Dear Me In 2016...

Dear me in 2016,

We're only one month into 2016 and yet you are different. It's incredible how quickly change can happen. Some friendships fall like shooting stars whilst others blossom from the earth. Okay, enough cheesy metaphors. Basically you've undergone some change over the last month so I'm here to tell you how not to screw your shit up this year.

First of all, you have got a pretty good thing going with your health just now. You are working out 4 - 5 times a week and you are no longer snacking like you used to. It makes a difference...a very noticeable difference...DON'T STOP. Right now you are feeling very good about yourself, keep that feeling!

Recently you seem to be having some motivation kick. I don't know if it's because of prelims or you've just been watching really inspiring youtube videos...doesn't matter. Either way, you are working out, studying and actually being productive again. Don't you dare stop! Find ways to motivate yourself be it youtube, blogs or even leaving yourself sticky notes if you're desperate.

Just say yes. There are so many opportunities out there, take full advantage of them! Even if it's something you don't think you can do TRY anyway. You will be amazed by what you can achieve. Recently you have been taking part in a lot of courses and talking to a lot of interesting people and it's been amazing. You've made so many contacts and improved your skills a lot, that's incredible, good job me.

Do the things you want to. You actually have a lot of ambition. Stop daydreaming and start doing! Learn how to play that guitar, take those singing lessons, go to those yoga classes or even more basic if you want to do something, ARRANGE it. Don't wait for someone else to do something for you. You can do it.

Finally, just make sure you're looking after yourself. Remember to remind those around you how much you love them and remember to love yourself. Above all, just have an incredible year you'll remember. Okay, I'm done being an agony aunt now, just don't screw it up!

How to survive a family holiday...

Going away on a holiday avec the family, sounds great right? Sure. Until arguments start and chaos descends. However, worry not! Here are my top 5 tips for how to survive a family holiday, I assume they work as I'm still here and I haven't murdered anyone...yet.

1) Try and be a peacekeeper
I love a good debate as much as the next guy but when it is escalating into a full blown argument or the other person is taking it too seriously, it might be time to just leave it. Yes it can be frustrating - particularly when you are right - but it's just easier.

2) Avoid drama
If you are not in the argument and it seems to be getting pretty heated...EVACUATE THE PREMISSES IMMEDIATELY!   You will get either sucked in to the argument or asked to pick a side. Simply go to a different room with a different family member and hide there until the storm passes

3) It is okay to take time for you
Yes you are there for a family holiday but that does not mean that you need to be with them 24/7. It is absolutely fine for you to have some down time by yourself be it to walk, draw, write or whatever you want to do. You should not feel bad about relaxing and wanting to do a fun activity alone - your family will not hate you.

4) Be willing to try new things
While away with family or extended family it is most likely that you will be subjected to things that you might not necessarily want to do. For some people this might be going on a walk, going to a museum etc. However, please try and find some aspect of it that you enjoy. This not only makes it more enjoyable for you but your family doesn't have to listen to complaining the entire time.

5) Bond
During the rest of the year you might be so busy that you may actually be left feeling slightly cut off or disconnected from your family, a holiday is a chance to fix this. You actually have time to talk and do activities together and this will definitely bring you closer together. I really love this because after a holiday I really feel connected to my family.

These are my top 5 tips for survival: good luck!

Why Vegetarian?

Hey guys!
So, as some of you may or may not know, I am a vegetarian. Not a weird thing, right? A lot of people are. Well you would think however I get asked a surprising amount about why I chose to go vegetarian so I thought I would write a wee bit about it and explain why I personally chose to go veggie. Here we gooo:

1)  The animals: when I was younger I really did not care about the meat that I was consuming...at the age of three I marched into a restaurant, announced "I SMELL BEEF" and then proceeded to eat an entire adults meal. I think that pretty much summed me up. Then as I got older I began to do more research into vegetarianism - not because I wanted to be one but I was just curious. I explored how animals were treated and I was absolutely horrified. I don't really want to go into too much detail about it but I have to honestly say that what I saw was worse than any horror movie I have ever seen. Also...how could you eat that little guy?! ^


2) Religious reasons: I am a Buddhist. Now whilst it does not say directly anywhere in Buddhism not to eat animals and many Buddhists are not vegetarians, I felt bad because the first precept is 'Do not harm or kill another living being'. It can be argued that you are not really harming the animals directly but I felt guilty and that actually took a lot of pleasure out of eating meat to the point where all I was seeing when I was eating it was the animal it once was.

3) My final reason was health and environment: my family ate a lot of meat, we were consuming it two or three times a day which is actually more than we need protein wise. The body does not need the amount of protein we were giving it and that results in the fats being stored. Since going veggie I have noticed a definite loss in weight. The environmental factor is that the meat industry is actually one of (if not the) leading cause of global warming and by not consuming meat you are cutting back the amount of resources used and pollution released.

I would like to clarify that this was not to pressure anyone into being a vegetarian or anything like that but simply to clarify the reasons why I went veggie. At some point in the future I would like to go vegan and see how that goes.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed :) xx

Adventures...

Hello guys,
recently I have been thinking about what people do with their time and what they invest their energy into. I have also noticed that people these days lack excitement and  are far more focused on the things that they posses. I personally believe this is a waste of time and effort and here's why.

1. Things such as possessions do have an expiry date - no matter how cool they are.
What I mean by this is that no matter if you have the newest version of the iPhone, there will always be a product that is better than what we have, so we are never satisfied - we always want more (trying to say that without sounding preachy) and it also limits your time to show it off.


2. Personally I believe that people are spending too much time on their phones. This both true yet also highly hypocritical as it's coming from someone who does spend probably too much time on the internet. I am fine with the internet. I love the internet. If we go on holiday, wherever we are going better have WiFi, However, when wifi spots are getting set up in every coffee shop and at random points in town...it's a bit much. I do actually enjoy face to face interaction. Y'know...actually talking.


3. I want people to take spontaneous adventures.You don't need a phone with you. If you want pictures take a polaroid (I freaking love polaroid cameras) or a disposable camera. I think this is so important because an amazing story will always beat a new possession. Every. Single. Time. It the opportunity to better yourself, do something spontaneous and have an adventure with people you love - that's what I think is important...memories.

These are the reasons I think we might be better cutting down on the technology just a little so that we still have those stories, we still create worthwhile and lasting memories instead of being on our phones 24/7.
Thanks for reading xx