Monday, 16 October 2017

autumn questions tag


This is not a specific tag but rather a range of questions from different autumn tags I took and interested in i am also only doing 4 because i feel a lot of question in the tags are repetitive or could take a whole post to explain.

 Autumn and winter, as I have mentioned on this blog before, are my favorite times of the year. so I thought I would do this tag so that I had an excuse to talk about it more and hopeful to find some fellow summer hatter who share my bitterness and love of jumpers. okay here goes the shortest tag ever.

1.favorite autumn reads


Maggie Stiefvater's the raven cycle is a great winter read in my opinion as it is very ghostly and I have gotten my self out of two reading slumps by reading these books in the dark on rainy nights. as for the Halloween tree, it is obviously a very good book for Halloween it is beautiful and poetic and in way educational. miss peregrine's home for peculiar children is also a good autumn read as the stories key date is in early September. I feel that reading along with the timeline of the book always helps you admires you self in stories. my last choice is the Halloween party by Agatha Christie this is one of my favorites for hers it has a real shock factor, I had no idea what was going on right up until the reveal which is very rare and rather refreshing for me.

2. favorite autumn films
 pretty much every film about witches/ wizards or ghost that is not gonna traumatize me is a good autumn film in my opinion. I do quite like watching hocus pocus, Ghostbusters and young Frankenstein especially they always seem to be constant rewatches around this time of year. I pretty much love anything that is funny but slightly spooky. See that's the weird thing about me and Halloween is I love it but I'm a total scaredy-cat. Spooky and kooky every day but if there's jump scares im gonna be hidding behind the chair.  

3. favorite autumn days out 
history trips are the best i love visiting ruins or forts in this weather its just so eerie and amazing and you can always get great garden photos in the stately homes because of the leaves and the dead plants. 



4.favorite autumn activity 
pumpkin carving so so satisfying to me it gives me a chance to be creative, get messy and celebrate my favorite day of the year Halloween! i plan all my ideas for pumpkin way too far in advance for instance i have two designs this year that i have had since august because as we all know i am a creep and i have no life. 



Monday, 21 August 2017

tricholtillomania awareness



A little while ago I was surfing the web looking for a way to reduce my hair pulling since my GCSEs I have had a tendency of twisting out strands of my hair when focusing on work or sometimes when relaxing as a comfort. while looking it up I stumbled in a youtube vlogger with the condition Trichotillomania. I was oblivious to what the condition was when I was watching these first through videos. Seeing the severity of the damage the condition caused shocked me, I myself had only ever experienced one bald patch the size of a 5p coin and the top of my neck but this youtube had seemed to be suffering extensively with uncontrollable hair loss. It disheartens me to think that people may suffer like this in silence without representation or support. and although I know I am just a little blogger with a minimal amount of page views, I feel if I had a way of raising even a little awareness I should try.

so I went out and asked 3 individuals question about the condition to prove how it is not wildly known and hopefully to educate people on the matter to the best of my ability.

1.Do you know what trichotillomania is?

A: yes but not in great detail
B: No though I think I have heard you mention it before
C: Isn't it where people pull their hair out it is a mental condition right?

Answer c is correct the formal definition is the compulsion to pull out one's hair from one's head or body including areas such as your eyebrows, eyelashes, and pubic hair.  this can create bald patches and leave lasting damage to hair roots preventing further growth.

2.which one of these do you think is the figure for how many people it affects?

1% of the population         9%  of the population              4% of the population

A: I'd guess 4 maybe
B: 1%?
C: I am going to say 4% but I have a feeling it might be 9.

According to my research in actuality, it is 4 percent of the population, on the whole, that's around 2,960,000 people that suffer from some degree of the illness, which is why to me personally it is such a shame it is so under publicized.

 3. what do trichers normal do after doing harm to their hair?

play with fallen out hair            pick at skin              eat/ put the hair in their mouth

A: varies from person to person
B: All of those options?
C: well I think it's more likely they may cover it through being ashamed. probably play with it but I think it depends on the person that could do all of those things. 

Many people do play with their hair and other can put their hair in or brush it across their mouth but normally the picking of the skin is related to detrotelliamania another common BFRB. from what I can understand BFRBs are usually developed as a stress release and this action can be soothing for the users, I may be wrong about this but this is just what I have heard. some people also say the picking of skin or pulling of hair is down to a psychological irritation a sort of itchy feeling on the skin or scalp. 

4. how many UK charity organizations are there for solely trich?

1                      7                         3 

A: Since it's not as well-known I guess 3
B: I reckon 3
C:3 but I think there should be more than 7 anyway

after searching extensively I was only able to locate one UK trich organization where you can purchase the therapeutic tool and find information. (This organization stock and leaflets are the ones displayed in the photo above).
5. which one of these illness does trich come with often

OCD                         Depression                    Anxiety                  all three

A: I think OCD as it is a compulsion but I imagine anxiety and depression could impact on it as it could be something people identify as a release
B: I think it would involve all those. 
C: All three as like you said it is a compulsive condition so commonly OCD is thought of as a related thing but people can feel ashamed and also panic because they have no control so possibly anxiety. 

All condition are usually related and some people clump them together as the depression and anxiety some suffers face can affect the severity of their pulling. OCD is related as it is a compulsion to pull so it is usually interwoven with the condition. 

Now you have the lowdown on trich I am going to leave you with some links to social media accounts or website that may be useful to you if you want more information or support:

NHS information

Trichotillomania support online

BFRB information

Trich youtube account 

Booktube thoughts

Hi guys, as you know I am a menial, meaning that I have grown up and matured (which kind of makes me sound like a bottle of wine but whatever) in a very media-centric society. Now I don't believe this to be a bad thing entirely, the web and the media have their pros and cons but that is another post in it own. I wanted to partially focus in on the book tube community.

The book tube community is a wonderful community of youtube creators yours who's channels are used as a platform for reviewing, discussing or just generally creating book related content. Now do not get me wrong I love book tube. I enjoy the small and friendly audience/ community it brings in and I am a genuinely invested in a lot of book tube accounts.this aside I am going to start this post off with any negative thought and then move on to positive to finish

despite all of its amazing points book tube does tend to focus in on new releases and new additions. I know you could argue that this is just due to book tubers preferences but I have to say when weighing it up as a whole there are a lot of new book promos, buying of the second edition covers changes and upcoming book releases on these channels which I totally understand. they may enjoy the series, they may be invested in reading the new books before the intent is swarmed with spoilers and in the cause of, promos they have bills to pay.

The real issue is that people like me or possibly younger individuals are then drawn in to buying these new realizes and additions. we want to read what are favoirt youtubers afre reading to. and alought this does altimealy inspire children to read and allows them to have talking points with others in the booktube comminity it can cause issues. new releases tend to be more expensive meaning it cost more to keep up, slower readers like yours truly can't always finish these book before the next big thing comes out, it also means you can miss out on older book or book genres you may enjoy because your mind is narrowed.

 You must understand this is all my personal thoughts on this topic and you must please remember that overall I feel that book tube is in no way negative use of our online voice, however, I would encourage others to do as I have done and start looking for more obsure or older books in order to broaden their reading and to give them selfs new experiences, alongside this recommendation, if they so wish.

On a counterpoint to this con, I would suggest that although I comment on this I myself am guilty of it as I do tend to review read and feature in my tags predominantly revlivent and new books. I in the futher will be making an effort to look into less mainstream books and to purchase books from secound hand or independent bookstores.

On a possitive note I believe booktube to be an essential asset to the print media industry. The print media industry has been rumored to be decreasing in value over the last couple of decade due to social media. However, the use of youtube to do this is an interview way to get more young people engaged with reading, which will help salvage the industry for us all. this is especially important in terms of education as well. In order for peoples literacy to develop they need to read more. with a lot of fast and easy entertainment methods, these days such as streams, tv shows, and podcasts not many people see reading as a time worth option. which is preventing people from developing their skills further.

Booktubers popularity can also lead to book deals as with many YouTubers. this means that people with a real interest and passion for book or poetry are able to reserve opportunities that they would not originally have access to.In addition to this because they understand their audince from intracting with them at con or in the comment they are able to better target their work to their buyer providing a better reading experience.

Overall I think booktube to be positive.What do you think about book tube, do you think it most good or bad or are you neutral to the concept? do you watch any booktubers? let me known what you think in the comments bellow and I will see you soon!

Tuesday, 25 July 2017

Favorites

I have been working on a more serious post that shall be handing some triggering topics, which should be up soon. In the mean time, I thought I would just spew out some obligatory non-meaningful generic posts such as my Favorites this month (and maybe the month before)!!!

I am not gonna pretend anyone excited for this or asked for this but we are doing it anyway. let's go.

books:

recently I have been getting back into Terry Pratchett books I used to really enjoy his work when I was younger and I loved the TV films they did with David Jason not to mention the super glitch PC game that could never say dragon properly. I have just started the Tiffany aching children's series of his and it's interesting because I don't feel his style or tone really changes even in his middle-grade books, so I can still enjoy them and I know that when I lend them to my younger cousins on completion that they will enjoy them as much as I currently am. The series follows the want to be witch Tiffany as she uses her wits and her influence over her unusual friends to put a stop to mysterious going on and to prove you can grow a witch on chalk. If you wanna know what I'm on about just picking up the book and have a look it's real easy to read and this shinny addition is currently available at Waterstones. so give it or any of his books a go I highly recommend them.


my second book is the Saga of the Volsungs this is a mythology book I picked up from the world history section of Waterstones. the collection is said to be one inspirational source from J.R.Tokiens books. it's super short and the cover is beautiful, but it can be a little confusing at times because of the fast pace and similarities in peoples names. however, the book does have a glossary that really helps you understand the mythology better which is super helpful. so if you a newbie legend hunter like my self I would recommend starting with these books. I shall be picking up the next couple very shortly my self.


post cards:

Recently I took a trip with some friends of mine on the train to Birmingham museum and art gallery in the gift shop I came across a collection of suffragette merchandise and I instantly had to have it all. Unfortunately, the entire self  was slightly out of my budget so instead I opted for their suffragette scene color in post cards to send to my friends and family and remind they that women are equals and women are awesome. I was especially impressed with the pack's inclusion of multicultural feminist groups. it is just so perfect.


shows:

Another train ticket another outing, this time to London for my amazing friend ginger snaps birthday treat. In London we checked out Disney Aladdin the musical and oh my Mahatma Gandhi It was breath taking. they worked really hard integrating new and old songs into the show and the magic was 1000% better than I though it would be. I feel it has made the successful transition from sketch pad to stage which is incredibly hard to achieve. over all, I was just blown away especially by the genie who we all can agree had some big boots to fill. I highly recommend getting tickets if you are able. It is a great day out with friends or with kids, you won't regret it I am sure.


cinema: 

unless you have been living under a rock I am sure you have been made aware of the new wonder woman film. now wonder women is my favorite dc character, I like batman to but he was always my brothers go to so I don't really associate much which him because of that, I hope that makes sense. Wonder woman was my favorite in the justice league cartoon I watched as a kid, I used to watch the 1970s show after school some times and I have way more merch than I care to admit. Seeing her portrayed as a strong and let's face it bad as women in the film just reminded me of my past admiration and how little me (and probably still me know to be fair) would love to be a super hero. which is not gonna happen instead I have to a ordinary hero and fight for whats right and what I love just like the other dinamic and fun characters in the film do. It's really great and I honestly can't wait for it to be on dvd already. 




 sun glasses:

the UK's weather has been all over the place recently which I why one supposedly rainy day I found my eyes burning and myself dragging my friend away from root to the pizzeria we were heading to, in order to find some cool shades in Tiger. Tiger is just one of those weird shops that has everything you never thought you needed because you don't need it, no one needs a whale plushy or a soap dish that looks like a rhino or whatever it is. Luckily I did end up leaving with something which I have yet to regret buying are these pink what I call "barbie" sunglasses. they just really remind me of the 90's and I extra. that is the only justifications I have.


Tea:

recently after an importune trip to Starbucks, I have been trying to drink more green tea to ease my insomnia. honestly, this is not really a favorite of mine because I still have mixed feelings about green tea but the brand displayed bellow has been my favorite out of the 3 I have tried. PG tips was a close second as they gave me a free money but their box promoted their strawberry short cake flavored tea on top which was mean of them because i have to look at it knowing I could be drinking that but I had this instead. 


That is all I have for now I hope you have a wonderful day and i will speak to you soon.

Thursday, 18 May 2017

the peculiar book tag (okay so its a tag, but i can quit when i ever i want to!!!)

I am actually not dead, who new!!! I would like to give you a legitimate excuse for my absence but I don't have one. so put on DISA -new world coming, grab yourself a cup of tea and let get peculiar.
(also just to say i did not draw that hollow but who ever did props to you it is amazing)

1. Abandoned house- a book you abandoned but then gave another chance and ended up enjoying.:
city of bones by Cassandra Clair. I love the book now. Simon is my spirit animal but at fist read I got to chapter two and was just hella confused and frankly uninterested in the whole teen romance thing. but I returned and stayed for the sassiness because it's always nice to find characters as bitter as yourself

2. Vintage photographs- a book you would love to see illustrations in:
I would have to say ray Bradbury the Halloween tree, know I am sure somewhere there must be an addition which drawings or even an addition o can by in the UK. I had this books as an audio book from this auto books site for dyslexics and you know people who just want to read but maybe find it hard for other reasons. anyway, I love the descriptions Bradbury crafts and I would love to see all of the chaotic imagery just in person so I could copy it and have it tattooed on me. bit extra but I don't care I loved that book.

3. Loop- a series you wouldn't mind reading on loop:
I Think even tho it is a basic answer Harry Potter because I do adore the books and it's long enough that I would forget things in the first book before I got back to the start.

4. Peculiar children- A character who's abilities you desire to have:
probably Ronan ability from the raven boys I'm not gonna go it to detail because I didn't want to spoil anything but I think it would be cool, and interesting to play about with.

5. Miss Peregrine- your favourite characters who is a leader:
I would have to say wade from ready player one, he is a very solitary person and yet he is able to lead the group so well in the end, he is fair even when competing (As fair as you can be) and overall I just think if I had to pick a team leader he be good because he's just kind of chill whereas in most adventure time books the portraitist is all full anxiety and contemplating whether they too are evil, I'm not about that I just want to play video games, man,

6, Jacob- your favourite story were a kid discovers an extraordinary world:
I think I'm gonna go with the little prince that book is just so heartbreaking, breathtakingly beautiful to me and honestly despite the disappointment of each world he finds you just feel this overwhelming understanding and togetherness with him as we can see the world through a child's eyes again.

7. Emma- a fiery character:
Anne of green gables, she's so sassy for a kid and I just love how confident she is, or even Mary Poppins (the really O.G. not Yondu). like I saidI'mm just really about the sass.

8. Millard a book that seems invisible more people should read:
I think it's fair to say I am a fairly mainstream reader, however, I would definitely recommend something like chocky, chocky is more of a classic sci-fi and I have not heard anyone my age talk about it but I just found its concept is really interesting so possibly that one

9. Olive- A book that followed to the top of your tbr:
holding up the universe by Jenifer nivan was that last one I remember skipping the list, that's what comes from the excitement of a signed copy also she retweeted me not to brag or anything (i will brag I'm proud of myself)

10. Hugh- a book that stung and caused a lot of feelings
twilight, not that is partly moving but it made me reassess my life and feelings for giving enough of a damn to finish it.I actually have a whole post on this topic (shameless self-promo)

11. Enoch- a character you would like to bring back to life
I think this is a one hard as again i'm struggling not to give a harry potter answer so I think I am going to go with the parents from a series of unfortunate events because you know everything sucked for their kids for like 13 books after they died, so it just seems the wised choice.

12. Bronwyn- a physically strong character
I don't know really who to put for this so lennie from of mice and men i guess i don't know

13. Hollowgast- a book that felt like an experiment gone wrong
cinder on my first read though gave off this vibe to me although I did end up enjoying it i struggled with the drastic changes in character dynamic from the original.

there is 14 question but i had no answer for the last one. I hope you enjoyed this, if you have not read miss peregrines home for peculiar children, oh my god who are you, go go get it now!! I love it and all of my creepy ass children. that aside I hope you all have a wonderful day, night, timeless limbo or whatever and I will see you soon... hopefully.





Friday, 3 March 2017

So yeah...I have a confession to make

Lets all skip merrily back in time to the march of last year where I made this post TERRIBLY lazy post.
lets have a closer look at number 3 shall we.



so yeah... I have a confession to make. I read
 Twilight.something I swore on my mortal 
 soul I would never ever do. but let me explain. it all started at Christmas it was cold and I was all cozy and 100% ready for my next reading adventure when I realized
I READ ALL. THE. BOOKS. my TBR shelf was just a barren 
land of despair I mean what else do I do,I'm
not sporty I don't want to go play video games, or do actual work, I wanted a book
as i am a reader, and i was gonna read if it killed me.

so, I logged on to my listening  books account, its like audible for dyslexics and Iwould 100% recommend it. to see if I could find a audio book that would fill the void until I had courage enough to leave home & trek though that blizzard to water stones.

I scrolled though YA and then I saw it for the first time it spoke to me. 
long story short I listen to the whole thing. and I sort of liked it. Bella was not as dumb as i though she would be and Edward Cullen,not just a sparkly drama queen, okay maybe a little but if you didn't enjoy that aspect just a bit your a liar . It will never be my favourite book and I may never even read on but I  glad I tryed it. I was pleasantly surprised by it, never imagined I would 
like the Romantic vampire genre. I did particularly enjoy the normal teenager though process of the characters eg when in doubt
 go to google. Basically this hole post just
means that is okay to change your opinions, mine changed and I
 admit I was wrong, doing so has allowed me to
open myself to new types of reading. which I  think is a good thing. you can always try things out it doesn't mean you have to like it when you do but I means you have given it a chance and you never know you might be better for it.

that said I  am totally not a twihard now and probably never will be ...

*cough* *cough* i'll see you all soon i will try to get some kind if regular posting system down soon. probably.. anyway thanks for reading!

Thursday, 23 February 2017

roasting my pretentious Instagram. (is it a tag? no so shut up)


I know this blog's been dead for like 5 weeks but if it didn't die then this whole coming back to life thing wouldn't be as impressive. would it no one would give one about Lazarus if he walked up to his friends like "hey guys still alive, as always" because they would think me was stupid. oh yeah, this was supposed to be about roasting my Instagram. I don't really have a lot to say about that tho so lets just get into destroying what little bit of dignity I have left shall we.
caption: *sunglasses emoji*
reality: wow look at you you'er so cool, not drinking alcholo at a BAR, such a rebel, also why is that piture such a tight shot? beacuse if you zoom out you cant see the 300 other people in my coach party, thats why.
caption: my baby is here but I can not read it until the 5th this is a true test of my inner strength
reality: wowww i can read but im also out dooresy, even tho is is my patio and I have no intention of reading or doing any others activets exept BBQ's out here. plus all inner strength you had was lost when you watch the entirety of stranger things in one day. 

caption: I just may set off in another direction entirely 
reality: I can not drive.
caption: just found this when clearing out my old laptop #tb
reality: you also found that photoshoped image of you fist bumping braco obama but you were sprisingly able to with held that one.

there's more but I'm done. see ya when I care again.


Valerie and her week of wonders review

As a film enthusiast and a media college grad i know two things one I there are very through jobs and two the weirder the film the mo...