Netflix is used by a variety of people all over the world. There are hundreds of shows and you can watch them for a monthly fee. I had never got a Netflix account in my life and I wanted to see if it really is as good as people make it out to be. So, I signed up for the Netflix subscription and I watched a variety of shows after my GCSE exams. But, was it worth it?

My Experience:

• Firstly, I researched what shows are available on Netflix and also read the blurbs/summaries of some of the shows.
• I also tried to research the best shows for teenagers.
• Unfortunately, many of the shows that were recommended were quite inappropriate and I was not a fan of romance so I decided to stick to shows for younger people.
• I watched ‘Wonder’ which is the movie for a book I already read. It was truly very fun and it was quite addictive.
• I watched ‘The Worst Witch’ Season 1 which I have made a whole review on my website about here.
• I would sometimes watch shows partially and get bored. For example, I attempted to watch Matt D’Avella ‘Minimalism’ documentary but I honestly did not find it very engaging so I stopped watching it.
• I watched the whole ‘Charlie And The Chocolate Factory’ by Roald Dahl which is one of my favorite Dahl books.
• I watched a few episodes of FRIENDS, since it is so popular, and despite having good personalities and easy to understand, it is incredibly l o n g and again, the inappropriate jokes would sometimes throw me off.
• Before ending my Netflix subscription, I watched some episodes of ‘Modern Family’ and even though this also had some inappropriate jokes, I found the family tree to be quite interesting and how everyone bonded together in a weird way.

What I Learnt/What Went Well:

• Asking your friends and researching the shows before you watch it is good to avoid unpleasant surprises and also to not waste your time.
• Please check the age guidelines before watching a show.
• Check how many seasons it has. Some shows will take forever to finish unless you want to hibernate in your bed for hours and hours on end.
• I understand that some movies and shows can be quite fun and entertaining to watch.

Even Better If:

• There isn’t such a wide variety of shows as I expected there to be. 
• It can be very addictive and Netflix can waste your time. 
• Everything is quite sexual/inapproprate unless you watch shows for younger people so I was very limited to what I could watch.
• Some shows are again so long so it will take you a very long time to finish a whole show e.g. FRIENDS and it is a waste of valuable time that you could be using for something else.
• Some shows can get very boring (I am more of a Bollywood girl than a Hollywood one).

My Advice:

• Research the shows before you watch them.
• Only get Netflix if you are truly desperate to watch a specific show or if you have lots of time. Because I had so many other activities to do, I genuinely sometimes did not get the time to watch Netflix. So for now, I have deleted my subscription because I won’t have time to watch it and I did not enjoy it as much.
• Try the free trial before paying.

My Rating:

I would rate this hobby a 3/5. 

My Rating System:

⅕: don’t try this hobby at all

⅖: this hobby was not very fun 

3/5: try this hobby for maximum 30 days

⅘: try this hobby consistently for a few months.

5/5: implement this hobby into your life and make it a habit!

The app I used:

https://www.netflix.com/gb/

It is a very simple habit!

I hope you enjoyed today’s article. Comment down below if you love to workout!

If you want to see more advice-related articles, click here.  

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Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!

So, in today’s article, I will be sharing a few tips on how to meet new people and make your best friends this year. There is no direct answer to this and these tips are not guaranteed so take these tips to a pinch of salt. But some of these tips worked for me when I moved schools back in Year 8.

Let’s get started:

Firstly, figure out which institutions you can make friends from.

School is not the only place you can make friends. You can make friends in extracurricular activities, online and also in the workplace. Try to find which are applicable to you. For example, if you attend a regular ballet class, try to make new friends from there this year.

Have a few conversation starters up your sleeve. 

If you are shy, introverted or you just want to know how to converse with someone, then make sure that you have a few conversation starters. Here are a few:

• Smile
• Introduce yourself
• Be yourself 
• Compliment them
• Try to find a similar interest e.g. if you see someone wearing a BTS t-shirt and you like BTS, then tell them you like it too and then talk to them about it
• Keep regular eye contact
• Adapt to others’ personalities (different people act a certain way)
• Ask a question about the topic or class you are in
• Keep the conversations going

Make sure not to overdo any of these. However, if you realise that the person you are talking to is not very interested, uncomfortable, or tries to move away, then chances are that they are not for you. 

Know your standards and what the characteristics are of a bad friend.

Sometimes, if you are new to making friends, you may not realise that people could trip you up. This is not always the case but just lookout for these signs.

• Making you feel uncomfortable (peer pressure or doing things you don’t like)
• Bullying you or making you feel bad about yourself
• Giving you fake promises with no justification 
• Tries to leave you out (especially in times of hardship) or refuses to be your friend

Again, don’t just judge a person if they only do any of these signs once or twice. Ensure that they have done these a couple of times and you then know that they are not for you.

After you feel like you are getting along with someone, know what to do next.

Take things slowly but if you, for example, if you are in a secondary school like me and you have a phone, possibly ask your parents if you can give them your phone number. This way, you can talk outside of school and keep in touch with them regularly. Some friends can be there to help you with your homework, while others may be there for you to go out. It is your choice of what you want to do. 

If you do go out with any of your friends, do tell your parents in advance for your safety and security especially if you are just a child or teenager.

Those were my tips on how to make good friends and possibly even meeting your best friends this year. Do not feel afraid to put yourself out there, however hard it may be.  Everyone is different and some people will like you and some won’t so just move on if needed.

Even if you are shy, don’t be afraid as they are just people like you. 

For more tips on how to make good friends, check out my podcast linktr.ee/TheChatLibrary, available in over 5 podcast platforms. 

These were my tips. Make sure to surf through my website for more information: http://surobiscribbles.com/category/advice/.

Thank you for reading, and have a lovely day!