End of year ponderings

I realised today that I have pretty much hardly blogged throughout December....sorry about that! Things have been hectic and very busy! I had a statistics essay due in which I ended up pretty much bullshitting my way through, and then I came back to my hometown and I have had work, and I could pile a massive load of excuses on to you...But I am here now, so hello!

Just a little side note for any of my regular readers who will probably know the ins and outs of the last few months: I do apologise for my lack of posts. Not felt myself in a while, and I found it very difficult to open up to anyone let alone the entire internet, but now all is back on track and I feel like I can get back to my old style again! 

Although I am jumping the gun a bit with this post considering it is only December 19 (probably 20th by the time I edit and publish this) but Christmas is always mental in my family, and I am heading on back home for New Year so I don't think you'll appreciate a hungover ramble about my night. So I thought that I would take now to look back on my year and just have a general chit-chat like I used to before shit got all serious. Sooooo, queue long and boring diary post!

I think the first thing I think that I have noticed a lot more in the last few months is that I am no longer a miserable bitch! Stop raising your eyebrows at me, I am the first to admit that for the last year I have been a right pain in the ass. However, now that there have been certain big changes in my life with things coming to and end, and new things beginning, I think I am a lot happier in general. I am not aiming that at anyone in particular as I know a few people will probably read this and question me, but hey ho. It has been noted that I am a completely different person to what I was at the end of 2012, and there are a few people that I can probably pin-point this to, but I shan't name them because that would take too long and most of you have no idea who they are. Maybe they can have a little dedication at the bottom. Who knows? So yeah, I am a happy person now. I think everything that happened a few months ago, although upsetting and annoying at the time, has contributed massively to my state of mind now. But that is a story for another day. 

I am going to take this little section to just say that in the last couple of months I have also found out who my really close friends are. I have always been one for having a larger set of friends and not really let anyone in too much to get too close. But recently I have discovered that I could probably count my close friends on one hand - a bit of a shocker for me to be honest. I think this is probably because I have really dodgy trust issues sometimes, and I just hate letting people get so close that would give them the option to hurt me (of which I have recently learned the hard way again) but I have started to let that go with the help of a few lovely people. Again, naming and shaming is not going to happen - sorry, guys! Basically I found that a few people who I had previously been friends with were all back-stabby and typical girl related shit. This is why most my friends are male; just a gazillon times easier. So yeah. Much love to the select few who put up with all my shit and still love me all the same (especially as I live with a couple of them). 

Trying to go through in my head what I wanted to say - finding it very difficult to put in to words without mentioning names and direct situations. 

I think the most important development in the last year, particularly the last couple of months, is that my relationship with my mother has come on leaps and bounds. In the past we have never seen eye to eye, and I have probably been the world's shittiest daughter with all the shit that I have put both of my parents through in the last 7ish years. To which I now hold my hands up and admit I have been crap. But since all this shit happened in the last few months, I have grown very close to her which is nice, and we get on pretty well now. I don't know where I would be without her now; I could probably say that I would not be sat here writing to you if she hadn't been there. So if she ever reads this: I love you lots. 

I think sort of post-September I have become quite close to a few people that have normally just been bog-standard friends. I don't even know if that makes any sense? But I am so freaking happy with how this year has ended in relation to that, and the people who are currently in my life are bloody amazing. I think they all deserve some extra brownie points for dealing with me! 

Apologies for the weird soppiness there. Also, let me know in the comments below if you want me to publish the little thing I wrote when I was going through a lot of shit. It's just a thing explaining my mindset, and I would probably work in some advice around it. So comment below if you want to see that.

I have also finally (sort of) managed to solve my career crisis, yay! If you read my blog a lot you will know that I went through what my housemate would call a "quarter life crisis". You can read about it here, it will probably be a good laugh for you. I have come to the decision that I might do an extra year at university and do a PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) and look in to teaching. Completely unrelated to my initial degree, I know, but I work in a school in my hometown and everyone always goes on about how I should be a teacher. I love working there so I thought that yeah I'd quite like to give that a shot. Thus my career crisis came to and end!

Oh, I also managed to get an amazing opportunity working at HMP Dartmoor with Story Book Dads which are an amazing charity who work with prisoners to help them maintain contact with their children through books. It is absolutely brilliant, and I will be doing a post on them in the new year so keep your eye out!

What else has happened this year? Oh, I finished my first year at university last May after several horrible exams and whatnot. I didn't fail so that's good! I also discovered that I can drink a hell of a lot of vodka...don't ask. Ermmmm, oh and my Grampy laughed so much that coffee came out his nose! I am also considering finally putting some videos up on my YouTube...thoughts?

I have also learned a very valuable lesson from the end couple of months of this year. Life is short. Seriously fucking short. Cherish everyone you have in it because one day you might wake up and they won't be there anymore. This applies seriously to your family, especially your parents. They are the only people in the world who will love you and be there for you no matter what shit happens. Everyone else has the option to walk away, but love from a parent is unconditional. If you take anything away from this at all then make sure it's that. 

To quickly add to that little advice nugget, something that has hit home this year is that we only regret things we don't do. I have taken on so many different things this year, and accepted opportunities that I would normally just let pass by me. Take my blog for example: 6 months ago it didn't exist. Now I am my own website with a lot of credit for my work behind me! So do something exciting, something you would normally be scared of. Fear is only as big as we allow it to be!

All in all, 2013 has been a year of some serious highs, but also some serious lows. Yet I wouldn't change anything for the world because I have come out fighting and stronger at the end of it and I can sit laughing at the people who fucked me around, or fucked things up. I can 100% walk away from this year thinking I have done the thing that is best for me, even if I almost didn't manage to come out of the entire situation. 2013 went way too fast, and it seemingly showing no signs of slowing down - I don't like it!

Here is a little summary of my last year in one picture:

Some images courtesy of Jay Stone 

I have some awesome plans for 2014, kicking off with a trip over to Amsterdam (obviously for culture and not to spend the entire weekend drunk......) and then some pretty cool things for my blog too! I am hoping that next year will be better than this one. 

Think I will leave it there for now. Apologies for the scattered nature of this post, I think it kind of reflects my mind a little at the moment. 

As always, thank you for reading and I hope to see you all again soon!

Have a lovely Christmas everyone, and an even better New Year!

Love you all, bye!

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Strike of the firefighters

Hello there, buddies.

Many members of the FBU, the Fire Brigades Union, went on strike a couple of days ago in protest against the proposed movement by the government regarding their pensions and age of retirement. Among these firefighters was my dad. My dad has been serving in the fire brigade for well over 23 years now and is 100% dedicated to his job. A few years back I was proudly stood in the audience when he received his medal for 20 years service - this is not the only medal that my dad has received; he has a collection of several different medals because of his service in the fire brigade. I ask you to keep this in mind throughout this post and consider your opinion based on someone who has an inside view to the goings-on of the life of a firefighter.

I am going to begin this post by telling you a bit about the fire brigade, the work they do, and the sacrifices they make. First of all, and from a slightly selfish aspect, as my dad is a firefighter they work in shift patterns. This means that they work several days and nights on call or at the fire station, and then have a few days off of work. Due to this shift pattern, it often means that my dad is stuck working on Christmas Day. Although they do not need to be in the station all day, they do have to attend for an hour in the mornings (8am until 9am) which means we wake up on Christmas Day as a family without the presence of my dad. You are probably thinking "well what is the problem if he is then home all day?"...well I will tell you. Many people cook on Christmas Day, and many people cause house fires because of forgetting the turkey is in the oven etc. This means my dad is then called out on Christmas Day to attend to these fires, often when we are about to eat our Christmas lunch. The last few years have lead to my dad having to be on call on Christmas Day - it is often that he isn't called out at all, or is called out right when we would like him home. I understand that this is often unavoidable, but it would be nice to once have my dad home all day on Christmas. 

On a slightly less selfish note, firefighters risk their lives on a daily basis for the sake of others. Many people seem to overlook the fact that they aren't paid a lot to do what they are do - my dad earns less than £30, 000 per year. I think it is the most overlooked and underpaid job for the amount of stress and strain they go through. Being a firefighter not only requires a significant level of physical fitness, but you have to be mentally strong and prepared for the things they could be faced with. I have been told many stories by my dad about the things he has had to deal with and the scenes he sees and I wonder why he hasn't been traumatised by them. I have so much respect for firefighters, there is absolutely no way in hell I could ever even begin to comprehend how they deal with things they do. 

Moving on from my rambly rant, the government have proposed some changes to the pension system and age of retirement. The first thing that has been proposed is that the retirement age will be considerably increased to 60 years old. Now I pose this question to you - do you think that a firefighter would be able to carry out his job successfully and safely at 60 years old? I couldn't do the job now as a 20 year old, let alone as a 60 year old. I would like to see some of the politicians proposing this change try to do some of the things they do; would love to see them carry a fully grown man out of a burning building, climb a 40ft ladder to reach a collapsing roof, or cut a victim out of a dangerous car in a road traffic collision (RTC). Government, please enlighten me on how you expect a man or woman approaching their 60th birthday to do this? Many people in their current state could not do this. 

On a related note, there has been a proposed rule of capability. This would mean that if someone does not prove themselves as capable to do their job then they will essentially be fired. This means that they would have to maintain a certain level of physical fitness to avoid being fired. This level of fitness is likely to be that of a new recruit who would happen to be in their 20s. Now please tell me how you expect a 60 year old to have the fitness level of a 20 year old after having completed over 40 years service? This is something I find to be absolutely baffling. I propose that if the government expect this to be attainable, then they should all be put through a physical fitness test and examination to determine whether they, in their current state, could do this job. It would be extremely interesting to see the look of sheer dismay on their faces when they see that they are nowhere near that level.

There is also now some age discrimination going on with this new proposal. It would mean that it would now depend on what age you joined the fire service as to whether you can retire on the existing pension plan, or whether you are simply forced to work until your 60th birthday - obviously dependent on this capability rubbish. This is also something I just find ridiculous. I think that there should just be one pension scheme for every firefighter no matter when they join - it just seems as if the government are manipulating everyone. If this is their plan to tackle old age and unemployment then they have really got the wrong end of the stick. Pretty sure I could do a better job at sorting it out than what they have done so far.

To conclude, I would like to draw your attention to one small, but very important, detail. This is the detail that the Scottish fire service did not go on strike last week. This is due to the fact that the Scottish government are separate from the Westminster Parliament and they have addressed the fact that there are issues in this proposal and have began negotiations with the Scottish fire brigades in order to solve them. This is something I find both amusing and irritating - how can one government address and begin to solve issues when the other is completely stubborn and thinking only of themselves? This is going to rapidly turn in to a political rant so I shall stop there.

The government really need to sort their shit out and address the fact that this proposal is ridiculous and should stay as just that...a proposal. If anything, this would lead to a deterioration in the fire service if firefighters are forced to work past a logical age and it is likely that it will not run as smoothly as normal.

I would love to hear your opinions on this topic, so please do comment in the box below.

As always, thank you for reading and I shall speak to you next time.

Toodle-oo.

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Passions vs interests

Hello there, buddies.

The other day I watched a clip about an economist (whose name escapes me) and he was talking about the differences between interests and passions in relation to failure and success. This clip really got my mind buzzing and I turned to my friend saying that I really need to blog about this sort of thing. So...here it is.

Now I think that there is a clear distinction between something you are interested in, and something that you are passionate about. However, the person who was speaking in that clip said that you cannot be successful by pursuing something you are simply interested in, yet not passionate about. This is something I think I am going to chat about today.

It was also said that you have to be successful to have a 'great' career. Now I say to you, what makes a 'great' career? I think that anything that provides a stable income and something you enjoy doing is a great career. I don't know what your opinions on this would be, so please do tell me in the comments below. The idea of a great career is clearly subjective, and most likely is going to change depending on the outlook of a person and what they enjoy. Also, the status of a career is going to change whether it is viewed as good or great. For example, my dad is a firefighter, a career that many people see as great. From someone who has an inside view, I would say that this would be 'good' career based on the theory provided by the economist. This is because he risks his life on a daily basis, doesn't have a high income, and is most likely something that my dad is not 100% passionate about (although others would disagree). However, someone who has an outside view would view this as a 'great' career because of this heroic stigma attached to it.They are often sensationalized as people who saves lives - which of course they do - but what people always tend to forget is that they put the lives of others before their own...and thy get paid pennies to do it. People idolise the likes of football players (who get paid over 30 times more what my dad gets in a year) who just run around on a field for a while chasing a white ball and over-exaggerating any contact they get. These types of people are passionate about what they do, yes, but they only made a career out of things by luck - nothing to do with being passionate. I would label my dad's career as 'good' because of the sheer fear that comes along with it - would you think that it is great wondering whether your dad is OK after tackling a blazing fire? 

The thing is, it was said that something you are only interested in basically means you are doomed for failure? Do I agree with this? No, I do not. As someone who doesn't have a passion, this basic theory means that I am doomed to fail in life. Now this is just ridiculous. I have very high aspirations for myself, but in something I am only interested in. Does this mean that I will just spend the rest of my life failing at anything I go for? I think not. 

I think it is irrelevant as to whether you are interested in something, or passionate about it, whether you succeed in it. If you are driven enough, know the right people, or have the right attitude then you will succeed. Interest and passion play no role in that.

I would say I am only interested in the subject that I am studying at university, yet I am hoping to have a career in the subject. I also have got relevant experience in it, and a once in a lifetime opportunity in this area without being passionate about it. Do you think I am going to fail simply because I am only interested in it?

The economist is suggested that no external factors play a role in whether you succeed or fail in life, and that it is driven simply by the desire fabricated by a severe interest in a certain thing. Take my blog for example. I wouldn't quite describe my blog as my passion as I find it quite easy to stop blogging for a while and turn my attention to other things; the same can be said about my degree. Someone who is passionate about something can only focus their main attention on that one given subject, without being able to voluntarily cease their involvement in it. 

Would a passion mean that I am more likely to succeed in life? I do take two opposing views on this...First of all, it might help me along my way because of the extent of drive it would enforce in me. I would be likely to continue to pursue what I am doing out of pure interest and the desire to succeed because of how I felt about the said subject. But on the other hand, I feel that I don't need to be passionate about about it to get to that level of success. I can see the opinion of the economist, yes, but what I do not understand is why it is viewed that passion overrules interest. Surely you have to be interested in something for it to become a passion? Whether this interest is furthered to become a passion is down to the perceptions of the person involved. Just because they don't develop that strong attachment to it that develops in to a passion, doesn't mean they cannot be successful in that field. 

I think that passions are a good thing to have, yes. But I think it's rare that you can find something to be that attached to. Some people have passions and go far in life, and some even become famous, but some people just aren't that lucky. For example, me! I am never going to be famous or crazy successful because I am just not that lucky - but that is a post for another time!

I think I need to draw this all together now; I seem to have rabbited on a bit too much, sorry! Long story short, I don't think people should be made to feel bad for the fact that they don't have something they are passionate about. If it were that people weren't successful because of the fact they haven't got a passion for something, then 90% of the world would be unemployed. I think it's more valuable to have multiple interests than to have one single passion so you can keep your options open and have several different talents. People who focus on more than one thing are probably more valuable in the long run. I don't know, that is just my opinion. Maybe I am biased because I don't have a particular passion? I don't know.

Anyway, enough from me.

I want to know your opinion. In the comments below, tell me what you think about the whole "passions vs interests" thing.  If you have a passion I want to know why you have one and how it came about. If you don't have one, then I want to know the things you are interested in, why you're interested in them, etc. Basically, what draws you to the thinks you love?

If you enjoyed this post then do please click "Join This Site". I'd love to know whether you liked this style of post compared to my usual rant-y things.

As always, thank you for reading!

Talk to you soon, lovelies. 

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One Direction taking on the world!

Hello there, buddies.

One Direction has to be the biggest boy band in the world right now with their first single "What Makes You Beautiful" selling over 5 million copies to date.

The popular band consists of 5 members: Niall Horan (19), Zayn Mailk (20), Liam Payne (20), Harry Styles (19), and Louis Tomlinson (21). 

It is hard to believe that only 3 years ago the boys were auditioning on ITV's The X Factor as solo artists. Luckily for us, Simon Cowell had a moment of pure genius and after rejecting the boys as solo artists, he suggested they get put together in a 5 piece boy band. The boys then got through the live shows with unbelievable success, but unfortunately lost out in a place in the final to Rebecca Furguson. Never could the boys have thought what incredible success was to follow when the show ended.

A large fan-base of UK girls formed whilst the boys were on the shows, yet this just continued to grow as time went on. The boys now have over 18.5 million Facebook fans and a combined total of 71 million followers on Twitter. Their fan-base is still continuing to grow with the nickname of "Directioners" being labelled to them.

The success of One Direction isn't just confined to the UK. Their albums and singles have tallied a total of 61 number one's worldwide. They also have an impressive 19 million singles sold, and 10 million albums.

However, they aren't just awesome musicians, oh no. They also have recently launched a fragrance and a film entitled "This Is Us" which has so far made an impressive £38 million in the US Box Office since opening on August 29, along with a massive line of merchandise! 

I was not fortunate enough to be able to make the Leicester Square premiere of the film, but I did get the chance to go see it today, and I was very impressed.

The film is basically self-explanatory, and the title "This Is Us" really says it all. It is an insight into the lives of the 5 boys, and shows Little Things (see what I did there?) about the boys themselves, their background and stories, along with some incredible footage from their shows all around the world. 

The film is made for 3D, which I saw it in, and actually has some really good 3D effects in it! I won't give too much away about it though because I really think you should go see it.

The film shows a different side to the boys compared to what people usually see in the press and other media outlets. I think it is nice to see that they are still really grounded and not caught up in the fame. The boys are still extremely realistic with everything, and you can see the shock on their faces when they get bombarded by fans.

One Direction at the premiere of "This Is It" in Leicester Square, London

There are many different sections in the films, with little comments throughout from the boys themselves. I think it is these moment when you can see that they are still normal boys! Their security guard talks about how they are just pranksters at heart and love to mess about. Their are some clips of Harry sitting in a bin and being pushed about by Niall, and many of the boys messing about in rehearsals. Including lots of joking about the fact the boys struggle with their dance moves!

There are quite a few heartwarming moments, too. There is a clip where Zayn talks to him mum after buying her a house. This definitely made me tear up a tiny bit. There is also a quite sentimental moment when Liam talks about the fact he worries that someone will like him because of his fame, not because of the person he is. 

You can really see in "This Is It" the true dedication of the fans, nicknamed "Directioners". I would say that about 96% of their fan-base are female, and many of them getting very teary and shaky when they see them.

Something I was extremely happy to see was the fact there is loads of footage from their performances in there. As someone who was cheated out of tickets to see 1D, I felt a little less upset seeing the footage. I am dying to see the boys live, but unfortunately as a student there is no way I can ever afford tickets to see them. So online videos are something I am going to have to get accustomed to. 

One Direction's Take Me Home tour

It makes me all warm inside to see that the boys still value their roots, with footage of Harry visiting his old job in a bakery and saying that it's nice to visit somewhere where people know the real him. 

Harry Styles in the bakery he worked in as a teenager

I loved the boys already, but to see that they are real genuine guys just makes me love them more. I am not the sort of person who likes them simply because of the fact they are famous, I love their personalities and the fact that they went from not knowing each other whatsoever, to becoming basically family in such a small space of time. The film itself really shows that too, especially in moments when the boys are chatting about the `band and their success, with them all mentioning that they wouldn't be where they are with each other. 

I do have a slight personal favourite out of all the boys (a biiiiig soft spot for Niall has been there since day one), but after seeing "This Is Us" I am loving them all equally! Although I do think that Niall should come for a cheeky Nandos and drink with me...

It was nice to see the real side to the boys and for them to not include every aspect of their personal lives. They are all heavily reported on in the media, especially revolving around their love lives, so it was so lovely to see that they kept this private and to themselves. 

The film is definitely made to be aimed at their fans as it has all the things that drive them wild; Zayn's mysterious gaze, half-naked Liam, Niall's cheeky grin, Louis playing pranks, and Harry's face. Makes me a happy woman, I must say. 

I would seriously recommend the movie even to people who aren't fans of One Direction as it is a really good watch, and has all their toe-tapping songs in it, too. See it in 3D to get the full experience.

I would love to hear your opinions whether you have seen the film and like the boys or not, so tell me all about it in the comments below.

Also, if you know of any cheaper One Direction tickets for 2014 that would be awesome. I'd even blog/vlog about it!

As always, thank you for reading and speak to you all soon!

Toodle-oo.

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Life advice

Hello there, buddies.

Well I was thinking about what sort of thing to write today and I got slightly distracted by pondering life...like you do. Then I thought maybe I could make my ponderings into something on here. So that is exactly what I am going to do!

I thought that it might be fun, and good to read for you guys if I take some things I think and chuck them on to you. Sort of like an advice column...but in one place. 

After chatting to the lovely Sam about this post, it was suggested that I make this a sort of weekly segment. I don't know about you, but I quite like this idea. So, next week I will be doing an advice post on relationships. As this is a blog based on you guys, I want you to send me in questions or things you want advice on. You can do this either by Tweeting me @LovelyChubly or commenting on this post. I will use every question, and include some of my own advice snippets, so get them in! The closing date for that will be Friday September 6 at midnight so get your questions in by then!

Anyways, ramble over.

As always I will just rant and ramble and hope it ends up in one block that makes sense.

DISCLAIMER: everything in the following is of the opinion of the author and is under no circumstance applicable to every reader.

Here we go!

Things always get better
I know this is something that people say all the time, but it is seriously true. You have to remember that no matter how low you feel, there is always time for things to get better. Nothing is instant, and most the time you have to work at it yourself, but things will always be brighter at the end of it. I can pretty much guarantee that you either tutted at me or rolled your eyes at this first one. If you are then I can probably also say you have never been in the position where you are just rock bottom...so you are one lucky person. Just always remember to keep strong and chin up. Improving things can only be done if you want them to happen, so doing anything can literally help that. Anything from writing (like I do) to taking up a new hobby could make you feel ten times better in minutes. Give it a try - what have you got to lose?

Don't be a fucking idiot
This sounds harsh, I know. But sometimes you think something might be a good idea then you look back several years later and the whole "what the fuck was I thinking?" thing comes up. Well here is a secret life hint from me to you: don't be fucking stupid, moron. I wish someone told me that like 4 years ago, so you might thank me for this in a few years. There are some things in life that you will just thing "yes" straight away, well just think before you do something.

Appreciate what you have when it's there
This can apply from anything from material things to people. Nothing last forever, no matter what you think - it really doesn't. You never want to look back on something and think "why the fuck did I not treat them/it better". Material things, and especially people, should be appreciated for what they are. Time flies by and sometimes some things can be over before they have even really started, so don't be an asshole. 

Listen to yourself
Most people will tell you to listen to your heart, but I am saying your heart is an asshole, so don't do that. Listen to your instincts, and always go with the things you think of. Go full pelt in to something, if it doesn't work then hey ho. My thoughts are: if you decide something else, then you clearly didn't want the first thing at all. If you are making decisions then use this tip: flip a coin - you will be able to see what you want that way. I am not being vague, that is literally how it works. Only you can know what you truly want - don't listen to anyone else because they are probably idiots. Sorry.

Embrace every new opportunity
I think this is just a given really. Just learn to say "yes" more. As someone who doesn't like to move from her comfort zone much, I can tell you that you will probably regret not saying yes to things. I am not talking stupid and illegal things, I am saying things that you wouldn't get offered normally. An example of this for me is this blog you are reading. I was terrified of starting this and it is so out of my comfort zone to write my thoughts down for people to see. But I did it, and now look! But then again I have you guys to thank for that, not myself. Basically, don't turn down things that could really help you out.

Don't be afraid
This links in with the point above - don't be scared to do different things, and just don't be afraid of life in general. There isn't a lot of time to be scared in life. You don't get anywhere in life by being scared.

Be cheeky
I think I am slightly labelled as cheeky by my friends, but you don't get anything without being a little bit cheeky! This stands for anything I guess from people to little things like writing and whatnot. I am just cheeky in general, so be a little bit cheeky - it might get you somewhere.

Stand up for yourself
Don't get someone else dictate to you about something you believe in. If you think you are right, or you really believe in something, don't let people tell you that you should think or do something else. I get told all the time that I shouldn't be a writer or even have a blog, and yeah it gets me down for a while, then I think "fuck them" and get straight back to it. If you love doing something then screw what everyone else thinks! 

Save money
As someone who is quite bad at saving money, try and find something to save for and go from there. I am currently saving up to go travelling in Australia, so I am generally quite good at it. I wish I had saved more money from my old job, but I didn't because I am stupid. So this is probably the most important snippet in my entire post, and you should really listen to me here, folks! Money does make the world go round, and you can't do anything without it. 

Do something
Do something with your life. Don't just sit around and think that things will get handed to you, because they don't. To be honest, it doesn't even matter what it is - whether you start a blog, do some arty stuff or even something else, just do something. You never know where it could end you up.

Be confident
I feel like a bit of a hypocrite telling you this as I am not exactly a confident person myself, but in the last few years I think I have got slightly better. Being confident is quite a good trait to have, I think. This is all about being confident in yourself and then other people can see it. I am ten times more confident in myself than I ever was, I think I just came out my shell a bit after a long time of feeling shit about myself. So just tell yourself little things and soon enough you will feel better.

Don't be cocky
This goes hand in hand with being confident - don't get overconfident and get cocky. It is just unattractive and unappealing.

Don't be a doormat
I am guilty of doing this sometimes, but don't let people walk all over you. This works with the stand up for yourself thing. Stick to your morals, don't give in to peer pressure, and stay true to yourself.

Use common sense
I think this is self explanatory?

Don't over-think things
Like your heart, your brain is also an asshole. You can tend to ponder on things for long periods of time (like I do) then you can be all like "what the fuck" about something that seemed perfectly normal and fine 10 minutes ago. Try not to do this because otherwise life will just get so overly complicated and then you'll panic about everything and trust no one. Which sucks.

Accept advice
This is still something I am learning to do. But take advice from people who know better than you, and accept what people have to say.

Listen in school
This is something I continuously tell everyone I know who is still in compulsory education - I would be nowhere if I didn't get good grades at school. You might not think it is "cool" to be smart (if you think this then you are just fucking ridiculous) but it seriously is. I cannot have a conversation with someone who thinks they are above education. In an economy like this one, you need the best grades you can to get a job - so don't fuck your education up.

Not everyone is going to like you
You can't please everyone in life, and some people are just going to be bitchy. You will probably encounter some serious asshole in life, so remember to not get pissed off or upset by them if they give you shit. Chances are you are a million times better than them in the first place.

Don't try to understand people
This I think is another given that people are just ridiculously confusing? Do any of you think this, too? Maybe it is just me. But my ultimate life tip is to not try to understand everything about everyone because you could probably turn this in to some big mathematical theory and then just go crazy doing it.

You can't be good at everything
As a bit of a perfectionist, I sort of find this a bit of a daily struggle. Something I am trying to come to terms with is that there is no way I can be good at everything. This was more in school where I was really good at English and whatnot, but pretty shit at maths. So if you can learn to accept that there will be some things you will need help or extra work with then you probably will be a much better person than I am.

Don't be afraid to ask for help
I am bad at this. But if you take one thing from this post then take this - asking for help doesn't make you weak! This can literally be about anything. It will probably help you out more than just struggling on your own.


Ok so I am going to stop because this is probably not what any of you want to read.

Please remember that these things are taken from aspects of my life, or of the lives of the people around me. They may not apply to you so don't go nuts at me!

If you enjoyed this post then don't forget to click "Join This Site" to see more of me!

As always thank you for reading, and I shall see your lovely faces tomorrow!

Toodle-oo!

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Big announcements!

Hello there, buddies!

So I have just cracked 8000 viewers which is absolutely mental! So thank you so so so much to everyone who has ever read, shared or talked about my blog. I have you guys to thank for everything!

I thought that this would be a good time to make this announcement instead of chucking it in the middle of a normal post and having it go right in one ear and out the other.

I have decided that since my blog is going down so well that if I get over 10 000 viewers by the end of the year, I will purchase the rights and copyrights to my name and become my own website!

I have spoken to one of my amazing friends who is going to work on some graphics with me so I will be having a massive overhaul on here and everything will have a brand new look! 

I will be keeping with my general idea of the fact that my blog is based on me ranting and that it is all personal and whatnot, so the content itself will probably not change. I will be sticking to my core pages of "rants", "raves" and "rambles" and also my new series "how it should have ended" will be there too (read more about that below) but possibly adding a few new things, so read about that below.

Rants
My rants seem to be the favourite of you guys so I will just stick to them as they are I think. I have made a recent list of things I want to talk about in this segment, so there are loads of different things I have planned for you. I will also be able to add more styles of rants when I get back to uni, so stay tuned for all that!

Raves
My raves page seems to be just full of random posts that don't classify as rants or rambles. They are mainly consisting of "how to" posts or random chatter about things. So I want to know what you guys want to see on this page. So let me know in the comments!

Rambles
My rambles page is quite popular with you all, too! I think I will be keeping this how it is and whatnot, but let me know if you want any changes to it!

How It Should Have Ended - original series
If you are a regular reader to my blog you will know that I am starting my own original writing series based on traditional fairy tales. This series is me re-writing them in different genres - probably horror - just simply as something for a creative outlet for me. I am planning on starting this series in September, with the first one being published on September 30. I cannot promise I can stick to that date as the first few weeks of uni are hectic, but I will be working on it for at least half an hour every day. You can read the synopsis of my series here. I am definitely taking suggestions on this series, or if any of you would like to feature in it, illustrate it or co-write then get in touch! All my links are at the end of the post, or on the right.

Potential new segments
I am hoping to launch a few new segments on here in the new year. I am unsure of the final list, but they will be weekly segments about anything. I am thinking the first one will be readers choice where you guys take control. This can be either by making videos, sending me segments to put in, or telling me what to write. Comment below with your opinions.

University segment
I am considering doing a segment on my blog of university survival, student tips, and a life of a student sort of thing. Although this will be aimed largely at students, it will be a good read for anyone who just wants a general giggle. So let me know your opinions on that.

News
After the incredible success of my ask.fm post (which you can read here) I am thinking that a few posts about things like this - aka areas of concern and news headlines - might go down well with you all. Not sure what you will think, but I might trial some as and when the time is right so I can see how well it goes down.

YouTube
You all know I have a YouTube channel but I don't use it because I am lazy. I am going to get this completely up and running in the new year and have it fully functioning with new uploads every week. I will be working with a friend of mine in September to make a rather amusing video, so stay tuned for that! 

Social media
All my media links are to the right and at the end of every post, but I want to know if there are any sites that you guys use and want me to add myself on? Let me know.

Challenges
I do have a challenges section on my blog at the moment which have a few things that people have tagged me in or asked me to do. I am thinking of getting rid of that segment completely and introducing them as normal posts, but I am still thinking that through.

Layout
The layout of my website at the moment has been dubbed "messy and terrible looking" so I am thinking that this might be a general thought from you guys. I am quite annoyed at the manner this was put forward to me as I quite like the layout of my blog, but I will be changing it slightly with my new graphics. I am unsure of how I am going to do this yet, but I know my social media links will look different, and I will do a new header. The pages may change position, too, but we shall see what the designs look like!

Suggestions - what you want to see
Last but not least, I want to hear from you about what you guys want to see. So contact me by any of my links or even by commenting.


So I think that is everything I needed to tell you for now....

Vikki is also back from her holiday so I am sure I can rope her in to do some stuff with me for my blog - so stay tuned for those in October!

If you enjoyed some of the things I have mentioned in this then let me know, and click "Join This Site" to know when I post new articles.

As always thank you for reading and I will speak to you tomorrow!

Toodle-oo!

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My life in letters

Hello there, buddies.

Well I was browsing YouTube last night, like ya' do, and came across a video by Alex Day called Life in Letters and thought that it might be a good idea for me to do a post based on this video!

I had a similar post planned to do in November, but I may as well do it now - once I have got the idea in my head, it just has to happen.

The life in letters thing is basically going through the alphabet and picking one or two (I have three for one) words beginning with that letter that represent your life.

Some of the ones I picked will probably make you roll your eyes as you know them pretty well already, but I am sorry...I am a simple person.

Oh, hand update: the burn is still painful today. I have a lovely purple shade of skin now which is cool...not. The mark where my ring was burned to my hand is also very obvious now. Luckily (not so lucky) my shift at work was cancelled today because of the weather so it is likely that my hand will be considerably better for tomorrow. 

Weird ramble over, here we go!

A is for...Anime
As you might already know, I love anime. I have always loved things like "Howl's Moving Castle" (which you should watch if you haven't) but I have had friends that have introduced me to television series and other films, too. They are generally pretty good, if not slightly weird, but you should definitely watch some. I might do an anime related post soon.

B is for...Blogging
You probably all know that my blog is basically my life. I share everything with you guys, and I love to do it. I spend hours planning and organising posts, then writing them up and promoting them to the right people. Just hope you guys love reading it as much as I love writing it. 

C is for...Crazy
My life is pretty crazy and hectic at the moment. I have a lot of things going on all at once and it is difficult to keep up with them all! I am also a slightly crazy person as many people might tell you, so I think this applies.

C is also for...CrimSoc
CrimSoc is the society related to my university course, and something I was heavily involved in last year at uni. I am lucky enough to be the Social Secretary this year so I get to plan loads of nights out and events which is so awesome. 

D is for...Dog
I love my dog, Macey. She is a Tibetan Terrier and is the funniest thing in the entire world. You can read more about her in my Things My Dog Thinks post.

E is for...Excellent
I would say that my life is pretty excellent right now. I don't think I can really think of anything I could say is bad with it at the moment. If you would have asked me this last year I probably would have used a different word for 'E' and I think I have uni and my friends to thank for that.

F is for...Friends
I have got the most amazing little group of friends I think anyone could ask for. Most of them are from uni, but there are a couple from home who have stuck by me for so long, especially Laura who I have known pretty much all my life. My uni friends are just awesome, and put up with my drunken ass (although I have to deal with theirs, too), and we have made some cool plans for after uni and whatnot! So thank you, guys.

F is also for...Finding Nemo
I am probably the biggest Finding Nemo fan you will ever meet in your entire life. I have so many Nemo plush toys on my bed that there is no room left for me. I just think it is the best film in existence. My parents went on holiday and got me several little Nemo related things. I know the entire film off by heart, and I have seen Finding Nemo - The Musical in Walt Disney World so many times I know all the songs.

G is for...Ghibli
Studui Ghibli is an anime company who make awesome films such as "My Neighbour Totoro", "Howl's Moving Castle", "Spirited Away" and "Princess Mononoke" to name my favourites! If you follow me on Twitter you will see that I am ever so slightly obsessed with them, especially Totoro who is the cutest thing ever. So hop on over to the Studio Ghibli Wikipedia page where you can find a list of all their films and series shows and get watching!

H is for...Harry Potter
I am, and forever will be, a Potterhead. +James had the pleasure of watching a Harry Potter film with myself and Vikki and enjoyed the fact that we can quote the entire thing. I think my dedication shows in my post I did about Harry Potter...Slightly obsessed.

I is for...Internet
I think it is safe to say my entire life is on the internet, or revolves around it. My blog, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, everything is on here.

J is for...Jacksgap.com
Jacksgap.com is a website made by Jack and Finn Harries, otherwise known as Jacksgap on YouTube, and is a fairly recent development. It is so awesome and I think I must go on it every single day. There is something on there for absolutely everyone. If you haven't yet visited the site, click on the link in the top line and you can head on over there and check it out.

K is for...Kiss fm
Kiss fm is a radio channel with such a large variety of music on it, and I just love it. It is the only channel I have programmed in to the radio app on my phone and I listen to it everywhere. The only problem is, I can't tune it in to my car.

L is for...Little things
Shockingly I am not talking about the One Direction song, although that could count...I mean, I love the little things in life. An example of this is postcards. I have a small (large) collection of postcards that I just pick up from any place I go. I even have postcards from Plymouth and I live there. Other little things in life can just cheer me up pretty much instantly.

M is for...Movies
I love movies and films, and my DVD collection is over 200 strong. I could sit and watch films pretty much all day if you ask me. Especially if I find a film that has a bit of everything in it. I am not a big romance person, and much prefer a comedy or animated film compared to those slushy fucking annoying films.

M is also for...Marvel
I am a bit of a Marvel freak...My all time favourite is Spiderman. I sort of freaked out when I went to Universal Studios in Florida for the first time about 8 years ago and met Spiderman. He is my favourite. Spiderman forever. I also saw the Avengers film in the cinema about 5 times...oops.

N is for...Notes
I like to make notes on everything. I like post it notes, reminder notes, planning notes, the lot. I have so many notebooks I could open a shop and sell them all. I have gone through like two notebooks now just for this blog, which has only been open for 2 months. How sad is that?

N is also for...Nandos
Bet you thought I wasn't going to put it in there....nope. I am such a Nandos addict. I drove 40 minutes to get to a Nandos once because there isn't one in my home town. I have also made dinner plans on the day I get back to uni to go to Nandos. I have about 3 different Nandos products in my fridge, and I put the sauce with almost everything. Nandos, give me a job.

O is for...Open
I think as a rule I am very open about my opinions on things, and if I have a problem with someone or something then I will make sure that I don't bitch about it behind their back. I genuinely hate it when people write bitchy or snide comments about someone or something on things like Twitter or Facebook instead of telling the person. Now I know we have all done it, but it is just sad I think.

P is for Plymouth
Plymouth is where I consider home at the moment. I go to uni there and love it. It's such a lush city and everything is within walking distance from everything else. The sea is like a 5 minute walk from the city center and gah it is just lush. I love living there!

Q is for...Quirky
I think I get described as quirky quite a lot simply because of my mannerisms. I am a very strange person, basically.

R is for...Radio 1
Oh look, another radio channel. Radio One is also pretty cool, especially on a Sunday at 7-9pm....hint hint. I also love Nick Grimshaw!

S is for...Sarcasm
I am pretty sarcastic and I think I am more fluent in sarcasm than any other language I speak.

T is for...Travelling
I love travelling and being on the road or in a plane, basically just going anywhere. I don't travel as much as I would like to at the moment because of money restrictions and whatnot, but I have so many travelling plans after I graduate so I can't wait for those!

U is for...University
The main bulk of my life at the moment revolves around university, so this had to be in there.

V is for...Vikki
Vikki has been mentioned in several of my posts over the last couple of months. If you are a new reader, Vikki is my best buddy! She is currently in Italy on holiday with her family so I am sending her constant email updates (although haven't done one in so long) about the happenings of the Internet. Love her lots.

W is for...Weird
I am weird. That is all.

W is also for...Walt Disney
I am a die hard Disney fan, and have so much love for Walt Disney himself. He is the main creator of everything that has made me who I am, from Disney movies to TV shows, to the theme parks. I think I have him to thank for a lot of things.

X is for...X's
These aren't kisses before you think that. I do something called "don't break the chain" which is basically a time management and motivational thing basically. I know a lot of people use this technique to get things done that they work on. Basically it is where you dedicate a certain amount of time per day to doing the thing you need to do, in my case blogging, and then cross of the day on a calendar or chart. The idea is that you do something every day so you don't break the chain of crosses. It is so effective, so when you think I am being lazy and not posting, I am still working on blog things!

Y is for...YouTube
I think this is an obvious one, but I have always loved YouTube and the YouTubers I watch just make me feel so much better. That sounds sad...but they are like friends!

Z is for...Zigzags
I have a bit of a thing about zigzags and I find myself doodling them all the time or decorating things with them.


Ok so that is my life in letters. Now you know a little bit more about me, too!

If you enjoyed this post, let me know by clicking "Join This Site" on the top left to subscribe to me and know when I post new things.

As always thank you for reading and I will speak to you tomorrow!

Toodle-oo!

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Makeup overload - beauty haul

Hello there, buddies!

Well I apologise that I haven't been very active recently. I had several posts planned for today, but I badly burned my hand yesterday at work and was confined to sitting still and not moving it so blogging was off the cards. I am managing a little better today but it is still very painful - it took over 24 hours for it to finally stop burning through my hand, so that was fun. But I am here now and on the mend!

Anyways, today I went shopping after I came in to a little bit of money the other day so I thought I should treat myself to some makeup considering I haven't really got myself anything in over a year. So I spent £60. Yep, £60. 

I thought it would be nice for me to share my purchases with you guys as some of them I would seriously recommend to you! I am taking inspiration from Tanya Burr and Sprinkelofglitter for this one, so go check out their blogs and YouTube channels to see more of them!

I literally went to three stores - Boots, Superdrug and Body Care (a small cheap shop for beauty products). I dislike shopping so like to get in to town, then get out ASAP.

Some of these products are normal bog-standard brands, but then I treated myself and got a couple of high-end bits, too!

First of all we shall start with Body Care, I think. I went in to this shop looking simply for some new brushes as several of mine have basically died over the last few days. But I came out £15 down.

The first thing I got was a new set of eyelash curlers. Mine fell apart on me this morning *sniff sniff* so I was in dire need of some new ones. This is the one problem with having really long eyelashes is that if they don't get curled, they'll end up in your eyes like mine do. So I have no choice but to use them! These were the best ones that I found, and they are quite cheap so definitely affordable for any of you guys with no money! I saw some in Boots that ranged from £5 to £15, but I don't need crazy expensive ones, so I went for these.

Technic eyelash curlers, £1.25

Next I got some new hairspray! I haven't used hairspray for years really, but it is always nice to have some. Especially when I go back down to university and am out all the time - it would be nice to have good looking hair at the end of the night, too! This hairspray claims to hold for 24 hours which is exactly what I needed. I haven't used this one before as I tend to just buy a cheap one in the hope it will work, so fingers crossed!

Schwarzkopf got2be happy hour hairspray, £2.79

I picked up one of these mini powder brush things just so that I can quickly chuck some powder on my face before I pop out so I can keep my foundation in place! It was really cheap as I don't need a proper brush for this so was definitely a good find.

Body collection dumpy brush, £1.09

I have been after some salt spray for ages so took the chance to grab this one! Salt spray is good for hair to get that beach waves sort of thing - which is a look I love - and my hair doesn't curl very well with straighteners or curlers, so I am going to give this a go and see how it ends up. This is only a cheap one, too. 

Derma V10 salt spray, £1.49

The last things I got in Body Care were my trusty two favourite products in the entire world - I literally struggle to live without these two. They are makeup remover and moisturiser by Simple. Their products are amazing so if you don't use them you definitely should. They are perfect for sensitive skin, which I don't have but their products leave my skin almost perfect at the end. Definitely give these a go if you don't already and I can pretty much promise you that you will love them.

Simple eye makeup remover, £2.19

Simple hydrating light moisturiser, £2.19

After this I headed on over to Boots. For all of you who live outside the UK, boots is the typical drugstore style shop in the UK and has pretty much anything in it. 

The first thing I got was this mascara by 17. This is a brand by Boots and is generally really good! My last mascara was by 17 and I loved it. The brushes are really good too. I don't like those plastic ones, but this one has a normal wand on it which is really good. They also last a long time and don't dry up, so go check them out.

17 blow out volumising mascara, £6.29

I then picked up this lipstick by Kate Moss spring collection for Rimmel. This one is in the shade 16 (not sure it has a name...). I absolutely love it! It is a pinky colour which looks gorgeous on and really goes well with my skin tone, I think. It comes in 4 other shades which you can see by clicking on the link above. The Kate Moss lipsticks are all lush, and go on really well too. They aren't like other lipsticks which can get really sticky and not as nice when you put them on, but this glides on well.

Kate Moss lipstick, £5.49

I also needed some new foundation, and the likes of Tanya Burr and Zoella always seem to be recommending the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation. So I took advice from the pros and got some! I am yet to try this but I got it in the shade Soft Beige and it matches by skin tone almost perfectly (I have a weird skin tone and never seem to get a foundation that matches it). I am very trusting of Rimmel, and would love to buy the whole collection, so I am thinking it will be good!

Rimmel wake me up foundation, £8.99

This is where I went slightly nuts and made a major makeup purchase. As a rule I don't buy high-end stuff as it is far too expensive for my budget, but today I made an exception. I spent about 40 minutes hunting for a highlighter as I stole my mum's one recently. It would appear that no one in Boots sells one - I know NARS does one but I couldn't find a NARS stand anywhere. I then looked at Benefit which has a sort of highlighter-style thing, but then came across this one by Too Faced. They are quite an expensive brand, but I had to. The beads in it blend together so well to create such a nice colour.

Too Faced sweetheart beads glow powder, £26.

Finally, I went to Superdrug which is like Boots for all of my non-UK readers!

The first thing I picked up was this eye shadow palette by Beauty UK. This one caught my eye because I love the natural colours in it (this is in Eden) and the fact that some of them are in a matt finish, whereas others are shimmery. They are quite cheap, too, and brand new out! Take a look at the various colours they have!

Beauty UK posh palette, £5.99

Then I picked up my trusty powder that I use to set my foundation. This one is by Collection and is a budget makeup brand, but the quality is still really good. Every girl should have some of their products in their handbag. Not sure what shade this is in, but it blends well with my foundation!

Collection pressed powder, £1.99

I also picked up this concealer by Makeup Academy. It has several different shades in it so I can make the perfect shade for my skin tone! Also I have quite dark circles under my eyes so the lighter colour can cover those up so easily. This comes in several different shades, too, so you can get them to match your skin colour! 

Makeup Academy concealer palette, £3.50

The final thing I picked up was also from Makeup Academy and is this new gel liner! I have always used a liquid one, so I am quite looking forward to trying this gel one. They have had some good reviews so I can't wait to give it a go!

Makeup Academy gel liner, £3.00

 So that is everything I picked up today on my little shopping trip. I am now back to having no money.

If you can recommend any other products that you use and think I might like, then leave them in the comments below as I am always looking to expand my makeup bag!

If you enjoyed today's post then let me know by clicking "Join This Site" on the top left to see more from me!

As always, thank you for reading and I will see you tomorrow!

Toodle-oo!

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