Get To Know Me Better...

Hi there!

Somehow you've managed to make it over to my lovely blog and perhaps you've read a post or two and want to know, who the devil is this girl? Well, I'm about to tell you!

My name is Gabriella Sofia and I'm a 21-year-old English Literature graduate from the University of Birmingham in the UK. Yes, this is just the posh way of saying, 'I'm unemployed.' However, I know that I LOVE magazines and beauty (obviously!) and thoroughly enjoy the work experience placement I completed at Conde Nast Traveller Magazine last October, and have felt right at home at the Marie Claire Inspire and Mentor events I've been to this past year. And yet, I feel like one day I would like to run my own fashion or beauty business. And yet, I want to go travelling in South America. And yet, I want to do a Masters in Beauty Journalism at London College of Fashion or a Masters in Magazine Journalism at London City University. And yet, I think I'd be suited to beauty PR. And yet, I would love to be a professional blogger attending fantastic events and posting and Tweeting several times a day. And yet... I could go on for ever and ever. 

Apart from blogging, shopping and trying new products I have tons of other interests too! I really enjoy reading (everything from Harry Potter and Twilight right through to Wuthering Heights and Oliver Twist, The Time Traveller's Wife and PS I Love You to Hamlet and Dr Faustus) which is probably a good thing as I studied most of them for my degree :) I like listening to all kinds of music some of which include show-tunes, pop, rock, Latin, reggae and country. Again, a tad random as a combination of genres, but hey-ho. I sometimes go for walks or jogs but not as often as I'd like to... The sound of my feet slapping the floor goes through me. I really like singing, dancing and acting although I don't get to act hardly ever which sucks. Watching television and movies is my ideal way to wind down and there are SO MANY shows I just can't miss. Grey's Anatomy, America's Next Top Model, One Tree Hill, CSI: New York, 90210, Gossip Girl, Cold Case and seriously the list is never ending and I don't want to seem like a total TV nerd so I'll stop there. Also, if I want to relax then I take a bath and have a mug of Ovaltine (a hot malt drink for those of you that don't know), just for a little luxury!

The most important things in my life are without a doubt, my family and friends. I live with my Mom, Dad and younger sister Amelia. We are one of the closest families you could ever come across. Each night we'll sit down for dinner all together and usually stay talking at the table for a couple of hours. We have a family business so we all work together (which does sometimes drive us mad!) but we know that a family that plays together stays together, so we'll often go out for dinner, go on vacations together in the UK and abroad and even go to concerts as a family. We have the best times and I know that I wouldn't be me without them. I love my family a lot :)

I've never been the sort of girl who was part of cliquey groups in high school and Sixth Form as I found that the politics were a bit too much and to be fair, I guess I wasn't really 'cool' enough for those groups anyway! In terms of friends, I much prefer having individual people rather than big groups. Also, I don't really enjoy the sorts of friendships where you have to be in each other's pockets at all times. I haven't seen some of my closest friends in ages (one I haven't seen for nearly six months... she lives in Australia) and yet they are the sorts of friendships where I know that if I ever needed them, I could literally just pick up the phone and they'd be there for me no matter what. Here are a few of them...

Vikki

I met Victoria Measures in October 2010 at the Walt Disney World Summer Program interviews and I immediately thought I wasn't cool enough to sit at her table, haha! She just looked so well-put-together and spoke really nicely and was surrounded by other people and I was kind of nervous when I plonked myself down on a chair at the table. We didn't really talk directly to each other much that day, but we were talking as a group and I really liked her. After the interviews we added each other on Facebook and soon got talking. We both won a place in Walt Disney World and we got closer and closer in the run-up to the trip as we were both blogging about our experiences (her blog is one of my Blog Crushes and is called Victoria's Vintage) and once we got out there we ended up spending most of our days off shopping, theme-parking, eating out, shopping, blogging, cooking and shopping (we did a lot of shopping!) together. When I left the Program a week early (find out why in my How the Mouse Stole My Magic post) her and the two girls below both helped me spend my last few dollars, organize my flights and pack all of my stuff into two very over-weight suitcases. They stayed up all night with me, and cried when I left. I love Vikki to pieces and literally wouldn't be without her... Actually, I have her to thank for my uber-groovy blog background as she's a HTML genius! I reckon she'd do anything for me, and I'd definitely reciprocate the favour. 

Louise

I met Louise the same day as I met Vikki at the Disney interviews, but when Vikki headed home after we'd all finished because she had a train to catch, Louise, I (and some others) headed to the pub and prayed to Mickey that we'd get the job! Well, Mickey came through, and that night I'd made a friend for life. We Skyped before the trip, booked ourselves onto the same flight, booked a two-bed hotel room for the night before our flights at Gatwick, went on Gabbi-Louise date night, shopped, baked and just generally enjoyed each other's company. Louise makes me howl laughing when she tells a story and she's the number-one person you want around when you're full of energy and want to head out and do something fun. I love Louise, think about her almost every day and miss being able to just call her and say, 'Hey, do you fancy heading down to the pool in an hour?' Yet she'll always be one of my closest friends despite the distance. I have plans to know her forever :)

Karyn 

This is probably the sweetest girl I know. She has the sexiest Scottish accent and I can talk to her about anything! I met her on my flight to Orlando and one of my top three favourite days of the whole trip was when I spent the day lying on a lake-beach at one of the beautiful Disney Hotels named The Wilderness Lodge with Karyn and literally no-one else on the entire rest of the beach. After that, we went and rode some of the attractions at the Magic Kingdom and caught Wishes, the notorious Disney firework spectacular. The day was better than it ever could have been, purely because I spent it girl-talking the whole time with the lovely Karyn. We text every now and then, but again, distance prevents us from seeing one another :( Yet, as with the other girls, I know I'll always have a friend in Karyn and I fully expect to be a bridesmaid at her wedding one day and hope she is prepared for the same vice-versa whenever the time comes!

Sarah

This is my best friend from Primary (or Elementary or Junior) school. She was another one that seemed too cool for me, as she was the 'new girl' and everyone kind of elbowed me out of the way to be her 'best friend'. And yet after a couple of days, she somehow drifted into my company and that's where she stayed for the next eight or nine years as we ended up going to High School together. Seriously, you know how everyone has a friend who makes you laugh your butt off until your stomach is strained and your face aches and your voice is gone? Well, she is mine. And then she only upped and moved to Australia when we were 15. I was gutted! Honestly, we haven't spoken as often as we should have done, but when we do it's like nothing has changed and I love that. The year before last she stayed with me for a couple of nights at home and I loved having my childhood bestie back! We keep in touch via Facebook and I can't wait for the next time she visits. I love this picture of her... her dress is amazing.

The Only 'Group' That I Hang Out With

Emily, Rachel, Maisie and Lottie are four girls that I can hang out with any day of the week, with or without make-up, and not feel left-out or like I'm being judged or like there is bitchiness there, which is quite rare when it comes to girls! I met them in Freshers' Year at university as Rachel and Mai were on my course and Lottie and Emily lived with them. I didn't really feel like I had anything in common with my flat-mates so I spent a lot of time with them instead and even to this day, almost every Monday I have a place to stay at Emily and Lottie's house. Rachel has moved for her year abroad in Canada so it's been hard to stay in touch, and the same goes for Maisie in Spain, but when it comes to these girls whether I sleep over every Monday or Skype them from the other side of the world once every couple of months I know that they'll always be there for me and I hope they know that I'm here for them too. They're lush!

Andrew

Last, but certainly not least, is my best-friend-who's-a-guy, Andrew. He used to hate me and I used to think he was an irritant when we first started High School. But when we turned 14 we went on a school trip to Belgium and I guess we really hit it off! There's nothing I wouldn't tell him and he really is the sort of friend who forgives me all my faults (and I do the same for him of course...) as we have definitely had our ups and downs. He drives me up the wall sometimes and I'm sure I do the same to him, but at the end of the day, he's kind of like a brother to me, so eventually even if I'm really annoyed with him, I have to put up and shut up, forgive and forget, and carry on as before. I do love him to pieces though. Andrew has seen me at my worst, through heartbreak, disappointment, super happy times (A-level results day anyone?), a two week Walt Disney holiday when everyone else was headed to Greek islands riddled with chlamydia-infested teens and one or two particularly heavy nights out when we were a bit younger and I've done the same the other way round! We ended up at the same university after I wrote it on my UCAS application form on his recommendation and I somehow feel that we'll always end up following each other around in this way, although he has given me a year off by being on his year abroad in Spain. I love Andrew.

My Travelling Pals

This summer I was lucky enough to meet a bunch of people from all over the world as we took on the USA together. We were from a range of ages and backgrounds and we're all different in our own little ways, and yet these people became my (albeit slightly dysfunctional) family while I was away. I'm so happy to have met them all, and knowing I have close friends in Germany, Austria, New Zealand, Australia, Wales, England, China and the USA makes me so happy :)

See what I mean when I say they are mostly individuals that I tend to be friends with, rather than groups? It just suits me better, I don't know why!

Haha, anyway, I'm pretty sure you know enough about my magical fantastical life... I might run a quiz to make sure you've been paying attention... Only joking. Maybe. NOT. No, seriously I'm only joking. I'm hilarious. I guess you had to be there... :)

Do you hang out in groups or with individuals? Have you ever been in a situation where you've become almost like family with someone you've only known for a short period of time? Are you as close to your family as I am with mine?

Love

gabriellasofia
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