Month by Numbers: Ice, ice, baby

7 favourites...

1.) I left on a jet plane and hopped over to Iceland and it was unlike anyone I'd ever been on holiday.

The sunshine was swapped for snowy mountain-tops and bikinis were out while thermals were in. 

We galloped around geysers, went chasing after waterfalls and soaked our troubles away in the Blue Lagoon.

I came back feel uber-zen and my soul feeling as happy as Larry.
(and skint. very skint. Reykjavik is expensive y'all.)

2.) But you know what doesn't cost a thing? Love. 

So when my lil' nephew ran and threw his arms around me when I arrived for a surprise visit, boy did my 

heart feel all warm and fuzzy.

Oh, and when he told me he likes me visiting and wants me to come back on a sunny day? 

Well, I'm done. No emotions left in me cus he's taken them all.

3.) Perks of my jobs are one of the best things about my job and this month has been particularly brilliant.

First thing's first is the opening of a new gaming bar. Four Quarters in Peckham is filled with old arcade games

and holds a special place in my heart. So when they invited me to the opening of their new bar, for a night

of beer, burgers and video games, well how could a girl refuse?

Also, I won Street Fighter, and my girl Chun Li came out with this, on International Women's Day nonetheless.

Jumping for joy like chocolate frog that I'm drunk off butterbeer on Diagon Alley 🔮✨#forbiddenforest #WBTourLondon #harrypotter #HP #diagonalley #london #boomerang #gif #instavideo #instavid #video

A post shared by Amy Lo 🐚 (@amylo92) on Mar 28, 2017 at 1:39pm PDT

4.) Secondly, a night to galavant around the Harry Potter studios while I chomp on canapes and sip on bubbly?

Erm, YES PLEASE. I got invited to the opening of the new forbidden forest at the studios, and despite having 

been before, going after hours with booze somehow seems more mischievous. 

5.) Last, but not least, the third perk was a night to run around Thorpe Park like a bunch of school kids. 

And free beers, which I didn't take full advantage of because I didn't want to embarrass myself on rides!

I haven't been on a rollercoaster in about 10 years, and I used to get my kick out of them, and I'm proud 

to say that after some initial nervous-ness, I still bloody love them (and love to swear on them it seems...)

The Last Thing on my Mind when I went on a Steps night out was that actual @officialsteps would turn up to Stomp all night. Pretty sure I turned a Deeper Shade of Blue from excitement as 8-year-old me was SHOOK 😱💃🏻🌟 @middletonhadley @welovepopclub @lisascottlee1 @fayetozersmith @princessclarabella @ianhwatkins #deepershadeofblue #videocollage #video #collage #nightout #weekend #instavid #steps #90s #london #vsco #vscocam

A post shared by Amy Lo 🐚 (@amylo92) on Mar 12, 2017 at 5:03am PDT

6.) Steps was one my favourite bands growing up, so when they reunited and released a new single that 

was everything I wanted to be and more, I was all over it. 

(Groups looking to have a reunion - THAT'S how it's done. Don't try and be 'relevant'. Don't lose your identity!)

So when me and friend went to a Steps themed night out, expecting an evening of fun and silly dancing,

and lo and behold, the actual band decided to show up!

We were excited to say the least.

7.) On March 22nd, an attack happened in Westminster and people were killed and injured.

I never thought I would see the city that I'm living in, trending on social media as people prayed for us.

My heart was breaking, and this happens all to much all over the world, all the time sadly. 

It's always horrific, always shocking. But when it's happening to London, to your home...

But I couldn't be prouder to be British and live in London. While the media were scaremongering and 

portraying to the rest of the world that we were stopped with few, in actual fact, mere hours after the 

awful event, the Westminster tube stop was open and running again.

Our Shaun of the Dead 'let's go to the Winchester' spirit will never be beaten. 

5 tweets....

1.) Woman next to me on the train has a bottle of wine in handbag, listening to Streisand & whipped out a
cheese toastie. She knows how to LIVE 

2.) Back in the day I would've already started drinking & putting my lashes on for a night out.

Now, I've just cleaned the house & made a tea 

3.) Papa Lo just fed some Pringles cus I've painted my nails and they're still wet. My dad's a babe 

4.) Brother laughed that I have feminist badge on my jacket. C'mon bro, get with the programme, this has 

been the situation for years now! 

5.) It actually felt like spring today! I'm happy as my natural comfy state is in sunnies (which @anna_tabs 

points out is a Mariah statement ) 

3 songs...

1.) Little Mix - Beep Beep

This is just pop-tastic, fantastic. Makes me feel like I'm a Pink Lady in Grease and about to break out 

into a synchronised doo-wop dance routine.

2.) Gavin James - I Don't Know Why

This makes me feel SO excited about summer and when Gavin goes all falsetto to sing the leading lines,

boy does it give me goosepimples.

3.) Sigala - Only One 

If Gavin James' song makes me think of summer in a chilled on the beach, watching the sunset kinda way. 

Then Sigala makes me think of summer in a 'opps, I accidentally got drunk by day-drinking in a beer

garden all day' kind of way. Very mad. Very excitable. Very happy.

It's the golden labrador of songs.

Month by Numbers: fireworks & festivities

7 favourites...

1.) Never mind winter is coming Jon Snow, winter is well and truly here. And yes that means i'm shivering to deathwhile waiting for my train (but then immediately boiling when i get on it), but it also means steaming hot drinks, hibernating under blanket and all the autumnal boots, hats and dark lipsticks that you could wish for.

2.) One of my favourite nights of the year is Bonfire Night. It's just an everning to feel all snuggled up and always feels like  the start of the festive season with the cold air, massive scarves and mulled wine. And this year, I made my way up north to Manchester and was huddled around the bonfire with some of my favourite girls, drinking mulled wine and 'ooh-ing' and 'ahh-ing' at al lthe pretty bonfires. We spent the whole weekend basically doing nothing nad it was bliss. We chatted the world to rights on everythng from ironing and feminism, to fluffy jumpers and our hopes and dreams, all while sipping on Baileys hot chocolate covered in a mountain of marshmallows. YUM.

3.) Someone came into my life as if it was a British romcom from the 90s starring Hugh Grant. We met on the tube (I KNOW) and things were ticking along. I knew he wasn't for life, but he was nice enough and our time spent together was fun enough for, well, now. I'm an eternal optimist and forever want to see the best in people and give them the benefit of the doubt. But sadly, this came person proved me and my glass-half-full nature wrong and came out of it as soon as they came in. I can forgive busy schedules, I can forgive you not a fan of my emojis, but i can't forgive rude-ness. Nop. Boy, BYE.

Thanks @bellaitaliarestaurants for teaching me how to make my favourite food: fresh blooming pasta! Also thanks for feeding me ALL the carbs - I'm one happy & full lil piggy 🍝🐽🇭🇺 #cooking #foodstagram #instafood #italian #foodporn #food #pasta #instavid #video #collage #london #vsco #vscocam

A video posted by Amy Lo 🐚 (@amylo92) on Nov 10, 2016 at 5:22am PST

4.) There are few things in life that I love more than food and carbs in particular. So when Bella Italia asked me if I wanted to taste their new menu and also learn to cook some of the dishes and how to make fresh pasta myself, I was there quicker than Wilde E.Coyote trying to catch Road Runner. I rolled out dough, tossed some pasta and ate so much delicious Italian food, puddings and wine that I almost needed to be rolled home.

5.) What better way to get into the festive spirit than ice skating outside the tower of London! but of course, because it's England, it's never long until it rains and ruins all the fun. But fear not, when the ice rink turns into a slippery hazard, there's an ice bar and a tour of the Tower to indulge in. Learning abotu the Tower of London made me feel like I was on a school and also like I know nothing about the city I live in as I soaked up and was equally creeped out and fascinated by all the history. 

6.) I went to a few screenings this month which including the magical Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and the fabulous E! series on Mariah Carey. But a big tick in my book for very different reasons, but the fact that at the Mariah screening there were diva-appropriate pink cocktails and a gold glittery photobooth that had a wind machine kinda was just like being in a diva playground.

One of the most talented, humble & fun people I've seen live. It was a pleasure dancing along to you @jackgarratt 💃🏻🎉🎸 #london #livemusic #live #gig #confetti #lights #music #collage #video #instavid #videocollage #vsco #vscocam

A video posted by Amy Lo 🐚 (@amylo92) on Nov 24, 2016 at 12:24am PST

7.) Jack Garratt is some kind of musical genius. Him, drums, a sound baord and some back up singers and it was was of the most engaging gigs I've been to. And the best thing is despite absolutely killing it on the scene, he's still got so much genuine excitment, creativity and adorable disbelief that he gets to do what he gets to do as living, and I think we can all afford to be a bit more Jack Garratt in our jobs.

5 tweets...
1.) In an attempt to drown my sorrows, I went to the vending machine & it dished out 2 of my selected treat. World's not COMPLETELY broken then
2.) Reading stories w/my nephew this moring & he stopped to say 'Amy, I'm having fun with you!' HEART. MELTED.

3.) When you see a photo of young Trump & have the awful realisation that your ex looks like him (key word here being EX )

4.) I'm singing Colours of the Wind at the top of my lungs while dancing around my room in my underwear....what about you?

5.) "The pièce de résistance was the hash brown" - an actual thing I said. (And I meant it. It was a pork belly & hash brown quesillda guys!)

3 songs....
1.)  Sexual - Neiked ft.Dyo

Not to get TMI but this song is as it suggests, a lil bit sexual. ALSO, how does she hit those high notes? Believe me, I've tried in the shower, and I can tell you it does NOT sound the same.

2.) Pour some sugar on me - Def Leppard


For some reason I was a bit obsessed with this song when I was about 15 and although I'm not sure why, my god do I applaud teenage me. It makes me want to do knee slides on a bar countertop in a Coyote Ugly style, and whips my hair into a backcombed mess.

3.) After the afterparty - Charli XCX

This is kinda a bit Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl, as in you can imagine it being played at some prom and everyone chanting along with it. And I enjoy that bubblegum pop goodness immensely.

Until next time,

A.x

Week by Numbers: perseverance & magic

7 favourites...

1.)  Ladies and Gentlemen. Boys and Girls. I have some brilliant and exciting news! And no it's not that the Royal baby has been born - although, congrats to Kate & Wills and the new gorgeous princess! No. It's that after nearly a year of interning, uncertainty, literally hundred of cover letters written, endless interviews gone to, and feeling pretty low at points...

 I'VE GOT A MOTHERFLIPPING JOB! 

Like, I'm a legit, proper journalist at a national publication - say whatttt?! I cannot tell you how the sheer joy and relief I feel at the stability and security I now have, and the fact the all the hard work and grief was all worth it. If you stay true to your ambitions and keep plugging away, you'll get there eventually. Am very grateful and just all kinds of happy!

2.) Apart from landing myself a job, here's what the rest of my April looked like - pretty gutted that my bday month is now over tbh, booooo.

3.) Sometimes, wading through floods of people on the tube isn't what you really wanna do with your weekend. So when that happens, and your friend lives a quick 30 min train journey, the sane thing to do is to jump on that train and head for a land of all things green and surrounded by trees. You get welcomed with creamy mushrooms on toasts and the chance to have a big, deep, breathe of fresh air. Bliss.

4.) After being appalled by myself for not having watched all the Harry Potter films when they first came out, I bought the whole series on DVD during my last year of uni, and blasted through them all in one weekend, sat on the edge of my seat. That was it. Hook, line and sinker, I was in love with the world and the characters. So, me and my 2 besties and housemates from uni booked ourselves to go to the Harry Potter studios for a birthday present for each other and OH MY GOD. It was amazing. There's a surprise round every corner and I genuinely felt like a big kid. From being in Diagon Alley to having my mind blown by the props team and the mechanics behind the mythical creatures, it was such a fun day that I feel sad to be back in reality now. Even if I did genuinely get scared by a deatheater...

5.) I always end up having a song on repeat, and at the moment, it's the Oliver Nelson remix of All Cried Out (which I love anyway) by Blonde ft.Alex Newell. When the sun's shining and I'm skipping along the streets of London, it instantly makes me happy and wishing I was sat on a rooftop terrace , with a cocktail in my hand, cherry blossom raining from the sky and the warmth of the sunshine beaming on me. Heavenly.

6.) Don't get put off by the name, but Scrotal Recall, is an amazing series on Netflix. It's heartwarming, witty, oh-so-British and makes your heart feel all warm and smooshy. Think major 'Cold Feet' vibes.

7.) I have a small hoard of small nephews and nieces now, so that means when I usually see my brothers, it's not without the presence of small humans who I love. But midway through this week, my brother was in London for meeting, he treated me to congratulatory cocktails and dinner. It was so nice to chat and catch up as 2 adults with no lego about and feeling shattered from pushing swings all day. Going from teaching me how to ride a bike (unsuccessfully I might add), to sharing after-work drinks together. Siblings rule y'all.

3 thoughts...

"I'm so excited there is a high possibility I may be sick"

"If you don't want to be an asshole, then you have the choice to not be one y'know?"

"Imagine if you're Kate Middleton and the whole world's waiting for you to push a human out of you..."

1 outfit...

We had a couple of heatwave days in April, so I assumed like any normal person would, that the weather was on the rise, and we were entering a solid Spring. Oh, how wrong I was. It's England. Of course good weather being on the cards isn't a certainty. So a striped poloneck it is, but that doesn't mean I can't flash a bit of leg with a midi-skirt, and channel some sunny shades with a lemony-yellow, embroidered skirt. Add lots of black and gold accessories and a seashell bad and hey presto -you've brought spring to yourself!

Stay happy!

Until next time...

A.x

The future's bright!

Last week, me and the rest of the magazine journalism group at uni took a lil trip down to the Big Smoke to see what the big wide world of magazines held for us when we finished this masters degree.

Now, controversial statement, but I used to be very anti-London. I hated how busy it was. I hated how you had to battle through a sea of people to get anywhere. I hated how everyone seemed to rushed to even say 'hello' in the morning.

But then, I lived there for a month while I did an internship, and after just day 2, although tired and sweaty, I had fallen in love with the capital.

There's a different vibe and atmosphere around every corner. Whether you're looking for something bright and fun, or sophisticated and quintessentially British. There's something for everybody.

So I was more than happy to be thrown back into the city, especially with new friends along for the ride.

As if I didn't love the city enough already, spending 3 days going around magazine offices imagining what my life could be, can be, and will be, just made me 10 times more determined to get where I want to be with my career. 

There were encouraging talks from inspiring people, locked-out mishaps at offices, good ol' British pub grub, cocktails at night, dim-sum in China Town, singing Les Mis songs outside of the musical, and of course, a trip to London wouldn't be complete without a visit to one of my favourite places in the entire world: Liberty's

A treasure trove of beautiful items inside a even more beautiful building, and one of my favourite things are the fresh flowers outside.

I even got to pop over to Hogwarts for a flying visit....

...and go over to Sherlock's for a cuppa!

It was an amazing trip that opened my eyes to all the possibilities the future holds. It's inspired me, enlightened a world of knowledge onto me and has pushed me to put in nothing less than 110%.

And, I bought myself a cheeky lil treat as well while I was there...opps!

Gin and macarons...what else does a girl need?!

Hope you're all well,

Speak soon,

A.x

This Week...

1.) my dedication to the gym & working out continued
2.) completely indulged in a Harry Potter marathon at over the weekend 
3.) chilled out in bed in my cool-ass space pjs from Cath Kidston
4.) got my head down to tackle shorthand
5.) gave into the craze and made a ramen burger
6.) had a break from studying and enjoyed new issue Vogue with tea
7.) shopping spree, as I convinced myself that new city & new uni means new clothes...
8.) bought the cutest and coolest bottle opener to magically open my drinks!
9.) had my hair cut and done, and really wish I could give myself a blowdry at home
10.) with my girls, out for dinner & drinks with friends for Brammer's 22nd birthday
11.) whipped up a fish pie for the colder evenings
12.) one of those nights where I couldn't fall asleep and before I knew it, it was 3am...it sucks...

I love doing these weekly updates using my instagram photos! I hope you enjoy them too!

Hope you're all well,
Speak soon,
A.x