Thursday, 31 July 2014

How Technology Has Changed Us

Whilst on my London travels, we inevitably used many means of transport: train, tube, bus and coach. On the tube I looked around and noticed how unsociable we've all become. No one was looking around, just down at their phones sniggering to themselves at something they'd seen on it and it made me come up with this:

In the 21st century I think it’s safe to say that our lives are literally consumed by technology, not only by the gadgets like the iPads, iPhones and e-readers but also the apps, HD TV’s and the ability to download music. There are a lot of advantages to all of this new technology: things are easier, quicker and more convenient to do with technology. However as our lives have adapted to this new found phenomenon so too has our behaviour and habits.
Photo from Flickr by Sean MacEntee
Travelling on the tube in London is when the changes really become apparent. Years ago the whole carriage would’ve been reading newspapers absorbed in whatever story they were reading, nowadays the carriage is full people who are slouched over their phone laughing to themselves over a text or snapchat they’ve just received – take away the phone, and they’re just laughing to themselves…

Grammar has also suffered through this technological time, we now write a capital letter for the second letter as opposed to the first for example: ‘Iphone’ to many linguists would be seen as correct as a noun should always start with a capital letter, but at Apple they decided to change things and write it as ‘iPhone.’ So it seems technology has even taken over the rules of grammar which have been passed down through many generations.

Words have even slipped their way into speech and dictionaries almost unnoticeably, words that years ago would have been laughed at. ‘Selfie’ was actually named ‘Word of the Year’ in 2013 by Oxford Dictionaries and is now used commonly in spoken language and social media.  Phrases are also lodged in peoples brains now without a thought having to go into it ‘Google it’ is probably the  prime example of this, people can no longer be bothered to think of the answer themselves so use the alternate answer instead: ‘Google it.’

One of the more serious downsides of technology is that it can be addictive and people can create and cause emergencies, like when people are on the phone whilst driving – illegal yet people still do it…and die from it. Even when people have witnessed an event they’re too busy tweeting about it to go and help.
Also from Flickr by Moyan Brenn
One piece of technology that has been around for a while now is cameras. Although cameras have developed and improved rapidly over the years the reasons for why a person takes a picture have changed too. People are now more interested in taking a picture for the likes on Instagram and Facebook than they are of actually wanting to look back on the photo and remember that time.

Overall technology has improved our lives in many ways: no one is going to lug their whole computer on a train everyday so an iPad or laptop is a lot more transportable and convenient, it’s the same when wanting to take a pile of books on holiday - now you can take an e-reader instead. The point being that technology can be used to help and improve our life, but is it really safe to let it change our behaviour to the point where death is a serious risk?

I'm leaving this open for debate - I am impartial here chums!

Abi :)

Wednesday, 30 July 2014

My Favourite...Nail Polish

I only started using Barry M nail polishes last Christmas - behind everyone else would be a HUGE understatement - I've bought several this year though, so I feel like I have caught up with some people!

I was bought a few nail polishes as presents and one of them was a Barry M Gelly polish in the colour Blueberry (it is one of my favourite colours along with Rosehip). They're called 'Gelly' as they're meant to give the same shiny finish as gel manicures - found that out after a lot of questions and Googling!

I love these nail polishes, I think they're GREAT! I don't know any other nail polish which gives such a shiny finish with good coverage too!


Barry M Dragonfruit Gelly
This is 'Dragonfruit' another favourite colour of mine!
Barry M Dragonfruit Gelly
Love how it's actually the same colour as the product in the bottle - only need two coats - and it dries quickly too!
Barry M Dragonfruit Gelly
I love the shine!
Just a short post about my LOVE for this nail varnish!

Abi :)

Tuesday, 29 July 2014

20 Questions TAG

Hi chums!

Saw this TAG so thought I'd do it! Feel free to copy it and have a go yourselves!


1. Thing you cannot leave the house without - Phone, I feel safer with it!

2. Favourite brand of makeup - I use all sorts, don't really have a favourite if I'm honest!
3. Favourite flowers - roses, sunflowers, daffodils
4. Favourite clothing stores - New Look, Forever 21, Boohoo
Daffodil!
Boohoo parcels!
5. Favourite perfume - Yellow Diamond by Versace
6. Heels or flats - Heels, I'm really short!
7. Do you make good grades - I'd like to think so!
8. Favourite colours - Blue, purple, green
9. Do you drink energy drinks - Not often
10. Do you drink juice - Every morning with breakfast!
I only own one pair of heels - I have a few pairs of wedges though!


11. Do you like swimming - I love it!
12. Do you eat fries with a fork - Sometimes
13. What's your favourite moisturiser - Simple
14. Do you want to get married later on in life - Yes!
15. Do you get mad easily - Yes, if I'm honest haha!
Simple moisturiser
16. Are you into ghost hunting - No
17. Any phobias - Dogs...I just don't like how aggressive they can be and I don't like it when they bark it's scary
18. Do you bite your nails - Sometimes
19. Have you ever had a near death experience - No
20. Do you drink coffee - Not often but I do love a Starbucks

Yummmyyy

I hope you enjoyed this TAG, feel free to copy it if you haven't already done so!

Abi :)

Monday, 28 July 2014

Things I Love About Summer

Thought I'd make a short list of things I love about Summer...
  • Weather - more specifically: the SUN!
  • Ice creams
  • Salad - so refreshing
  • Birds singing in the mornings
  • Light evenings
  • Clothes you have to wear to keep cool
  • Views
  • Flowers
  • Wildlife
  • Being able to read outside
  • Going to the beach
Ham Hill landscape
Can see so far when it's sunny
Lyme Regis, Dorset in Summer
Beach!
Bubblegum ice cream
Bubblegum flavour!
Daisy flower
They're so pretty!
Daffodil flower
Daffodil
wasps and bees
Wasps
wasps and bees
And again
Swan reflection Hyde Park, London
Love the reflection of the swan in the sun!
London silhouette Summer sun
London babyyy!
Abi :)

Sunday, 27 July 2014

Anticipating the Next Series of Doctor Who

WHO'S LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT SERIES OF DOCTOR WHO? I AM!

I'm reallyyy looking forward to the next series and also to see the brand new Doctor played by Peter Capaldi! 'Whoovians' (like myself) have already seen him in the Christmas Special and I think he will be a good contrast from the witty Doctor there was before (played, of course, by Matt Smith), it will also be interesting to see an older actor play the Doctor.

For those that haven't seen it yet, here's the trailer for the new series:



I think the trailer looks amazing! It looks like the dreaded Daleks are back, Madame Vastra and maybe some new monsters too. 

I've been watching Doctor Who since it first started again in 2005 and my favourite Doctor is David Tennant - I thought he was GREAT! I loved how David played the Doctor in so many different dimensions: hyper, sad, smart, emotional and angry - all very well acted. 

My favourite companions are probably Donna (I thought she was so funny especially with David's Doctor) and Amy too. One of my favourite returning characters on Doctor Who is River Song, I love how flirtatious, funny and smart she is and I ADORE her hair!


My favourite! Photo from Flickr and HERE's the link to the photo by Lisby
I love this photo! Again from Flickr, HERE's the photo - another one from Lisby!
I'll leave some links here for anyone that wants to catch up on the latest news for Doctor Who:

DoctorWhoTV
TheDoctorWhoSite
DoctorWho

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Abi :)

Saturday, 26 July 2014

Afternoon Tea in London Babyyyy!

Hi chums!

Earlier this week I was invited to celebrate a family friend's 60th birthday in London at the Marriott Hotel. For those that don't know, the Marriott is quite a 'posh' hotel - comparable to The Ritz but quite a bit cheaper! The Marriott is located next to the London Eye overlooking Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament - the view from the windows was exquisite, especially with the Thames glistening in the gorgeous Summer sun!

Before we went there though, we popped in to see a certain someone at my Grans...
cat
It's KIT THE CAT!!
cat
Like...how is that comfortable for a cat?!
 (THIS is the post where I briefly introduced Kit to you all in case you missed it)

Anyway, back to the Marriott! 
Marriott Hotel
The entrance!
We started with a champagne reception - all very formal and posh (probably too posh for me I'll be honest!) and then went inside to have our afternoon tea. We were all allocated tables and chairs and even had a little name card at our place which I thought was a nice touch.
Marriott Hotel afternoon tea

We even had the menu explained to us (emphasising our lack of knowledge for 'posh' food). There was mini strawberry cheesecake slices, coffee and nutella macaroons, a mini custard tart topped with a mini meringue and a mini strawberry cupcake - clearly 'miniature' was the theme! We also had scones (both savoury and sweet) and clotted cream and jam (which was soooo good) and sour cream and chive for the savoury. There were also a selection of meat and vegetarian sandwiches too, but I won't reel all those off for you!
Marriott Hotel afternoon tea
The table was laid out beautifully, I loved the little teacups!
Marriott Hotel afternoon tea
We had a panna cotta as our 'starter' and you can see the selection of other treats we had!
We had to sieve our own tea (I think the term is actually drain...said I wasn't posh!) and we had a whole teapot to ourselves which was HUGE. I had Earl Grey but there was loads of different variations we could have - I always thought tea was just tea to be honest!
Marriott Hotel afternoon tea
My 'sieved' Earl Grey tea!
Marriott Hotel
The Marriott Hotel from the outside (nearest the River Thames)
To the left of the photo is the London Eye - shows just how close the Marriott is, and the views were great!
London in the Summer silhouette
London can be so beautiful, especially in the sun!
Hope you enjoyed reading about my little adventure to London!

Abi :)

p.s. the photos aren't brilliant quality as they were taken on my phone!

p.p.s. I have linked websites to the places I've mentioned in case you wanted to check any of them out!




Friday, 25 July 2014

Official Fifty Shades of Grey Trailer

Hi chums!

Yesterday the official Fifty Shades of Grey trailer was released, ready for the anticipating eyes belonging to the loyal fans who have waited months for this. For those who (somehow) don't know, Fifty Shades of Grey is a trilogy written by E.L.James which soon became bestsellers across the World. 

The books follow the...um...erotic (shall we say!) relationship between Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey - hence 50 Shades of Grey - and they both discover different dimensions of not only their relationship but also themselves. 

You can watch the trailer here:
Personally I'm really looking forward to it. I read all the books - it was all ANYONE was reading so I had to jump on the bandwagon - I borrowed my friends books which had been passed round most of the year! I enjoyed them quite a lot: they're well-written and always had cliffhangers and twists and turns throughout the story. Whilst watching the trailer I also found the Film Blog of The Guardian had done a review on it. THIS is the review, it's a good read and very entertaining! 

The film is out Valentines Day 2015 - let the countdown begin!

Abi :)

Thursday, 24 July 2014

Summer Playlist

Hi chums!

I thought I'd do something a bit different today and give you a little playlist of songs I've been listening to during the Summers so far! Enjoy :)


I'm not a massive fan - it's just stuck in my head!
Love her songs!
Yet to find someone who dislikes this song!
Sorry but...FROZEN!!!

Hope you enjoy listening to these!

Abi:)

Wednesday, 23 July 2014

My Favourite...Bloggers

Hi chums!

So I thought I'd try and do a blog series of 'favourites' every Wednesday, it will range from favourite fruit to favourite songs and I'm hoping it will be quite fun to do and come up with a 'favourite' each week! To kick my series off, I'm doing my favourite bloggers!

I'm quite new to blogging, but I thought I'd share with you my favourite blogs so far - I've limited it to 5 as I don't want the list to be too extensive/boring!

(They're in no particular order either)


  • Zoella - for me this is obvious. She is SO well-known and so good at what she does! I first found her on YouTube and then found out that she had a blog too. Her blog was one of the many things that inspired me to start writing a blog of my own. I love how she blogs about almost anything: her beautiful Guinea Pigs, a review on a LUSH product or just her latest favourite products - there is something for everyone to read and enjoy.
  • Loveology - I think the posts are all so beautifully presented. The pictures are always of such good quality and I love the quotes too! It's a nice blog to look at when you maybe don't have much time or don't want to do too much reading.
  • A CUP OF JO - this is quite a different blog...not in any bad way, I just never would have thought that you could do a blog like this - but I'm glad I found it because it's great! It's quite a family orientated blog and as a young person I know it might not be everyone's cup of tea. But I find the posts really interesting and informative. I especially liked the '20 surprising things about parenting in Germany' as it not only gave an insight into parenting  but also a bit about the culture of the country too.
  • Joy the Baker - I've already mentioned I have a sweet tooth, so I was keen to hunt down some food/recipe blogs! I love this one, the posts are quite frequent which I love and I also like the fact it's not just a recipe blog, you get quite a lot of insight into Joy's personality through the way she writes. I am very much looking forward to trying her 'Peanut Butter Banana Bonbons!'
  • SprinkleOfGlitter - I really enjoy reading her posts! They're so bubbly and just full of personality! I was genuinely moved by her latest post 'I Want To Be Everything' and I think it is relatable for a lot of people regardless of age or whether you're a Mother or not!

Hope you enjoyed this post and check these bloggers out if you haven't already!

Abi :)

Tuesday, 22 July 2014

This or That Tag

So I saw this TAG and decided I wanted to have a go at it too, so here it is! 

MAKE UP

Blush or bronzer - blush EVERYTIME I am really quite pale so any bronzer looks horrendous on me!

Lip gloss or lipstick - not really a fan of putting product on my lips that often but I'd definitely choose lipstick as I don't like the texture of lip gloss on my lips

Eyeliner or mascara - eyeliner, when I'm feeling lazy I sometimes only put eyeliner on and don't bother with mascara at all!

Foundation or concealer - FOUNDATION, definitely my one make up thing I have to have ALL the time

Neutral or colour eyeshadow - I'd say neutral but it would depend on the occasion and what I'm wearing colour wise

Pressed or loose eyeshadows - pressed

Brushes or sponges - I used to use sponges and liked them until I was told they spread spots like anything, and since then I've found brushes blend my make up in a lot better too!


This is not my picture (although I wish it was it's amazing!) I'll leave the link HERE it's from Flickr and is by pumpkincat210

NAILS

Long or short - short nails for practicality, but appearance wise long haha!

Acrylic or natural - natural (I've never had acrylic!!)

Bright or dark - bright!


Again this is not my picture (or my nails damn it!) I'll leave the link to the photo HERE and it's also from pumpkincat210
BODY

Perfume or body splash - perfume, I find it lasts longer

Lotion or body butter - body butter

Body wash or soap - body wash, I love the Soap and Glory ones!

FASHION

Jeans or sweat pants - sweat pants...but if I was going out somewhere it would obviously have to be jeans!

Long sleeve or short sleeve - long

Dresses or skirts - skirts

Stripes or plaid - PLAID I love checked stuff like the shirts!

Flip flops or sandals - sandals, I've never liked that flip flops separate my toes!!

Studs or dangly earrings - I don't have my ears pierced

Necklaces or bracelets - I don't tend to wear accessories often but when I do it's usually bracelets

Jacket or hoodie - hoodie, they're so warm and comfy!

Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe - Forever 21

Sake 5th or Nordstrom - I honestly don't know


Another one from Flickr that I don't own HERE's the link, this one is from jenosaur
HAIR

Curly or straight - curly, it gives my hair more volume and texture

Bun or ponytail - ponytail

Bobby pins or butterfly clips - bobby pins

Hairspray or gel - hairspray

Long or short - long, I think you can do more with it that way

Light or dark - light, just because dark hair wouldn't suit me as I'm quite pale

Side sweep bangs or full bangs - side sweep

Up or down - down


I love this picture by white_ribbons, HERE's the link
RANDOM

Rain or shine - shine, but I like listening to the rain when I'm inside!

Summer or Winter - Summer as I enjoy the sun (we don't get it often in the UK!) but I do like Winter too!

Fall or Spring - tie, I love the leaves in Autumn but then Spring is also nice (and warmer!)

Chocolate or vanilla - vanilla

Hope you enjoyed this! Feel free to copy this to do yourself!

Abi :)

Monday, 21 July 2014

Review: Urban Decay Ink For Eyes

Hi chums!

So I've been a big fan of pen eyeliners for a while as it helps me to get a flick a lot easier and more precisely. I've used a few from Collection 2000 but felt that the staying power wasn't great and the consistency/thickness used to change depending on how I held the pen.

I'd heard a LOT of good things about the Urban Decay Ink For Eyes so thought I'd try it out! I bought it from FeelUnique I'll leave the link HERE - the postage was free which I was really impressed by especially as the pen was £15 which is a LOT more than I would usually spend.


Urban Decay Ink For Eyes
Urban Decay Ink For Eyes
Urban Decay Ink For Eyes
Urban Decay Ink For EyesUrban Decay Ink For Eyes
Pros:

  • Can create quite a fine/thin line and build it up 
  • Good for precision so you can get as close to the lash line 
  • Can create the perfect wing
  • It's waterproof and has good staying power

Cons:


  • Can smudge in creases (if you have any around your eye)
  • It's quite pricey 
  • Can feel quite sticky straight after applying

Urban Decay Ink For Eyes

Overall I do really like this eyeliner, it's a lot more than I would usually spend on one item of eye make up but I think it's worth it!

Abi:)

Sunday, 20 July 2014

Easy Banana Smoothie

Here's how I make my banana smoothie, it's great for Summer as it's really refreshing and can be for a snack or a drink with a meal. Obviously you don't have to follow my recipe exactly, you can do lots of variations of it and I'll tell you how you can make small changes as we go!

Ingredients: 
Honey! As I've said before I have a sweet tooth, so if you don't want your smoothie to be too sweet then maybe leave this one out!
Ice cream, it can be any flavour - I chose vanilla though so I didn't have too many flavours going on!
The most obvious ingredient: banana! You could add some extra fruits like strawberries
Milk, you could use any type I just always drink semi-skimmed

You will also need: a hand blender and a cup (this is how I did it) or of course you could put the ingredients in a blender and then pour it into a cup


Nice purple beaker
Chop the banana up and put the pieces in the cup
Pour some milk into the beaker, about 150ml but to be honest I just poured some in and stopped when I thought it was enough!
Put three spoons of ice cream into the beaker
Drizzle some honey over the ice cream
THEN WHIZZ IT ALL UP IN YOUR BLENDER OR USING A HAND BLENDER LIKE I DID
Banana smoothie recipe
The result! Nice and frothy and bubbly!
Banana smoothie recipe
You could pour it into another cup/glass if you don't want to drink it all at once
Banana smoothie recipe

I hope you enjoyed this recipe!

Abi :)