avicii, avicii everywhere.

HOLA CHICAS!                                        

How goes it? Are we all good? Hope life has been treating you well and you're living it large (the best way to do it..am I right or am I right?) I hope y'all had a splendid weekend and did something super-fabulous to make the most of the last few days we have left of the beautiful month that is Ocotber. I've personally had a very busy past few days. With exams coming up towards the end of this week, a mountain of laundry that won't do itself as well as a room that needed a good clean, well i'm sure you can imagine where my time has been going, right? I did, however, clear a space amongst the madness in order to write something for you all - how could I not?! I find writing to be a very soothing and relaxing end to what can often be a hectic day. Y'all should try it if you don't already do so, it's great for relieving stress, putting your feelings into words and not to mention, it's just great fun!

Ninety-nine per cent of the time when I sit down to write a blog entry, i'm bursting full of ideas and cannot get them onto paper quick enough - be it from an encounter i've had over the past few days, a memory, a song that i'm liking at present or whatever. However, it seems that tonight it was quite the opposite. 

When I sat down to write this post to you all, I must say that I actually struggled in terms of what to include - with the highlight of my last few days being the 'hint of rose' scent within my laundry along with the prettiness of my colour-coorindated note highlighting, it doesn't take a genius to work out why! I know what you're thinking..I need a serious life re-evaluation, and I for one, do not disagree! So anyway as I was saying, I was at odds with what I should talk to you all about tonight, however, turns out that my mental block all changed very quickly, which certainly proved to be for the better! 

You know those times when things are generally just quite dull? - be it down to stress, worry, tiredness, money issues, an argument with your BFF, catching the flu and what not and then suddenly, BOOM!..something amazing happens? Well that my little petals, was what happened to me tonight - and it's safe to say I could not be more pumped, ready and generally buzzing for March the 1st 2014, why you say? All in good time children, all in good time.  

So as many of you know, I love Avicii. No but like, I really do. I love Avicii! It's safe to say it's is a love that has also strengthened since arriving here in the beautiful Stockholm - I think it's because he's from here. Makes sense I guess? I can't help but feel immensely proud of the fact that i'm spending a year in the hometown of the musical genius himself. 

Avicii is huge (naturally) in Stockholm, due to being born here himself. It's hardly surprising that the Swedes are incredibly proud of the fact that he's from their capital! Why not though, right? He's an utter legend who's produced some of the best DJ records in history - why not celebrate it?!

I literally cannot put into words how much of a god I think this man is - his musical ability, uniqueness, general presence and so much more. When his songs (especially 'wake me up') come on shuffle and i'm walking to uni in the morning, nothing makes the 7am wake up and two-hour seminar ahead seem more worthwhile! It's a genuine motivator for a positive day ahead. Now with me being the type of person that I am, well, it's safe to say some dance moves are broke out in all-too public places which should definitely be kept behind closed doors! But what you gonna do? Can't blame a guy for trying, right? That's enthusiasm for ya! No but for real, nothing puts a bounce in my step like an unscheduled dance party on the way to uni. You may come to look mentally challenged bopping along the street in hardcore dance mode, but who cares because you'll feel just fabulous!

I could literally write a book about how much I love Avicii and his music - (not to mention his looks that could blind a blind woman crossing the street and piercing eyes that could dazzle just about anything...but hey, that's those Swedes for you, killer charm and killer good looks!) Damn them all people, damn them all.

So, my point? Well, it's a simple one really. I AM GOING TO SEE AVICII LIVE IN STOCKHOLM IN MARCH NEXT YEAR!!! I think i'm just a tad excited, not that it's obvious or anything. After the depression of missing the ticket sales for February the 28th, another date for March the 1st was added, enabling me and one of my Swedish BFF's to get a hold of those bad boys we so longed for! Lucky or what? DAMN RIGHT! I couldn't not share my excitement with you all on hearing the news...it's safe to say that the birthday month in 2014 is gonna be kickstarted in the best way possible! Bring it on. 

As I sit here writing this to you all, as well as getting excited for March already, I can't help but feel blessed. Here is yet another amazing opportunity i've been given the privilege to be able to attend. It's going to be mind-blowing. Affirmative. 

So, moral of the story guys, even in the darkest times, (like exam revision), good things can happen - and they do!

What's that infamous Harry Potter quote again?..

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times. If one only remembers to turn on the light."

Keep safe, stay positive, work hard and turn on the light guys.

Until next time, speak soon.

L xo 

PS - can you now see why i'm excited? 

motivation, or the lack of it.

My darlings! 

We are reunited once again, how are we all? I hope the end to yet another week finds you in good health and ready for the weekend ahead of us! Yes ladies and gents, it's Friday! - and you know what they say about Fridays, right? Gotta get down on Friday! It's time to throw away the books, put down the pen, turn off the work computer, crack open the wine, get it flowing and the rest, well i'm sure you know!

I for one just love Fridays, it's my favourite day of the week for a multitude of reasons - it's the start to the weekend, it has positively spiffing associations, I almost always get drunk on this day and it even sounds nice doesn't it? I mean, out of the 7 days of the week, Friday is definitely up there with the best sounding ones - Monday not so much! 

It's 5.38pm in the Swedish capital at present and as I sit here writing this to you all, I can't help but for once actually feel down about the fact that it's Friday - for one I have no plans, but that's not necessarily the reason for my sluggish mood, oh no. The real reason my beauties is exams...the absolute bain of my life.

So as much as i'm loving life in Stockholm, the thought of taking exams here is not exactly a pretty thought. In fact, wait, exams in general are just not a pretty thought. Oh, and FYI, just to clarify - a different country and time zone does NOT make exams, essays, course-reading and general university life any less of a stress, burden and downright nightmare than what it already is!

So yeah, as I was saying, exams are the reason for my Friday night sit-in. Now when I say sit-in I make it sound like that's a bad thing, that's not what i'm saying. No one loves a good Friday night in more than I do as opposed to a night out every now and again...oh yes, you know what i'm thinking - Ben and Jerry's (Blondie Brownie core, always), cup of tea, good film, some friends over, candles on, a good bath. Y'all can relate, it's a dream, right? What i'm saying is that it isn't so much of a dream when the Ben and Jerry's becomes a highlighter, the tea becomes coffee just to stay awake, and the good film becomes a folder full of readings I really should have done for that seminar over a month ago. 

So my point is, with all this work i've not done suddenly becoming the most important, yet horrendous part to my life for the next week or so, as well as the realisation of how little I actually know about this module starting to sink in, why do I still have absolutely zero levels of motivation to study? It doesn't take a genius to figure out that studying is dull, there's no doubt about that, but with so much to do, I still find myself glued to Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter (you name it, i've been on it) and god knows what else as the ultimate form of distraction and procrastination. It seems that these days, I will truly do anything to avoid actually starting the mountain of work I have to do...worrying? Yes, quite. I think the reason i'm so shocked is also the low levels of care that I actually have (sounds bad, I know) with this being my current situation. 

Is this gonna change? Well I hope so, I think the reason i'm not worrying so much is because me being the type of person that I am (apart from fabulously stylish, talented and generally incredible), the work always gets done - one way, or another. Be it an essay, last minute presentation-prep or exam revision cramming, it always works out okay (I find, anyway). 

Lets hope then, guys and girls, that the same outcome happens for my rapidly forthcoming exam.

Naturally, I will let you all know how it goes. 

Keep working hard guys, it's all worth it. The 'stay in school' mentality and all that, right?

Speak soon.

L xo

a bad case of Stockholm syndrome...well an obsessed one, actually.

Hej alla!

Hoppas att allt är bra?

For those of you who don't speak Swedish (I don't either, all is good!) that means hey guys, how's it going?...Well I at least hope it does, I asked a Swede to translate that for me, so if it means something else then all you swedes out there - I apologise! So anyway, how is it going? Just because i'm asking the question in Swedish doesn't mean I don't want to know! I hope you've had a productive, energetic and positively wonderful Wednesday! Now before I start I would just like to say that i'm well aware of my obsessive posting over the past few days, however I feel that in order to get the blog-vibe up and running, it's necessary for me to give a good first impression - at least before I begin some periods of cyber silence! (which I will try to limit, by the way)

So the title of this post probably gives away a fair bit about what it's gonna be about, yeah guys, you guessed it, STOCKHOLM! The city i've come to be truly obsessed with in just two short months. Two months you may be saying to yourself, that's a long time to holiday in one place, right? Well think again ladies and gents, i'm not holidaying here, in fact, far from it - as part of my degree, i'm spending second year abroad studying at Stockholm University as well as living here in beautiful Scandinavia through the exchange programme, Erasmus.

Another question many of you may be asking is why Stockholm? Why Sweden even? Well if i'm being truly honest with you guys that's a question I don't really know the answer to myself. A year abroad for me was something I always wanted to do, but I continually found myself to be overwhelmed with the insane amount of destinations my university had to offer! When the time came that I had to quickly narrow down my options, I decided to go with a European exchange as apposed to an International one. I thought to myself that after having spent a summer in the US, it would be nice to come back closer to home, to the multitude of culture, cosmopolitanism, fashion, class and sheer uniqueness European cities have to offer. I had never been to Sweden, in fact, I had never been to Scandinavia and, well, the rest as they say is history! Before I knew it I was back from America, on another plane and saying HELLO STOCKHOLM!

So here I am rocking it up and loving life in the Swedish capital! As y'all can see, it's pretty darn nice, not too shabby, right?! It's safe to say there are still times where I don't believe i'm here - I don't think those times will ever completely go away if i'm honest, or will they? I dunno...let's wait and see, shall we? Its now been two months since I touched down on Swedish turf to begin my adventure and it has been a whirlwind of emotions, hilarity, ups, downs, highs and lows - none of which I would change for the world - at least not now anyway! In just two months i've made friendships I know are going to last a lifetime, picked up some of the local lingo, mastered the Swedish subway system and have become obsessed with Avicii more and more than what I thought was possible (yes, the man himself is from Stockholm - they're all very proud of this fact!) Even mummy and daddy McAdam have managed to squeeze in a weekend in the capital, despite my hectic schedule - which I must say, has been one of my favourite weekends so far! On the topic of parents by the way, always make time for your parents guys, they're the ones that are in your heart, every step of the way.

There's no denying that moving abroad for a year is terrifyingly scary, nerve-wracking and emotionally draining to say the least - but as I sit here now, with the initial first few months under my belt, I can honestly say it has been one of the best decisions i've ever made, or should I say, going to have made - not finished with this place quite yet folks! Time abroad has opened my eyes to a multitude of things I just didn't think was possible, it has made me more mature, appreciative of my life back in the UK, emotionally more able to cope and much more.
So, what are some of my favourite things about living in Stockholm? Good question, too many things are my favourite thing about living in Stockholm! I've found that it's more the little, almost insignificant details of Stockholm, or Sweden in general actually that i've come to love.

One of these is the "fika" concept. Swear down, this gem of a phrase is being brought back to my UK life and becoming an integrated part of my everyday vocabulary. I've grown to love the concept too much to let go of it. A "fika" (pronounced "fee-ka") is basically a social situation in Sweden, meaning to go for a coffee usually accompanied by something sweet - which is where part two of my obsession comes in to play...the good old kanelbullar! You could almost call this the 'signature' of what makes a fika, a fika - it's basically like a cinnamon whirl, but only better, so much better - if you look below you'll see a cute little pic of a recent "fika" experience of my own, I know what you guys are thinking, i'm just the most cultured male specimen in existence, and i'm not going to disagree! I quickly learned that Swedes consider grabbing coffee an important part of their culture. It's a chance to take a break from work, it's a chance to sit down and catch up with friends, it's a chance to chat away endlessly for hours un-watchful of the clock and in general, it's just an excuse for a good old time! I for one, think it's simply fabulous.

What else can I say about Stockholm? Did I mention how amazing it is? No but seriously, it's amazing, beyond amazing! Oh, and did I mention that I just love how clean everything is? - even the subway, even the corners of alleyways you would expect to see graffitti in, even the floors in frequently used buildings where you would expect to see dirt and what not, no sir, it does not exist! Sweden is truly an immaculate country, and I have fallen deeply in love with every last inch of it! I thoroughly recommend all of you to visit and take in the many delights that not just Stockholm, but the rest of Sweden and undoubtedly Scandinavia has to offer! (I'll get round to seeing more of Sweden, there's no doubt about that, but for now, i'm still far too excited about being in the capital!) I've lost count of the no doubt many hours i've wasted walking around the city exploring it's nooks and crannies, museums, streets, shops (Zara, so much Zara), parks, monuments and much more. This place has it all - after all, the country that gave us Ikea, meatballs, Loreen, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, Abba, Pippi Longstocking, Absolut Vodka and 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' can't be that bad, right?
So there you have it guys, my take on Stockholm so far. It's safe to say i'm very happy I chose this place as my Erasmus destination - it's rapidly becoming one of my favourite cities…but will it take the number one spot? Ooooh who knows!

Continue to enjoy your life guys, live it to the full and make the most of any opportunities that come your way. Just say YES!

Until next time, speak soon.

L xo 

PS - these photos show images in which I'm holding many a glass of wine, just to clarify, i'm not an alcoholic...maybe just a casual one!

oh, such wise words you have!

Good morning star shine, the earth says hello!

How are you all this morning? I for one am stressed. Very stressed - which is what forms the basis of this post. As I find myself sinking under the endless amount of work I have to do for my first exam of second year, the road, needless to say, feels never ending.

Now as an International Relations and History student, i'm well aware of the intensity of my degree - the amount of reading, written work, essays, seminars and just plain dedication it all requires. Im my university career so far, it's safe to say I've convinced myself of having mastered the art of dealing with stress, and well, I have, sort of. Everyone's allowed a breakdown from time to time though, right? How is it the saying goes...breakdowns can create breakthroughs - and that ladies and gentlemen, brings me to my point.

I've always been a sucker for a good quote, as one of my best friends would undoubtedly agree with - I think she's seen just about every screen-shotted quote image one on my iPhone's camera roll! But it's true, quotes really are amazing. They not only can provide selfless words of wisdom that can be related to many moments in our lives, but they can often prove enlightening in many situations - which I found to be the case this morning. 

As I sit here writing this at my desk - taking a break from the delights of 'An International Governing Chain of a Democratic System', I feel a sense of complete satisfaction taking over me. Once again, my day will evolve around the breakthrough a quote provided me with. 
As if waking up at 7.30am wasn't bad enough, waking up to a pile of work was even harder to get my head around. So there I was, dressing gown on, coffee in hand, desk lamp turned on (dark winter mornings starting and all that, you know?) ready to work. I was ready to answer yet another set of past-exam questions as the ultimate form of exam preparation - well for me anyway. 

So yeah, there I was, two questions down thinking, well this could be worse, when BOOM! There it was, the impossible question that I knew nothing about to even begin to attempt to answer. 'How can the Swedish Constitution be amended on an international level?'...emm ask someone who cares? God knows! Now with me being me, as many of my nearest and dearest will tell you, a situation like this will bring about utter panic, stress, worry and the timeless phrase..."oh my god, i'm gonna fail my degree!" However if Instagram was a degree guys and girls, it's safe to say I would graduate with a 1st!...So, where does Instagram come into this story? Well, as I was having my 8.45 Wednesday morning breakdown in one side of my brain and flicking through Instagram on the other, I stumbled across a quote from none other than Dr. Seuss (yes, I follow a Dr. Seuss fan-page on Instagram - what you gonna do about it?) 

The quote said...

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." 

I instantly felt an overwhelming urge to tackle this question again, and not just re-attempt it, but complete it, ace it and finish the rest of the exam paper on top form! I looked to my left, where stands my bookshelf - filled with glorious books about Britain and the rest of the world's 'International Political Economy', 'The Globalisation of World Politics' as well as a fabulous guide to 'Understanding the European Union' (if y'all wanna borrow some, just let me know, but don't all rush at once now!)I thought to myself surely amongst the many books written on my degree that live on this bookshelf, there will be an answer to my question, or at least a starting point. Not too much to ask is it? Turns out that the 'impossible' question that was gonna make me fail my degree, when broken down, was actually a very simple one. The question is now answered and i'm feeling, well, fabulous! 

Moral to the story guys, don't give up. Push yourself to produce work you KNOW you're capable of. Afterall, sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple, right?

Much love and keep things simple!

Speak soon.

L xo 

living 10 for 2: a love letter to loyaltown

Well hello all you fabulous people!

This post is an important one to me for two reasons. Not only is this my first official entry within my blog, but it's one that is dedicated to a very special place that quite frankly, i'll never forget.

I'm sitting here in bed flicking through the millions of pictures I took from this summer and well, naturally I just HAD to write something down about it - to try and explain to you guys just what made the Camp America experience so fantabulously amazeballs! Whenever camp comes up in conversation or i'm asked "what was it like?"..."was it hard?...like, was it what you thought it was gonna be?" I find myself unable to break out of the habit of starting stories with "oh my god, at camp" or "oh it was so funny, there was this one kid at camp" and god knows what else...now of course to me, these stories all make perfect sense and I can see the humour and hidden gems within them, however i've quickly come to realise that this is not the case for my friends and family back home - who don't really have any idea about what my time at camp was actually like. It's all fair and well explaining, or should I say trying to explain, but they will never truly appreciate and understand the little things that made camp, well, camp. I think that may just be what makes it so incredibly unique. 

There's a saying at camp, well at least at Loyaltown there is. As soon as I touched down on American turf I heard people say that they're "living 10 for 2" - which basically means that they're living 10 months of the year just waiting for those 2 precious months to come around at camp once again. So American right? So annoying right? WRONG! I am now one of them. So if you don't like it, well there's the door my darlings! I am without doubt a 10-for-2 er. Guilty as charged my friends, guilty as charged! So anyway here goes, my love letter to Loyaltown. 

Camp Loyaltown is a non-profit, disability summer camp, set in the beautiful Catskill mountains of Upstate New York, USA. For more than forty years now, Loyaltown has helped campers discover independence along with new strengths and is a place where individuals are able to experience the joys of friendship, fun and personal achievement - free from the challenges that they face in their daily lives. Camp Loyaltown is a place committed to providing the very best of services and experiences for individuals, young and old, who find themselves suffering with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. It was nothing less than an honour and privilege to spend the summer working with and learning from the amazing people that make this place what it is.

Working at Loyaltown was without doubt one of the best experiences I've ever had in my life to date. It was a challenge, it was exhausting, it was stressful, it was hilarious, it was scary, it was unpredictable, it was astounding, it was thrilling and that's just the beginning. Nothing can truly explain the feeling when such beautiful people, or as we called them 'campers' -  placed a level of trust in you that is just too good for words. 

There is an infamous song that every camper, counsellor, parent and friend that has ever stepped foot on Loyaltown, knows someone that works at Loyaltown, has visited Loyaltown or knows a camper that attends Loyaltown has ingrained in their head, brace yourselves...

"It's my very special place, Camp Loyaltown,

We all think it's really great, Camp Loyaltown,

We go to New York, we go Upstate,

This summer will be really great,

Camp Loyaltown, it's my very special place, HEY!"

Well there you have it folks - the most pointless, corny, silly, all-American song you could think of, was Loyaltown's official camp tune! If you ask me, the simplicity and pointlessness of it is what actually makes the song have such a big impact upon anyone who hears it - because at the end of the day that's just what it was, right?...Camp Loyaltown was my very special place, wait, did I say was? It still is my very special place.
The last time I thought about camp in this much detail was probably right at the start of summer, before 500+ campers became my responsibility and I realised that life on 4 hours of sleep might just be the sweetest thing. You see, it's not until you step away from camp that the realisation hits home of just how comfortable you become in the "bubble" that it's often described as. I didn't think of all the little details that made camp what it was until now...when i'm sadly away from it all. You know what I mean though, right? When something is so brilliant, almost too brilliant, that you don't actually realise this at the time and wish you could have? Yeah well, that my friends, was camp. I can honestly say that i've never been more continually exhausted or happy than I was this summer. Working at a place which truly and honestly embraces individuals for who and what they are, looking beyond their disability and encouraging each and every one of them to just be themselves is one of the most beautiful things I've witnessed.

Obviously it wasn't all glorious sunshine and laughter for two months, there were days when home seemed so impossibly far away and the things I was missing out on were just too big. Those days passed though and it was just an enormous blessing to wake up to sunny sky's, the beautiful mountain tops of the Catskills and campers' who were beginning to not only like me, but respect me for my efforts. Before I left for camp I had visions of days spent sunbathing at the creek while occasionally comforting a camper and lifting the odd person from a wheelchair to a bed... mistake, BIG mistake. Camp is hard work. Being away from home is hard work. Caring for other peoples' disabilities is hard work. Other people in general are hard work. But more to the point, camp is also rewarding, special and unlike any other place I've ever been. I've concluded one thing, despite their disability, these people are hilarious, smart, loveable and for sure a challenge, but a challenge I wouldn't have changed. As for other people, well, if the people I worked alongside are anything to go by then other people are GREAT - they are loud, mad, funnier than a drunk nun and just impossible to be without. The guys and girls I was lucky enough to work with this summer are some of the best I've come across and needless to say, we are truly going to remain friends for life. Nevertheless as you would expect, there were days we all wanted to kill each other - you try throwing six guys and girls aged between 18-22 into a cabin, tell them to get along when there's no air conditioning and only two showers (not kidding) and see how well that goes for y'all! No but in all seriousness, at the end of the day we all knew that we could rely on each other when the going got tough... which was more often than not. I made friendships at Loyaltown that will undoubtedly continue to thrive, grow and develop across oceans and time...that's a pretty nice thought if you ask me! I met people from South America, England, Holland, Poland, the Czech Republic and Australia to name a few as well as those brash, all-american guys and gals' whom we all love to hate! We were each others family for two or three months and we've shared experiences that will be impossible to forget - even if you wanted to!

Also, it doesn't hurt that camp is pretty damn beautiful to look at.

When I look at this picture it truly is one of a 'bitter-sweet' nature. Why? Well I think that Dr. Seuss' words sums this question up perfectly - "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory." Summer 2013 was and always will be, the best summer of my life.

So, there you have it - a love letter to my favourite place on earth. 

I'll be back soon Loyaltown - I promise! I'm living 10 for 2, remember? 

Spread the love guys, speak soon.

L xo