it would be nice to drop a bit. I just want to have my perfect beach body back that I had before Uni, instead of this more wobbly curvier version of me. I shouldn’t complain but I would like to look thinner than I do at the moment just to make me happy – so that’s the plan!

Getting a job – this is, so far, looking to be rather difficult. My plans to get onto a Graduate Scheme in HR is becoming more and more bleak the more rejections I get. Still have about 5 to go though. If not, I’m hoping to get a normal job that will pay the rent and then I can always reapply next year.

So, those are the resolutions so far, hopefully yours are looking more probable than mine at the moment!

Wish me luck to my new start in the real world…

Pretty Girl x

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

Just here to pass on some season’s greetings and good will. I hope everyone has a great day wherever they are!

And here is a little gift from me to you:

😉

Pretty Girl x