Student internet options

Hello there, buddies.

As a second year university student, I have just moved in to a house with 8 other people - which is going to be ever so slightly mad at times.

There are loads of decisions about what things we will all need in the year that we are living here, with the most important one possibly being the internet!

In my house this year, we have BT internet. I was with TalkTalk back at my family home where we had so many problems with the connection and everything dropping out, so I was really worried about having internet with a minimum of 9 devices connected to it at any one time. So you can imagine how amazing it was to find this internet is so fast, and doesn't slow down when we are all connected to it.

If you are reading this as a student trying to figure out what internet you are going to get in your house, then you are most definitely in the right place! I have an amazing unique offer for you.

LovelyChubly is working in partnership with BT to bring you this offer!

BT is currently offering students a cheaper and pretty awesome internet contract for student houses.

This offer currently includes: a 9 month subscription (which is perfect for students living in their student accommodation, then moving home for holidays) with some ultimate entertainment packages up for grabs.

This 9 month subscription comes in two tiers:

38MG for £20 per month

or

16MG for £16 per month

This download speed is incredible and is perfect for watching TV online, or downloading some new music for all those parties.

Along with this fantastic offer, BT has some incredible benefits to this.

There is an unlimited connection which you will be seriously needing with all that internet browsing for both essays and procrastination! There are over 5 million BT hot spots all over the UK for only BT broadband customers, so you can take advantage of that. No download limits, no usage caps - perfect!

Fibre optic broadband offering one of the fastest connections around - BT Infinity was voted best fibre broadband service in 2013.

BT is amazing value, and completely affordable for students, which makes a change as many internet providers don't offer a cheaper option for students.

Unlimited weekend calls to landlines are also on offer, so always time to make that call home!

BT sport online offers streaming of all the top sporting events, games and matches online straight to your PC or Mac. Never miss a match again!

BT also offers the SmartTalk App for iPhone and Android. This app allows you to connect to your wi-fi or the hot spots and make cheaper calls. You can find out more by clicking here.

Entertainment packages to be won
BT is offering a prize draw for students who purchase this deal - there are 5 up for grabs worth £2000!

HD ready Samsung 43" plasma screen television

Samsung home theatre system 

Nikon Coolpix S9050 digital camera

Xbox 360 S console with 250GB HDD

4 iPod Shuffle (4th gen) 2BG

£300 Sainsbury's vouchers 

Free BT broadband and calls for 9 months

All terms and conditions can be found on the BT website

Once you have purchased your package and had your confirmation, click here to enter the competition. 

This offer is exclusive to students, and I can pretty much guarantee that you won't get a better offer than this. 

Not only is it affordable, but you get all the added bonuses too.

To find out more, and how you can get this amazing deal, visit the BT Student page!

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The life of an internet addict

Hello there, buddies!

So I am a bit behind with writing this post...I actually planned it this morning, then I got carried away with doing everything under the sun apart from blogging. So here I am now, watching Harry Potter and writing...this could go terribly wrong - you could get the odd HP character reference or quote chucked in here and there.

I also need to apologise for the lack of my normal daily posts that I do. I started my new job a week or so back, so I don't have as much time to work on these as I used to, but we will be back to normal daily posts by September,  I promise. So stick in there!

As you all probably know by now, I am a teeny tiny bit of an internet addict...OK, a massive internet addict. 

Jim Chapman did a video yesterday (or today, I can't remember) about the fact he is addicted to the internet, and I have had this post planned for about two months, so I thought it might be about time I sat down and actually wrote it.

We will be talking about the things I do, and I expect you do, that sort of prove the addiction to the internet. 

If you do any of these things, then you are addicted. 

I saw on Tumblr this morning that in 2015 they are making internet addiction a classified mental illness...so see you in rehab, guys.

And without further ado, here we go!

My list of things that prove you are an internet addict:

• Google is the answer to everything
  
  This is my answer to any question I ever get asked. I look at them like "just Google it" and they are like "ok, freak". 

• Wikipedia is a reliable source of information
  
  I don't understand why people think that is isn't reliable, I mean like it isn't as if anyone can hack in and write what they want. What did you say?...They can?....Oh...

• You use Tumblr GIFs in general conversation and as reactions
  
  "Raise your hand if you do this" *slyly raises hand*. This happens. Mainly with Danisnotonfire GIFs 'cause they definitely apply to every day situations most the time...

• The word "hashtag" has become general vocabulary for you
  
  Guilty again....I use the word hashtag in general conversation and I am shocked someone has not stabbed me because of it yet.

• YouTubers you have never met seem like your best friends
  
  I feel like all the YouTubers I watch would be such good friends in real life. Is that sad? Yes, probably. Oh well.

• Twitter is constantly on in the background
  
  Yep, I always have my Twitter open somewhere where I can access it. I have even stopped midway through doing something important to check it. I even have it on in the background right now...and I am stopping every now and again to reply to a conversation with one of my readers!

• "Enough internet for today" *turns laptop off then resorts to iPhone 5 minutes later*
  
  I am guilty of this every single night. Turn off my laptop, and jump straight on my phone.

• Fanfic no longer scares you
  
  If there comes a point where you are no longer shocked by smut fanfics, then come join me in rehab!

• You start to wonder what the fuck that big yellow ball of light is in the sky
  
  What is outside? It buuurrnnnssssss!

• Home is where the wifi connects automatically
  
  Although this is strictly true, my wifi connects automatically at a few of my friends houses, too...

• You struggle to live without the internet
  
  Well.....duh.

• When the internet is down, you consider the idea your life is over
  
  I had no internet for like a day and I used up all of my month's worth of 3G by using it as a hot spot for my laptop....

• What are humans?
  
  There are apparently things in the world called people? I am not sure what that means? Like people actually meet up? Weird.

• You start off watching normal things on YouTube, then find yourself watching videos of talking porcupines and parrots singing Gangnam Style
  
  This was me the other night.....I now love porcupines. 

• You have a Tumblr account
  
  Guilty as charged.

• You frequently use said Tumblr account
  
  Pleading guilty for a second time.

• You have started to absolutely adore cats
  
  If you do not look at, reblog or frequently see images of cats then you do not spend long enough on the internet.

• You take your laptop/phone to the bathroom
  
  Yep, this happens. More frequently than I like to admit.

• You have developed more of an emotional attachment to fictional people than the people you actually have in your life
  
  SEVERUS SNAPE FOREVER.

• You get told to "get a life" but respond by pointing to your laptop and stating that it is there
  
  This happened the other day. My dad told me I should get off the internet and go get a life, so I pointed to my laptop and proceeded to explain that I have a life...My mum also told me to get some sunlight, so I just opened the curtains. Trolling.

• You have a blog
  
  Hell yes!

• Losing a Twitter follower seems like the end of the world
  
  I lost a follower the other day and I got really upset. I am so lame.

• Gaining a new Twitter follower deserves a bottle of champagne
  
  No joke, this should be a thing.

• You schedule your life around live internet shows and streaming opportunities
  
  My examples...YouNow live shows and Dan and Phil's Radio One show on Sunday night at 7pm....

• You know the name of every meme
  
  I shit you not, this is so beyond true.

• You're aware that internet addiction disorder is a real thing - and you don't care
  
  I will be an active member of rehab if this does get recognised as a mental disorder. See you there, lovelies.

• You are an active member of several fandoms
  
  My Tumblr dashboard basically shows I am a member of about 294937402 fandoms...

• Tumblr-isms are second nature to you
  
  Too right. The epic feels when I read a smutty fanfic about my OTP....I can't.

• Your browsing position has been completely perfected
  
  Although my browsing position looks uncomfortable, it is considerably comfier than anything else.

• Sometimes you start sentences with "I saw this on Tumblr/Twitter the other day..."
  
  This happens more when I am talking to Vikki, who is a fellow internet addict like myself, as she will know what I am on about....I am trying to teach my Grandma about Tumblr and whatnot, but it isn't working....

• 3am means dinner time
  
  Although this is also a result of the student lifestyle....

• Slow internet makes you freak out
  
  If my internet is slow for more than like half an hour, I will be in a bad mood for the rest of the day...

• Your bookmarks page takes hours to scroll through
  
  I currently have like over 100 bookmarks on my laptop...I really need to sort that shit out...

• "1% battery" causes you to have a heart attack and makes you run faster than an Olympic sprinter
  
  This is the worst feeling ever. If you have ever got to the point where it says that then you will know the crazy mad dash you do from your browsing position to your charger to plug it in before everything dies and you are stuck with no internet for like 5 minutes....

If you are thinking "I do that" then congratulations, you are as addicted to the internet as I am! High five!

To be honest, whether internet addiction becomes a mental disorder or not, I still won't change....and I will not be getting sent to rehab (queue Amy Winehouse music).

I hope you enjoyed reading this! Tell me in the comments below if you do any of the things I mentioned, or even add your own if there are any you do that I don't! I want to hear aaallll about it!

If you enjoyed this post and want to see more of me then click "Join This Site" on the top left of the page!

Also, if you have any suggestions for things you would like me to write about, then do tell me! You can either tweet me, or comment with them below!

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

Toodle-oo!

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Things that bug me

Hello there, buddies.

I am suffering from severe writers block today so I am doing a slightly easier post for now so I can spend the evening planning my other one - sorry!

I am going to tell you about my pet peeves and things that bug me about the world. So long story short, this is going to be a rant. As usual!


People who unfollow you on Twitter as soon as you follow them back
This sort of people really fucking bug me. WHY would you go to the effort of searching through your lists and click unfollow when you see I followed you back? People like this need to not exist. Twitter is about following people who's tweets interest you, not to gain publicity for yourself. 

Bad grammar/English
I am what you call a "grammar Nazi" and I have sort of OCD with it where it really bugs me when people get their grammar wrong. The main thing is the mix up between the likes of "your" and "you're", or the three "there"'s. One of the worst is when people don't capitalise their "I"'s. Gah it drives me nuts. So then my lovely readers, please keep your grammar neat.

The end of a TV series
Don't judge me...when a TV series that I was really in to comes to an end, it is as if my whole world has come to an end. My most recent example of this was the end of 90210. I won't leak any spoilers as I know that the last series has only just started here in the UK, but I watched it with the USA. I was sort of attached to those characters, you know? So naturally, I re-watched a load of it on the internet...happy days.

New Disney Channel shows
Some of my younger readers may be chucking me death glares at the moment, but if you grew up with the likes of "That's So Raven" and "Lizzie McGuire" like I did, then you would understand why I think the new Disney Channel has gone downhill. AND...since when does the Disney Channel have proper adverts?! What the fuck?! Part of the reason why I used to watch the Disney Channel was because I could watch a show without being told about the latest dishwasher soap out.

Running out of Nandos sauce
I think this is one of the worst things in life. This has happened to me once before and I sort of suffered a little bit without my peri-peri sauce on absolutely everything I eat. I love Nandos so much.

Getting out of bed
I am getting ever so slightly lazy at the moment as I don't need to get out of bed - blogging doesn't require me to get dressed! I am genuinely getting out of bed later and later at the moment. I finally got dressed at like 3pm today...Student lifestyle!

Cold showers
No matter how hot it is outside, I would rather have my shower like lava than like snow. I just can't bring myself to do it! I would much rather be too hot than too cold any day.

Gherkins
Who's idea was it to put a gherkin in a bloody cheeseburger?! Sort your shit out, McDonalds! They are gross and no one likes them.

Self checkouts
Oh. My. God. Self checkouts are the most frustrating thing on the entire planet. "Unexpected item in the bagging area. Please remove this item before continuing" I AM SORRY THAT THIS SPECK OF DUST LANDED ON THE SIDE OMG.

Non-iced water
This makes me sound like a snob....but I really don't like it when water isn't ice cold. I have one of those big fridge-freezer contraptions that has an ice and water dispenser so I am so used to the fact all my water is ice cold and it is sooooooo lush.

People on Come Dine With Me
The last few episodes have had the most irritating people on them in the world. I even had to turn it off the other day. That is how fucking annoying those people were. One of them really needed to be slapped. With a bat.

No Eastenders on a Wednesday
I say that they put 'Enders on every Wednesday! Especially as Tuesday's episode usually ends on such a cliffhanger - damn you, BBC!

Slow internet
This must be a sign that you have a severe addiction to the internet, but when my internet gets really slow and keeps dropping I end up in the worst mood known to man. Especially as it means I usually can't access things like YouTube or my blog. That basically means my entire day has been thrown off course because of the fact my internet wants to be a bitch.

Finger clicking
I can deal with back clicking, neck clicking and any other kind of clicking, but as soon as someone clicks or cracks their fingers I go crazy. I hate it so much. It just makes me cringe so badly and I usually end up shouting at the person who did it. Sorry.

People who eat with their mouths open
I am sorry, but I really didn't want to hear you eating. It is so gross - I didn't realise people were brought up in a fucking zoo. Get some manners!

Moths
Moths are so horrible - I am genuinely scared of them...and butterflies. Gah they are the worst things ever. I can even deal with bees and wasps, but not moths. They just fly like they are after you. Evil killing machines.

Snobs
Those people who say things like "that's so cheap" when it is like £15 for a cup of tea. Or people that have overly high standards and won't shop anywhere else other than high-end shops. I am considerably low maintenance so that might be why snobby people piss me off. Sorry, but not everyone is made of fucking money.


Well that is this rant over. Sorry that there have just been a million rants at the moment - I am not in the best of moods (as you can tell).

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you did don't forget to hit "Join This Site" as it really helps me out!

Tune back in tomorrow when I have one hell of a surprise waiting for you!

Toodle-oo!

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Reasons why I am an annoying person

Hello there, buddies.

I did have a slightly more interesting post planned for today, but it is absolutely hammering it down outside so I thought that I might treat you to two posts today! Aren't you lucky! I thought I might start with this one as it is slightly more upbeat given that my other one is a monster of a rant, so you have that to look forward to.

The title of this post is slightly weird and deceiving, isn't it? I promise you I am not going to sit here and tell you all the bloody reasons why you shouldn't be friends with me (although that is probably what you're thinking?). I am going to do a post about all my annoying little habits that I have.

This could go two ways: you could either think "ah yay, I do these things too, lets be friends!" or you could think "you are a freak, never talk to me". Soooo.....I am hoping that it is the first one, but you can't please everyone I guess.

So here we go!


I have road rage
Yeah, I get really bad road rage. Not to the point where I zoom around like a fucking idiot in my car, but I just scream at everyone. Especially if there is traffic. I hate traffic. I hate traffic even more if there are people who insist on cutting you up - that really ruffles my feathers. I'd say I am a pretty good driver, and I don't let my screaming affect that, but I have sworn at a few people who have been driving badly.....Sorry.

I almost never turn my laptop off
I have a feeling that it might be why my last one broke....but I am pretty much on my laptop for every single moment that I am awake (blogger problems) so I never really have reason to turn it off. It does really get its use, doesn't it? I sometimes turn it off at night, but not all the time. I have a feeling all you tech people are probably screaming at me right now...I am sorry, I will try to turn it off every day.

I make lists for everything
This is not an exaggeration. My room is full of lists of pretty much anything. It does keep me organised though because if it is written down then I feel I have an obligation to do it. It has to be handwritten though, it can't be on my phone otherwise it just won't get done. Terrible, I know. You should see the millions of lists I have for my blog. 

I correct grammar all the time
My friends refer to be as a "grammar Nazi" because everywhere I go, if I see incorrect grammar it will just bug me for ages until it is set right. I think I might have OCD about grammar or something? I literally have no idea why, it might have something to do with the fact that I do like to write? As a rule, I am a well-spoken person (having been told this consistently the other night by loads of people) so things like slang and whatnot really piss me off. I am awful. Even if I don't know you, or I have just met you, I will correct your grammar. It has its pluses though as I get to do a lot of proofreading for things to make sure everyone's grammar is up to scratch.

I have to have my duvet dead straight
I don't know why this is, but if I am making my bed I have to make sure my duvet is completely flat and straight. There can't be any crinkles in it and it can't be half on the floor. It just has to be showroom perfect. Please tell me you guys are like this, too?

I am addicted to Nandos
I drove 40 minutes to get to a Nandos once...dedication. I need to get a discount there or something. If there is a possibility of going to a Nandos then I am right on it. I don't think I will ever turn down a Nandos.

I am never off my laptop or the internet
I think this might be a blogger problem....maybe I should do a post about this? I am never off the internet. If I am not on my laptop then I am on my phone - it is seriously that bad. My dad told me the other day to get a life and get off my laptop, to which I replied that I had a life on the internet. I often wonder how I have any friends. Maybe this is the reason why I am single?

I plan everything
I am a big planner and I like to have my day organised and know what I am doing. It's terrible - I even plan my days when I am on holiday. I really hate being caught off-guard like today. I had a day planned out where I went shopping to get some food after taking the dog out, then I woke up to a storm....now I can't do any of those things and I was sort of stumped on what to do. I am really starting to think I have OCD....

I live in a sort of dream world
In my head I like to think that certain scenarios are actually possible, like marrying a YouTuber or actually being able to afford to go travelling after university. But in reality I am never going to meet a YouTuber to the point where it forms a relationship, am I? And I will be up to my eyeballs in debt after university with little chance of getting a job anyway given the economic climate, so I am just going to sit here and watch my dreams sail out the window.

I get depressed when my rugby team lose
I am a big supporter of the Welsh rugby team, and on the odd occasion that they lose a match, I get very depressed. For example, last autumn when we were playing Australia and we lost in the last 30 seconds of the match, I got so depressed that I went home and drank a whole bottle of vodka to forget about the fact that we lost. Then again, I did the same thing when we won the Six Nations, so it goes either way really.

I don't like bacon
Please don't kill me. I just don't like it. I like bacon flavoured things though, just not bacon itself. I don't know why. I am going to run away now before you all kill me.

I dust around objects rather than move them
This might be laziness, but when I am dusting my room I dust around things rather than move them to dust everywhere. I probably should move them considering the fact that I have really bad allergies but I just cannot be bothered.

I drink a lot of Pepsi Max
I am addicted and everyone knows it. I even get given Pepsi Max as birthday and Christmas presents, and my entire family knows that they need to stock it if I am going round. If I don't have at least one glass a day I get really cranky and I get shaky. That is how bad my addiction goes. Pepsi, if you are reading this I think I should be given some sort of free Pepsi for my addiction. Just saying.

I would rather stay in bed and do nothing than see people
I am not even anti-social, but I would rather lounge at home sometimes than go out my house and interact with real people. This is the sign of a true internet addict...


Well then, folks, I hope you don't hate me after that....

If you do the same as me on any of those then leave your comments below or tweet me @LovelyChubly telling me all about it so that I don't feel like such a loser.

If you liked this post then don't forget to subscribe by hitting "Join This Site" on the top of the page and I will speak to you all later!

Toodle-oo!

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How to speak Tumblr

Hello there, buddies!

Today I want to do a bit of a "how to..." post because I seem to have been lacking on them recently - sorry about that.

For all of you who don't quite know what Tumblr is, it is a place where people can sign up and have their own blog. Now, it differs to the likes of Blogger and other blogging sites. Tumblr's main audience is set at teenagers who upload and reblog pictures and GIFs (moving images) of things they like.

People who have Tumblr have created essentially their own little language which can be extremely confusing to people who don't actually have Tumblr. Yes, I am a typical Tumblr user to be honest. I use it to reblog things I am interested in, but I also use it to add my blog posts to it. I do also use this Tumblr slang a lot, and it is starting to slip in to my normal every day conversation (sorry, Dad).

So without further ado, here is a list of words and phrases I think are essential to know when you are a first timer Tumblr user.


1. "Feels"
This is not "feels" in the conventional sense, before you think that I am a mad person for posting a normal word. On Tumblr feels literally mean emotions. A lot of people will say "right in the feels" which basically means "holy shit" for all your non-Tumblr folk. Or can be "too many feels" where they are literally dying from feeling overload after seeing something on the Tumblr-sphere. 

2. Shipping
No, I am not talking about a form of parcel delivery. Shipping is where you basically put two people together who you think would be awesome in a relationship. Hence shipping (also known as ship) which is short for relationship - Tumblr people are smart like that. It can be seen all over Tumblr as "I ship (person one name) and (person two name)". For example: I ship Alfie and Zoe (YouTubers). This usually generates a nickname (think Brangelina). For my ship, the nickname is Zalfie - CUTE. This is so Tumblr it is unreal.

3. "I can't"
When you see someone saying "I can't" (usually seen as "OMG I can't....) this is where they get so overloaded by feels that they literally cannot comprehend anything. No joke. It's just another way of saying "too many feels" I guess. But Tumblr users often seem like their sentences end mid way through as it can literally seem like this: "That episode of Doctor Who the other day... OMG I can't". Seem fragmented to you? Not to me! 

4. Fandom
To put it plain and simple, a fandom is a group of people who share the interest in the same things and become hopelessly and completely obsessed with it. This is not an exaggeration! There are fandoms for so many things in popular culture such as Doctor Who, bands, YouTube, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Anime, anything you name I bet you could find a fandom for. There are thousands of members in each fandom who post images of their subject of fandom for other member to see. It's is all quite nice really! For example, I am a member of the Disney fandom, Phan fandom (a mix of Amazingphil and Danisnotonfire), Harry Potter fandom, YouTube fandom and the Studio Ghibli fandom. Yes, I like a lot of shit, I know.

5. Fanfiction/fanfic/fic
Not just a random jumble of letters. Fanfiction (also referred to as fanfic or fic) is a story written by a member of a fandom about the subject of the fandom. A lot of these are actually amazingly cool and so well written. If you have not read a fanfic before then you might be in for a little bit of a shock...fanfic isn't usually for innocent eyes. Think 50 Shades of Grey with the subject of your fandom in it.....yeah, it gets a bit mental sometimes. For example: I have recent read (and been mentally scarred by) some of the fanfic's for Phan.....They were so good but shocked me yet I couldn't stop reading. I won't post them directly on to here as there may be innocent eyes, but feel free to do some Googling (DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MENTAL SCARRING YOU MAY BE VICTIM OF AFTER READING A FANFICTION)

6. GIF
You may have come across GIFs before on the old internet, but they are a massive thing on Tumblr. GIFs are essentially moving images usually of scenes from things from TV or YouTube, or can be a series of images of a person in a fandom. Nerd fact: GIF stands for graphic interchange format. They are all over Tumblr! 

7. ajkdjisjfsdkf
You will see this a lot over Tumblr, and it isn't someone who has fallen asleep on their keyboard. This is usually used when there are no words someone can use for something they have seen. For example: I recently used this after seeing a GIF of Danisnotonfire on Tumblr where he was biting his lip. I had the typical reaction of "OMG" but that was not enough to express the feels there. It can also be used when there are just too many feels.

8. Fangirl/fangirling 
A fangirl is a person who is such an ultimate fan of the subject of the fandom that they are ever so slightly obsessed with it. There are loads of them in the Phan fandom (might rename it Phandom from now on....) who just go absolutely nuts over seeing something about Dan or Phil on Tumblr. The word fangirling is basically the process of going nuts over something. For example: I fangirled over the image of Dan that I saw. Pretty simple really, and people can do this over absolutely anything - even chocolate. 

9. Forever reblog
Forever reblog is something that people say when they see something they like on Tumblr and they just reblog it every single time they see it pop up on their dashboard (Tumblr homepage). This can be because they fangirl over it, or because something is so funny. There is a GIF of something that I will forever reblog because it literally has me in fits of giggles for hours every time I see it. 

10. Dafuq
Say it out loud. There is your answer. Dafuq is another way of saying "WTF" without technically saying it. It is another one of those Tumblrisms that can be used in so many ways. For example: it can be used in sarcasm, when something is ridiculous, when you are annoyed at someone, when you find something confusing, or when something is just plain mad. This is so common on Tumblr that everyone is dafuqing all over the place!

11. I'm dying
Panic not when you hear a Tumblr user saying they are dying. They are not physically dying! They could be emotionally dying....or dying with laughter (metaphorical laughter of course). I'm dying is (typically) related to fangirling over something, or when there is a ridiculously hilarious GIF pop up on your dashboard. This is not to be confused with "I'm crying" which is used in a similar manner!

12. OTP (one true pairing)
This pairs (see what I did there) with the whole shipping thing. This is when you basically find a couple who are literally so perfect for each other that they should just never be with anyone else in the entire world for the rest of their lives. Sound dramatic to you? Well you are clearly not a Tumblr user!


I shit you not, I have used these words and phrases in general conversation with family and friends who look at me like I am a crazy person (maybe I am?). 

Well that is my list of essential Tumblrisms that you really need to know before clicking on www.tumblr.com and signing up, otherwise you will look like you came from Mars. Just don't forget, saying these to random people in the street or people who don't have Tumblr might get you some weird looks and that person may never talk to you again.

If you enjoyed this post don't forget to subscribe to my blog by clicking "join this site" on the top left, and follow me on the right.

If you think I missed anything out, or have one that you might think I haven't heard then please do comment below!

Toodle-oo, peeps!

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Media Pressures

Hello there, buddies!

NOTE: this is a slightly different tone to my usual posts, please bear that in mind.

If you have been reading my UBC you can probably see a link between this post and my Day 3 post about complimenting. Media pressure is a big issue in today's society, I think. Media is becoming an ever increasing part of our day-to-day lives, and 90% of people are in touch with some kind of media each day.

Now this rant is coming from me and my opinions, just as a little disclaimer. As a girl, I will put my hands up and admit that I do get affected by the media. There are certain areas a girl is sensitive to, such as body image, and the media very skillfully plays on this vulnerability to create nothing less than a shit storm.

The first sort of pressure I want to talk about revolves around fashion. This is coming from someone who really does not give two shits about fashion - as you can probably tell if you know me. There are so many fashion magazines, such as the likes of Vogue, which promote a certain type of fashion. Also, things such as catwalk shows (Fashion Week) showcase so many crazy types of fashion, yet so many young girls aspire to own these items. This I fail to understand.... Why anyone would want to wear 80% of a bird on their head I do not know. This obsession that young girls have developed with fashion still shocks me. When you go shopping, there is hardly any individuality in clothes anymore - they all look the same! Fashion trends are so weird these days too....bring back jelly shoes! I believe this is all down to the media portrayal of fashion being the "in thing". Young girls are influenced so much by what they read in magazines, that they see that they must have the clothes, and that they will be ridiculed if they don't. Are you kidding me? What happened to everyone looking different? What happened to the saying of the world would be boring if we were all the same? Are we all turning in to robotic duplicates of the things we see in magazines? 

Not only are there pressures on the necessity of material things, but also on having these perfect movie-style relationships. Every girl dreams of that big Hollywood kiss and the fairy tale wedding, but how often in reality does this happen? Movies and TV shows these days often portray this image of an "ideal" relationship, which is often completely unattainable. Now, I fully admit that I would love this perfect view of love, yet I am also realistic of this knowing full well that is will not happen. The pressure on a relationship being perfect is so strong these days. It may be part of the reason why the divorce rate is higher than what it has been in previous years - people are viewing their relationships as failures as they are basing them on what they have been shown in the media. In reality, are we all following an unhappy ending?

Now I move back over towards the fashion side of things; I want to talk about models. Have you ever seen a model without all her slap and amazingly perfect airbrushing which makes her skin look like porcelain? I shit you not, they look awful half the time. There are of course the lucky few who look good. Models in magazines and photo shoots are photoshopped within an inch of their lives - I am pretty sure you've seen loads of those before and after shots. Do you think the magazines ever stopped to think that them clicking their mouse to achieve "perfection" is all of a sudden stopping millions of teenage girls in their tracks? This airbrushing is putting so much pressure on girls and women to look like the models in these pictures, when in fact the models themselves don't even look like the pictures.....

This moves me nicely on to size zero. Now I could go on a very long rant about this quite easily. As a slightly chunkier girl, I do fall subject to this size zero ideal. However, I think this pressure can affect girls much younger than me. I have read stories where 7 year olds have dieted and thought that they look far too fat - when in fact they have a perfectly healthy BMI - simply due to this pressure put on them. This size zero thing really ruffles my feathers - a girl is usually self conscious about their body as it is without this added pressure. The media need to reevaluate their main concept of what makes a good looking women. In reality how many women are actually this size? The average size of a woman in the UK is a size 14, which I think looks stunning. Even more so when in comparison to this skeletal girl-like woman who is starting to look slightly like an alien. A real woman has curves, not bones. Just saying.

On a slightly more scientific note, there are constantly pressures on stereotypes. I am going to try and not delve too far in to this as I have planned a separate post. The main thing I am going to focus on right now is the gender stereotypes. There is so much pressure surrounding maintaining a gender stereotype; it is only seen as acceptable when a girl is really girly and wears pink, and when a boy is all rough and tumble and wears blue. Well here is a bombshell for you.....I don't like pink. What do you say to that, media? Media especially has pressure on the behaviour of a girl, or even of a boy, in certain social situations, and then they strive to act in this way, when really they want to do the opposite. Do you really think this makes them happy?

The worst thing about media pressures is the outcomes, and the horrible things that people, young girls especially, put themselves through just in order to conform to an idea set by a middle-aged person who has no interest but promoting their name. The saddest outcome is when young girls, some as young as 10, develop eating disorders in their attempt to conform to size zero and to the airbrushed models they see. This is a clinical disorder that young children are developing simply because of the pressure put on them. This is so unfair! The child is damaging their body permanently, which could be seriously bad for them in later life. People are also developing depression because they don't feel like they are "good enough" when in reality they are perfect as they are. This is something that I feel very upset about. As a girl who has suffered through things like this, I can sympathise at how awful they can feel on a daily basis, but this could all be avoided if the media didn't apply such forceful pressure.

There is also the issue of bullying. As the internet is become an increasingly popular form of media, forms such as social media are becoming a large part of people'd daily lives, and cyber bullying is ever increasing. Facebook apps such as ask.fm have played a large part in fueling this seemingly popular trend in cyber bullying - something that is not acceptable! The internet is acting as a mask for people to hide behind, in order to chuck abuse at another person. I have seen many people being asked questions on ask.fm like "why are you so fat?", or saying cruel jibes about their race, or asking why they do something. I think that this is all fueled by the pressure created by the media. If this issue is not addressed soon I can see it getting extremely out of hand.

Despite this being a very long rant so far (yes, there is more), I think there are some opportunities where media pressure can be seen as positive. I think the main example of this is with sports stars - however, this isn't exactly "pressure" in the same way. Since the London 2012 Olympics, there has been an increase of the focus on sports in schools and as extra-curricular activities. Now, whether you agree with me or not, as this has been focused on in the media, many people are now embracing these new opportunities, and keeping fit and possibly creating new sports stars! I find that some social media can also be positive, such as the likes of YouTube. Now, I am a keen YouTube fan (I spent a lot of time on it.....) and it is full of popular YouTubers of all different backgrounds - which you can now see with the help of "Draw My Life" videos. These are just normal people who haven't been airbrushed within an inch of their lives, and they are very easy to relate to. They address personal issues and almost become like friends to their viewers, and they basically offer support! This is a very positive outcome of social media, I think.

Finally, I want to talk about what I suggest to you guys regarding media pressures. I know that everyone is affected by media pressure, heck even I am, but I am hoping you will take my advice here. No matter what you read in the media, or what someone tells you, you are your own person. Don't be dictated to about what you should look like, what you should wear, or what you need to behave like, because if you listen to them I guarantee that you will not be happy. Take it from someone who has been there, done it and worn the t-shirt - being someone you are not is hell. Also, be strong and fight your corner - people will respect you more if you stand up for what you believe in. I know this is easier said than done, but try not to be affected by the shit you see in the media, because most the time it is just all a facade and a load of bullshit. Take the likes of TV and certain things you see on the internet with a pinch of salt. Most the time they are written by one person who is just trying to make some money, so they probably won't even apply to you. Last but not least: smile through all the shit, because one day you will look back on it and thank it for making you a stronger and better person. The people who bow and conform to everything they see will get haunted for it later along the line; they may not see it, but one day it will bite them on the ass.

That is all for now - this has to be the longest post ever.....
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10 ways how to procrastinate like a pro

Hello there, buddies!

If you know me you will know that I am extremely good at procrastinating. I also always fall to doing my work the last minute after procrastinating for about 2 months then panicking. I am pretty sure this applies more to uni students, but I did this at A Level also, and it could apply to GCSE's; listen up kiddies! So without further ado here are my awesome 10 ways how I procrastinate.


1. Sit down to do work, write the title, have a break.
I am guilty of doing this. All the time. I always get the motivation to do my work then sit down to do it, write only the title and poof, motivation gone. I have no idea why this happens but it always does. Then I do it consistently for 6 weeks then realise that my essay is due in the next day. Then do it again for a few hours and then finally write it.

2. Tidy your entire room, including your wardrobe (even if it is spotless).
Yes, I do this also. My room is usually relatively tidy, but when I have work to do it looks as if a bomb has hit it. I will find any little tiny thing to tidy - including the pins on my pin board. Then I will go through my entire wardrobe sorting it out in a bid to make everything tidier. Gah this sounds like I have OCD - I don't. Deary me. I need a life.

3. Watch an entire TV series.
Last time I needed to do an essay I ended up watching an entire season of Man V Food. Then True Blood. Then Desperate Housewives. Then realised that I should do some work. But didn't do work - oopsie. I also stopped watching Eastenders in a bid to stop doing work, but now I actually like it and I still watch it. Oh well. This way has probably been the reason that I didn't do as well as I could have done on a couple of my essays. So I would recommend that you do this one carefully, haha!

4. Have a nap.
Yup, you read that right. Grab some shut eye! Even if this is a good method of procrastination it can actually help. I know, I am actually trying to help now! Sleep can help refresh your brain which means that you might actually be able to write your essay when you wake up.

5. Browse the internet.
Another one which I fall victim to all the time. Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Daily Mail, 9gag, BBC iplayer - all reasons why I don't ever get anything done. It's all technology's fault. Stupid modern times. Stupid brain getting sidetracked by everything.

6. Start a blog.
I started my original blog (on Walt Disney World in Florida) as a means of procrastination. I spent like hours a day doing research for it - I still do with this blog, but it requires slightly less research. Starting a blog is also a great way to let off steam. I know what the first year can be like; new home, new people, stress of living on your own bla bla bla. So you can write all your feelings down on a blog and feel so much better about it! Just try not to let it get too much in the way of your work, because you won't get anywhere if you don't try!

7. Download a new app and play it for hours.
This happened to me and Temple Run 2, Fruit Ninja and Fall Down 2. Jeez, they are so addictive. Well done, app creators. This can be seriously bad, as you can see. I played Temple Run 2 continuously for like 2 hours 4 days before my essay was due in. Whoops. Don't follow in my footsteps, dudes.

8. Organise your work.
I know that both Vikki and I do this. When our final essays were due in, our work was in a much better condition and was all filed away than what it had been throughout the entire year. That is awful, isn't it?....Wow. This procrastination tip can work both ways: it means that you aren't doing your work, but you are organising it at the same time. Yay!

9. Go shopping, buy a new video game, play it for hours.
Two tips in one here, dudes. Going shopping is a great break, but a great procrastination tip. I did this, then went to buy a new game (in the form of Roller Coaster Tycoon 3) and then continued to play it for about 12 hours before realising I had an essay due in. Genius, Danielle, absolutely wonderful. I still managed to get the work done though. Impressed? You should be,

10. Panic about not having done your work.
I have been victim to doing all of these in one go, then done this one right at the end. This is the worst one I think. It means that your brain goes into "holy shit" mode and you will never get anywhere and will never get anything done. So try and chill, buddies.


Having now said this, I am shocked I passed my first year....

Disclaimer: I am not promoting not doing your work! Please make sure that you actually do your work!

If you do any of these, or have any different ones then leave a comment in the box below!

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That's all for now, so speak laters.

Toodle-oo!

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