October has left just as quickly as it arrived. Now almost 2 months into my BTC I am eagerly awaiting my exam dates. I intend on writing a whole post on the Bar Course and how I have found it so far because damn that has been stressful to say the least! 

As someone who has found it extremely difficult to work at home I have been dragging myself to coffee shops to spend a few hours doing work and it helps (not so much my coffee intake but you win some you lose some). From having to complete my undergraduate degree from home and now also my postgraduate a change of scenery makes the world of a difference. 

My Blackstone's Criminal Practice book arrived and I have to say navigating this was a lot harder than the Whitebook. When it comes to textbooks I prefer having a hard copy even if it weighs a ton the only downside to these books is that the paper is extremely thin so every time I turn a page I am faced with the fear of tearing it. 

I had some amazing food at Tamatanga and Giggling Squid. Good food is truly one of life's greatest gifts. When I am not doing work for my Bar Course, or working I am eating and I cannot lie trying new food is something I look forward to. 

I received the most thoughtful graduation gift ever from my cousin. It has my name and degree engraved into it, you better believe I am keeping this bottle for life. The fact that I have graduated still feels surreal, maybe it is because of the lack of the ceremony, but apparently the ceremony is likely to go ahead in January so we shall see how that unfolds. 

I had the most stressful oral advocacy session last week. My laptop felt the need to update minutes before my session and I forgot to backup my files onto OneDrive so there I was dressed in my blazer, shirt and pj bottoms frantically emailing my tutor. But thank god I managed to get my skeleton argument in front of me (one of the perks of performing last I guess). 

I ate runny eggs on toast a few too many times. My go-to is toasting the bread in a pan with some butter, frying the egg until the whites cooked but the yolk is still runny and then topping it off with either some spring onions or spinach and then seasoning with salt, pepper and a generous amount of chili flakes. Oh I also managed to find another bird ring and replaced my old one. 

This month has been hectic to say the least but also one of the best! Here are a few photos from the past few weeks. I ate out a little more than I probably should have, bought my first car, and started the Bar Training Course. 

The Bar Course has been more intense than I originally anticipated. Unlike undergraduate law there was no 'introduction week' and it was all guns blazing. Personally I feel like I have done more work and reading in these first three weeks of studying than my law degree. My White Book also got delivered and knowing that they are £725 each makes me want to cry ever so slightly. I had my first oral advocacy session where I had to prepare for a bail application before the Magistrates' Court and it went a lot better than I expected considering I prepared on the day. Despite being slightly overwhelmed by the workload I have thoroughly enjoyed studying so far and quite frankly cannot wait to continue and hopefully qualify. Speaking of qualifying I have booked myself onto a qualifying session centered around the Black Lives Matter movement. 

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As some of you may know I start the BTC, the Bar Training Course, this month. And for any aspiring barristers you are more than familiar with the several things you must do before commencing the course. One of the several requirements is to pass the Bar Course Aptitude Test to determine whether or not you are 'fit for the Bar'. It is based on the Watson-Glaser test designed to test logic, critical thinking and reasoning. It costs an extortionate £150 and personally in my opinion it is pointless. Nevertheless, here are a few things I did to prepare for the test. Bear in mind I prepared a few days before my test and managed to pass. 

1. TalentLens practice test. This test provides you with example questions and answers along with the explanation as to why the answers are what they are. This is by far the closest practice test online that mirrors the actual one. Unfortunately this is the only test online, I tried searching for more and I quickly learnt the sources to practice are extremely scarce. 
2. Watson-Glaser practice tests. Instead of searching for BCAT tests what you can do is practice using the W-G tests online as they are more accessible but ensure the question and answer style is similar to the BCAT. 
3. YouTube videos. The ones I found the most useful were by CareerVidz. There are two videos, one outlining the types of question and the second one revealing answers to questions from the first video. I found it helpful to watch and pause the video answer the questions myself and then going back to check if they were correct or incorrect and the reasoning behind each one. 
4. The RED model. This is the 'recognizing assumptions', 'evaluating arguments' and 'drawing conclusions' from the information provided to you. This is extremely helpful and can be memorized quickly and referenced to when taking the test, so make use of it. 

The last time I sat down to take photographs and write up a blog post was in March. A lot has happened since then. Here's my run through of what I did during the past few months. It might be a long one so grab a coffee or two.

 Long time no post? I intend on writing an entire post dedicated to where I have been during the past few months but as for now enjoy a few photos from my birthday last week. As some of you may know I turned 21 and I have to say it was very strange but at the same time it felt the same as any other year. I was incredibly spoiled and I am extremely grateful for all my family and friends for everything and cannot thank them enough. This time last year I spent my birthday in Barcelona, a birthday I will never forget, exploring Montjuic Castle and eating croissants for the entirety of our trip. I spent the week eating my body weight in food and cake with no regrets. 

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For someone who's never baked bread before because they were simply bored I think it turned out pretty great. Oh and it tasted good too. The recipe can be found on Google but I have added a few things and taken a few things out too.


You will need:
+ 3 bananas
+ 75ml vegetable or sunflower oil
+ 100g brown sugar
+ 225g of plain flour
+ tbsp baking powder
+ 1 tsp cinnamon & nutmeg

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Mash the bananas with a fork.
3. Mix the bananas with the oil and sugar.
4. Add the flour, the baking powder and the spices.
5. Pour it into a tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour.


For the icing combine the ingredients and drizzle on top:
+ Icing sugar
+ Water
+ Pinch of cinnamon

Nobody likes uncertainty, the unknown, and not being able to exert control over simple aspects of life. I think other final year students at University can agree that this whole experience has been incredibly weird from start to finish. From having strikes in semester one to more strikes in semester two followed by everything being cut short drastically and just the thought of not having a graduation ceremony in summer is insane. Despite the negatives and everything that has gone wrong there are so many positive things we can all take away from this experience and implement but I won't lecture you on that.

1. Start baking. I made scones the other day, definitely not my forte but I tried. I think I will stick to cookies for now. 
2. Face time your friends. I cannot stress this enough. It is so important to keep in touch and check up on your friends whether it be five minutes or 2 hours. 
3. Read a book. Any book. Re-read an old favourite or discover a new one.  
4. Organise your space. A cluttered space is a cluttered mind. Use this time to re-do your wardrobe or your bedroom.
5. Start your assignments. While it is nice and all having an extended break from University, attempt to stay on top of your work, you will thank yourself later. 
6. Get Disney+. Have I spent the past few days re-watching old classics? Yes. Do I regret it? Absolutely not!
7. Take care of your skin. One of the many things you can do to pamper yourself and feel great. 
8. Find a side hustle. Earn some money, start a business, sell something. 
9. Catch up on sleep. Catch up on all the zzzzzzzz's you have missed out on. 
10. Learn a new skill. Learn a language or perfect an existing skill. Continue to educate yourself. 
11. Create LinkedIn. Network and connect with people within your field. Reach out to people. Ask for work/ experience opportunities. Trust me there are a wealth of opportunities waiting to be discovered. I may or may not dedicate a whole post to LinkedIn and its benefits. 
12. Start a blog. Write a post, publish it and share it with others. 
13. Paint something. Unwind and hone your inner Michelangelo. 
14. Reach out to people. Friends, family and colleagues. 
15. Appreciate everything you have! There is so much to be thankful in this life, make the most of it.