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Friday 10 August 2018

Too many Clothes?

Firstly, this post is me thinking some stuff through, the decisions I make are right for me, but might not be right for you. I understand not everyone can choose to buy more expensive clothes, so please don't think I'm judging you if you buy cheaper stuff.
That said, I do think this is something that needs to be talked about more (I want to think about more). Lately, I was browsing in one of the cheaper shops in town, and come out with 5 items, 4 of which were clothing. None of which I had planned to buy that morning, none of which I needed at the time. One I was instantly not sure if I like that much, my first thought; but it's okay because it's cheap, so it doesn't matter if I wear it less, it probably won't last as long anyway. When I stopped to think about it, I'm unhappy with this attitude, there are still materials in that T-shirt, which ok will be recycled when I get rid of it, but it would be better if they hadn't been used in the first place. There are still the workers who made the T-shirt (possibly for an extremely low wage, though after checking the website I'm impressed with what they say about ethical standards). The conclusion I made is that I want to think more before I buy clothes.
One way I'm going to do this is by buying fewer clothes, save for more expensive better-made clothes where I can. Not buying things I don't need just because they look interesting and then not wearing them as I have too many clothes, or sending something to the charity shop simply because I no longer have room for it in my wardrobe. Of-course paying more doesn't always mean better ethics, but it often does, because they are taking in more money to pay the supply chain. Buying fewer clothes does feel a bit different from the social norm, but maybe that's a good thing.
Another thing is to check where it is made, this should be on a label on the clothes. If the answer is China, India, or a poorer country the chances are the wages are very low.
Another question is, does fair-trade matter every time? if I believe the people making the clothes received the right wage but it's not necessarily fair-trade, is that okay? Well, I think it is okay, but when I can, I will try and choice more fair-trade stuff because it does make a difference.
Lastly, should we feel guilty when we make bad choices or buy more clothes than we need? No, as I said earlier, this is how we are programmed to think from adverts to social media to our friends, just realise it's a mistake and try to act differently next time. But if you want to support a charity that is making a difference in this area, then I suggest the Fairtrade Foundation. https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/Get-Involved/Donate





Friday 27 July 2018

*review* Smart-Phone Camara lenses - Apexel APL-DG10

*I wasn't given the products or any incentive for this review, and all thoughts are my own*


This year I have got more into my photography, and as there is no way I'll be getting a DSLR camera anytime soon I thought it might be nice if there were lenses I could put onto my phone.


As a set it's great, there are some that help you take clearer 'better' photos and some that are more 'fun'. There is a case for carrying them around in, which is very useful. They are easy to put onto a phone in the right position (though I do have to check the lens is over the camera and not just off it as that affects the photo).


Review of the separate lenses -
Wide lens and Macro lens – The Macro lens can be used on its own, but it is advised in the instructions to use with the wide, this has given me the best results. I have some nice photos taken with this. I've yet to get any brilliant photos with this, but I think that's more due to my photo skills.
CPL – This is used to remove unwanted reflection such as from glass or water. I haven't had much chance to use this, but I do like the photos I have taken it.
Telephoto – This has given me some lovely photos so far, it's brilliant for getting close to plants in the garden.
 Fisheye – Gives images a round fishbowl effect. I love this, the photos look odd, but cool in a way, and it's great fun. I remember one of the earliest camera apps I downloaded onto a smartphone had a fisheye effect, I thought that was cool too, but obviously, this is more powerful because it's a proper lens.
Star Filter – Catches lights, and makes them more like stars. I haven't had a chance to use this much, possibly more of a winter lens, but I love the effect it gives when I have used it
Radical filter – Takes the static object into dynamic effect, makes it look like the object is moving, or just gives you nice lines coming from the object. Nice, I like the photos I've taken with this, none so far of an object that would be moving, but I can see how it would work.
Flow filter – another interesting effect with static objects, again fun to use, but not had the chance to use to the best opportunity yet.
Kaleidoscope filters – There are two of these, the effect is to take the image you see, and multiply it in a kaleidoscopic way. This is really enjoyable to play with, I really like the photos I have taken with this

So to finish I certainly recommend getting this set, or there are others sets around that do a similar thing, just search for 'Smartphone Camera Lenses'


Wide + Macro lenses
fisheye
telephoto
radical filter

Friday 20 July 2018

Here we are again

So what's going on? In January /February you thought I was blogging again, then it just stopped... Well, the answer is that at the beginning of February I was diagnosed with ITP which is a blood disorder that affects the clotting of the blood (low number of platelets ). This has taken most of the energy I had, so that is why I haven't been writing. Now, I'm on a low dose of the steroids that are keeping things in check and getting back to more of 'normal life' so here I am.


What have I been doing in the last six months? Not a lot, because of the reasons stated above. I did have a lovely holiday in Seaton, Cornwall back in early June. And enjoyed celebrating my birthday at the end of June. A few nice shopping trips, cinema visits, and some lovely meals out. While I haven't been able to do anything in my writing, I have been doing more photography, which I will post more about in a future post, but it was good to have something that felt creative / was fun/ and gave me a sense of happiness when I was low. I was also lucky to have my faith, as there were times I couldn't get by without knowing God was with me. I am also so very thankful to all my family, friends (in real life and on Social Media), who have supported me through this, hopefully, I am on the mend, although there will always be a chance the ITP could come back, I am really hoping it won't for some time.


I'm going to use the post to re-evaluate my 2018 goals – as posted here
  • To Live Life More – I've not really had a chance to do that, most of the plans I made for this year haven't happened, and I don't think I'll be back to making them happen until next year, but at least there's a good reason.
  • Give in less to fear – That has happened in an unexpected way, I have had some scary times and awful things because of the ITP but I'm getting better at dealing with them.
  • Writing – Not done anything, but again good reason, and hopefully now getting back into it
  • Photography/Editing – As I mentioned earlier, I have been doing more photography not so much editing, I have done some and I will keep trying to remember to do more.
  • Faith/ Closer to God – At times, yes, but already I feel like I've been less good at spending time working on this very recently, I really want to get back into it.
  • Self-love – At times this has been a struggle this year, but I think I'm getting there again, still a work in progress though.


So that's it, hopefully not six months till the next post.
 

Beach in Seaton, where I was on holiday in June



Friday 9 February 2018

postivity and self-worth (1)

There is a lot of negativity in the world which is something I think I'll be coming back to a lot in this blog, but to start with I just want to do a piece on positivity.
 
Self-worth is so important, it is something a lot of people, young and old struggle with, I included, this is probably seeking to myself as much as anyone.

But we do all have worth, everyone is created differently, and sometimes all you can see is how you are different from everyone else around you, and you feel inferior. This is not true, you have been created to be you. Your challenges and talents are different from every other person, but that's good. If we were, all the same, there would be no uniqueness in the world, it would feel very much the same and be very boring. Whatever struggles you are going through, you can make it through them, and remember there are people to support you (friends and family, and I'm here for everyone reading this). Most of all we all have our talents/gifts and interests. It has taken me a long time to realize that we have to find these and embrace them. Talents are still something I struggle to see in myself, but I have my writing, and maybe some photography/art skills, and I'm learning to be a good friend which is an important skill. If you don't know where your talents are, keep trying new things that you enjoy and hopefully, you will find something. Your interests are so important to what makes you special, it's what other people will learn to love about you. Embrace them, even if they seem very different to everyone's interests around you, find people who share them, or talk to your friends about them, if they interest you, there is a chance they will interest your friends.

Remember you are important, you deserve to be valued. I believe that each person was created perfectly by God (Perfect in his sight if not this world's). But even if that isn't for you now, believe me, that you do have value because everyone does. Again, so much of the negativity comes from this world we live in. There are experiences put on us every day by those around us and ourselves.  We have to learn when these are right and when they are wrong, they are often wrong. The world wants to be perfect, like that person in the magazine or on TV. They want us to feel the same, look the same, to feel the same as everyone else. But that is the opposite of the individuality we should be living. As I said at the beginning, we are all different. We all have flaws in our natural beauty, but that doesn't stop us being beautiful, we have to accept them and accept other people's flaws. You will find aspects of your character that is weird, I do every day, but that doesn't mean it's wrong, embrace it and remember it's part of how you fit into this world. Also, learn to accept these things about each other, you won't agree with everyone, and sometimes your fellow human will seem strange to you. But if you want other people to accept you, you have to accept them. Everyone else has their place too, and we have to learn how to understand each other better if we want the world to be a happier place.

I hope this helps someone, do you have any advice for helping others to see each other positivity? 


Tuesday 23 January 2018

What Fandom means to me

Firstly a fandom is a group of people with a similar interest. You are all a 'fan' of something. Could be a sports team, TV programme, film series, actor, band, anything really. The fandom is the group of people who chat about whatever it is. I have many things that I'm a fan of, but the main fandoms I interact with and will be thinking about for this are: BBC Sherlock (and separately Benedict Cumberbatch), Doctor-Who, Marvel, Lord Of The Rings, and Harry Potter. Most of the interacting I do on Twitter though fandoms can be found on Facebook or any social media platform.

So that's the actual real description, but what does it mean to me personally? A community, a group of people who I wouldn't meet in 'normal life', and a wide range of ages. Some of these people have become really good friends that I hope I always stay in touch with. I have met a few of them 'in real life', and I want to meet more. You start talking about the 'fandom' (the thing you have in common), but you end up sharing a lot more (if that's what you want – you can be part of a fandom and just interact at that level and still make friends I believe). For someone who doesn't find making conversation easy, this has been a joy for me. I started just talking about the shows/films /stars and mainly retweeting (sharing), what was already there, but I found it was easy to interact because of the same interest, people are more interested in what you have to say, so I posted more and more original stuff, and sometimes more about my life. There are some negative people who pick fights or are rude, but you get that in any community; on the whole, my experience has been positive.

I guess as a lot of it is escapism, we are mainly talking about things that are different from 'real life', but that's good because we all need a chance to escape. Also, as you bond and form friendships, you always support each other through rough patches, I have seen this.

Another awesome thing about fandoms is the amount of creative stuff that other people in the fandom manage to produce. From artistic edits and stories to making actual things to sell. You wouldn't know how much was out there to enjoy if you weren't in a fandom. Also, just buying and enjoying merchandise. Everything from T-shirts to mugs to keyrings to prints of edits, etc. There is so much available now, some official or other mass produced stuff, some handmade by other fans, Yes, it's just something else to spend money on, and I try not to buy too much, but it feels personal because it's focused on something you're interested in, and it's a nice way to expand your enjoyment of your favourite thing. I love my fandom t-shirts, mugs, and other bits.
 
The other point I want to cover is why a TV show or a film become a major hobby. Aren't they just something to watch and then forget about? Well, I don't think so no. Talking about your favourite things can help you see things about them that you wouldn't notice on your own. You're talking over every point good/bad, which generally helps me to enjoy the good parts better. Where it comes to the really good ones, you can a lot of the characters and the stories. They can give you good life lessons, and quotes to guide you. See the edit of a Doctor-Who quote below. Or you see a situation similar to something you have been through, are going through, will go through in the future, and seeing how the character reacts in the show can help you deal with it in your life. Fandoms, meeting with people and talking about this side of your favourite programmes, just helps extend this side mostly, which is another reason they are such a good thing.

So if you have a show or film or something you enjoy, is it necessary to join the fandom? No, but it could be a good thing if you do.


Friday 19 January 2018

*Review* Costa Coconut and Vanilla Latte's - Are Coconut Coffees a fad?

*I wasn't given the products or any incentive for this review, and all thoughts are my own*


Coconut coffees are something I've noticed more coffee shops offering. Even if you don't have a Costa near you, you might see coconut coffees offer somewhere else. Also for anyone who doesn't know Costa is a chain of Coffee Shops (similar to Starbucks). There's a lot of them in the UK, not sure about other countries.  So what is the point of a coconut coffee, is it just the syrup they add? No, they are made with coconut milk (some places use a combination of coconut/soy milk, but I'll refer to it as coconut milk for the rest of the post for ease) instead of normal milk. Because they are dairy free they're very popular with vegans and people who can't take dairy, but of course, anyone can order them. As a non-vegan the main reason I wanted to try one was because of the taste; I like coconut. I aslo wanted to see what the fuss was about? I was sceptical, would it change the taste of the drink too much?

 The drink I chose was a Coconut and Vanilla Latte. This is a latte drink with vanilla powder and made with coconut milk. Costa also does a Coconut Flat White and a Coconut Mocha. So onto the review (finally I hear you shout). 
My first opinion of the drink was that it looks really nice (see picture below), I think Costa always presents their drinks well, but the 'toasted coconut chips' on the top made it look even nicer than a normal latte.Now for the taste. I loved it, I would certainly order this or any other drink made with coconut milk again. It did taste different than a normal vanilla latte, but it tasted better. Yes, coconut does taste great in coffee folks. It also mixed very well with the vanilla, and I could taste the vanilla all the way through, whereas sometimes with an ordinary vanilla taste you can only taste the syrup at the bottom, or have to stir really well.This is probably because instead of a vanilla syrup they use a vanilla powder, anyway it made the drink nicer. The taste was sweeter than normal, and I love sweet things. It is also had really creamy thick texture to the drink, which you don't always get with a Latte; this might be a disadvantage for you but I enjoyed it. The toasted coconut chips lasted right to the end of the drink, I spooned them up with some froth when I had finished my coffee. They also added a different texture/element to the drink, which I thought was really tasty.

 So to finish if you like coconut I highly recommend trying a drink with coconut in. I'm looking forward to trying more coconut coffees soon. Have you tried a coconut coffee, are you interested in trying one?





Tuesday 16 January 2018

2018, a year for achieving goals?

This post is about my 2018 goals/resolutions, I find making goals helps me to achieve more of what I want by the end of the year, as does reviewing how I'm getting on with them. Yes, I know we are close to the end of January, but bear with me. This blog is new so this is the first chance I've had to write about this, and I feel it is deserving of a piece. Anyway, they will continue to be goals for the whole year so.

I'm going to start with the bigger, more life-defining stuff. 2 years ago I made the decision in January to 'Live Life More'- for me, this means valuing experiences more than possessions; trying to save towards to do the former (trips, plays, events) rather than spend on the latter. I believe that experience means more because they give us memories that last longer, and usually a more joy at the time. You end up living a fuller life. I still take this goal every year, I am getting better at it, though I probably still spend to much on possessions. I'm not sure of what I've done this year to reach this goal, but I'm making some plans in my head including hopefully meeting some of the friends I have met through Twitter, I've added to my savings, so not bad for January.

Alongside this, is giving in less to fear. Partly because of my disability, I have/do spend a lot of time being scared of trying new things and moving out of my comfort zone. Again to combat this is a goal that is continued every year, as I do more. Yes, I do think I'm making progress so far this year, starting this blog itself is the proof of that. As I 'Live Life More' that will bring more out of my comfort zone too.

Some of my goals have more towards doing more with my hobbies, as I have things that I enjoy doing, but I'm usually not good at finding the time for. The first of these is my writing. Well, this blog is proof that I have excelled the goal so far in 2018. As I said in my last post, I assumed this would be fiction oriented, not for anyone but myself till I got into it again. Then in the first week in January, I thought about starting a blog, and I have written something, even if it's just planning a post, every day since then. I have never been the type to write every day, so I'm not sure what's happening or how long it will continue, but I'm rolling with it.

The other hobbies I enjoy are photography and picture editing. I've done some photography this year, not sure how good, but I'm happy with them. I will probably do a post about this at some point, for now if you want to see my photos, I'm on Instagram as @kb_wholocked, The pictures accompanying my posts are my own, this was taken outside my church a few weeks ago. I hope this continues or increases this year, it would be good to use my camera more instead of just my phone camera. The editing is twofold, editing photos using the apps/settings on my camera which I have been doing this year, and using my computer software, to make edits/pictures – I made the header for my blog, but apart from that I haven't done this, so I hope I find the time for it soon.

My final goals, like my first two are continuing every year. One is to get closer to God, and move on in my Christian life. I think this is going well, I've had a few good quiet/prayer times, I can feel the presence with me more. The other is to love myself more – remember that I do have great qualities as-well as bad ones, also it's okay when I make mistakes. I think this is a good goal for all of us.

So that's it. On the whole, I'm doing pretty well for January, the whole post isn't meant to be bragging though, just letting you into my life, and showing goals that are achievable and might be helpful. I'll probably do a following post later on in the year. Do you have any goals for the year? Do you agree with me about Experiences over
Possessions? Any Comments, post below or to my Twitter.



Friday 12 January 2018

New Year, New Blog

I'm Kirsty I'm in my 30's and live in the UK. I can't work at the moment due to a disability called non-classical-Marfan's syndrome; which means my muscles are weaker than an average person. This affects a lot of everyday things like writing and holding/carrying things. It affects my stamina so I get tired very easy. I was also born with a dislocated hip which, although being operated on to stabilize it, has still left me with a limp. This has left me more reliant on my parents than most people my age, but I'm working on becoming more independent, that's for another post anyway.

Enough of the boring stuff, especially as I don't believe my disability defines me. I am also a Christian, and my faith is very important to me. Feel free to ask me a question about my faith here on my twitter (link on my blog), I'll do my best to answer. My other interests are TV (BBC Sherlock, Doctor Who, Victoria, Call The Midwife, Strictly Come Dancing, Bake Off and others), Films ( The Marvel – MCU or Marvel Cinematic Universe, Lord of The Rings, It's a Wonderful Life, I also like a lot of Disney and DreamWorks stuff) I'm not always good at the latest films because I wait for them to be on free-tv, or occasionally buy/rent online unless I really want to see it. My other hobbies are Reading, Photography, and cooking/baking.

So why am I here, writing a blog? Well, I've always been interested in writing, but usually find it hard to stick too, especially as I'm not sure if I'm ever going to be a professional writer although that would be awesome. I had a blog here years ago, but have deleted old posts to start anew. To get back to writing was one of my New Years Resolutions, more in my next post; I assumed it would be fiction writing as that's usually what I enjoy, but since about a week ago, I've been inspired to write a blog, so I am. I have a few interesting ideas at the moment, I should be able to keep it going, we'll see. I have a few different ideas for types of posts; probably a lot of my-life type, some reviews of TV/Films/Products etc., some positivity stuff because I need it and I know others do too.

That's enough rambling on for now, until next time.