themillennialdiaries

[themillennialdiaries]

THE LOCKDOWN LOWDOWN: What’s Saskia Listening To?

Hi everybody! 

If there’s one thing I’ve been doing a lot more of during the lockdown, it’s listening to music! I’ve finally had the time to sit down and listen to some albums people have recommended to me, as well as checking out new releases. Here are my top 5 favourite albums that I’ve listened to during lockdown:

Pang! – Caroline Polachek

For fans of: Charli XCX, Weyes Blood

The first thing to say here is that Caroline Polachek’s voice is absolutely beautiful. Having written for artists such as Travis Scott and Beyonce in the past, as well as working in her own genre-defying group Chairlift, Pang is Caroline’s first solo record – and it is the raw, personal content of the lyrics that truly makes it brilliant. Pang is heavily influenced by the PC Music group, with PC-pioneer A.G. Cook featuring as a producer on ‘Ocean of Tears’ The lyrics on the track ‘New Normal’ are scarily accurate to the current times, despite the fact it was written last year. Definitely an underrated gem.

The Night Chancers - Baxter Dury

For fans of: Serge Gainsbourg, Sleaford Mods

It was hard to pick a favourite album from this man, who I have become incredibly obsessed with in the past two months – and for good reason. Baxter has been described as ‘the Cockney Serge Gainsbourg’, and The Night Chancers demonstrates this at its best. Set in a hotel room following a one-night stand, we are taken on a journey through the sleaziness of modern life, offset by the angelic vocals of Madelaine Heart. This comes together to create an album that is entirely unique from anything being created right now. Give it a listen – I’m certain you’ll love it.

Always Ascending – Franz Ferdinand

For fans of: 80s synth pop and 2000s indie music generally 

Like every British person, I was well acquainted with Franz Ferdinand’s top hits like Take Me Out and No You Girls, but had never really taken the time to listen to their other music. Turns out, they have 5 albums – who’d have thought it? After taking some time out to collaborate with Sparks on ‘FFS’ (another great album by the way), Franz returned to the studio with the late and great Phillipe Zdar to create an album teaming with dance-ready tunes. Listen to Glimpse of Love and do some dad-dancing around your living room, à la lead singer Alex Kapranos.

God’s Favourite Customer – Father John Misty

For fans of: Lana Del Rey, Angel Olsen

I listened to Father John Misty after finding out he was friends with Lana Del Rey, and after listening to his most recent release I have realised why – he is truly the king of melancholy. This is another album inspired by hotels, written during a two-month long stay in hotel where Josh Tillman (his real name) was, in his own words, ‘kind of on the straits’. There is something oddly relatable about Tillman’s hotel room delusions in this strange time of a world on lockdown, where I’m sure we’ve all felt we are going mad from being stuck inside.

The New Abnormal - The Strokes

For fans of: The Voidz, Arctic Monkeys

I’m pretty sure everyone has heard of The Strokes. Their new album, released at the start of the lockdown, is a 9-part collection of sad, moody tunes that are heaven to the ears. I absolutely love their use of glitchy synth in contrast with Julian Casablancas’ signature gloomy voice. ‘Ode To The Mets’ is made to be listened to with headphones on when laying on your bedroom floor at 3am, thinking about your life choices. I realise that many of the albums I have chosen are for their sad songs, perhaps a reflection of my mood during the lockdown. However, sometimes you need to cry it out to a sad song to feel better, am I right?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’ve compiled a couple tracks from each album into a playlist, which you can see here. I’ll add to this every time I make a music-related post!

What music have you been listening to? Let us know on our Instagram page, I’m always looking out for new recommendations! 

Until next time,

Saskia 

(Photos by Ren Ketzer, insta: @renoirmirage)

#playlists #lockdown #quarantine #corona #covid19 #student #studentlifestyle #university #uni #uni life #studentblog #studentblogger #studyblr #study break #music #recommendations #bands #studying #college

[themillennialdiaries]

Freshers’ Week In Halls - Four Things I Wish I’d Known

I still remember the day I moved into halls so clearly; stepping off the train at Euston station, my family acting as concierges to move the ridiculous amount of stuff I insisted was ‘essential’ for uni, and the blend of excitement of fear that set in when I hugged them goodbye and was left alone in my cold and empty halls room.

Freshers’ week can be incredibly daunting, especially when you’ve moved away from home. It is a time where everyone needs guidance, and nobody really knows what they're doing. The most advice I read before setting off to university was ‘buy a doorstop to show you’re open to talking to people’; a nice idea on paper, but not really very helpful. Here are my top four things to keep in mind during freshers’ week that I wish I had known back then.

1)    You don’t have to be a party animal to make friends.

Freshers’ week is always hyped up to be a week of binge drinking and non-stop clubbing, to the extent that it seems you have to join in this lifestyle to make any friends at all. But this is simply not the case; in fact, it’s the friends that you do things other than fireball shots with that you’ll likely continue hanging with after the madness of freshers’ is over. Plus, in London especially, you’ll find that going to the popular clubs like Ministry of Sound and Egg will eat into your bank account like crazy. There are so many more fun things to do that don’t involve killing your liver, and the student union website will usually have a calendar of all sorts of activities running throughout the freshers’ period where you can meet new people.

On this note – don’t discount the student union club nights. Glittoris, which runs once every month at the UCL Students Union, is an LGBTQ+ club night with free entry, cheap drinks and the most fun and welcoming atmosphere. They have cheesy pop tunes, drag queens hosting all night and run a lip-sync battle a la Ru Paul’s drag race mid-way through the night. You can even bring a guest along with you if you have friends visiting from other unis. You cannot go wrong!

2)    You’re going to feel clueless. 

Having moved into your strange, very basic halls room, there’s going to be a period of time where you ask yourself how you will manage to live on your own, as an adult. You’re going to realise that the only things you can cook are beans on toast, oven chips and microwave rice. Or, if you’re as a bad as I was, realise you can’t even turn an oven on in the first place. Or work a washing machine. 

To avoid this crisis of confidence, arm yourself with a few basic skills before you make the move. For example, learn how to make some easy recipes. There are plenty of easy recipes online, my favourite go-to sites being BBC Food and Tesco Food Magazine. Bonus points if you find recipes with cheap ingredients -  chickpeas are a godsend. And please, please learn how to use a washing machine before you leave home, to avoid dying all your clothes pink.

3)    People are going to steal your food. 

Yes, even in the first week. This is a fact you will have to accept. Passive aggressive post-it notes left in halls kitchens may seem ridiculous to you now, but they are no myth you might even find yourself writing one out when someone eats half of your tub of Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough. The weirdest things I’ve had stolen from me include a bottle of rose wine and a tomato. One solution is to bring a padlock for your cupboard – but for the fridge, you might just have to stick to putting post-it notes on your food saying ‘may contain laxatives’.

4)    Don’t feel pressurised to do everything right. 

Freshers’ week can be overwhelming –adjusting to living alone in a new city, with SO MANY things going on and so many new people to meet. If you’re not careful, you can quickly find yourself in the position where you have planned to join 50 different societies and meet up with 15 different people in the same day. It’s ok to have a breather and do something relaxing! Take some time to yourself, go for a walk, and don’t put pressure on yourself to avoid missing out on everything going on. UCL actually hold a lovely Plant Sale in freshers’ which is the perfect way to take some time out from your new busy hectic social schedule. Also, you can buy a plant that doesn't need much maintenance and feel like you have your life together somewhat. Trust me, my cactus I bought back then is still with me and THRIVING. 

Life in freshers’ week, especially in halls, is chaotic. You’ll become best friends with people you’ve met for 5 minutes and then never talk to them again when the week is over. You will join the most random societies ever and never go to any of their events. Without fail, during the first week, someone will set the fire alarm off burning a pizza at 3am. And be known for it for the rest of the year. Don't let it be you.

But there is really no RIGHT way to do freshers’ week – just have a good time!

#saskia #freshers #university #study #unilife #uni #studylife #lifestyle #freshersweek #advice #studyblr #universityblog #studentlife #student #students #education #learning #college

[themillennialdiaries]

Annabel: Introduction Post

Hey guys! My name is Annabel. I have not long turned 23 and I live in Essex. Like Saskia, I have just finished my undergraduate studies at UCL. I also read History. London was such an amazing, eclectic city to study in, and I was able to make some amazing friends whilst studying there. Fortunately, I was able to commute to university and did not have to worry about London rent. However, I would not want to dismiss travel expenses – these expenses are not exactly cheap, especially when travelling to London! I plan on giving advice in a later blog on how to keep your travelling costs low, as well as how best to save some pennies as a student. Watch this space!

 I am a massive football fan and have regularly gone to see my team play in London, although not so much as a university student due to ticket costs (not to mention my team’s woeful performances of late, but we’ll skip past that for now). I am an avid reader and enjoy a variety of genres. At the moment, I am particularly enjoying fictional books and the escapism they provide. I love anything fashion-related, so keep an eye out for future (and affordable) lookbooks on this page, in which we will also look at the benefits of shopping more sustainably, such as browsing second-hand, and buying from local businesses.

 I hope you really come to enjoy the blogs we will be publishing. We hope to make them as insightful and interesting as possible! All three of us cannot wait to share with you our advice and tips as you enter into uni life, as well as writing about our hobbies and what we are passionate about. See you soon!

 -  Annabel

#annabel #study #studyblog #student #studentlife #studentproblems #lifestyle #london #ucl #university #uni #writing #education #fashion #sustainable #football #history #travel

[themillennialdiaries]

Saskia: Introduction Post

Hi! My name is Saskia, I’m 20, and I live in east London. I’ve just graduated from UCL with a BA in History, and will continue my studies in September by undertaking a Russian Studies MA at SSEES. I have absolutely loved my time at UCL; London has got to be the best city to study in by far, aside from the staggering rental costs. I moved here from Liverpool, and have experienced life in halls as well as practically ALL the ups and downs of renting in London (believe me). I’ll be giving advice on how to find your feet in the big city and how to avoid making the mistakes I made with finding housing.

I am obsessed with music – pre-lockdown, I barely went a week without going to a gig. I love checking out up-and-coming bands, and I host a radio show with my friend on UCL’s Rare FM station. As well as this, I also love fashion, especially vintage. I’m a bit of a self-confessed bargain hunter, and have a lot of tricks up my sleeve in terms of dressing well on a budget – yes, even in London!

As a UCL graduate I have become well acquainted with Bloomsbury and Camden in my time (not to sound like an old woman), and over time have gotten to know the best of the wide variety of bars, cafes and shops in the area. However, London is a massive place, and to confine yourself to places within a stone’s throw of campus would be a waste. I’ll be recommending areas of London to visit that are easy to travel to from campus, whether that be to visit museums and art galleries or just aesthetically pleasing areas to stroll around on a study break. I pride myself on being an enthusiast for good coffee, cheap cocktails and quirky fashion – so if you need any advice in these areas, I am your woman.

Watch this space for more posts! 

- Saskia 

#saskia #study #studyblog #student #studentlife #studentproblems #lifestyle #students #studyinspo #studytips #london #ucl #unilife #university #school #studyblr #uni #writing #motivation #fashion #music #vintage #notes #college #education #coffee #studyaesthetic #academia #history

[themillennialdiaries]

Welcome to #themillennialdiaries!

Hi guys! Welcome to #themillennialdiaries! This is a page run by three students who have all studied undergraduate degrees in the big city of London from 2017 to 2020. For two of us, our student life does not conclude here, and we will be pursuing our studies again in London from September (very fancy).

 As our undergraduate degrees have now come to an end, we have decided to take the plunge and document what our university experience was like. Through writing blogs, we hope to provide both A-Level students and existing university students with our own advice and tips, ranging from how best to cope with a heavy workload, to even being more money savvy and utilising student benefits where and when you can.

 As life begins to return to some form of normality, we hope to broaden the scope of this page to more general lifestyle content, in which all three of us will explore our own interests and hobbies – so be on the lookout for future blogs on fashion, music, photography and much more!

 Thanks for visiting our page – stick around for our first blog post which will be up very soon!

 Regards,

S, A and D (Yes - we are aware that our initials spell SAD)

#student #studentlife #london #capitalcity #lifestyle #university #millennials