NAILS!
These are 'Dorothy Who?' from the 2009 re-release of the China Glaze 'Wizard of Ooh-aahz' collection.  I think the colour on my actual nails has gone a bit wack because I went swimming the day after painting my nails, so this picture is with two days' wear, which is quite awesome.  I'm five days down the line now and there's only a teeny tiny chip on my thumb.

I found application to be a bit of a pain- it went on quite streaky and uneven so I needed three coats to get a reasonable colour coverage.  However, now it's on, I absolutely love looking and my nails, because I'm fascinated by the glitter!

Despite the slight application pain, this has turned out beautifully and is certainly lasting.  Definitely worth it, especially for £2 as part of a bargain China Glaze haul!

Alternative views of mental health

(image from Dorling Kindersley)

I went to a yoga class today which I thoroughly enjoyed (thanks to the entertaining and passionate teacher, in part).  I am now ignoring my aching back from over-estimating exactly how far I could twist.
One thing that strikes me at my yoga classes is how self-absorbed they make me- in a beautiful way, not a narcissistic one.  All I think about is the cracking of my joints as I flow from one posture to another, the depth of my breathing, and how far I can comfortably sink into a certain pose.  It allows my mind to become completely consumed by the immediate physical demands of the class and become unfettered from its daily stresses and worries.

I prioritise going to yoga and the gym, as it is this challenging routine which allows me to transcend my habit of incessant worrying and attain both mental and physical relief.  I read a little while ago that the NHS was thinking of introducing yoga and mediation courses and I think they would be invaluable.  My experience of therapy group coupled with regular gym attendance has led to my being able to identify crippling emotions and work through them but also take a safe and healthy refuge from them in exercise.  Certainly my yoga teacher today likened deep meditation to CBT, as it allows you to commune with your intuition and consider what in your life you may need to change.

The trouble is obviously primarily money: good yoga teachers and appropriate spaces will require both time and financing.  It also appears difficult to try and exact change for many mental healthy disorders, such as with the often prohibitively expensive cost of therapists and fiendishly long NHS waiting list, along with the fact one's mental healthy cannot readily be physically assessed.

I would love to see more people being able to enjoy yoga and the stress alleviating effects it brings.  Perhaps the government should promote a range of exercise activities not just to combat obesity, but also for its population's mental health.

Distracting myself through sparkles. And weddings.

Contrary to the title's suggestion, I'm not going to any weddings at the moment, nor am I in fact getting married.  I've instead been busily occupying myself by stalking admiring on Facebook the weddings of former schoolmates and been getting somewhat confused.

Now, I love weddings.  In many respects I am that ridiculous image of the girl who's been planning her wedding since the year dot and thinks about it probably more than is healthy.  Besides thinking about cakes, and wondering how a girl can incorporate (potentially) two massive cuddly dinosaurs into some mythical day in the future, they're something which is important to me both because of my personal beliefs and my religion, as for me they are the ultimate way to solidify a relationship.  But obviously a marriage is so much more than the wedding day.  Also, I am not a mental Christian as unfortunately I seem to be labelled as as soon as I mention it, thus I think same-sex marriage is great, if you want to live together; fine, and I'm a big believer in the 'try before you buy' attitude of premarital sex.

Ignoring that wall of text, what I've really been rather freaked out by is the fact my classmates seem so young!  My friends and I have counted 10 people out of a year of 90 who either have children, are married, or both, and whilst I suppose that is the cliche of the older you get, the more weddings you go to, it seems like a huge amount.  I love to think about weddings but I think that if I were getting married now I'd absolutely freak the fuck out.  I'm happy for the fact these people have found the person they wish to spend the rest of their life with, but so many people are still at university, still studying, now with children and a husband, and that seems weird to me.  It just seems like surely people, and relationships, will change outside of the student bubble, and a marriage seems like a massive thing to have to try and change through whilst you yourself might not know what's going on.  I'm sure I'm being too cynical/ immature about this though and no doubt they'll have charming marriages, revelling in years of successful communication and maturity.  But we'll see.

The sparkles of the title refer to my new nailpolish today- China Glaze's 'Dorothy Who?' from their recreated Wizard of Ooh-Aahz collection (2009).  It's bright blue with silver sparkles and freaking awesome.  If I can find my camera (still have not even attempted unpacking) I will show it off.  Or maybe I'll suffice with a rubbish webcam photo.

Applications

I thought I had avoided the deluge of applications and their associated fear and inherent worry about making some hideous mistake by my choice of continuing my student experience into an MA.  But no- admittedly my applications are not a case of OMG I NEED A JOB RIGHT NAO straight out of my degree, but they are for things I am passionate about and will very strongly influence my future career prospects.

I have applied to be a writer on Domestic Sluttery, a blog which I avidly consume and love the writer's styles, and so now I am quietly worrying to myself about that.  I am also applying to a gamut of national papers and some Sheffield ones in the hope of procuring some work experience somewhere.  One of my former editors at the Forge not only won the Guardian bursary to study for her PgDip at Sheffield in Journalism but has also had work experience at the Guardian and The Times and is paid to write for her local paper.  I just hope I can maybe have her success- she is such a lovely person but I am so insanely jealous of her!

Journalism with its incredible glut of applications and cut-throat competition is a field where every contact, every experience, and every article published is essential in freeing yourself from the herd.  I just hope I can attempt to impress someone enough to let me in.