So I finally went to see the most talked about movie of the moment yesterday, Me Before You. A friend invited me to see the film and I was so excited because the trailer looked amazing and the interviews with the cast really made it seem like it was the film of the year.

I haven't yet read the book, so I didn't know what all the controversy was about at first, but now that I've seen the film I completely understand. It's a sensitive topic which I'm not going to get into at the moment, but I can say that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that completely, even if I don't agree with them myself.

Anyway, back to the review. For those of you who have neither read the book or seen the film, it's the story of Louisa Clark (played by Emilia Clarke, aka the mother of dragons in Game of Thrones) a clumsy yet colourful character who lands the job of Will Traynor's carer (played by Sam Claflin), a once successful banker who now lives with his parents in a castle after a motorcycle accident left him paralysed for life. The meeting of these two characters is awkward and tense at first, Will coming off as a snob and Lou as a happy-go-lucky soul who doesn't know how to cheer him up. The relationship and chemistry between the two characters is so tangible that it is well perceived on screen and we are immediately attached to the characters and believe their journey.

There are various funny and witty moments throughout the film, which are enjoyable to watch along with the quirky facial expressions Lou makes throughout the film. Lou's character is truly my favourite, she is the sweetest and kindest person in the story and it makes me wish there were more people like her in the world. Her cuteness makes you 'aw' along with her flamboyant sense of style which reminds me of Ugly Betty's wardrobe once upon a time. Lou's boyfriend Patrick (played by Mathew Lewis, aka Neville Longbottom) is a fitness fanatic who wants nothing more than to run all day. He is not the focus in the story, but he does add a slight bit of tension to the love triangle developing which is entertaining to watch.

I will definitely not try to spoil anything from the story, as I really want you guys to experience it for yourselves. But one thing I will say is that it has now become one of my favourite movies and that you will need at least 5 packs of tissues when you go and see the film, because you will cry a river. At least, my friend and I did... as well as the entire cinema.

The turning point in the story hits you like big yellow school bus as it's so shocking and of course controversial that you really hope things will change by the end of the movie. You get so attached to the characters, that I am still thinking about them now, as they are so unique and wonderfully complex that I wish they were real people. You leave the cinema feeling sad, but really valuing life and wanting to do the most of it as you never know what circumstances you can run into which could turn your whole life upside down. It's inspired me to write more things on my bucket list and to actually try and tick some of them off.

But be warned, this isn't a feel-good movie and it will feel as though your heart's been ripped from your chest, but it is so worth watching.

Now, I'm off to read the book.

I'd love to know if any of you have already gone to see the film and what your thoughts were on it?

Until next time! xo

[100happydays, Day 9]

This is a personal post I am writing here about the awful thing that happened to me yesterday. It was the last day of May and the weather was horrendous. I had gone out with my mum to help her run errands when she looked at the time and realised my brother was going to be home any minute and he didn't have the keys to the house, so she told me to make my way back home to let him in. I then left her at the post office and was rushing back home, pulling my hood down so I wouldn't get wet, when I was crossing the road and a car hit me.

In that moment, everything felt surreal. I honestly felt like it wasn't me getting hit by the car and me rolling over and landing on the floor. I remember going through a moment of complete immobility wondering quickly if I had died. I was in complete shock hearing pedestrians shouting at me to see if I was alright, and not being able to take in what was happening. It didn't feel real. It felt like I was another person living through a really bad dream.

The driver then pulled over and rushed over to help me up and started asking me if I was alright. I was in complete shock and couldn't stop crying. I didn't have a phone, my mum wasn't with me and I felt completely vulnerable and unsure of what do. I began moving my legs and touching my arms to see if I could move and see if anything was broken. My left hand had scraped on the floor and was bleeding and the back of my leg felt numb and painful.

I began shouting at the driver, asking him why he hadn't seen me. He told me that it was because his windows were all fogged up and the rain was making it impossible to see. I then told him that he could have killed me and he began apologising. I then knew I needed to have my mum by my side and asked him if I could use his phone to call her. At first, she didn't respond and I kept praying for her to answer. I tried again and she did and then told her that I had just been hit by a car but that I was okay. I could hear her voice was agitated and shocked as soon as she heard what had happened and soon came to join me. The driver's wife also came as he was supposed to pick her up around the corner to where the incident happened. They kept telling me to sit in their car because it wouldn't stop raining, but I kept telling them that I wasn't going to get in their car. I then kept looking at his registration number and was trying to remember it because I didn't know what else to do.

When my mum arrived, all shaken up and worried she began asking what had happened. The driver then told us again to get in his car so he could take me to the hospital. At first, he wanted to give us money and call a cab for us, but I didn't want him to get away. My mum then told him that the hospital wasn't too far from where we were, but if he could first drop by our house to get my brother. We got in the car, my leg becoming incredibly painful, and I could see that his windows were completely steamed up and couldn't see where he was driving. When he got to my house, I realised that the air conditioning switch wasn't even placed properly and told him how to do it, but he couldn't understand me very well as he didn't speak much English. In fact, he had only been in England for 7 weeks. I was then very surprised he was even driving as he didn't even know how to work the car or even manoeuvre it properly, as when we made our way to the hospital he nearly collided with another car and even went over the pedestrians' footpath.

I rushed into A&E with my mum and the driver's wife, while my brother stayed with the driver to find a parking space. The nurse at the reception then told me that I had to report everything to the police as it was a traffic accident involving an injury. At that moment, the driver joined us and became incredibly nervous when I told him we needed to report it and I could see that he was scared of what the police would do. He kept telling me that I was fine, and I told him that we needed to report it otherwise he could get into trouble if we hadn't. He kept nodding, but I wasn't sure he even understood what I was telling him as he kept asking what was going to happen.

I called 101, the police non-emergency number, and told them what happened. The driver then wanted to speak to them so I handed the phone over and they spoke for a moment. When the phone was handed back to me, the police officer told me that they were going to come down to the hospital within the hour in order to officially report the accident.

The hour felt eternal, my leg was really hurting and the driver was in deep thought pacing up and down. When the police finally arrived, one began talking to me, while the other spoke to the driver. I could hear from the other officer that the driver was very nervous at retelling what had happened and was even changing the story. I stuck to the truth and had no idea what the driver was saying to his police officer. Then, his police officer told him to leave. They had gotten his statement and he was now free to go. But the driver wasn't leaving, he kept saying that he needed to talk to the police about what had happened and the police officer began to laugh because, "I am the police!" he told him. Eventually the driver and his wife left, apologising to me one last time before the police officers then told me they had gotten what they wanted and would now investigate the driver. They hoped I'd get better soon and then left.

The nurse then called my name and began checking to see if I had fractured parts of my body, which I thank God I hadn't. They X-Rayed my hand and the results seemed all fine. I kept thanking God I was  alive, and that my injuries weren't severe.

This awful experience has made me more aware when out on the road, and has made me value life more. You never know what could happen or when life could reach its end.

But I learnt some things that I hope you guys will consider:

- Look before crossing the road. And I mean really look.
Even if the road seems deserted and no cars are coming, still look both Left and Right to be completely sure.

- When the weather conditions aren't great, take extra care.
Having your hood up can prevent you from seeing clearly, so make sure you stop and look around before crossing the road.

- Always carry a phone with you.
You never know when you may need it.

- Don't be distracted when crossing the road.
Try to be completely aware of the road when crossing it, and don't let your phone or anything else distract you. Cars can really appear from nowhere.

- If driving, make sure your windows are all clear.
Find out what all the buttons in your car do and mean and use them if necessary. Remember, that you should put your fog lights on if visibility drops below 100m.

That's all guys. I know it was lengthy piece of writing, but I really wanted to share my story to make you all more aware of the sudden dangers that could happen.

Remember that police numbers are: 999 (if it's an emergency) or 101 (if you want to contact your local police).

Laila xo

For the whole month of April I decided to become a vegetarian! It was an idea that arose from a speech I heard in one of my modules at university. The module was called Consecutive Interpreting, and it consisted of giving speeches and then interpreting them back to the class. The speech itself could be about absolutely anything that intrigued us; mine varied from why Leonardo DiCaprio had to win an Oscar to why it was important to save the polar bears. But the vegetarian speech I listened to really made an impact.

First of all, I'm a huge animal lover and so to hear about the way animals are treated really makes me mad. However, I must admit that this never really stopped me from eating meat before, as I do love meat and can never have a sandwich without any ham in it. But, the speech really made me reconsider.

So, I made a calendar for the month of April and encouraged my family to write comments on it to encourage me. Each day that I went without eating any meat, I crossed it out. I'm proud to say that the whole month was filled with crosses.

When April began however, I really dreaded the thought of cutting meat out completely. The first couple of days weren't too hard though, as I have gone days without eating meat before so they weren't too bad. But, by the sixth day, when my mum decided to make steak for dinner, I really was tempted to break my vegetarianism and have some as the entire house smelt of it; but I did not succumb to the cravings. I stuck to my tuna steak -which was absolutely delicious- and carried on.

I learnt that there are many benefits from becoming a vegetarian. These are:

1) Animal Welfare

If more people decide to stop eating meat, then the demand for it will decrease. Some farming methods are absolutely inhumane, and animals are usually confined in tiny cages for their entire life.

2) Environmental Issues

Eating meat and dairy products contribute to global warming. If you simply cut out the meat from your diet for one day a week for a whole year, it could save about a ton of water.

3) Weight Loss

It's true! Not only because you're eating more vegetables, but cutting red meat out from your diet helps you lose weight.

4) Health

There are studies that report that red meat can increase the risk of cancer. Meat that is bought from supermarkets isn't 100% fresh. The animals raised in factories are given various chemicals and growth-promoting hormones in order to respond to the high demand and so the meat we eat isn't pure.

However, these are only a few benefits mentioned in the speech that struck in my head along with a few others that I researched myself. But there are many other reasons why going vegetarian is a good thing.

I only went vegetarian for a month, but the experience has made me more aware of the food I eat and the products I buy. I actually don't eat as much meat as I used to, and in fact, I have opted for the vegetarian option when out in restaurants.

I'm going to try going dairy-free next time!

I'd love to find out if you guys would ever consider going vegetarian? Maybe you're vegetarian already; what made you switch?

Until next time!

LAILA

Yesterday was amazing, let's start with that.

From the 500 applications Channel 4 received for the event, I was lucky enough to be selected to attend! And so when the day arrived, I couldn't wait to get cracking. The Channel 4 Pop Up event took place in East London at the Stratford Arts Centre and it began with a talk from Miles Otway a freelance Continuity Announcer; and for those wondering what that is, he's the voice over between TV programs telling us what is coming up next. This guy was so inspiring! He talked to us about his job and how he got there. He made us realise that you don't have to depend on your brilliant grades to do what you love and get a good job.

After the talk about Miles' industry experience, we got split into three groups. There were three workshops taking place that day: TV Production, Journalism and Digital Marketing. I was put into the Journalism workshop even though I had initially wanted to be part of the TV Production, but that didn't matter. Since I'll be going to Journalism School this summer, it was a great way to get an insight into the field. We worked alongside Jules McCarthy, a BBC broadcast journalist. Her workshop was overwhelming at the start, as she made us film a 45 second video talking about ourselves. Everyone groaned when she set the task, but this then turned into laughter and enjoyment as we started doing it. 45 seconds felt eternal, the pressure of trying to find things to say about yourself was slightly daunting, as you didn't want to sound too cocky. But we all gave it a shot and it was a great experience, as Jules then told us, you never know when you'll be asked to broadcast a story. So one of her top tips is to always stay tuned to the News and carry a smartphone with you at all times. Another bit of advice she gave us is to: "Check yourself before you wreck yourself". This was to keeping a close eye to what we post online as it can wreck our career.

Our main task that day was to create a News bulletin which consisted of three sentences of 15 words each. Since Channel 4 will be the official broadcaster of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, our stories had to revolve around that subject. Narrowing the story down was super hard to do, as it always felt like we were cutting out a lot of information that needed to be told. But after several drafts, I managed to get it done! And Luckily, I got selected to showcase my bulletin along with other members of my group in the final, in front of the other two groups (Digital Marketing and TV Production), and get a chance to compete for the winning prize of going to the C4 HQ. Unfortunately our team didn't win, but I still feel immensely proud I got that far. It built up my confidence and it really changed my perception of broadcast journalism.

I met some amazing people, got to network and get expert advice on how to get our foot in the industry. I really want to thank MyKindaFuture and 4Talent for hosting the event, as it was a brilliant experience and one which I truly benefitted from. Maybe I'll be back next year!

If you would like to find out more about the event, check out their website!

 Hi guys! I decided to jump on the 'monthly favourites' wagon and base today's post on my October favourites.

First up is the Rich Moisturiser by Simple. This is a great product, hence why I'm already on my second bottle. I apply this straight after washing my face, and it honestly leaves it feeling smooth and replenished. It does exactly what it says on the bottle; it's kind to skin and it also has vitamin E and pro-vitamin B5 to helps the skin stay smooth and soft throughout the day. There are no artificial perfumes which I particularly like in creams, as I know there aren't any chemicals that could upset my skin; especially since I have quite a sensitive one.


Next, is the Clarins Eau Ressourçante which might not suit everyone's budget, but I personally thought it was worth the buy. Its smell is absolutely divine! It's made from essential oils with treatment benefits which leave you feeling relaxed and as though you've just come out from a spa. Plus, Clarins always opts for natural ingredients instead of using chemical ones which is mainly why I buy Clarins products because it's good for the skin! And you get 3 free samples every time you place an order on their website, so that's always a bonus!


These oil slick tassel loafers are probably at the top of my October favourites list. They're Jasper James from TK Maxx and I think they were £29.99 (I can't quite remember). They are so comfy and every time I wear them, everyone I come across is always like 'I love your shoes!!'. They're dope.



My Zara leather jacket! It's an authentic leather biker jacket which I bought three years ago (I think!), but have only just started to properly wear it. I usually wear this with my black jeans and a casual top or with a dress to rock it up a bit. You can find a similar one here.


Last but certainly not least is my new kitten!! My cat gave birth to this little cutie in Spetember and even though it wasn't in October, I decided to include him in this month's post because 1) I hadn't done one before, and 2) because I simply can't get enough of him. Choosing his name was tricky, because we just couldn't decide on one. My brother wanted to name him Oreo, my mum and dad thought of White Socks and I thought of Snape and Jon Snow. In the end we ended up naming him Jon Snow because it suits him and also because his mum is called Arya (which is also a character in Game of Thrones). So we decided to keep the theme, just like the Kardashians.

I hope you all enjoyed my October favourites! I'd love to hear some of your favourites from last month; so drop me a comment below.

Until next time!

xo

The festival season is finally upon us and it's that time of the year again to flaunt those flower crowns and lace dresses in the street with your RayBans on. So, I lined up some of my favourite outfits from Chella 2015 that I hope will get you inspired when out shopping this month.

First up is the gorgeous Kendall Jenner. During the first weekend she went for that boho look along with her friends, which I loved! That belt really compliments her skirt and the top reminds me of Esmeralda from the Hunchback of Notre Dame which really touches on that hippie vibe she has going on. The purple patterned top Hailey Baldwin is wearing has to be my favourite top of the whole weekend. It adds that bit of spice to her outfit which really makes it stand out and be remembered.


Hailey really knew how to work it at Coachella and it really proved that you don't really have to try too hard to stand out; she wore a simple pair of shorts during both outfits, no statement accessories or any other distraction, and it was the top that actually did the trick. So if you're out looking for that 'wow' factor this summer, perhaps try to find it on a top that just steals the scene.


Next up, is Zoe Kravitz; her see-through shirt is so cute, that I think it's perfect for this season as you can really show off your summer bod with it. I adore her choker and I'm definitely going to be out wearing those around this season.


Jourdan Dunn's black crochet playsuit is also one outfit I adored! Pairing it with that statement necklace really gave it that extra sass as well as those round sunglasses. Which also made me like the fact that statement necklaces were somehow making a comeback!

So there you have it! I hope you all liked the outfits I picked out and I hope it helped you in some way. I'd love to hear which ones you guys particularly liked and even felt inspired by!

Till next time! xo