tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75668110453324055062024-03-19T21:54:54.373+00:00That Girl with that BlogLia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.comBlogger112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-23933540312516281622019-03-27T19:26:00.002+00:002019-03-27T19:26:55.879+00:00Phrases I HateHey Earthlings!<br />
<br />
We all have those phrases or quotes or sometimes just words that when we hear them it makes our blood boil and our neck do that funny thing where you kind of go "bleurghuohui". You know what I mean? I've taken a few of them, listed them here and told you exactly why I hate them. Let me know if there's some more you hate.<br />
<br />
"There's someone out there worse off than you"<br />
Yes, this may be the case and I hope they come out of their situation feeling all the joys of spring but just because there is someone out there with more issues than you're feeling, it does not mean your experiences and feelings are invalid. If you are trying to comfort someone and make them feel better about their situation in what way is, "ah well don't worry, Tina down the road is way worse off than you are" going to make them feel better? EXACTLY. It won't. End of, let's just entirely blow this phrase away.<br />
<br />
"Respect your elders"<br />
By no way am I saying I don't respect my elders, but if someone is rude to me for no reason or whatever then I don't care how old they are but I will lose all respect for them. The younger generation are automatically meant to respect elders and everyone around them but it is perfectly okay for an older person to go "respect is earned, not given", fair enough, but I will also apply this logic. Thank you and goodbye. I also feel as though working in retail has definitely solidified this view for me because people can be very mean for no valid reason.<br />
<br />
"You have to love yourself before you can love anyone else"<br />
This is an incredibly toxic view to have towards life and yourself. I preach about self love a lot and how important it is, but I'd be lying if I said I loved myself. There are days when I'm super happy with myself and I'm all "go Lia! you're doing great!" but there are days when I am so horrible to myself it's unreal because of the teeniest tiniest things, but I'm on a journey to believing I'm awesome so I'll deal with it. But on the days where I hate myself that doesn't mean I don't love other people and I don't understand how the two could even correlate. There's nothing I love more than showing kindness to others and making people happy, especially the people closest to me and just because I'm not feeling myself for a day or two it doesn't mean that this love instantly expires and there's a warning light like "heeeey, back up buttercup!" because that does not happen. So spread the love around for everyone.<br />
<br />
"All good things come to those who wait"<br />
Incorrect. All good things come to those who get up and work hard for something.<br />
<br />
"Your secondary school years will be the best 5 years of your life"<br />
Also very incorrect and if this were the case then I would have definitely given up by now. Why would I want to live my life constantly comparing myself to 11-16 year old Lia? And the drama, oh my gosh the drama that surrounded secondary school...why would I want to constantly think "oh yes love it!". It's far too much energy and a horrible thought.<br />
<br />
"Like a girl"<br />
Stop. Just stop. I could write an entire post about these 3 words and it still wouldn't cover why I hate it so much. So, just stop.<br />
<br />
"Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt me"<br />
This is a difficult one because now I'm older and I don't really care what people think of me I love this phrase. But when I was about 13, I hated this phrase because the message might be powerful and empowering and encourages you to not care what people say but words do hurt. Words can hurt a hell of a lot. There are times in my younger teenage years where I would rather have had someone throw sticks and stones at me than use the words they were using to describe me etc., because you heal a lot quicker from physical injuries than you do from hurtful comments.<br />
<br />
"A good deed dies when it is spoken about"<br />
I'm not for people using their good deeds as a way to gain positive attention and it annoys me. But, by sharing your good deeds with others it can encourage them to perform good deeds which they might not have necessarily thought about so I don't think that's a bad thing. Share away!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieC6bJS5UCt4W8t0fyQsNNH38GdCNwTsbxhbdBB9guZQuXXlv7WffKJ4Lt0KN7khqXge4kURqqX7Bjyw4Nfz7tUuW7wkbvqjxR2DGKMksUR9MC6ugkmXUCR61V_LyBgD8MSGQcU3v-250/s1600/phrases+i+hate.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="1371" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieC6bJS5UCt4W8t0fyQsNNH38GdCNwTsbxhbdBB9guZQuXXlv7WffKJ4Lt0KN7khqXge4kURqqX7Bjyw4Nfz7tUuW7wkbvqjxR2DGKMksUR9MC6ugkmXUCR61V_LyBgD8MSGQcU3v-250/s320/phrases+i+hate.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoyed this post and I also hope you didn't do the funny neck thing too soon.<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
Lia x<br />
<br />
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-43535749611444447332019-03-11T07:13:00.000+00:002019-03-11T07:13:16.749+00:00Doris goes to see Captain Marvel | FILM REVIEW<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hello dearies! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I hear the new film that's 'hot on the block' recently is this Captain Marvel one, and little old Doris does like to be hip, trendy and down with the kids *throws the equivalent of a swagger sign* so decided to hop on the bandwagon and go along, booking myself in for the 12.00 (pm just to clarify) showing at the local cinema. I'm currently cutting down on the whole chocolate/cake/biscuits scene, so sneaked a small tub of Pringles into the cinema with me...I have to say, I felt like a bit of a rebel eating food that I'd bought from somewhere else whilst inside the cinema, it was an adrenaline rush! If you're wondering what flavour Pringles they were, I obviously chose the best ones aka sour cream and onion as I'm not some sort of monster. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Anyway, I did buy one of those Tango Ice thingymabobs as I hear that's too what the cool kids like to have at the cinema. I could only have cherry though as the machine wasn't working properly, technology nowadays eh? I finally made my way into the cinema and sat in those awfully low chairs, oh I feel like I'm sat on the floor, when someone wanted to get past to their seat, you know how it is the awkward shuffle and lean and "oh sorry!" and "thank you ha ha" and it's all quite forced and you're weirdly close to complete strangers as you hold onto your chair for dear life and it is possibly the longest few seconds of your life? No? Just me then. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Finally the film started. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Captain Marvel is a warrior from Kree, some extraterrestrial place with fancy suits that don't look the easiest to use the bathroom in, and she happens to find herself in the middle of a big battle, which looked rather tiring may I add, between her people on Kree and the Skrulls. If all of this wasn't enough to deal with, whilst on earth she experiences odd flashbacks and recurring memories of a different life of US Air Force pilot, Carol Danvers. Help comes in the form of Nick Fury as she tries to recover her past and controlling these very cool superpowers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Once Carol Danvers realises who she is then there's no stopping her and when that moment comes you're sat in your seat punching the air in front of you (not quite as dramatically as in The Breakfast Club but still) willing her on to go and kick ass. Mind my language. I'm not going to say too much and give away any of those spoilers(!), but she is good at kicking said ass.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The film is a superhero movie, if you love superheroes then you're probably going to love it and if you don't then you can still enjoy it for what it is. It's a visually pleasing film with lots of fancy effects and whatnots, I'm not going to be technical because I can't but it looked cool. I'm a big believer in female empowerment and I think this film is brilliant for that, I hope there's many little dears who walk out of the cinema and want to be as powerful and cool as Captain Marvel. I mean maybe not all the different planet stuff because that could be a bit unsafe, you never know in this day and age... I think we could all take a leaf out of Carol's book (I think we're on first name basis now I've dedicated a post to her) in the scene where we see her be knocked down multiple times and get back up, ready to go again. Ooh, I was also a big fan of the shade of green of the Skrulls, I'd like a hat that colour. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Doris's Rating: 8 cups of tea out of 10.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Cast: Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jude Law as Yon-Rogg, Lashana Lynch as Maria, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, and there's a cat!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Good day dearies, Doris x</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDDFgxqWTL0ocXZ7gCNN-XQ4f2fFdbIFJzFPWo9RoEY_GWV-LN5CLJ1ciGVcUNU9B6G4BM6WC_L6YRnpb1tS27ERzmF9y5H5j-FDwge38aevKC6YbpZz83yjrXG9IPp2u-JH0uZPak5c/s1600/20190311_070711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDDFgxqWTL0ocXZ7gCNN-XQ4f2fFdbIFJzFPWo9RoEY_GWV-LN5CLJ1ciGVcUNU9B6G4BM6WC_L6YRnpb1tS27ERzmF9y5H5j-FDwge38aevKC6YbpZz83yjrXG9IPp2u-JH0uZPak5c/s320/20190311_070711.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-71079016555402228332019-03-03T22:46:00.000+00:002019-03-03T22:46:57.493+00:00TwentyHello Earthlings!<br />
<br />
As I sit and type this I'm tucked up cosy in bed and listening to the wind batter everything in sight, and it doesn't matter that today I turned 20 because the wind still scares me so I'm still going to tuck up as tight as I can and try my best to ignore it after I've typed this. But, anyway! Hi.<br />
<br />
Birthdays are a funny thing, you know they're going to happen and you know that you get older but they're a bit odd. When I was little, I looked forward to being a teenager which in itself is completely barmy (maybe I'm the only one intimidated by groups of teenagers...), and I always thought "13 is such a grown up age!!!" because 6 year old me was clearly clueless. I remember a particular time where I stood looking out of my bedroom window, in the house I lived in as a young child, wistfully into the distance (you know like they do on films where it gets to a real deep moment?) and couldn't wait for 13 to arrive so I could be a "grown up". Maybe we're only limited to a handful of those staring out of the window looking all sad and Hollywood in our lives and I wasted one of them on wishing I was 13. Honestly Lia.<br />
<br />
13 came around and I was probably your typical 13 year old (back in the 2012 days and not Fortnite era), my birthday cake probably summed it up as it was a personalised One Direction cake. I was a Harry Styles kinda girl, but obviously he wasn't quite up there with Justin Bieber who I was that obsessed with I can still tell you the time he was born and recite the Never Say Never film word for word. I probably definitely thought I was a grown up and obviously cooler than younger me who had a flashing Hannah Montana scooter which I used to scoot down the hill on and then sit on at the bottom and try and push myself back up the hill. Why, you ask? I'd love to know. Anyway, as my teenage years went on I realised I wasn't really that much of a grown up and still needed lots of help with everything.<br />
<br />
Then 18 and 19 came along and so did phone bills, car insurance, uni and the scariest of all...going into the dentist without my mum, and I realised that yeah I'm growing up and all that jazz. Not growing up in the sense of all serious and blah de blah because I can guarantee, that will never happen as I don't like taking myself too seriously. So, I'm just still gonna be an oddball but I'm happy with that! Obviously I knew 20 was going to arrive it just seems a bit mad that it has.<br />
<br />
For example, when I turned 10 I was all "ooh the next decade I'm going to hit is 20 and that's all weird but a bit cool" then boom 20 arrives and it's suddenly the next decade is 30 and that's way too grown up. Am I meant to have my life together by then? Will I finally participate in "self-care" by then? Will I still put a tonne of pressure on myself to complete 240758 tasks in one day? Who knows? Because I do not which scares me and excites me all at the same time.<br />
<br />
I hope that in my twenties... I never stop learning because my whole education experience will be over during this time and I don't want to ever stop learning new things.<br />
<br />
I hope that in my twenties... I make decisions that will make myself happy, I always make decisions based on what I think other people want me to do and I think I need to stop that and decide what will benefit me.<br />
<br />
I hope that in my twenties... I go on lots of new adventures, near and far and always appreciate the amazing countryside I'm so lucky to live close to.<br />
<br />
I hope that in my twenties... I manage to do some "grown up" things that kind of terrify me but bring loads of new opportunities and exciting chapters.<br />
<br />
I hope that in my twenties... I don't lose my appreciation for the simple things in life, like daffodils and "drive safe" texts and laughing a lot over silly things.<br />
<br />
I hope that in my twenties... I continue doing the things I love and appreciate every opportunity I get.<br />
<br />
I hope that in my twenties... I am happy. <br />
<br />
I've had the loveliest birthday weekend, I'm surrounded by so many incredible people who I love dearly and I'm so very lucky.<br />
<br />
Welcome to my twenties!<br />
<br />
Lots of love, Lia x<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7D7Se6zbk9mzgaYTrv_AITybWlHb-rq45F_VO8AoSy9FUHXLAs3Phdg4c_m4a-0MfwYX9zhhHbVlLT5_wdGn-FqCbvvV69SC3YFtf2SCVmx3hy1vsJmWubK5Oa1wpslbdeDDJHBqfljw/s1600/20190303_132845.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7D7Se6zbk9mzgaYTrv_AITybWlHb-rq45F_VO8AoSy9FUHXLAs3Phdg4c_m4a-0MfwYX9zhhHbVlLT5_wdGn-FqCbvvV69SC3YFtf2SCVmx3hy1vsJmWubK5Oa1wpslbdeDDJHBqfljw/s320/20190303_132845.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-48804163669443261802019-02-03T19:32:00.000+00:002019-02-03T19:32:09.045+00:00FILM REVIEW - How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll admit in terms of the How to Train Your Dragon films I'm a bit rusty, in fact very rusty as I have never seen the first one...or the second one. But I decided to go along and see the 3rd one as I'd heard about the hype surrounding it and thought "why not". The kids watching the film were probably less annoying than some of the parents, yes I'm talking to you the woman two rows in front who scrolled through Facebook and your Snapchat stories for half the film, 104 minutes is not a long time to go without social media - maybe give it a go! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm sure I'd have understood bits of the film more if I'd seen the other two but I wouldn't deem it as one of those films that make no sense without watching the first in the series. So, don't worry if you have no dragon knowledge and get dragged along to see it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hiccup discovers that his dragon Toothless isn't the only remaining Night Fury, and he must find "The Hidden World" that his father always spoke about when he was younger for the dragons to be safe. Whilst Hiccup and the other Berk-ians are searching for The Hidden World, they're being hunted for their dragons by Grimmel, who's been hired to get rid of the dragons. Will Hiccup manage to find the secret dragon paradise before the enemies?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An underlying theme within the film is about growing up, adapting to change and ultimately letting go. It seems to be the perfect finale for this much loved trilogy, as there's a sense of sadness and happiness. A particular thing I loved is that Astrid, Hiccup's eventual wife (spoiler, sorry) isn't just a female character who goes along with what her partner does, she questions, she has her thoughts and ultimately she's fierce, which is definitely something I approve of. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I recommend going to see How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, if you want a quieter experience then maybe wait until it's been out a while however I wouldn't like to say when is the best to avoid the social media obsessed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lia's Rating: 4 out of 5 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<img alt="Image result for how to train your dragon: the hidden world" height="320" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjIwMDIwNjAyOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDE1MDc2NTM@._V1_.jpg" width="202" /><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Picture from <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2386490/" target="_blank">IMDB</a>. </span><br />
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-40730861801413648212019-01-21T13:17:00.002+00:002019-01-21T13:17:28.212+00:00Teenage Cancer Trust Volunteering<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi Earthbugs!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have returned to some sort of normality post Christmas and am back at university and all that fun stuff so I thought, what better time for a new blog post? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoiL0IkBohdB7WT8MhMJuxCZA-fyHbrOw90DhImFL72YknWm8nJTslP-d1uU0GDiLqyfIenf2wd9Gj4y9F5KS-Qz_hcaOMMFHLN4EKZCTk2YmNdOryECV7EkzcXurIpTxxFBq2ImKfOk/s1600/FreshPaint-27-2019.01.15-03.43.01+%25282%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="932" data-original-width="642" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoiL0IkBohdB7WT8MhMJuxCZA-fyHbrOw90DhImFL72YknWm8nJTslP-d1uU0GDiLqyfIenf2wd9Gj4y9F5KS-Qz_hcaOMMFHLN4EKZCTk2YmNdOryECV7EkzcXurIpTxxFBq2ImKfOk/s320/FreshPaint-27-2019.01.15-03.43.01+%25282%2529.png" width="220" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've vowed to myself to push myself out of my comfort zone more, not so much as a new year's resolution but more a lifestyle change, and take opportunities when I can and that basically sets the scene for this post. I was scrolling through Facebook a few weeks ago and saw an advert for volunteers to collect money at a Young Voices event in Sheffield for Teenage Cancer Trust. I put myself out there and signed up, I love volunteering and helping others so I thought "what could go wrong?". I received all my confirmation emails, my t-shirt, where I had to be at what time and was excited. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until the day came and then the crippling fear of "what if I do something wrong?" "what if people look at me and go why is she here?" "what if I'm not needed?" and a thousand other what ifs that terrified me. I guess you could say I'm a what if-er, and that tends to prevent me from signing myself up for these kind of things or anything that pushes me remotely out of my comfort zone. I very nearly stayed in the car but I opened the door, told myself to stop being stupid and in true Lia style, tripped up over my own feet and walked over the Fly DSA arena to the meeting point. Admittedly, I'm clueless with directions and had no clue where the meeting point was but when I saw a group of people wearing Teenage Cancer Trust t-shirts I figured I'd found the right place. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stood there awkwardly in a group until everyone was there and were then taken to our suites, I know that is very fancy, where we were able to watch some of the show before having to get ready to go and collect money as everyone left. The event was Young Voices, it's basically a big school choir full of different schools and many, many children. I'm talking well into the thousands, every night. There's so many songs for them to learn and dance along to and they all perform them together for their family and friends. It was really good singing along with the kids! There's also special guests, I was slightly gutted that I missed Tony Hadley as he came on stage just as we left our suite. But it was so sweet watching everyone have a really good time, I kind of wanted to put them in a bubble so they stayed in that moment forever because I don't know about anyone else, but primary school days were the best days in terms of my school life and I really hope they all remember the good time they had performing as part of the Young Voices concerts for a very long time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVn3JeFcSwJkf5V-kINmgdJbuqZ0oQevk1Tj7JMsdbCWM3t_1B0NNtRn1PkkbnchKqv0NqQLyyWebhcpFD375aMeDbDcY_R8S5ugr6nq6LZ2V1cFPIr33Hyil0eah8XLT5QEApL-CpYQI/s1600/50294539_279633162708160_8704375799488184320_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVn3JeFcSwJkf5V-kINmgdJbuqZ0oQevk1Tj7JMsdbCWM3t_1B0NNtRn1PkkbnchKqv0NqQLyyWebhcpFD375aMeDbDcY_R8S5ugr6nq6LZ2V1cFPIr33Hyil0eah8XLT5QEApL-CpYQI/s320/50294539_279633162708160_8704375799488184320_n.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The collecting money bit was quite simple, stand there smile and say thank you! People were very generous and it was lovely to see. I let the side down though as someone went to throw a pound in and I failed at attempting to catch it so had to dodge the feet to pick it up and add it to my bucket. I received an email the day after with the total of how much we had raised that night and it was a phenomenal amount which was amazing. Just from one night and there were other nights and other volunteers so it's really great. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Money raised for Teenage Cancer Trust is essential so they can continue all of the amazing work that they do, and when there's 7 young people diagnosed with cancer every day in the UK there needs to be work done to help. Teenage Cancer Trust have provided 28 specialist units across the UK as a home away from home for young people receiving treatment along with this they've funded specialist nurses and youth support coordinators to support these young people, they've reached 118,000 young people to educate them about cancer and have made 185 Hair 4 U wigs. That's just a start. They do incredible work and we should support them where we can. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a brilliant time volunteering for Teenage Cancer Trust and would happily do it again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until next week,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lia x </span>Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-84830393731164728352019-01-01T14:28:00.001+00:002019-01-01T14:28:23.555+00:00Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019Hello Earthbugs!<br />
<br />
I'm back and hopefully this upcoming year will be a lot better post wise than 2018, if I tell you the truth I don't really know what happened. Quite a few times during 2018 I felt all out of sorts and not really motivated to do anything, which for me is horrible because I thrive off having a goal to get and so on. Writing has always been a passion of mine and my blog allows me to have my own little space on the internet which I have always loved the idea of so 2019 is definitely the year that I attempt to throw myself back into blogging. I hope you're happy to come along on that journey with me!<br />
<br />
I decided to combine the goodbye 2018 post and hello 2019 post instead of doing separate posts this time, so feel free to grab yourself a cup of tea or something stronger if you like and let's go.<br />
<br />
2018.<br />
<br />
I think I can safely say that 2018 hasn't been <i>the year </i>for my family, we have gone through a lot of battles and hard times and somehow come out of the other side. I'd say it's definitely made us stronger and we are ready for a fresh year with new possibilities. I'm not going to go into anymore detail about those struggles but I'm so proud of us.<br />
<br />
On a personal level, I'm also proud of how I didn't give up on university. This time last year, I was so glad to not be at uni and I was struggling and I hated it. I wanted to drop out. I didn't want to go back for semester 2 because as far as I was concerned it was not worth it at all, but thanks to the encouragement of my Mum who said "stick it out until you've been there a year and then decide" so I stuck it out. Now, I'm half way through my degree and I don't hate it. I've thrown myself into a department rep role where I have to attend many meetings and use my own brain (terrifying, I know) and voice my opinions. All things that absolutely terrified me and I didn't think I'd be able to do, but I'm doing it. I have a wonderful set of friends who are truly brilliant people and I appreciate them so much and so far this year, I'm getting better grades than last year which makes me very happy. So well done Lia.<br />
<br />
Another thing I've learnt is that when people show you their true colours, don't try and change them and hide them because you can't. Unfortunately people surprise you in ways that sometimes aren't what you expected and you learn the hard way what really matters to people. In some cases you just cut them off because you really don't need to deal with that and in other cases, you have to put those colours aside and be the bigger person because sometimes things aren't straight forward and people need you to be there. You can get angry, in fact you can get furious but you have to make a decision how you're going to deal with that and that's a difficult lesson I've learnt this year.<br />
<br />
I've done some amazing things in 2018, let's start international... I've been to Halkidiki and let me tell you it's gorgeous there, I found a love of Greek food and even got told that my name was spelt right (NEVER HAPPENS), I've been to a beautiful wedding in Spain and made some brilliant memories and met new people and I've explore the Cologne Christmas markets and found more incredible food. On home turf: I've been to a murder mystery weekend with my Mum, toured the Harry Potter Studio Tours with my Dad, experienced Neighbourhood Weekender and Tramlines music festivals with my boyfriend, explored York and Stratford upon Avon, I've FINALLY seen Arctic Monkeys live, danced to Little Mix with my Mum, did the Sparkle Walk with some fab people, I did a marathon over the month of May for British Heart Foundation, attended a drive in cinema to watch Pretty Woman. But one of my favourite memories from this year is in July when my family went up to Blackpool to celebrate a family wedding and we were reunited with relatives from near and far and made some amazing memories. It's a weekend I'll treasure for a very long time.<br />
<br />
I'm still learning that it's okay to not be motivated all the time, I'm still learning ways to battle procrastination, I'm still learning ways to battle personal issues that I'm not comfortable to discuss yet on my blog but I struggle with them a great deal. Overall, I'm a work in progress and going into 2019 with things I want to do and goals I want to achieve makes me happy and optimistic for the future.<br />
<br />
The biggest thing I would say that I have learnt this year is that I am so horrible to myself. I would never every make any other being feel as terrible as I do myself and I feel like that's something that I definitely need to work on. I put myself under so much pressure to do a load of things that I don't end up doing in the time frame I've given myself and then I'm horrible and beat myself up (not physically obviously) about it for ages, and when I've done something its a constant "but you didn't do that". So I want to work really hard on improving my relationship with myself in 2019.<br />
<br />
Onto 2019...<br />
<br />
The main thing I need to work on is time management and then I can do many things, some of which include: being more creative and making pretty things, exploring new places near and far, cooking more, writing more.<br />
<br />
I need to look after myself more in 2019. I'm not good with the whole self care thing and put myself under lots of pressure and think I can do everything without stopping. I cannot do that and definitely need to look after myself more.<br />
<br />
I'd like to continue trying to help people as much as I can and use my voice to have my input on topics that are important and I'd like to spread the word of kindness and how we can all do our bit.<br />
<br />
Oh, and I've signed up to do the Great North Run for Bowel Cancer UK so I shall be posting updates of how training and such goes for that!<br />
<br />
I love a New Year and the view of a fresh start and 365 new opportunities so I can't wait to get started.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year my lovelies! Let's make 2019 wonderful.<br />
<br />
All my love,<br />
Lia x<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfF-qXRiRBJkHQQzPxIYgHLz-1aCwKtN6T1okJCQ2oUfnnhA9nWmDIuCQH5z7cfiBUFON2dakIRVyWDE1XSaaGDemlgL4rGUm5t2YbydkeXjTIWURHsHydkPpZoet13ldKhM3diZtNGo/s1600/IMG_20181231_094023_700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="833" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfF-qXRiRBJkHQQzPxIYgHLz-1aCwKtN6T1okJCQ2oUfnnhA9nWmDIuCQH5z7cfiBUFON2dakIRVyWDE1XSaaGDemlgL4rGUm5t2YbydkeXjTIWURHsHydkPpZoet13ldKhM3diZtNGo/s320/IMG_20181231_094023_700.jpg" width="166" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-71603013797490714702018-11-13T22:45:00.002+00:002018-11-13T22:45:59.118+00:00Life of Lia Update<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hey Earthbugs,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For what feels like the billionth time I have returned from
an impromptu break from blogging that I definitely wasn’t planning or wanted
but it happened. During this break I have thought a lot about ideas for blog
posts, some of which are nestled away in my mind and some that floated away,
and I’ve been really motivated to do them but I haven’t had the chance to sit
down properly (as I am now, tucked up cosy, in my bed, in my Christmas pyjamas)
and if you’ve been around for my other blog breaks you’ll know that I’m not one
for writing a post really quickly and half-heartedly and posting it and I didn’t
want to start now. Hence, the absence. However, I would like to say a huge
thank you to the love and support I received as a result of the last post I did
which was the Domestic Violence awareness one, it was a huge thing for me to
publish and I’m very glad I did. So, thank you! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right, so now that’s all out the way. Welcome back! Let’s
sit down and have a cuppa over the ramble-y update about my life, my plans for
my blog, anything in general. I feel like my blog break came at quite an apt
time if I’m being honest, because I haven’t really been feeling like “Lia” and
I know that sounds completely bonkers and I can’t really explain it myself.
But, I feel like I’ve been plodding on and on through the past couple of months
and it’s been a bit of a blur and in the past couple of days I’ve got my
creativity mojo back and inspiration for different projects and just general
positivity around myself. I’m not sure why this blip happened in the life of
Lia but hey, we’re back now. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qnIvi2dKCTyKkIpcZitjTZ2mHL7Rhb1ugAmtYGaiIdjNmv6lnoJCuzPakhu0Vue9yzTXKKH9ZeXspP0YNxGN3XWNjS2IB0KSLgvfYMatAA7RLsQvynyyMYnOeHmY_MPj1_0ZNkxYZDk/s1600/IMG_20180608_222239_600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="647" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8qnIvi2dKCTyKkIpcZitjTZ2mHL7Rhb1ugAmtYGaiIdjNmv6lnoJCuzPakhu0Vue9yzTXKKH9ZeXspP0YNxGN3XWNjS2IB0KSLgvfYMatAA7RLsQvynyyMYnOeHmY_MPj1_0ZNkxYZDk/s320/IMG_20180608_222239_600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you're new then here's my face </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Exciting news! I’m now a member of the Unlimited club thing
at Cineworld so for £17.90 a month (I believe) I can go to the cinema as many
times as I like which I think is pretty cool as I love going to the cinema. My
temporary pass had it’s first use on Sunday (I printed all the paperwork out to
be organised as my actual card hasn’t arrived yet, and they didn’t ask for it…typical.
I was also really excited to go “OH YES…here it is!” like when I just turned 18
and first got asked for ID) when Jack and myself went to see Bohemian Rhapsody,
which was amazing. I cried a lot, not a surprise as I cry at everything and
thankfully the darkness of the cinema does hide it, but when it goes quiet there
was just me sniffling and making that awful crying noise, the one that I don’t
really know how to type. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
University still stresses me out. Majorly. Like on a
different level. The best way I can describe it would be as though you are a
clumsy person (myself) walking on hot stones, whilst trying to run away from a
bear, and if you fall off the stones you land in lava and even if you get to
the other end of the stones there’s dragons ready to eat you and scratch your
eyeballs out. But there is nice cake there. That I spend too much money on. And
then feel guilty for eating after I deemed that day as “the day I start eating
healthily”. One day. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
OOH! Exciting news! Well, I think it’s exciting news! I’m
going to be doing some form of Blogmas this year again, not everyday and I’m
trying not to repeat previous ideas but there will definitely be some form of
festive cheer here at That Girl with that Blog! I think I must be mad as I don’t
really seem to have time to breathe never mind fit more in but hey ho. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thank you for sticking with me and if you’re a newbie then
welcome to the not-so-clubby club that is not a club but anyway. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think you’re all wonderful baked beans and welcome back to
the weird life updates of Lia!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All my love,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lia x <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-34232591343242699252018-10-06T14:30:00.000+01:002018-10-06T14:30:17.646+01:00My Friend | Domestic Violence Awareness MonthHi Earthbugs, <br />
<br />
Today isn't as much of a cheery post as I would usually write but it is an important post that I think is very relevant as October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. I have thought about posting this and then changed my mind and then considered it and here it is.<br />
<br />
A thing to remember is that domestic violence isn't just physical abuse, it comes in many forms of abuse including emotional abuse. That is what today's post is about, about a friend of mine who experienced emotional abuse at a young age. <br />
<br />
She was fifteen and in a relationship with a boy in her year at school, at fifteen it was nothing serious. At fifteen she was enjoying secondary school, with the laughs and jokes that summer bought and how teachers started being a bit more chill and lenient with work. <br />
<br />
A couple of months down the line, my friend was told that her boyfriend didn't like the idea of her having males as friends. So she distanced herself from her friends, she didn't want to but just assumed that that was expected and you were meant to do things to keep your partner happy. It even got to the point of her not being able to have males on Snapchat, but she complied with orders. <br />
<br />
Another day, she posted a picture of herself on Instagram. She'd curled her hair and put some make up on and she felt really happy with how she looked, she liked to make the effort randomly now and again. She received a lot of messages telling her that she shouldn't be wearing make up as it would attract other boys and that wouldn't be fair on him as she was his girlfriend, it would be wrong for her to encourage other boys with how she looked. Even though, she just wanted to wear some make up. She kept the make up on but received a lot of hateful messages about it after, making her self esteem shoot down. <br />
<br />
She wanted to go and look at sixth forms, so she could choose the right place for her to go on after she had finished her GCSEs so she could work hard to get into the university she wanted to go to. He didn't believe her. He insisted on going with her as she was probably just going to meet "boys", which once again wasn't fair on him and did she really think he was that stupid to not know the real reason she was going? <br />
<br />
The same happened for a snow day with friends, a meal out for her friends birthday and many other times. If he wasn't there directly, he was there looking through a window ensuring she wasn't with other boys, or he was there on her phone making sure she couldn't use it. By either ringing constantly or sending multiple messages that weren't pleasant, don't worry though, she blocked his number. That did no good though, he simply rang through using No Caller ID. There was no way of avoiding him for her. <br />
<br />
She finally gave up and ended things with him. But that did nothing, in fact it probably made it worse because she was no longer explicitly his. <br />
<br />
The calls and messages somehow got worse, he would find other numbers to spam her on and always seemed to know what she was doing. <br />
<br />
Then the suicide threats started, "if you don't want me then I don't want to be alive". She hated it when this happened, she didn't want to be with and she wanted nothing to do with him but she didn't want him to commit suicide and she definitely didn't want to be the reason that someone prematurely ended their life. So she replied and humoured him, to which he found hilarious but she was broken inside, she was scared and she saw no way out. <br />
<br />
He spread rumours about her and successfully turned many people against her. He had spies spying on her so he knew her every move. There were days he'd follow her home. There were days that all this wasn't exciting enough as he would like so he caused a scene at school. <br />
<br />
He thought he had ownership of her and she wasn't strong enough to end it all. She was too scared to tell an adult who could do something so it mounted up. Unlike many others though, she did have a couple of friends that supported and helped her through it. But she had a particular friend who knew everything, who stuck up for her through it all, who was the strong one for her, they were a bit of a duo and at the time it was definitely them against the world. They were inseparable and as time marched on and years passed they grew apart and they're no longer in contact but she is forever grateful for the support and love that friend showed her in her darkest days, an absolute angel sent from heaven above because without her, she doesn't know what she would have done. Thank you. <br />
<br />
And this doesn't even cover all of it.<br />
<br />
At 15, my friend was naive as to the fact that this could be seen as emotional abuse and just thought it was a very nasty thing. But at 15, you don't expect to go through something like that. Although it was a horrible experience and looking back on it isn't a pleasant thing, the experience made her a stronger person and nowadays she wouldn't stand for anything she was put through before. <br />
<br />
She also stands for others who have experienced any form of domestic violence, there's a lot of it out there and a lot of it is under the radar. There's people out there to help, but sometimes it isn't that easy to get the help. My friend was lucky, but there are others who aren't and we should all be voices for sufferers of domestic violence. <br />
<br />
Lia x<br />
<!--/data/user/0/com.samsung.android.app.notes/files/share/clipdata_181006_142343_609.sdoc--><br />
<br />
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-21494854592891209082018-09-22T23:16:00.002+01:002018-09-22T23:16:47.430+01:00Recent RambleHello Earthbugs,<br />
<br />
This is a bit of a jumbled post to once again explain where I disappeared to, I'd say a lot has happened and in between being a busy bee I have been working and if I haven't been doing that then I haven't been feeling too positive about myself or I've been feeling ill, like today for example. I'm also posting this now because I'm once again going to disappear but only for a week, as I'm off to sunny Spain for a bit of a break before going back to some sort of routine at uni. Here we are!<br />
<br />
<u>Harry Potter Studio Tour</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
A couple of weeks ago my Dad and I went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour near London but not quite London and as it's probably obvious I can't remember whereabouts it actually is. I've been once before on a school trip, but my Dad has never been so I bought him gift experience tickets for Christmas last year with the provision that he had to take me. We took our packed lunches (thanks Mumma G), hopped in Pedro the Punto (thanks again Mumma G) and headed off down whatever road we went, I'd like to say the M1 but the truth is I have no clue, with the sound of my Dad complaining about every radio station that we could find as there was no AUX cable or CDs available. It was a long journey, however on the way back I did get the compliment of being a good co-pilot as I navigated us away from <i>a lot </i>of traffic.<br />
<br />
At the tour it truly is as though you're stepping into some magical universe, obviously centred around the wonderful world of Harry Potter. It was an amazing day, I don't think I can pinpoint a favourite moment of it, but the little old lady in me did enjoy being able to wave my hand over a sensor and doing Mrs Weasley's knitting. I was quite surprised at how many children there were there given that they'd all gone back to school but it was all cool, until a couple of them kept pushing in front of me as I tried to run through the wall at Platform 9 3/4, so naturally I did the adult thing and raced the small child to the trolley, needless to say...I won. Probably not my finest hour but I bet they hadn't read all the books so, oh well. We had a wonderfully magical day and made lots of amazing memories and there's no one else I'd like to have shared it with. Oh and I got a Dobby badge!<br />
<br />
I 110% recommend going there, although if you want to do every photo experience/buy quite a bit in the gift shop then definitely make sure you have enough money saved up to put a deposit down on a house because it can get quite pricey.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHY_QExQkgglgg8hQAQzV2iUoRnkifs3UFihsbgpwbjbiEvS2wDvYoINlShyphenhyphen6Ce2nXH9hY_5KYRB8_dD4u7d0E0TwGzMPG8wsRCOXYldi4n0nrNy8c9wA-VA1-gSuStrun1lNuL8uFJ8/s1600/20180906_123253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHY_QExQkgglgg8hQAQzV2iUoRnkifs3UFihsbgpwbjbiEvS2wDvYoINlShyphenhyphen6Ce2nXH9hY_5KYRB8_dD4u7d0E0TwGzMPG8wsRCOXYldi4n0nrNy8c9wA-VA1-gSuStrun1lNuL8uFJ8/s320/20180906_123253.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<u>Stratford-upon-Avon</u><br />
<br />
A Christmas present for me! My alright-at-times other half bought me an experience day where we got afternoon tea in a posh hotel and a river cruise in Stratford-upon-Avon because it's one of my favourite places. We learnt that we aren't very good at being prim and proper, Jack spilt tea all over the table, Jack nearly killed us on a rowing boat, finger sandwiches are very nice but I think I'd need maybe about 25+ to fill me up, oh and that if there's a stall selling pretty jewellery then I definitely cannot resist it but hey, I got a new ring to add to my ever growing collection so all is well.<br />
<br />
I had a truly lovely day, it was nice and relaxing and I love being on the river and looking at all the big houses (maybe just not in a rowing boat being controlled by Jack), I fell even more in love with Stratford and have mentally decorated one of the houses there. We went into the Christmas shop which made me very, very happy as it was absolutely full of festive treats and smelt like Christmas which is basically just like a big, warm hug. I went into Shakespeare's Birthplace, the A-Level/GCSE English Literature student in me was very excited about that, I think I'll always be fond of Shakespeare but probably won't ever be incredibly fond of Othello as studying that at A-Level was similar to what I imagine it would be like to fall into a pit of fire with 300 cans of extremely flammable hairspray cans attached to you and being covered in petrol.<br />
<br />
There was also lots and lots of ducks, and who doesn't love seeing ducks?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_CSILN_ENy-37slOkWdM0ssFEJffHseawTX2uQxS1ZyqMAg4IBm6Kx-1rXPHqyOjVX7f7LDkoLxg6z-JcswDSPJDozjRe0LnnMBoXNdtKGBEAeZMm3HHbRTCyNqmJ2EZ8jta9mmK0XQ/s1600/20180909_145940.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_CSILN_ENy-37slOkWdM0ssFEJffHseawTX2uQxS1ZyqMAg4IBm6Kx-1rXPHqyOjVX7f7LDkoLxg6z-JcswDSPJDozjRe0LnnMBoXNdtKGBEAeZMm3HHbRTCyNqmJ2EZ8jta9mmK0XQ/s320/20180909_145940.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<u>Arctic Monkeys</u><br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>I</u> have always said that I would sell limbs, rob a bank, do anything basically for a chance to see Arctic Monkeys, I've loved them for as long as I can remember and everytime something has gone crappy in my teenage years they've been my go to music wise to just listen to something. When the tour was announced in about April, I was originally planning on attempting to get tickets in a statistics workshop but then decided to focus all my attention on the mission in hand and instead skipped stats (sorry to my tutor, not going to lie I cannot remember your name) and as I sat in the silent study section of the library, actually doing work beforehand, I was ready. It was a very tense time and when I finally got through to the whole "order confirmed" page, I have to admit I let out a little bit of a scream.<br />
<br />
As I type this right now, it still doesn't really feel real that I have seen Arctic Monkeys live and in Sheffield. It was incredible. They were absolutely incredible and everything I'd hoped they would be and I have definitely ticked off a big wish on my bucket list.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdRKzuY69_YJNSslKGsMvzRkyEInhomlZ5B4Cyydmyis95ljDXU9GEvyn3JTrFxWoRWxo5NR0IDP7IQStmmcNT3JRvs-J1QN4oyDP5D_ik_FaOqgOPCnjma1_HCCZJXCU0nEKqfajVV4/s1600/20180918_222254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXdRKzuY69_YJNSslKGsMvzRkyEInhomlZ5B4Cyydmyis95ljDXU9GEvyn3JTrFxWoRWxo5NR0IDP7IQStmmcNT3JRvs-J1QN4oyDP5D_ik_FaOqgOPCnjma1_HCCZJXCU0nEKqfajVV4/s320/20180918_222254.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
If you've followed my blog for a while then 1. thank you SO much, you're wonderful and I will happily buy you a cupcake and, 2. you'll know that rambles have present for some time but I kind of drifted away from them but I have quite enjoyed writing this so I'm going to introduce them a bit more.<br />
<br />
Thank you as always for being patient with my blog, after my bit of a break we are back! I hope you're prepared :)<br />
<br />
Until next time,<br />
<br />
Lia x<br />
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-8609365571781793212018-08-30T15:09:00.003+01:002018-08-30T15:09:55.254+01:00Ugly Society<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV23p5ppwL8PDVAq8LyGYngM1qejvaUZCbtS-F-pu6s2xS_OOLVycaqDHli5BCVTIQ91tiXAB1689pdR6Uhd05C3ombZddVeO5g4d9XMxVwDZk1DO1YDG5J0aNFhLnbDz6ln3dZqNk-gA/s1600/IMG_20180830_150029_315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV23p5ppwL8PDVAq8LyGYngM1qejvaUZCbtS-F-pu6s2xS_OOLVycaqDHli5BCVTIQ91tiXAB1689pdR6Uhd05C3ombZddVeO5g4d9XMxVwDZk1DO1YDG5J0aNFhLnbDz6ln3dZqNk-gA/s320/IMG_20180830_150029_315.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Hey
Earthbugs,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Today I
want to touch on recent on goings in the media and the uproar they’ve cause. If
you have Twitter you may have seen the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">entertainment
</i>(I say that in the loosest term as I wouldn’t particularly call dragging
women down to be entertainment, but we’ll continue) magazine “Now magazine” branding
Stacey Solomon as “boring”, “desperate” and “cheap”. This has come to light
because Stacey fought back against the horrible words that were written about
her, this was a front-page story and surrounding the images of her were other
headlines that read “I wanted a bum like Kim – 85k surgery” and “revenge bodies”.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">For me,
when I think of Stacey Solomon I think of an amazing woman who works hard to
share body positivity an obvious example would be her recent Instagram post of
her in a bikini with the caption “Loving my extra fold over tummy lines this
year”, a woman who shares positivity in everything she does and keeps it real.
She’s the kind of person you want to be best friends with, a woman in the
public eye who keeps everything as real as she can whilst still being a good
mum. As someone who does so much to help empower other women, it seems baffling
how magazines can write those horrible words about someone, whether they’re a
celebrity or not, whether they’re a grown woman or a young teenager words hurt.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">I hate how
all anyone focuses on nowadays is how people look when there’s so many other
topics we could focus on that benefit us all, that can help us learn about new things,
things that encourage intelligent conversation as oppose to “ooh have you seen what
Stacey wore last night?” or whatever. We are all individuals and are so
different from one another, why does it matter to you if someone has put on a
bit of weight? Why does it matter if someone has lost weight? Or, whether they’ve
dyed their hair? Got their nails done? Posted this photo online? Wore this
dress? Has this as a hobby? It doesn’t matter. There’s a lot more we can do in
the world to spread a positive message instead of hiding behind magazines like
this who can happily publish awful words about people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Whilst searching
the internet for some examples I could use in this blog post I found quite a
few instances where headlines focused on women’s images for example: “Newly
single Cheryl shows off stunning figure in revealing snap”, yes Cheryl is
beautiful and we all post selfies online etc. etc. but why on earth is this the
headline for an article? Or, that “Meghan Markle flashes legs in stunning mini
blazer dress ensemble as she joins Prince Harry for a charity performance of Hamilton
in London” warrants a full headline, I’m a fan of Meghan Markle and was gutted
that I was working when it was the Royal Wedding but I personally think in this
headline the big deal should have been about the charity performance, instead
of the fact that Meghan wore a dress in which you can see her legs. Shock horror,
women have legs. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3D5yFHn1hI05hkaOAw0tIBIkd38P3-i60rcOfhGbDQeCzSttxl5xhQZ3sRXts8Z4DAIXlFq-3xR_o-YZHjTE21gZlkAw6O2-3VDKXDD0WhTYceK2xYz5l35Jrl6pPWppOqcT1sFDzA9g/s1600/Screenshot_20180830-104609_Chrome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3D5yFHn1hI05hkaOAw0tIBIkd38P3-i60rcOfhGbDQeCzSttxl5xhQZ3sRXts8Z4DAIXlFq-3xR_o-YZHjTE21gZlkAw6O2-3VDKXDD0WhTYceK2xYz5l35Jrl6pPWppOqcT1sFDzA9g/s320/Screenshot_20180830-104609_Chrome.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Many
people this summer tuned in every night to watch Love Island, now I don’t watch
it but I did see all the updates via Twitter (you really couldn’t miss them)
and I did develop some favourites, even I was rooting for Dani and Jack. What I
was surprised to see though was the amount of horrible tweets I scrolled past
each night, I understand that everyone has opinions but I really don’t see the
need to publish them for everyone to see. Never mind the fact that the people
they were tweeting about will have eventually left the villa and the tweets are
just waiting for them to be read and to taunt them. Let’s just also brush on
the whole Love Island experience itself as the producers sat and let Dani think
the absolute worst when the boys left to go to the other villa, I understand
that it is an entertainment show but surely there has to be some line when the
entertainment involves a young woman being purposefully upset when Jack had
actually done nothing wrong and in fact melted the nation’s hearts by sleeping
outside. This also came just after the Love Island producers said that the
islanders mental health was top of their priorities after it was announced that
former Love Island star Sophie Gradon had committed suicide, and we can’t
explicitly say that we know why she thought the only way out was to end her
life but I think we could bet that the torrent of online abuse she received
probably didn’t help. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Bullying
on any level is wrong, and it’s so easy nowadays to type a comment and think
nothing of it what with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and any other
network there is being so readily available. I think we should all stop when we’re
typing something and consider how we would feel if we were to read that about
ourselves. An action as simple as this could prevent so many horrible things
being out there on the internet, and in the world itself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Let’s
learn from heart breaking endings like Sophie Gradon and the hurtful words that
were published about Stacey Solomon and start being a bit kinder to everyone. I
was driving to work yesterday and heard on the radio a statistic that had been
published that morning saying that one in four 14-year old girls have self-harmed,
this was researched by Children’s Society, and it found that girls are unhappier
than boys at school. That statistic is awful and heart breaking, I feel like
the amount of pressure on young people increases all the time. Exam stress gets
worse and sets in earlier, there’s still the constant pressure of not feeling
good enough compared to others, whether you have the right clothes…all the
stuff that now seems so irrelevant but as a 14-year old was very important. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Instead of
tearing people down, making them feel as though they are worthless and looking
at life in such a negative way, I think we all start celebrating our
differences and being kinder to everyone. It really does cost nothing to be
kind, so let’s all start doing it! If we don’t start now it might be too late
for other people, and I don’t want to see that happen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Thank you
for taking your time to read my little rant/proposition to be nice to everyone,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Until next
time,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Lia x <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-61201266855418166482018-08-23T22:41:00.002+01:002018-08-23T22:41:20.623+01:00Little Changes<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hello Earthbugs,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I thought I would write a post today about the little changes that I'm making in life to help me enjoy what I'm doing more, be more productive and be a bit healthier. By writing this post now it gives me a few months to continue with what I'm doing and then I'm going to review it at the beginning of 2019, that is a little bit scary to say because it really isn't that far away. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's a bit mad how I only really have one month left of being off before I return to university for second year, I had this huge to do list of things that I wanted to do before then and it's safe to say, that's been blown out the window. Instead I'm just going to continue making little changes when I feel necessary and not limit it to a strict timescale. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">One thing I have set myself a time limit on though is to sort my room out before I go back to uni and declutter and get rid of clothes (to buy more obviously) and make sure I have all my big jumpers ready to wear in autumn. Side note, I am very excited for how quick autumn is coming around! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Okay so first things first, fitness and health. I feel like this is a big deal for me, as I've mentioned in previous posts I'm not the most confident about my weight but I make it worse because then I eat lots of crap to make myself feel better and ultimately feel worse. But I'm learning to accept myself in a new way, if I fancy some cake or chocolate or whatever junk food I may fancy then I will have it but I am incorporating more fruit into my diet and trying to eat proper meals. I've also attempted a couple of the 30 day fitness challenges which have currently failed because I forgot, then I injured myself, then I forgot again and now here we are. I'd like to continue with that as I felt quite proud as I was increasing the exercise I was doing. I'd also like to start up running again, when I was doing it in May time it was great because I could tell that day by day I could run a little bit further than before, so I'd definitely like to start that again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Routine is a big thing for me as well, I'd like to get into a night time routine because normally I'm rushing, then I'm on my laptop late or looking at screens late and I'm just wide awake so I'm trying to read before bed now for a bit. Onto my next point, I'm developing a bit of a morning routine as well which includes cuddles with my dog, giving the dog food and being watched by the dog as I eat my Weetabix. I have to say, I do enjoy a routine. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Creativity is another big one. For me, I really really love being creative and if you have read this blog for a while now then you'll have probably realised that. I've started getting some ideas together for various hand made Christmas presents, I've knitted myself a hat, I've cross stitched a cat. I love it because the more things I do, the more ideas I get and then combine that with Pinterest and I'm well away. I've also managed to find inspiration to start writing, nothing too big but a bit separate to the blog and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">This update hasn't been a particularly long one but I just wanted to document my current thoughts towards my approach to life so I can look back soon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Thank you for reading,</span><br />
Until next week!<br />
Lia x<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_-wc76en1aqGc7X1KfHMdsTg3W1ynI1DppcV-V-tWqFE1X9Lg-Yhjf4jBvYgHRd1XZ6ObhuXgsXS0rDt2uC2PWvEKSlBgKTA1u2ZMK9mSMtbOVstuCg2WaICyNJWNvID80Mk7LDEEY8/s1600/20180210_073905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp_-wc76en1aqGc7X1KfHMdsTg3W1ynI1DppcV-V-tWqFE1X9Lg-Yhjf4jBvYgHRd1XZ6ObhuXgsXS0rDt2uC2PWvEKSlBgKTA1u2ZMK9mSMtbOVstuCg2WaICyNJWNvID80Mk7LDEEY8/s320/20180210_073905.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-56640563828499235662018-08-09T22:03:00.005+01:002018-08-09T22:03:55.913+01:00You are your own home <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hey Earthbugs,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The title may seem a bit odd and not really stuff that I'd usually touch on but I saw this image on Pinterest with the quotation "you are your own home". Before I get started with this post I would like to point out that the picture I am going to include is not my own and I'm unfortunately unsure who to give credit to, I just loved it and had many thoughts about it. So, pop that kettle on and let's get started with the deep stuff. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYPJMZqhSRPIEI6Y2B6zQ7Usp5adTbyLeAs2uVWTrKc_kzqifJIMnPWiWL12KTLD8Y2zpwIuA0btrNvfZM9DpkoL4zjDicAdMz8HiAuPahCmvlI-JzeXCF6REQZIxhVzgCJvYb5aOJ6E/s1600/95af04c28b031500db29d30189899eec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYPJMZqhSRPIEI6Y2B6zQ7Usp5adTbyLeAs2uVWTrKc_kzqifJIMnPWiWL12KTLD8Y2zpwIuA0btrNvfZM9DpkoL4zjDicAdMz8HiAuPahCmvlI-JzeXCF6REQZIxhVzgCJvYb5aOJ6E/s320/95af04c28b031500db29d30189899eec.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Home. What is home? Google describes home as being "the place where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household". I think I disagree, when I moved into the house I currently live in with my parents I was very close to turning 8 years old and for a very long time it didn't feel like home. I wasn't sure why, I didn't hate it at the new house or anything like that but for some reason, home was the old house. I'd spent most of my life there, made lots of memories there, felt safe there and I don't know when it was but one day it just clicked that home is where I am now. My teenage years, like many other's, have been full of ups and downs and home is where I've escaped every single down and celebrated every single up, with my Mum there to provide a cup of tea, my Dad to provide a crap joke and Pippa to just provide bounces and tail wags and cuddles. Home is where I can sit inside all cosy and watch the rain beat down outside, home is where my family makes funny memories and I tell stories that I can't even finish for laughing too much. Home is my family and my safe place, where the outside world can't bring me down. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Now home is one of my favourite words, as it's a safety net and it's seen all of your good times and all of the times when you've been angry or sad and it just welcomes you with open arms. But as I get older, there's more and more things I want to do and more and more things I want to see and I'm not always going to be able to run back to my childhood home when things get a bit rocky, which I guess is where this quote comes in. We're stuck with ourselves basically, we are the only people who are going to be with us every minute of every day. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet we're so quick to focus on what other people are saying, I for one do this an awful lot, I focus on the negative things people say about me and hold a grudge. I see people in places locally who have been horrible to me years ago and I won't even smile at them (I like to think that that's a big thing for me because I like smiling at everyone) and they probably don't even remember what they said. I give their comments head space and refuse to believe any compliment I receive because I almost feel as if a compliment is something too nice for me to get. But why? The only person who is losing by doing this is myself, because their comments circle in my head, when instead I should be letting all the good things loop around. In the past couple of years I have definitely improved a lot with how I view myself, I don't focus as much on the negative as I don't really care what people think about me. If they like me then brilliant, let's be friends but if they don't like me, why should I care? It isn't like they'd be a good friend if they don't like me, so I'm not exactly missing out on anything. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Also, I think these are important words to focus on in the big grand scheme of self care. Self care is so important in so many aspects, we need to look after ourselves in order for us to grow and yeah, other people can help us to nourish our personal development but we need to personally take the lead otherwise we won't really get anywhere. So home. I like to consider my mind a place full of flowers and positive thoughts, I'd like to grow it to be a little bit more me against the world in tough times instead of viewing it as the world against me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not really sure if any of that made any sort of sense, but have some evening thoughts from my little brain. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Until next time,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lia x </span><br />
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-42014540813448311002018-08-02T12:59:00.001+01:002018-08-02T12:59:04.878+01:00To Hull and Back (The Deep Review)<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hey Earthbugs,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A few days ago I went to Hull and back, we did only visit the Deep but I did want to use that reference in a blog post about Hull. If you don't recognise the reference then it is the title of an Only Fools and Horses episode, and very funny it is too. I thought I'd do a little review on the Deep because I absolutely loved it and had a really good time, the journey was only about an hour as well so it was a win win really. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I purchased tickets online before we went to get a little bit of a discount, gotta save money where you can, so when we arrived we joined the main queue to the entrance and soon enough we were looking around the exhibition. We also had the slight advantage of queue jumping a little bit on the way into the exhibition because there were several people queuing for the lift with pushchairs etc so we hopped up the stairs. Which I regretted by the time we were at the top and I felt like collapsing on the floor. ANYWAY... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As soon as you walk in there's a ramp that you walk down and all along it is information about the oceans at different periods of time, it's really interesting and there's a lot of interactive points for children as well. We then walked through to the Lagoon of Light and it just sounds like a magical place anyway, but let me tell you I was bloody fascinated here. I could've sat and watched all the fish just swim around all day. They were so colourful and I love anything colourful so I truly feel that by the end of the day I could have had some fish friends. There's also a Visitor Guide that you receive on arrival and it's packed with information, featuring a 2 page spread on the Lagoon of Light. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73Z4gm1bj-1P2PfGRjllepwYyPyM3fCtxpPdgPPhoSJokYlUuIrmXXYVVejEFTu-9TPiXwhQarNIhG6Cji-cLZnp7dEWlfY17o_Hbx1LV2NCVHwi5lgSkjd0JLPeMvGnA8TeLaFe0rD8/s1600/38208433_1921364504552531_4682797895026475008_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73Z4gm1bj-1P2PfGRjllepwYyPyM3fCtxpPdgPPhoSJokYlUuIrmXXYVVejEFTu-9TPiXwhQarNIhG6Cji-cLZnp7dEWlfY17o_Hbx1LV2NCVHwi5lgSkjd0JLPeMvGnA8TeLaFe0rD8/s320/38208433_1921364504552531_4682797895026475008_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We walked through a bit more and got to one of the 2 parts I had been so incredibly excited for, as in a little kid being let loose in a sweet shop squealing with excitement kind of way, the TURTLES. Every time we saw a display with turtles in there, I had to stop for a least 5 minutes. I just love them, they're adorable and chill and all "hey dude". I'm going to move onto the penguins now, I SAW PENGUINS. They just kept waddling up, flapping around a bit and then flopping back into the water. They seemed to be having a grand old time and I was obsessed with seeing their little bellies as they swam along in the water. Penguins are just so cool. Fascinated. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQokEQ3EdnFCHuv3UN6h2-nC5i9XjnjTFMAjN-9XtX0l5dXnpJmQ-prz58XIJdixE57IYouVI-A77Q6ML0CvSx6pTWD8k40RS1tIVn_bbkwMpXWFTBzvqwUwKnGDw7gjGaB2dU0d-fOo/s1600/38212392_1921364684552513_8167231096207966208_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYQokEQ3EdnFCHuv3UN6h2-nC5i9XjnjTFMAjN-9XtX0l5dXnpJmQ-prz58XIJdixE57IYouVI-A77Q6ML0CvSx6pTWD8k40RS1tIVn_bbkwMpXWFTBzvqwUwKnGDw7gjGaB2dU0d-fOo/s320/38212392_1921364684552513_8167231096207966208_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There was also this section a bit further along that had lots of different tanks with creatures in that are endangered etc. and are found in different rivers in the world. It was pretty cool how you could go from river to river and find out different bits of information about them, This was also around a soft play area which was quite handy as it provided a place for kids to burn some energy. I would also like to point out that for once in my life I was too tall to do something, never happened before and is more than likely never going to happen again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitOvzCxb4pdmDvi4iFesJGCkgEhEPAFjC_TaTkrgc3J2ecFgQr-hi390eN8xxL2NZHkD1VIiIHAkbRiO287y6xbns7dL7fO2GAYBfnbQciYW-pcFtK0MTGtV_FVhi0TXt65aEipXc61g/s1600/38183380_1921364571219191_6741970182127747072_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitOvzCxb4pdmDvi4iFesJGCkgEhEPAFjC_TaTkrgc3J2ecFgQr-hi390eN8xxL2NZHkD1VIiIHAkbRiO287y6xbns7dL7fO2GAYBfnbQciYW-pcFtK0MTGtV_FVhi0TXt65aEipXc61g/s320/38183380_1921364571219191_6741970182127747072_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was really impressed with a display there was in the Deep which showed the reality of our modern day society, as it was full of different bits of plastic and rubbish and several other items that just shouldn't be in our oceans. Whilst looking at this display I heard a child next to me say "That shouldn't be there! The turtles...", which in a way fills me with hope that the new generation will help us to cut down on plastic waste. They also had Water in a Box in their gift shop, instead of a bottle it was a carton and it tasted just as fresh and it had an expiry date of 03/03/2019 which is my birthday so I loved it even more. They had paper bags for your shopping instead of plastic bags. They had canvas bags for sale (I obviously bought one as I do love a good canvas bag). They had bamboo cutlery. It was really quite refreshing to see so much focus on cutting down plastic use and it made me happy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZJncltowNjyQmiV1K2jXQuBpLZkWH3lto-nU7JvKa0m5VLejoQ4f1md3DvZzzl0_bOB3v7SKlCsmJBX6tP0QtnKnFIMC-JX5pbj1X0naV3NMYTaSyTNPlV0CYqpm9Ef57CoS2RJT6bE/s1600/38208454_1921364457885869_1103457190892535808_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZJncltowNjyQmiV1K2jXQuBpLZkWH3lto-nU7JvKa0m5VLejoQ4f1md3DvZzzl0_bOB3v7SKlCsmJBX6tP0QtnKnFIMC-JX5pbj1X0naV3NMYTaSyTNPlV0CYqpm9Ef57CoS2RJT6bE/s320/38208454_1921364457885869_1103457190892535808_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Deep is an amazing place to visit for children and adults alike, it's full of interactive stations and plaques you can read so you can find out about everything there. You really can spend hours there and the brilliant thing is when you've bought your tickets you can go again free for a whole year. I definitely recommend going there and learning something new whilst being surrounded by lots of fishes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKekzPKLYWgCwx17c_yEIKXRwUg1Kd5kngP1t7egLcKORUBQe2avWVDBwYbcHITnGmmIO1zir_xTq50ggFAfMOctV3io12XyNIsf4a04DynuuxhicQGIPtEPyghhJ_z5oCJUblXBRvRaA/s1600/38282068_1921364541219194_1727469304246435840_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKekzPKLYWgCwx17c_yEIKXRwUg1Kd5kngP1t7egLcKORUBQe2avWVDBwYbcHITnGmmIO1zir_xTq50ggFAfMOctV3io12XyNIsf4a04DynuuxhicQGIPtEPyghhJ_z5oCJUblXBRvRaA/s320/38282068_1921364541219194_1727469304246435840_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Until next week, </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lia x </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnqZdX7UcD8mwsKo76UaKq8Osk3s9XymX_mGWCFcTB2qPKA9F_mu8ObCAcTiSCNjvBDOCir0oD11YGXwsqQabeVdHDpVkASNwr55o2T45odLHzcdlfpPiBc-ski6XQKXcxGSpUhEXITM/s1600/38283026_1921364674552514_4120016403107414016_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnqZdX7UcD8mwsKo76UaKq8Osk3s9XymX_mGWCFcTB2qPKA9F_mu8ObCAcTiSCNjvBDOCir0oD11YGXwsqQabeVdHDpVkASNwr55o2T45odLHzcdlfpPiBc-ski6XQKXcxGSpUhEXITM/s320/38283026_1921364674552514_4120016403107414016_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-26861598483752578422018-07-26T15:50:00.002+01:002018-07-26T15:50:10.372+01:00Life Update Ramble<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey Earthbugs,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the summer of 2015 (I want to say) I used to do this thing called Weekly Rambles on my blog and today we're going to bring them back and just ramble about anything and everything that happens to pop into my head. I'm hoping it provides you with a bit of an update as to where I've been as I once again disappeared off the blogging Earth and go from there really. I'd usually say get a cuppa, but maybe a cool drink would be better in this horrible humid weather. But if you'd really like a cuppa, then pop that kettle on and let's get ready for a nice chatty post. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last couple of weeks have been hectic, fitting in with working I've been a bridesmaid and consequently had a long weekend visiting relatives in Blackpool and being reunited with other relatives from Yarmouth and Chicago. Of course, this has led to plans to visit Chicago and I'm very excited about them! I've also been to see Little Mix in Derby with my Mum and we had an incredible night (minus the traffic when leaving), they can put on a phenomenal performance and somehow still how amazing, which baffled me. I was never a fan of Little Mix but now I have to say, I love them and I love everything they stand for and think they're pretty fab. After Little Mix, it was a busy weekend full of more music at Tramlines with Jack and that was a wonderful weekend and I got right to the barrier for Jake Bugg which made me very happy. If you do not know who Jake Bugg is then I seriously recommend you listen to him, I may be biased but he's bloody brilliant. Oh and on Monday night I went to the cinema with my Nana to see Mamma Mia Here We Go Again and oh my gosh, it was SO worth the 10 year wait, I want every outfit young Donna wore, Lily James is the perfect choice for young Donna, it was just beautiful. Yes, I cried. All in all, a tad busy but happy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdI3OV7zIjYrWlofdoQP9FebDxo5AZae3kVuUXe-E5Ed98sNYxSO8VbQdApA0kY3A_7vwNoCERkzi88LbZFTMfmHSiY84TBKLdTj-b8e2DtYnZipqwHLOmga77U8RXitpMrNdDoeLc5ro/s1600/37138242_1893821903973458_3724482230479749120_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1260" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdI3OV7zIjYrWlofdoQP9FebDxo5AZae3kVuUXe-E5Ed98sNYxSO8VbQdApA0kY3A_7vwNoCERkzi88LbZFTMfmHSiY84TBKLdTj-b8e2DtYnZipqwHLOmga77U8RXitpMrNdDoeLc5ro/s320/37138242_1893821903973458_3724482230479749120_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I finished uni, I thought "I'll have all this time off and can create lots of content for my blog" and in reality, that hasn't happened quite as much as I liked because I've been working quite a lot and I seem to be absolutely terrible at the whole work/blog balance. But I am going to try and make it a bit more successful because I do enjoy writing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It also seems a little bit weird that my first year of uni is already done and that flew by, so how quick are the next two going to be? Then I will be a fully fledged adult and I'm not I can qualify as one of those. I like to hang on the to the fact that I look about 14 and have little responsibilities as a good excuse to avoid adulting. I think I'm also in the stage of I kinda know where I want to be as my goal career, so to speak, but it will take a lot to get there so what do I do in the meantime? My mind has several squiggly lines drawn to different directions and I'm so thankful that I do have 2 years to decide because bloody hell, gone are the days when the most difficult decision was what pencil case you were going to have for the school year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhy56I15Ztf_QxuR-P3masuizv6ouQHJY-E_jQTVI9jWkTgWfIyVD_yzoUeliVmwmBsqP510E4WEWH91_SNrsbEfAGkL3ipTU_K-qNGZSISz6wDhtvhi6QN59kdis4FN6SmS3615lzS4/s1600/37674750_1904689822886666_4270386592574603264_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhy56I15Ztf_QxuR-P3masuizv6ouQHJY-E_jQTVI9jWkTgWfIyVD_yzoUeliVmwmBsqP510E4WEWH91_SNrsbEfAGkL3ipTU_K-qNGZSISz6wDhtvhi6QN59kdis4FN6SmS3615lzS4/s320/37674750_1904689822886666_4270386592574603264_n.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jake Bugg @ Tramlines</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In terms of blogging, I'm definitely going to start adding more creativity posts into my blog because I thoroughly enjoy making pretty things. I'm also constantly thinking of ways to spread that positive little earthquake around, so bare with people. I'm going to start writing all my ideas in a notebook because that makes marginally more sense than me forgetting something. Be prepared, earthbugs!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm also going to the Deep on Sunday so I hope you're ready for a post on that because I'm SO SO SO EXCITED. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All my love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lia x </span>Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-86928890573154558252018-07-08T19:51:00.001+01:002018-07-08T19:51:12.234+01:00Markovitz Sparkle Night Walk 2018<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hey Earthbugs!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last night I took part in a charity walk for Ashgate Hospice, a local hospice that provides excellent care to people when they most need it. It's been running a few years now and I have only ever marshalled it before back when I was a cadet, however this year I walked as part of a team with wonderful people. It's called the Sparkle Night Walk and kicks off at 10pm and you basically follow a 10k route and it's a big sea of pink, flashing lights and glitter - not forgetting the feathers that fell out the bunny ears. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I know of a few experiences with Ashgate Hospice from recently to back when I lost my Nan in 2015 and they have been outstanding on all occasions. I will never forget how helpful they were to my grandparents when my Nan was in her final days and made it easy for my Nan to remain with them. I imagine their jobs can be very challenging a lot of the time but they always deliver the best service. There doesn't seem to be many people who I've spoken to who haven't heard of some sort of link to Ashgate Hospice and that for me shows that they are valued within our town. So a night where many, many, many people can all join together to raise as much money as possible and have a great night making memories seems like a fabulous idea. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNW0PJ6hiEYrqhSCdDj8qFPLQEO2Qx_dzUw3EqOZEbLhGOxRZppTLnHVmLpUnPQ87rZewc3lTeLgz29BG9yMRjKyEDiwqHfq8G28bfI0amTZsoMPxUvmn8A8S2_rr1ia-Zn8R4zyytU_k/s1600/For+Nan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1260" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNW0PJ6hiEYrqhSCdDj8qFPLQEO2Qx_dzUw3EqOZEbLhGOxRZppTLnHVmLpUnPQ87rZewc3lTeLgz29BG9yMRjKyEDiwqHfq8G28bfI0amTZsoMPxUvmn8A8S2_rr1ia-Zn8R4zyytU_k/s320/For+Nan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There were many parts of the walk where I think we were all flagging a bit, but we kept each other going, not just the people we were walking with but the other walkers, the volunteers marshalling, the volunteers who made up songs when giving out water, bananas and chocolate, the supporters who lined the streets ready to cheer us on and waited right until we all went past to go back, the kids joining the side of the streets ready to provide high fives and motivational grins. In a modern day society where people often keep their head down and look questioningly if you smile at them, there was an entire community out last night all supporting each other and all helping to do something cracking for an amazing charity. Speaking of cracking, I think I broke my record for how many times I felt the need to crack my knees in a set time period. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wr1Hy2bunucGsxj1a9iB7TFfBSi6tWUeJlnrLJ2fd_Jtyw8ZmlYwZ-Gjfd1egigsyf7ZL80urgWyOgE24JZ-hcGIoYulwLj0sk5xVHUSgCxXNzSUWNgvs3Xq2hXqtpaQDHPWAfPFBak/s1600/Medal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="944" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wr1Hy2bunucGsxj1a9iB7TFfBSi6tWUeJlnrLJ2fd_Jtyw8ZmlYwZ-Gjfd1egigsyf7ZL80urgWyOgE24JZ-hcGIoYulwLj0sk5xVHUSgCxXNzSUWNgvs3Xq2hXqtpaQDHPWAfPFBak/s320/Medal.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I get moved quite easily, honestly I can see a dog walking down the street and be crying, and although there were a few dogs there I didn't cry at them. But what did move me was the fact that, there were maybe thousands of walkers last night and we all had at least one reason to be walking in aid of Ashgate Hospice. I think Chesterfield did pretty well for itself yesterday, well done to everyone who took part. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This was an event where people pushed themselves to complete something they wouldn't ordinarily do and possibly struggle to do, all in aid of a good cause and surrounded by lots of support. I am glad I was able to be a part of this and would definitely do it again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Until next time,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lia x </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-60660300739124200872018-06-29T23:05:00.000+01:002018-06-29T23:05:15.793+01:00Tips for the Commute<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hey Earthbugs!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You may or may not know this, but I have just finished my first year of university and I am a commuter. I thought I'd put together some tips for making the commute a bit easier, some of these can come in handy for all students though. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I hope you find some of these helpful!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Get a backpack </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Honestly, when I was younger I was obsessed with the idea of having this style of a flimsy bag that looks good and is not practical in the slightest. As a result of this, I had to carry several other bags that obviously had to be Hollister or something equally as cool, so days in year 7 when you had PE and food technology?! You know the struggle. Admittedly this was the time that I heavily cared about what people thought of me so had to fit in with everyone else so backpacks were a no go. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">When I was getting ready to start uni I just wanted a big enough bag to throw everything in, whack on my back and go. They can fit everything in, even the kitchen sink, and you can get some super pretty ones. A quick search on Amazon can bring up lots of different ones and my personal favourites are all found on Cath Kidston. They're all so insanely pretty. In all seriousness though, having a backpack makes life so much easier when you're commuting, you don't have to awkwardly take up lots of room on public transport and if it's cold you can put your hands in your pocket. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<b>Take your own food </b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's probably going to be so many food outlets at university, but I found that they aren't always student friendly in the price range and sometimes felt as though I was in an upmarket coffee shop in London. I definitely recommend taking your own food, you could look at Pinterest beforehand for some different ideas so you don't get bored of just taking a cheese sandwich everyday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I also recommend taking a flask to uni as well. You have an instant cup of tea so what is there not to like? You can also take a reusable water bottle, they often keep your drinks more chilled and there is bound to be places around your campus where you can fill your bottle up. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you do have a payment card at uni where you are able to load money onto it then I do think it is always a good idea to have some money on there just in case you forget your lunch, or if for example you have a 3 hour statistics session on a Friday morning at 9am and reaaaaally need some cake.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Take something for the commute</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Honestly, there's only so many times you can just sit and scroll through Facebook, then Twitter, then Instagram and any other app that is scroll-able. So make a commute playlist, listen to a podcast, read a book or maybe even do some revision. But you'll thank me for this suggestion later. Sometimes it is nice to sit and watch the world go by but I also find that a nice view makes that at least 10x easier. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There was one time where my train was really early and wasn't leaving for another 20 minutes so I started to write out some of my notes from a lecture in the day and let me tell you something, I definitely felt like I had my life together. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Use your time at uni well</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is wise to utilise those hours between lectures to try and get something productive done, because then you don't have to think "ugh, I've been at uni all day and now I have to go home and do the work". In my first semester at uni, I had a lot of gaps between my lectures so I would just go and sit in the library and work and work and work. I soon got a bit down though because all I was doing was working so it is important to also remember to see your friends and just give yourself a bloody break from time to time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Throw yourself into activities</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was lucky because I found quite a few people who also commuted so I didn't feel that much of an alien but when I was preparing to start university my biggest fear was "I'm not going to make friends, people will have already made friends with their flatmates, I'm going to be the only one commuting..." and all of these stresses. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So I joined a society, the society didn't end up being quite as I expected but I joined a society and tried to make some friends. But you don't have to rely on a society, there's often a lot of choices and you'll probably find a society suitable to you but there's also sports clubs. Sometimes you have to just throw yourself out there as terrifying as it may seem. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHxYCgRRTm5kmZUNFyB1nt7BOpZYv1oScd_bQ8nNHPQs7EYaDj0gJE12wf9nD4dSxGm9P6QOLjwm1XWoWDNRXGS-qsubKycn1QnvGwig2srCeeiNu9A8fcfk3K4krNxiw9DLlJU89zQo/s1600/FB_IMG_1530309773603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHxYCgRRTm5kmZUNFyB1nt7BOpZYv1oScd_bQ8nNHPQs7EYaDj0gJE12wf9nD4dSxGm9P6QOLjwm1XWoWDNRXGS-qsubKycn1QnvGwig2srCeeiNu9A8fcfk3K4krNxiw9DLlJU89zQo/s320/FB_IMG_1530309773603.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There we have my tips for commuting to university, obviously I'm sure other people will have others but hopefully those will make it all seem a little less daunting. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Until next time,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lia x </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-21568826708363940162018-06-15T13:21:00.002+01:002018-06-15T13:21:42.758+01:00Greece is the word<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hey Earthbugs!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In March, me and Jack decided to book a holiday for early June but didn't really know where to book and didn't want to be paying too much money so were clicking around on various websites to look for the best prices and whatnot. Seeing the name Halkidiki I was fascinated, it's incredibly fun to say...honestly I recommend you stop reading this for a second and just say it outloud, and we found a reasonably priced hotel. I remember as a younger teenager I would scroll through Tumblr and see lots of pretty pictures of white walls and incredible views of Greece and just be mesmerised so put it on my bucket list and have longed to go ever since. Other than high hopes for Greece, I didn't really know what to expect we only booked for 5 days so if it was awful it was a break and we didn't have to go back. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The days flew by and soon we were on the way to Manchester airport and ready to go to Greece, everything was straight forward and a few hours later we were in Greece. We accidentally made our coach driver annoyed as we got off the coach 100m before our stop but off we went to check into Dionysos Hotel (Hanioti, Halkidiki) and flop for a bit of a rest before exploring a bit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our hotel was perfectly located, it was quiet enough near the pool for you to relax with a supermarket a 2 minute walk from the hotel which was ideal given the fact we were self catering and the beach was a 5 minute walk. The beach was quite narrow so gave the impression that everyone was kind of cramped but when we had a beach day we found that it didn't really get that busy so it wasn't an issue, and everything the beach lacked the sea made up for as it was beautiful. Not too cold, so for a wuss like me it was wonderful, and it was very clear which is always a bonus. It was also calm most days we were there so I even managed to swim in it, without a rubber ring which is a big deal for me. There was also a man selling heart shaped donuts, sugar coated and full of chocolate on the beach as well, which were bloody amazing, a good size and only 2 Euros so a bargain and they were amazing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_aGd2w6BUyyfUXW5gfF0wopXFiX4hwxnLdJnP5MetSomc5ulC35x-lX5tbCPCNVMTdqXd4hyvOSmDw3HvphODNUVaMMHCH-6kirXMPKnmnmiM07930AIVEwtZQMhsFI_2c5mzHCOW5QQ/s1600/35286515_1849797595042556_99763693625016320_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_aGd2w6BUyyfUXW5gfF0wopXFiX4hwxnLdJnP5MetSomc5ulC35x-lX5tbCPCNVMTdqXd4hyvOSmDw3HvphODNUVaMMHCH-6kirXMPKnmnmiM07930AIVEwtZQMhsFI_2c5mzHCOW5QQ/s320/35286515_1849797595042556_99763693625016320_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Just a short walk from the hotel is also a large area of shops with winding streets and a big central area home to a water fountain and a hub of activity. In the evening this is perfect for a wander, as you can shop, there's plenty of places to eat and several bars. We ate at a Greek restaurant just off the centre to the right and received incredible service and lovely food with menus that had a selection of Greek food and other dishes so there is sure to be something for everyone. I also recommend Central Cafe, which as you probably guessed is in the central area, if you are fancying a snack as they had refreshing fresh orange juice and amazing Greek yoghurt topped with walnuts, honey and cinnamon. However, if it's chicken Souvlaki you are fancying, and I 100% think this is a must, then you need to jump in a taxi and head to Polychrono, its about 8 Euros and is so worth it. The taxi will probably drop you off near a coffee shop called Cafe Cafe and from there you head down and it's the fast food place just before the beach and for 7 Euros you can get some amazing fresh food (definitely higher than the fast food options at home) and a generous portion of chicken Souvlaki. Whilst visiting here you may as well enjoy the beach or head up a mountain and go to Mavrobara, also known as Turtle Lake. We unfortunately didn't manage to reach the top as we were stupid and tried walking up it midday, and the rent a quad bike place was shut so we have added it to our bucket list to return again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uXj3WTBS-H4R6z1lhStc17qzKHrUfu3hCkRM1IYNb1dKjpD7HEP0JIbH0-b3NFTmrntHux97VDYrzXfR1JK7JxxXFPvEOaXsNGXH1Xvh9H2qOduxkCYt2gcd8xesBniANZ-l4cqtrt8/s1600/35297688_1849798288375820_1029195947919278080_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uXj3WTBS-H4R6z1lhStc17qzKHrUfu3hCkRM1IYNb1dKjpD7HEP0JIbH0-b3NFTmrntHux97VDYrzXfR1JK7JxxXFPvEOaXsNGXH1Xvh9H2qOduxkCYt2gcd8xesBniANZ-l4cqtrt8/s320/35297688_1849798288375820_1029195947919278080_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">On our final day in Halkidiki we went on a boat excursion which included transfers and lunch, and visited Toroni which was a little bay with a beautiful beach and crystal clear waters (that is not an exaggeration) and we stopped here for an hour or so and we fell asleep and nearly missed the boat back but aside from that it was lovely. Then we had a Greek lunch on board and headed off to Neos Mamaras that had amazing views everywhere you turned and a little frozen yoghurt (and ice cream) shop called Happy Cow that did incredible ice cream. We didn't really wander around here that much because it was very hilly and very hot. From here we stopped at Kelifos, which is an uninhabited island bar lots of seagulls and other wildlife. But here we were able to jump off the boat and I really wanted to do it but was terrified as I'm a bit of a wuss and also not the strongest of swimmers so was convinced I was going to drown. From leaving Neos Mamaras I was dead set on just staying on the boat and watching everyone else, but when we got there I did it... I actually jumped off a boat and I am so incredibly proud of myself for doing so. It was an amazing day out!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqQcGRJ3uS2Yek7z1_xgdf_WA4bMmXiIzzc0vQ4Ne4IxfeQ_524knbkly76v1H9wWbVYkbc_k55qrH7mTwhlAI75rh_q4ijhNwR82Zn8ZGfQxNNEt4WKn3CAqgMU-y4nnE1AlWnwEFu0/s1600/35292347_1849798208375828_7771111489473085440_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqQcGRJ3uS2Yek7z1_xgdf_WA4bMmXiIzzc0vQ4Ne4IxfeQ_524knbkly76v1H9wWbVYkbc_k55qrH7mTwhlAI75rh_q4ijhNwR82Zn8ZGfQxNNEt4WKn3CAqgMU-y4nnE1AlWnwEFu0/s320/35292347_1849798208375828_7771111489473085440_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Overall, I love Greece. I would definitely go back there, I'd also love to explore so many other places there. The food is wonderful, the people are so friendly, it wasn't too touristy where we stopped and we had a really lovely time. I'd say that our hotel was more based for couples than families although there were families there having a good time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">So yeah, Greece is the word. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Until next week,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Lia x </span>Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-71102889117516622772018-05-31T17:53:00.001+01:002018-05-31T17:53:10.408+01:00Neighbourhood Weekender 2018Hey Earthbugs!<br />
<br />
I'd like to say that I'm sat here with a cup of tea as I sit and type this out however I'm too lazy to go downstairs and make one, so I'm unfortunately tea-less which is a pretty sad state of affairs. Last weekend I attended the first ever Neighbourhood Weekender and had a bloody good time so I thought I'd do a little review on the blog.<br />
<br />
Staying in a local Holiday Inn it was a short taxi ride to Victoria Park so getting there was no problem. We had a bit of a plan as to where we were going to head at different points during the day, but when we first arrived we just hung around the Viola Beach stage (a band from Warrington who lost their lives far too young with so much talent, there were a lot of fitting tributes to them throughout the weekend) and watched Wild Front who I enjoyed! From this our afternoon was full of Lewis Capaldi, Reverend and the Makers, The Magic Gang and Cabbage. I enjoyed Lewis Capaldi and Reverent and the Makers but Cabbage isn't really my cup of tea (the boyfriend loves them), although I do think they are clever with what they do with their lyrics. The ones who really stood out for me were The Magic Gang, I had never listened to them before in fact I think they may have been retweeted onto my timeline at some point and that's all I really heard of them but oh my goodness. I shall listen again...and again...and again. They were amazing and definitely one of the highlights of the weekend for me.<br />
<br />
We then found a position in front of the main stage to prepare for Circa Waves, Jake Bugg and headliners The Courteeners. Circa Waves are so easy to listen to, so having a bit of a bop in the sunshine was easy, I'll always love Jake Bugg and am so happy that I got to see him again live. He's incredible. Then we have The Courteeners, the band that doesn't ever let you down and manage to put on an amazing set time after time. The crowd belted every word out and all in all went pretty mad, even though I got a lot of smoke in my eye, oh and wee which is always a delight, which made my conjunctivitis look even better, there was nowhere else I'd have rather been right there.<br />
<br />
Before I continue with the music element of things I'd like to pick out a couple of things that could be improved. Transport. As we left on Saturday night we knew there would be a wait for a taxi as we didn't have the sense to book ahead so we found a place to perch and started to ring around for a taxi. However, none of them were helpful and just kept quoting "We don't cover the Warrington area" which would have been easy to believe if it wasn't for the fact that about 3 taxis went past with their companies on the side. In the end we gave up and embarked on the 4.9 mile walk back to the hotel. I also believe that there was a lot of issues with the trains and lack of replacement bus services which probably isn't the most ideal of situations. I imagine it took a lot of people quite a long time to get back to where they were staying, all in all it made for a stressful end to the day.<br />
<br />
I was definitely impressed with the variety of food stores available, even if they were a tad on the pricey side, the ones I bought from were very nice and I'd definitely recommend the Waffles and Coffee van. I bought a waffle with strawberries and white chocolate on it and I'd definitely like another one...right about now.<br />
<br />
Okay so Sunday! The first act we saw were the Northern Soul Orchestra and they were brilliant, they had everyone dancing along and it was just the kind of music that made you feel happy and when you're already sat in the sunshine it definitely started the day right. We then stayed at the main stage to watch Black Honey, Tom Grennan, DMA's, The Sherlocks, The Coral, Blossoms and then finished watching the headlining act Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. I have seen The Sherlocks quite a few times but they do seem to get better and better live. The Coral played my favourite song of theirs, Jacqueline, so I was a happy human and Blossoms, well Blossoms, they're so feel good it just makes me incredibly happy. But I was let down. I was let down by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and I'm probably one of the only people there who thought this but I felt like it was a bit boring. I actually felt bad saying that because although I've never been a fan of Noel I expected him to be amazing, you know given that he's a Gallagher and by the time it had finished I'd have been able to say "I've just seen Noel Gallagher", but saying that now doesn't really sound "wow" like I'd hoped it would. The high parts of his set for me was the atmosphere of the crowd when he sang Oasis songs and everyone could sing along.<br />
<br />
On the whole, I bloody loved Neighbourhood Weekender and will definitely be looking to go again next year!<br />
<br />
All my love,<br />
Lia x<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMc7Kh5BMgqlcfbMExV2BhQtM0XkeOX417TzCm_uQJe-QSm4-BTpAb2V50mQoVM5umOQA36vUiAU91BZACvChZIMPvayBK5WqF2LjgRSvcTw4nlrqh1t00WjPdkcovB_jEJWJ9JCvHiyI/s1600/33767025_1831349126887403_1238002431623692288_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMc7Kh5BMgqlcfbMExV2BhQtM0XkeOX417TzCm_uQJe-QSm4-BTpAb2V50mQoVM5umOQA36vUiAU91BZACvChZIMPvayBK5WqF2LjgRSvcTw4nlrqh1t00WjPdkcovB_jEJWJ9JCvHiyI/s320/33767025_1831349126887403_1238002431623692288_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did not take this picture however it is bloody good, I found it on the Neighbourhood Weekender Facebook album!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-9144340738206938062018-05-22T08:00:00.000+01:002018-05-22T08:04:44.412+01:00Manchester Arena: A Year On<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A year ago today 14,200 people were having the time of their lives watching Ariana Grande perform at Manchester Arena, yet this show was targeted as a shrapnel-laden bomb was detonated just as people were leaving, killing 22 victims and injuring hundreds more. 🔼 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here are my thoughts...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A year on, I would like to say that things like this don't happen. I would like to say that the world does not have any hate left. I would like to say no one gets unnecessarily killed anymore. I would like to say all of this and so much more...but it wouldn't be true and I would be living in a dream world. Since the Manchester Arena attacks there has been🔼 an attack on London Bridge where a white van was driven at high speed into groups of people and then crashed where the passengers then ran to the nearby Borough Market were they then stabbed people, 8 people died and there were at least 48 injured. There has been the Finsbury Park attack where a 47 year old British male drove a vehicle into Muslim worshippers close to a mosque, one person died. There's been a case where a London tube train was targeted and there were no fatalities but 30 people were injured. My local town, Chesterfield, where nothing usually happens was caught in terrorist raids just before Christmas by counter-terror police as they had intelligence of a suspected terror attack. They're just a handful of the hateful events that have happened in the UK, never mind the rest of the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Therefore, I cannot say that the world no longer has hate in it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But I can say that in the days after the Manchester attacks I was incredibly proud to be British. I was incredibly proud of what the people of Britain were doing to come together to defeat the hate. My experience with Manchester came 5 days after the attack, I had tickets to go and see the Courteeners, a proud Mancunian band, perform at Old Trafford Cricket Ground with support from Blossoms, The Charlatans and Cabbage. My family were understandably rather apprehensive about me going but I wasn't going to let a terrorist stop me from doing what I wanted to do. During the day, I walked down past a lot of flowers, it was rather surreal to be there seeing them in person instead of just on the news. On the tram, it was physically shaking as people were banging along to chants swearing at terrorism and a sense of national pride was felt as we all belted out the national anthem. Obviously at the venue there was a heightened security presence as I was given a WeStandTogether sticker. Liam Fray, the front man of Courteeners, started off with a poem written by Ryan Williams called Our Manchester, a poem I will never ever forget🔼. Then it started, we were lost in the music at the best gig I've ever been to. The best gigs are always the ones where you just enjoy being there and you don't need to worry about anything else. In the aftermath of everything that had happened the week before, it kind of felt like one big group hug. Before the show finished, Liam Fray did an acoustic tribute to the Manchester victims of "Don't look back in anger" originally by Oasis but made especially prevalent when one woman started to sing it at the end of a vigil earlier in the week. There were 50,000 of us at that gig. There were 50,000 of us singing it at the top of our lungs, in defiance to hate and all together as one. I cried during this, I get goosebumps every single time I think of this and I cannot listen to the song without thinking of this moment. I feel as though this will be one of the moments in life where I don't forget what happened, or how I felt. For someone who can ramble on for England, I am struggling to put into words what it meant to be there. We left chanting For the 22, and it was a day I will never forget. I fell in love with Manchester after that. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The reactions from the rest of the world? Musicians were shocked, the people everywhere were shocked, nothing can describe the shock that everyone experienced. I was hooked on helping to retweet everyone's tweets who were asking for help to find their friends or their families. I was constantly checking whether more people had been found and were safe. My heart broke every time the death count when up. Every time the national news came on, I would hope they were going to say it had been some horrible nightmare and this hadn't really happened. Our emergency services, the amazing response time and the amount they did that night should never be forgotten. There were people offering their homes with open doors to come and shelter and make sense of everything. Different religions were opening the doors to their place of worship to give people food and drink. There were taxi drivers, a high amount of Muslim drivers (I mention this as there are still the small minded people who believe that all Muslims are extremists and blamed Muslims for the attack), who were offering free lifts if needed to reunite people with their loved ones. People raised money to donate to the victims families, I for one contributed by going to an open day at a tattoo parlour where all they tattooed all day were Manchester bees and all the proceeds went towards this. The country came together in the most beautiful of ways. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHIuwCG1BBd17gImMVRqBWMDhtjyqbnuX89-kfMKH9hItCrUUvfOsOLyvXvo_1r8j8OYTHw0fzerL8p8zCd7f9G2A0cqX59msgIUiYXe9dp1MQCDialFtZhSPXCU5E2mQwtHwPfZlFDI/s1600/20170530_142134.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHIuwCG1BBd17gImMVRqBWMDhtjyqbnuX89-kfMKH9hItCrUUvfOsOLyvXvo_1r8j8OYTHw0fzerL8p8zCd7f9G2A0cqX59msgIUiYXe9dp1MQCDialFtZhSPXCU5E2mQwtHwPfZlFDI/s1600/20170530_142134.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What about Ariana Grande? Of course, no one can imagine what it must have been like to be in her shoes. She was performing as part of her Dangerous Woman tour to an arena full of fans who adored her, they may have received tickets as a Christmas present or a birthday present and had been looking forward to it for ages. I understand this, going to gigs is one of my favourite things to do. I love going to see an artist that I listen to so much and just enjoy being there with others who feel the same way. I would rather go to a gig than have some fancy possession and have lost count as to how many I have been to. I'm sure for many, it was their first concert and it will have stayed with them forever. I remember my first concert was Girls Aloud in 2007. But now, there is this dark memory over it and it will never be the same. You could understand if Ariana Grande just backed away and didn't face any of it, but did she? No. She has shown herself to be an extremely remarkable young woman. She came back to Manchester, just a couple of weeks after the attacks and put on the One Love Manchester gig. An event that had some huge names there including Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, the Black Eyed Peas, Take That, Robbie Williams, Liam Gallagher and Little Mix. A total of £17 million was raised. Many, many tears were shed as I watched the show on television. There was a particular moment where a police officer was seen dancing with kids as they all watched Justin Bieber perform🔼 that really did make me proud. Ariana showed great strength as she went to visit the victims in hospital and the families of the fans who didn't make it, she bought a country together through music. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think the part of it that shocked me the most about the whole thing was that Ariana Grande has a large following of young children. I'm not going to name the man who did it as I don't want the focus to be on him, but he went into an arena knowing there was a high number of young children in there and let a bomb go off. Many, many questions went through my mind as to how someone could do this. But we came back. The families of the 22 lost relatives that day, people lost friends, even just classmates who they might have sat with in an English lesson. In whatever way you want to look at it, we lost 22 people. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However, you'd be fooled to think that we have been defeated because I will always believe that love is stronger than hate and the aftermath of Manchester proved that. I will never let the potential thought of being caught in a terrorist attack stop me from going out and doing what I want to do. I hope many others also stand up to this because we cannot let terrorists win. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, a year on, eh? I cannot say that the world is no longer full of hate. But I can say that we will stand up against hate, we will continue to spread love, we will continue to live our lives with no fear. We will get back up and continue with our lives, regardless of what is thrown at us. I don't think I will ever get over what happened that night and my thoughts will probably forever be a scrambled mess in my brain but we won't ever be defeated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Up yours terrorism (I may have used the f word if it wasn't for the fact my mum may have told me off, and if she didn't then my Nana definitely would've, sorry Susie). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have left links below to everywhere I go my information from and other links that you may find interesting. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank you so much for reading this,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Let us all spread positivity and let our lights shine even in the darkest of times. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And the bees still buzz.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All my love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lia x </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Arena_bombing">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Arena_bombing</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents_in_Great_Britain#2010s">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents_in_Great_Britain#2010s</a></span><br />
<a href="https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-terror-attack-silence-oasis-13090662">https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-terror-attack-silence-oasis-13090662</a><br />
<a href="http://allyourprettywords.tumblr.com/post/161037821553/our-manchester-ryan-williams">http://allyourprettywords.tumblr.com/post/161037821553/our-manchester-ryan-williams</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nme.com/news/dancing-police-officers-internet-stars-one-love-manchester-concert-2084048">http://www.nme.com/news/dancing-police-officers-internet-stars-one-love-manchester-concert-2084048</a>Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-47733990981589413572018-05-17T10:49:00.000+01:002018-05-17T10:49:52.760+01:00My Marathon in May <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hey Earthbugs!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This time last year I was preparing for my "Walking for Mary" challenge in which I walked 10,000 steps a day everyday throughout June to raise money for Cancer Research. I did this to raise some money for a worthy charity, to get me out the house (I like staying at home) and be a bit active, but also in memory of my Nan.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I really enjoyed doing the walking and raising money for a good cause and feeling like I was helping a cause by doing something that was actually quite simple and I was thinking a couple of months ago that I'd like to do something for charity each year. A different charity every time so I can help a variety of different people but just doing something. I just can't imagine myself sitting around and not trying to help someone in some way. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whilst scrolling through some form of social media, I came across an advert for running a marathon over the month of May for British Heart Foundation and their life saving heart research. I've never really needed to know what the British Heart Foundation do, obviously I'm aware that it's research into the heart so I thought I'd use this opportunity to do a bit of research. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0J6SyHkvp_GmJ5DcuPKR3tAGsq8dsj42FW1rqyNfXbSBsWXZWRUJMjLpiZfrQM-zjtY6SKZU67ZjSxAzi4Cc8yjlcskpadpy-ZhDJe9r-sz3BXDraufe4x4Auf7idDWv0fvWdV97e6bs/s1600/mm-2018-profile-pic-v2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="362" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0J6SyHkvp_GmJ5DcuPKR3tAGsq8dsj42FW1rqyNfXbSBsWXZWRUJMjLpiZfrQM-zjtY6SKZU67ZjSxAzi4Cc8yjlcskpadpy-ZhDJe9r-sz3BXDraufe4x4Auf7idDWv0fvWdV97e6bs/s320/mm-2018-profile-pic-v2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.bhf.org.uk/research" target="_blank">[*]</a> As the UK's number one heart charity they have funded a lot of important research over 50 years that has already made a huge difference to people's lives. But as more people survive heart attacks now and there is a higher rate of people living longer, it also means that more people are living with heart disease. The BHF have a new strategy which "fights for every heartbeat" to enable them to lead the fight against cardiovascular disease. Some of the amazing things the BHF have done as a result of the advances in science and donations include: most babies born with heart defects now survive, pacemakers help people control heart conditions, heart attack treatment has been revolutionised, many inherited conditions can now be diagnosed and treated preventing sudden death. They've bought pioneering techniques to hospitals, they've improved transplant technology, they've helped the development of statins to help control cholesterol and they've helped to develop medicines to help extend the lives of heart failure patients and the money that they raise for the Mending Broken Hearts Appeal will fund research that help us rebuild hearts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is only a small portion of the research that they have done and if you visit their website there is so much more information available that is a very interesting read, however I didn't want to just reword the entire thing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm currently a little over half way through my marathon in May and I am enjoying the challenge. I have been doing some jogging, listening to the Greatest Showman helps power through this, some very quick walking which makes me feel like a proper grown up who has her life together, I'm not too sure why but don't take it away, and the occasional sprint when I get a little too close to geese and they're terrifying little creatures so we must avoid them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbEOpN_x2QfDW2FGBFukmWU_taLjqEJ8BIlkOqR9Fc3V3DZDNBigNpizvgCG_Fw-ZcQhgctHR_SRtDXo7F6rLrNsXALj-Ya23fxl1Tsu1S3kyYd75E8QvoUnzcabb8XbOkzEbSAHOK3Y/s1600/32597001_1820230794665903_2229135159595106304_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="649" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQbEOpN_x2QfDW2FGBFukmWU_taLjqEJ8BIlkOqR9Fc3V3DZDNBigNpizvgCG_Fw-ZcQhgctHR_SRtDXo7F6rLrNsXALj-Ya23fxl1Tsu1S3kyYd75E8QvoUnzcabb8XbOkzEbSAHOK3Y/s320/32597001_1820230794665903_2229135159595106304_n.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I initially set my target at £75 but reached that before the month of May so raised it to £125 and I'm nearly there but it would be great to smash that as well, so if you're able to please consider sponsoring me. Even if all you can spare is a pound, it all goes to incredible research and I'd be incredibly grateful. The link is <a href="https://mymarathon18.everydayhero.com/uk/lia-green" target="_blank">here</a>! You could also help me on my marathon by sharing this around a bit and providing some words of encouragement for when my running shoes start to give me blisters. I'm just as surprised as you that I actually own running shoes but hey ho. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I thought I'd leave you now with a picture of some little friends that I have found whilst clocking up some miles. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdwuQzJAUA0ybVlu_79XTcaMWEFaQohwIeWLQoyvssHNGbilbtsFXMNcPi4qNwmOyzaS8D55WotKDnbfMQwL-OYaDKmkhdrsRwI07v1B5TaalOdyUKmpMPTvv2rdUDsOKA2GEbfC7YEk/s1600/32585735_1820233731332276_9217958952132673536_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsdwuQzJAUA0ybVlu_79XTcaMWEFaQohwIeWLQoyvssHNGbilbtsFXMNcPi4qNwmOyzaS8D55WotKDnbfMQwL-OYaDKmkhdrsRwI07v1B5TaalOdyUKmpMPTvv2rdUDsOKA2GEbfC7YEk/s320/32585735_1820233731332276_9217958952132673536_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thank you for reading,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you've donated or shared, thank you so much! You're incredible. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Until next week,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lia x </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">[*] - <a href="https://www.bhf.org.uk/research">https://www.bhf.org.uk/research</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is the link to the British Heart Foundation website where I got all my information from above. Please go and have a click around and do some reading, they do amazing work. </span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.375em; margin-bottom: 0.625em;">
<br /></div>
Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-85436340982374072882018-05-13T22:42:00.002+01:002018-05-13T22:43:10.902+01:00Reflection: First Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7aUE7nxtEFuadoVIw0QBR2ZyTH19jPD63beRe62z8bFq3pXPnbQAE7XNG-yUxmdElFq7e6awLtRWRMBP3a9IvIIcc3RN3kUx4d04HmheMYRuYJs8DbO9RHTRHQshi3K0eQ-bSz33pME/s1600/Uni1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7aUE7nxtEFuadoVIw0QBR2ZyTH19jPD63beRe62z8bFq3pXPnbQAE7XNG-yUxmdElFq7e6awLtRWRMBP3a9IvIIcc3RN3kUx4d04HmheMYRuYJs8DbO9RHTRHQshi3K0eQ-bSz33pME/s320/Uni1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hey Earthbugs,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We have a reflective post today and I thought it was perfect timing as I finished first year a couple of days ago so I decided to look back on what I expected and what happened. There's a chance it may get a tad length so flick the kettle on and let's get comfy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">University was always this huge thing when I was little and big people did it and there was only a select few people who went there and to be honest, it was completely mind boggling. My hopes for secondary school were based unrealistically on Grease, High School Musical, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and what not, maybe without the singing and I have to say, it was a bit of a let down. Everyone always said that secondary school would be the best five years of your life and although I look back on some of them fondly, if I had to accept the years between the ages of 11 and 16 as the best ones of my entire life then goodness gracious me, I think I'll just give up now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I transferred these hopes onto university and thought "hey, maybe uni is my time to shine", but I was also crippled with this overwhelming feeling of "what if people don't like me?". Secondary school years are the best of your life and uni, that's where you make friends for life. I couldn't shake the feeling of everyone just hating me, which is odd for me because I like to think that people like me for me and if they don't like me then I'm not really missing out on anything, because why would you want a friend who hated you? The thought was also going around my head that because I'm not too fussed about going out drinking that no one would be interested in knowing me, I now know this was harsh for me to think that. Don't get me wrong, I love a gin and tonic and would be happy meeting my friends in a pub for a couple of drinks but "going out" has never really appeared to me and when I've said this before people have looked at me like I have four heads because I'm young and obviously <i>what else is there for me to do?</i> Long story short, I was excited for this new chapter but also, absolutely terrified. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Semester 1</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My first proper day at uni was a bit odd, I managed to get incredibly lost walking from the train station to where I was supposed to be but I like to blame this entirely on Google maps because it was slow and I kept missing my turns. I bought a very expensive meal deal from Marks and Sparks but did find a love for pink lady apple juice then sat on a wall outside the library wondering how the bloody hell I was supposed to get in without a student card and was far too scared to ask. Then I attached myself to two girls who I recognised as being in the same group as myself and I haven't left them yet (I like to think they don't mind). I had a computer induction session and then "lost" my phone, it turned out to be in my pocket... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I joined a society when I started, a society that I found on the student's union website before I started and was very excited to join. I was looking forward to it but it let me down a bit. I went and tried to talk to people but felt like it wasn't natural conversation a lot of the time, this is nothing against the people there really they were lovely but I just felt like it wasn't for me. Initially, I was pretty gutted because I'd had it planned to go there since I even got a place at Hallam but it just wasn't meant to be. Although I haven't returned to the society since Christmas, I do still do the activity and have improved a lot. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was going well but I didn't feel like I belonged, it was odd because I had these people who I was talking to and making friends with but that was it really. I turned, went to seminars and left and then I was back in my own bubble. I wasn't overly happy, but I thought "well, this isn't too bad. I can do it for three years" but then it made me sad because I never wanted to look at my time at uni as being "there's only this time period left". I wanted it to be something I enjoyed, something I looked back on with the happiest of memories. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I promise this gets cheerier soon, just a bit more to struggle through. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Semester 1 was over. Assignments were complete and there was just exams to do after Christmas. I could hide in the comfort of being at home and the run up to Christmas and being away from all the confusion that surrounded me. I'm not going to lie, I considered dropping out and trying to find an alternative somewhere, somehow. Then I got my results back and I didn't fail anything but I didn't feel like my results reflected how hard I'd worked and how stressed I'd been. I was almost certain that this was it and I was going to drop out because what on earth could be worth all this stress? What could be worth putting so much pressure on myself I feel like I'm going to snap? Surely there was an alternative. However, I knew I would never have forgiven myself if I didn't last at least until the end of first year, if I didn't give it a proper go. Dropping out wasn't an option for me so I continued with a brave face.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbyiC-36RgBLXnTtomnBqb3k1_8TjfQ4gRlKPsTTl62bgDGlezdrUI_NJTbiUj8kvZ_rdK30nKSZkyFn8jyczrwRHOpeQ_UXwVkHb4EAit5btQ7BeHCgX4xvpAwmQweklR5eiyJpmRLM/s1600/20171031_082236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbyiC-36RgBLXnTtomnBqb3k1_8TjfQ4gRlKPsTTl62bgDGlezdrUI_NJTbiUj8kvZ_rdK30nKSZkyFn8jyczrwRHOpeQ_UXwVkHb4EAit5btQ7BeHCgX4xvpAwmQweklR5eiyJpmRLM/s320/20171031_082236.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I do feel very lucky to be at a very pretty campus and the autumnal views made it 10x better.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>Semester 2</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Semester 2 was so incredibly different, I'm not sure why or how but something clicked somewhere and I'm so happy it did. I started talking to more people and getting closer to the people I was already talking to and I laughed a lot more. I felt like myself more, I didn't feel like I was just going to university to attend this lecture or write this essay, it was to see the people there as well. When I came to finish for Easter, I genuinely thought "I'm going to miss these people", and I'm so happy I did. I think this post could have a very different ending to it if it wasn't for the fact that I've met some pretty cool people since September. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Seminars and lectures were clicking. I was working towards my assignments. My proudest academic moment this semester has been the presentation I did, alone. I was absolutely dreading this, if you introduce me to new people the odds are I will be very silent for a bit until I have managed to assess their judgements of me or not but to do a presentation in front of people was the worst thing I could imagine. It was only a small group, but it was still a group. I worked really hard on it, I prepared for ages, and I volunteered to go first and I personally think I did a bloody good job. My grade reflected that initial gut feeling so hey, can't be wrong. I was always the one who did everything they could in secondary school to avoid doing presentations so there was an instant panic when I found out I'd be doing a presentation. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've definitely enjoyed semester 2 a lot more than semester 1 and don't feel like I want to drop out anymore. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I had to go to my campus the other day and I was walking through I did think that I'll probably miss it over the summer, and the people there. Onwards and upwards to next year! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Until next week,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lia x </span>Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-38507760286525418182018-05-04T12:51:00.005+01:002018-05-04T12:51:41.910+01:00The Return of Lia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9bpLpQMVFIEQicD3fF5Ds0ZiLHNVkdJaQ11YodKgjb1M-ZPBNJ9oIAU4QGOQqoOzTRPXi-MkB7mdlqHD5t2VSzl_Bmxzy2dRSY4ALIUfYUHkFApPROD1rzzr-i-IvkraZYXy_Tlv1V4/s1600/Return+of+Lia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS9bpLpQMVFIEQicD3fF5Ds0ZiLHNVkdJaQ11YodKgjb1M-ZPBNJ9oIAU4QGOQqoOzTRPXi-MkB7mdlqHD5t2VSzl_Bmxzy2dRSY4ALIUfYUHkFApPROD1rzzr-i-IvkraZYXy_Tlv1V4/s320/Return+of+Lia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hey Earthbugs!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have returned to my little corner of the internet and am once again ready to ramble about a load of rubbish and publish it. I cannot wait. I haven't really been present in the blogging world for about a month and although there have been times where I've felt a bit guilty and that "ah I should really post something", I couldn't bring myself to post something that I didn't fully like so I just disappeared. But surprise! I thought I'd take you on a quick tour (I accidentally typed quich then and it reminded me of quiche and now I want quiche) of where I've been, what my plans are for my blog for a bit and generally how things are going. Call it a cosy catch up, call it a blog journey, call it a preview. A bit of a mix today but I'm quite excited to be posting again. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>The Beginning</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I started my blog I was 15 and had no clue what I was doing in any aspect of anything, I didn't know what to call it so quickly chose That Girl with that Blog and that has kind of stuck ever since and from there I have created this collection of posts about anything and everything that I'm quite proud of, people have shared my posts, people have liked the Facebook page I made when I started feeling like I was annoying everyone on my personal page for sharing my blog. It has become something that I really enjoy doing and I now view it as my own personal way of being able to do something good in the world and get my voice out there and I like to use various social media platforms to read new blogs and discover more things to learn about. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Being 15 seems a lifetime ago and although I believe that my main approach to life hasn't really changed, everything else about me probably has. Being 15 meant every little thing in life was instantly transformed into this huge drama and it was inevitably going to be the talk of the school because you were there 5 days a week for 6 hours of the day, you sat in the same classes all the time, you were constantly in this environment that everyone seemed to know everything that was happening. If you didn't quite know the full story then you didn't need to worry because obviously so and so who you sat next to in science would know. I held my family very close to my heart, which I still do, but the main worry was fitting in and just getting through GCSE years. Saying that makes me laugh as GCSE exams were actually a walk in the park, I mean some miracle happened and I passed history but the rest of it compared to A Levels and then uni was just pretty straight forward. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the past 4 years I do feel as though I have developed more personally and in some ways professionally and would really like to show that through my blog.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8DNC7CgtOGLC3saYLFGun0m9qPC69bV-8GRYpvV4O5liLTWw3bhdmftO5DMwnSBHfZV2n0JBDo4JvBO6iHyN57bLO_HGx7X_kSNQEnGcpA8fyAlO393KP1xMXNOXWx4_nUjJPpnyd20/s1600/2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz8DNC7CgtOGLC3saYLFGun0m9qPC69bV-8GRYpvV4O5liLTWw3bhdmftO5DMwnSBHfZV2n0JBDo4JvBO6iHyN57bLO_HGx7X_kSNQEnGcpA8fyAlO393KP1xMXNOXWx4_nUjJPpnyd20/s320/2014.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is me around the time I started my blog</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>The Preview</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I scroll through Twitter often and see people worrying about numbers, about how this certain post they really enjoyed writing but it hasn't done so well and although it can be a bit disheartening when you see that one post hasn't done as well as another post did a couple of weeks ago and you worked really hard on it... but I'm now not going to worry about it. Blogging for me has always been a hobby, I have always loved writing, and I know some people make careers out of it and you know what, go them, honestly the dedication they have to writing certain posts to appeal to this audience and then promoting it and promoting it and the other platforms that come along with it and this demand to be a social media god. I salute them because I really don't think I'd be able to manage, especially with another job as well. I just want to make it clear that I am in no way criticising these bloggers, they work hard and produce really good content but right now I'm kinda focusing the spotlight on my blog. But I like to write about topics that interest me and it is a bonus if people enjoy reading it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A lot of bloggers write a post and then edit it and then leave it and edit it again and add bits and take parts away and make the post perfect. Obviously, I don't want crazy spelling mistakes and for people to read a sentence and think "what?" but I also like to treat my posts as if I'm having a conversation, maybe with some big words thrown in. I try to keep it as authentic and linked to me as possible because I don't want to be a perfect blog, I'm That Girl with that Blog and I try and come across as though really we could be sat having a cuppa. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Several mind maps, I wish I could say I was organised enough to do them on paper but they're very much scribbled down somewhere in a safe place in my brain (someone help them, they may never see daylight again...wait, I have a brain?!), have reminded me of the posts I really like doing and the posts that I would want to potentially create in the future. As mentioned before, I love writing posts where I can research things and voice my opinions like the posts I've done for International Women's Day and What's All the Buzz? (Manchester Arena attack). I also love writing about my adventures to new places and really want to delve into reviewing my travels more, I want to write more reviews in general as well as I feel this is also a good way to catapult me out of my comfort zone (trust me, there's one in the near future), and it gives me a bloody good excuse to go to the cinema or somewhere new. Food is something that I want to touch on as I would love to develop my skills in the kitchen, but I think for now I may stick to doing the odd brief recipe post on my Instagram account (if you would like to follow then head over to lia_earthquake3 and tappity tap the follow button) and going from there. Watch this space, recipe posts may appear one day. I thoroughly enjoy my little catch ups and maybe one day they will actually be exciting but until then we can just chill. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you've read my blog from at least the start of 2018 then you'll probably remember me doing an "Earthquake" section and doing a couple of posts and then leaving it. I realised now that I actually made it quite a limiting section and I'm going to keep that little tab however I am going to review it and tweak a few things so I can continue spreading that earthquake of positivity which I thoroughly encourage everyone to do elsewhere as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A topic that I would like to bring in to my blog would definitely be creativity, I absolutely adore being creative and making things and what not. It really is a big passion of mine so I would love to be able to share that on the little internet space that is my blog. I'm not sure how I'm going to introduce this all yet but where there's a will, there's a way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>April</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where did I go? Good question. April was a bit of an odd month. It flew by but also went quite slow. Not a lot happened but a lot happened. All in all it was rather odd. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But May is a new month full of new potential and it also marks the end of first year of uni so there's a couple of posts lined up regarding that. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm also doing a marathon over the month of May which I will be writing a post about shortly so if you would like to sponsor me then the link is on my Facebook page/it will be accompanying the ramble about it. Side note: thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far, you're all bloody wonderful. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIIB3f2nalEJMwVyxXV3XBXndxPvFsxzsiI-j90NEIOwsqoJi3g29-MK-JN5HF3ylpsiRYdBPmwSvTZ2jdDVWP1sCUOEjF6VSypvcrmUlYN5ssEmnibGHRWns2l7jOxrv6ixFg5S6KCQ/s1600/may.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNIIB3f2nalEJMwVyxXV3XBXndxPvFsxzsiI-j90NEIOwsqoJi3g29-MK-JN5HF3ylpsiRYdBPmwSvTZ2jdDVWP1sCUOEjF6VSypvcrmUlYN5ssEmnibGHRWns2l7jOxrv6ixFg5S6KCQ/s320/may.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have deemed May the month I start to "get my sh*t together" (sorry Nana Susie), so far it is going well and I managed to go into the bank to set up online banking, what an achievement I felt like such an adult. I also ordered a chai latte and very nice it was too, honestly I'm feeling so very sophisticated right now.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank you so much for being patient and continuing the support of liking posts, reading posts, sharing posts. It very much means the world to me that you enjoy my writing, I hope this little piece of the internet can forever be a happy place for many. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All my love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lia x </span><br />
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-26788417725489170992018-04-12T12:12:00.001+01:002018-04-12T12:12:40.192+01:00Fitness: A ChangeHello Earthbugs, <br />
<br />
This is a quick update on a new thing I'm trying, it's this whole fitness kind of thing. I'm not promising this is going to be the start of regular updating but I am getting there and trust me, you'll know when I am back for good (I hope you all started humming the whole "I want you back for good" lyrics from good ol' Take That). But for now here we go. <br />
<br />
Okay so I'm on this mission to get a bit fitter and feel a little bit more confident. I am a big believer in that everyone should feel comfortable in their own skin and fully believe that in order to have a "bikini body" you simply put a bikini on and there you go. I love seeing it when people are confident in their skin and it inspires me to comfortable in my own. But the truth is, I'm far from confident in my own skin. I look in the mirror and there are so many things I wish I could change and I feel like such a fraud because I encourage others to be confident in their own skin and I can't do it with my own. <br />
<br />
For my age as well I'd say I'm pretty unfit, it's a bit of a standing joke that I can walk to the bus stop just up the street and be so out of breath. I laugh about it. But I don't like it. I just think I'm lazy and get into this pit of "ah, why am I like this?". <br />
<br />
I can tell you why. I'm lazy. I can do my uni work, albeit with a few procrastination breaks, no problem. I can do creative projects, no problem. I can write a blog, no problem. I can cook something new, no problem. But can I look in the mirror and say "okay, you don't like what you see? Let's do something about it"? No, because I ignore it and hope it goes away. But it does not. <br />
<br />
For me, this is a very personal post and you may look at me and think "well you aren't exactly overweight so stop being dramatic", and that's okay you can think that. But to me it is a big deal and has been a personal battle of mine for a long time so I'm going to conquer it. I'm posting this because I like to use my blog as some sort if reflective feature for me personally so hi future me. I also thought that maybe just maybe there may be someone somewhere who would like to join in with this little journey and maybe I can encourage someone somewhere. <br />
<br />
In the long run this will be beneficial because of all the health benefits that come from exercising and eating well but I'm not some sort of health guru and haven't scrolled through Pinterest enough to have a vague idea so let's focus on the not too distant future. I'd like to be a bit fitter, I'm not aiming for a marathon but potentially a jog where I don't feel like I require oxygen on return. I'd like to look better and healthier. I'd also like to not feel the need to have chocolate/cake/anything incredibly unhealthy at all points of the day, obviously I'm not going to cut it all out because I have far too much of a sweet tooth for that but baby steps. Also, if anyone has any healthy recipes that they'd be willing to share for me to try out then go ahead and I'll accept them willingly.<br />
<br />
So, to anyone who feels a bit like a sack of potatoes like myself... we've got this! <br />
<br />
Until next time, <br />
Lia x<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJnM6VHix0dw-JmFYQB-ZQAKJYC1fMjtADpLEUFzA5P8gq7VUSpmZlmb58UZgK1Gh9k8R1_03rpC_5L0Ywlc1aO0Q1Xd4QZr8RBfbDddGOSuRV0sAFFO_wQW5YMypOxeYb48xzcsoHEI/s1600/20171015_162911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTJnM6VHix0dw-JmFYQB-ZQAKJYC1fMjtADpLEUFzA5P8gq7VUSpmZlmb58UZgK1Gh9k8R1_03rpC_5L0Ywlc1aO0Q1Xd4QZr8RBfbDddGOSuRV0sAFFO_wQW5YMypOxeYb48xzcsoHEI/s320/20171015_162911.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-62550547011246875512018-03-25T18:59:00.001+01:002018-03-25T18:59:32.532+01:00Cosy Catch Up #2<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hey Earth bugs,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is a bit of an oddly timed post as I had written half of it in the week then didn't finish it off in time and now we're here. Last weekend it was snowing and horrible weather and today it is lovely and has put me in a very good mood because I am currently sat on my bedroom floor, it's quarter to 7 in the evening, it's still daylight and the birdies are all cheeping outside my bedroom window. The one good thing the snow last week was that Jack and myself went to the cinema to see The Greatest Showman, I am obsessed, it is amazing, I love it. It's such a feel good film and I can't wait for it to come out on DVD. The songs are all brilliant as well, and I have listened to the soundtrack all week so now I have that little obsession out of the way I can continue with the post. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I decided I'd do a bit of a catch up for this weeks post, I have so many posts planned out and ready to post but a few of them have to be posted on a specific date and others require me to do things that fit in with them before they can be posted and I finish uni soon for the summer so be prepared for some content that is a little more than me just rambling about anything. Speaking of finishing uni for the summer, I think that's a little mad. In my head I started about a month ago but no, here I am first year nearly done. Does this mean I'm growing up? I asked that when I finished my GCSE's, the answer was a little. But then I had sixth form to go to so it didn't really matter that much. I asked it when I finished year 12, there was year 13 to do and let's be honest, was I really growing up when I still had to ask to go to the toilet? At the end of year 13 I didn't ask that question because I was too busy asking the "I have no plan B, what am I going to do if I don't get into uni?"/reflecting on the many breakdowns I had towards the end of A Levels. It was not a pretty sight. But now I actually have to think about what placement I want to do next year which will help me in the long run... the long run is something that gets mentioned frequently right now as it's everything that will help me in the future to get a good job because psychology is pretty competitive. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Uni may have taken over my life currently as I battle through various assignments and deadlines and revising for exams and a constant general "AHHHHHHHH" feeling. But apart from all that, I do have so many thoughts for different projects I can do in terms of craft and helping people and I have so many thoughts racing around my head that I often have to stop and go "okay, okay calm down". I'm sure I'll probably document them all eventually on this little internet space, but until them I'm trying to remember to write them down and really just remember them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The past few days have been very odd and a lot has happened, I'm not going to go into that as it is something away from the blog. But I did have a lovely evening yesterday as I visited some of those people that have been in your life that long and made such an impact that they're practically family, as it was a little human's birthday and we had take away, ate cake, and all sang along to the Greatest Showman (running theme) and it made me very happy. It helped me to remember that it doesn't matter what you have in life, as long as you have good people in it. I definitely do. Today was also good as I dragged Jack into town, and made him walk it as I now have a Fitbit and have reached my daily goal of 8000 for 5 days in a row and didn't want to lose my little streak that I have going. We walked around the artisan market and I bought a lovely necklace and some starfish earrings that are equally beautiful. I could've bought a lot more but managed to stop myself. As there was lovely weather we also bought an ice cream whilst walking to my grandparents for a quick visit. Overall, I've had a lovely couple of days (minus the whole working all day Saturday). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm also putting this out there that when I have finished uni I am going to aim to try and be a bit more active on social media sites for my blog, I always say this and never find time so fingers crossed! This was more a warning that if you follow my blog account on any social media site then I am terribly sorry that my face will appear a lot more. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A short and sweet post today but I hope you all have a lovely week and enjoy the lighter evenings! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Until next week,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lia x </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1obRy1rXt9rh-OC2bgNzMLu1H8rqEKxfgjN6lJPPxHcytTc22WumI7vn7o8MZqsgP1UehvDexUO2V27d9uxJxoocTsH3D2eEneoUt6l2xbt0-a8tqOtA8LfQFW2OZJjZbzf1NTU0Rv0/s1600/2018Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="1140" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1obRy1rXt9rh-OC2bgNzMLu1H8rqEKxfgjN6lJPPxHcytTc22WumI7vn7o8MZqsgP1UehvDexUO2V27d9uxJxoocTsH3D2eEneoUt6l2xbt0-a8tqOtA8LfQFW2OZJjZbzf1NTU0Rv0/s320/2018Untitled.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566811045332405506.post-30700228543258985972018-03-15T11:03:00.002+00:002018-03-15T11:03:20.755+00:00Focus: What you can control<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hey Earthbugs,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The other day I was scrolling through Pinterest, this is a frequent occurrence in my life and happens quite frequently, and I came across a post that said "Things you can control" and it was a list of 26 things that you can control and I thought a lot about it. It's originally posted by Ruben Chavez from the Think Grow Prosper website which I will link to<a href="http://www.thinkgrowprosper.org/" target="_blank"> here</a>, I haven't seen it before and I'm not really writing this post about the website itself. I decided to choose a few off the list and write my thoughts about them, I'll leave the picture at the bottom of this post to remind us all what we can control.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For me, this post is important because I feel that as a society we focus a lot on the aspects of our life that we can't control. We stress about them, we overthink them and give them far too much head space. I decided to look at this post and work on it, to work on myself to focus on the things that I do have power over, instead of the negativity surrounding the things I can't control. I hope you take something positive from the rest of this post, let's all focus on the good things for a change.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-R142jdO4vMaZ4qwGC0HaGOzewyWu7CbwBT_mcC140m-Q9jtBa-_UYRl8QC6h5aVe5Qqyip6DTvjOy2W4uMuPRJ5sgR2YuDK7qnZS6wRPjhtWobqPj5QYI4KrCy2e8V2_L8fSd7TvKOA/s1600/1521111396152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-R142jdO4vMaZ4qwGC0HaGOzewyWu7CbwBT_mcC140m-Q9jtBa-_UYRl8QC6h5aVe5Qqyip6DTvjOy2W4uMuPRJ5sgR2YuDK7qnZS6wRPjhtWobqPj5QYI4KrCy2e8V2_L8fSd7TvKOA/s320/1521111396152.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay so...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>What books you read </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I think it is a shame because I don't ever seem to have conversations where many people read books, and I personally think it is a shame. I love to read and have grown up surrounded by people who also read. As I've said many times before on this blog, I am trying to read more and it's going well. You can learn so much from reading, honestly so much. There's books on anything! I think we can really continue learning anything through the simple activity of getting cosy and reading a book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Who your friends are</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is so important. I always used to feel bad if a friendship started going sour, but after I left secondary school I realised that it did not matter and now I have cut off so many people I used to consider friends. This isn't something you should be sad about, there are so many reasons that a friendship could end, you could grow apart in a completely innocent way or there could a more serious reason for example they could be incredibly toxic. So, snip snip and cut them off. It's very therapeutic. I recommend it, but also whilst on the topic of controlling who your friends are you should also be grateful about the good friends you have. As this is a focus on the positive type thing, you should tell your friends that you appreciate them more. This could also fall under the <i>how much you appreciate the things you have, </i>as I like to view this as people and experiences.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Whether or not you try again after a set back </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm a big believer in if you want something then you have to try no matter how much you get knocked back. Sometimes you have to take a minute, sit back and reassess the situation no matter how tough things currently seem. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>How kind you are to others and yourself </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I love being kind and I love making people happy and cheering them up. This is definitely something we should remember, I know that when I'm sad I like to make other people smile and it makes me at least a little bit cheerier. Also, it's important not to beat yourself up over things, as I also read on Pinterest... you are your own home. You're kind of stuck there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPepQH4jMLqw3_GFjDgnlAjQ4uQyJfLbP5l_rIiXGl-mdC6ffMBWn6O7JYW2iKv6DMsWrQtFDJ2Gxw2IpVMBK_KRXjEF5xRg_KhejcEbUZCj9fLW9Nh4Bxe2n_5moZdVR2npMlaEmhbbE/s1600/95af04c28b031500db29d30189899eec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1172" data-original-width="801" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPepQH4jMLqw3_GFjDgnlAjQ4uQyJfLbP5l_rIiXGl-mdC6ffMBWn6O7JYW2iKv6DMsWrQtFDJ2Gxw2IpVMBK_KRXjEF5xRg_KhejcEbUZCj9fLW9Nh4Bxe2n_5moZdVR2npMlaEmhbbE/s320/95af04c28b031500db29d30189899eec.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">P.S. I would love to give credit to the owner of this but I don't know who it is 😔 </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Whether or not you judge other people </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We're all different and the world would be a very boring place if we were all the same. In a similar way that we can learn a lot from books, we can also learn a lot from other people. Just because someone likes something that you don't, it doesn't mean they're "weird". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am going to leave it at this as I could probably ramble about every single point on this list, but that probably wouldn't be very interesting. Instead, I recommend you take a few seconds to think about each point, or a few, on this list and look at things from a different perspective. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank you for reading!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Until next week,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lia x </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsMfTX_3K2fdal4ENE1iwPZQU7nnwmv_d53gUncDvEuv0CXEx3sooCTrrhUa-Zf4nvWRla_ZfJ-bBPOnF3WrFuM0WFv7NYzj2c7B6Pi9nU0M7Og_V2MJkpoTm4yfHL5LOjwmopEgfhoU/s1600/511fd76cea35f1c5b855d919496fa1dd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="966" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsMfTX_3K2fdal4ENE1iwPZQU7nnwmv_d53gUncDvEuv0CXEx3sooCTrrhUa-Zf4nvWRla_ZfJ-bBPOnF3WrFuM0WFv7NYzj2c7B6Pi9nU0M7Og_V2MJkpoTm4yfHL5LOjwmopEgfhoU/s320/511fd76cea35f1c5b855d919496fa1dd.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
Lia Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13026416324215607709noreply@blogger.com0