AOTW | Equality Video.

This week is another video and I decided I wanted to share it because as you will already know I am a huge supporter of equality. For everyone.

I think as humans it's one of the basic ideas that people need to appreciate but a lot fail to understand. I don't know where it has come from but prejudice is rife among our species and it needs to change. The only way to do that is spreading messages of love and acceptance of all life.

For our generation the most current and obvious equality issues we face are based around sexuality. This video by FCKH8 (who I have mentioned before here) really brings home the fact that the inequality issues in the past now seem ludicrous. The more people learn about this the quicker they will see that all inequality is just as insane. Whether it be due to gender, disabilities, race or sexuality they are all just as harmful and unnecessary.

People should be considered for their personality and abilities not factors that they have no control over. Humans can be pretty awesome so why make a minority feel less awesome than they are? 

We are all equal.

 

x

Awesome Of The Week | Videos of acts of kindness.

I can't believe that it's been a whole week and this is my first post! I have been utterly useless as my week has been quite stressful, I've actually been busy by socialising a bit and I'll be honest I've felt crappy and struggled to motivate myself to write anything.

I have had an amazing weekend though so have eventually sat myself down with my laptop after forcing myself to the gym to get some words down.

My AOTW came to me via the wonders of Facebook, I just happened to be scrolling along as you do and for some reason I decided to click play on this little video and my gosh is it lovely. Sometimes all you need is a little reminder to keep your faith in humanity because people have such potential for goodness and to be genuinely kind. Simply giving aid to someone more in need than yourself really can turn the world around.

x

Awesome Of The Week | Sprilizer.

I first used one of these at my friends house and have been meaning to purchase myself one for an absolute age!!

The idea is that you "spirilize" vegetables (generally courgette) into noodles as a healthier substitute to pasta or regular noodles. I am wanting to really amend my unhealthy ways and thought this was a good place to start as it allows for super quick meals like pasta but that are way less stodgy and carby.

My choice of meal on this particular night was courgette noodles with garden peas, spring onions and mushrooms in a small amount of pesto.

To be honest any sauces you would have with pasta would work amazingly with this or a sweet and sour would be delish!
I personally love it as you can feel less guilty about simple dishes that take next to no time to prep and unlike pasta/noodles courgette brings extra flavour to the whole meal (without over powering at all).

My machine actually came with a couple of different blades - I can spirilize in two thicknesses, grate, slice and juice all manner of tasty things. It was from amazon and you can find it here.

Reckon you'd give this a go?

x

Awesome Of The Week | Game of Thrones.

Before you read any further I want to put out a disclaimer that I will not be giving away any spoilers as I am awful at watching shows at the time of being aired so if you are yet to get around to watching season 5 I won't ruin it for you!!

Game of Thrones has been a massively well received TV series and once you start it yourself you quickly see why. For me the main reason for my interest are the plot twists, everyone loves the unexpected and J.R. Martin does it like no one else and you're always left shocked and often highly emotional!

Season 5 was no exception with new alliances, huge turns, dragons and a number of  deaths that honestly I'm still not over. No matter how mentally scarring this show is I can't help but go back for more, the allure of the unpredictable, characters that become family and really one of the best theme tunes ever it's not surprising I'm an addict.

x

Awesome Of The Week | Vans Warped Tour.

IT'S BACK!!!!!

Yes, after a year off Warped Tour is making it's grand return to the UK and I couldn't be more pleased! Back in 2012 the once all american pop-punk tour came to England for the first time in 13 years so me and a friend snapped up tickets. Compared to the US tour ours is somewhat smaller - rather than running the full length of the summer, traveling the country with the biggest names in the scene it's only for one weekend (in fact the 2012 come back was only one day) and perhaps the names aren't quite so big - but my god do they make an insane event!

We also went to the full weekend in 2013 which lived up to the expectations after the previous years (even if we didn't make the first day due to a sudden vomiting on the underground of one of our party!) so I was devastated when they announced there would not be a tour in 2014 and no sign of another in the foreseeable future.

Our fears were conquered though when the wonderful Kevin Lyman decided to do it all over again on 18th October 2015. Why not watch a bit of the last one to rev you up and prepare?

If you are in any way into pop punk/punk rock/alt rock then this is definitely the gig for you, there's multiple stages with varying styles including acoustic. The rooms are huge so whether you like getting into the middle of the mosh pits and action or whether you prefer to enjoy the music from a slight distance you can do both! Constant music pumping throughout the day, a huge merch market, signings and meetings with band members, alcohol and yummy food.

Will you be getting tickets?
Early bird available here: http://kililive.seetickets.com/event/vans-warped-tour-2015/alexandra-palace/879890/

x

Awesome Of The Week | Canva.

This weeks awesome was found in an amazing post by the adorable Belinda who decided to be helpful and list all the tools she uses for blogging.

I decided to try out this one as I have been wanting to find somewhere to make graphics etc FOREVER and this is perfect. It's called Canva and is completely user friendly even for a noob like me! You can upload your own pictures and they offer literally 1000's of text options that you can edit to suit anything you are creating - the options are infinite! It's free to sign up and you can keep editing and amending as often as you like until it's exactly how you'd envisioned.

The only negative I have (which isn't even a negative) is that there are pre-made sizes set out and you can't change them so if the exact size you want is not on there then you will have to change it on another programme. However this is also a ma-hoosive pro as these sizes have been specifically chosen to be used for most social medias e.g twitter headers and blog posts as well we as business cards and posters.

It's how I made my new blog title, if you would kindly draw your attention to the top of the screen. I think this site is so ideal for anyone doing social media or trying to set up a webpage.

Awesome Of The Week | Graze Box.

This always seems to come back to food doesn't it?

I had Graze boxes a few years ago but quickly realised that students probably shouldn't have that extra expense! However I got a voucher in an Amazon package for a free box and decided to sign back up again - well I am working now!

Here's what was in my first box:

This was my favourite in the box as the 3 components had such differing tastes and textures. You can distinguish all the ingredients that are supposed to be there and the breadsticks tasted like little poles of pizza and how can you not like the idea of that!?

Cashews for me are the boss of all nuts and when you sprinkle them with rosemary and garlic you can't go far wrong.

The greatest compliment I could pay to this little snack is that I not only ate but enjoyed all of the olive croutons and I HATE olives. Like seriously they so gross. But the croutons? Delicious.

I'm new to the realms of pistachios and I don't know where they've been all my life but I have been missing out!!

When I saw the words "black pepper" I was a tad nervous as it can be such a powerful seasoning - there was no need to worry at all, they were freaking delicious.

The pepper complimented the natural sweetness of the pistachios and I would be lying if I said I didn't eat them all within about 3 minutes.

There's not much I can tell you about dried cranberries and raisins as I'm 87% sure you've had at least one of them before. These ones are infused with blueberry and cherry though!

Never before have I come across dried pineapple and I am terribly upset about it because I wish to kiss whoever decided to create it - sweet, chewy and an amazing afternoon pick me up in the office,

Time to come clean - I may or may not have consumed all of mine before taking a picture.....

I find when at work all day that towards the end I am in need of something small and savoury and now I would suggest this to anyone.

The crackers are crazy light and crispy with a chutney that has a kick but doesn't leave you in agony!

The first box did not disspoint at all, I enjoyed all the little treats that Graze chose for me! The best part of Graze is that you can go on the site and choose which items you definitely want in your boxes and which ones you don't (but it's still a surprise as to which ones you will get each week!).

They even have a section for those that have requirements such as vegetarian/vegan which as I am a new veggie and aspiring vegan it was made a whole lot easier as I could just bin anything that isn't vegan!

I don't know if it's just me but I've found vegan meals to be pretty easy to create but have seriously struggled when it comes to snacks. A lot of snacks are processed and contain all sorts of animal derived ingredients and milk powder for flavour! Having these boxes sent to me means I don't have to worry about whether I should eat this delicious looking food in front of me, I know it's vegan and healthy as their products are natural and can just dig in.

Just to add to the health benefits I opted for the Graze Light Box which means I can eat my box safe in the knowledge that it is fairly low in calories and fat. Bonus!

I definitely recommend this to anyone as you can cancel you subscription at anytime, opt out of any boxes if you're on holiday or just don't fancy a box that week and you can customise your boxes once you've tasted them by rating them and choose to get a box twice weekly, weekly or twice monthly.

x

Awesome Of The Week | FCK H8 jumper.

I ordered this and it may have taken an AGE to arrive (due to that fact it was coming from the states) but it was so worth the wait, let me tell you!

When I looked around the site I wanted to buy everything they have but luckily managed to reserve myself somewhat and just buy the one jumper. It is unbelievably comfy and soft inside, it is possibly my new favourite piece of clothing - plus who doesn't love a good feminist pun?

FCKH8 is a clothing line committed to spreading all sorts of supportive, positive messages - to name a few feminism, LGBTQ and racism so all round good things.
"A company with an activist heart and a passionate social change mission"




They have so many options and styles you are bound to find something to suit you and the message you want to share.


So if you are pro-people and supportive of all ways of life then this might be the company for you!

If you want to purchase your own - http://fckh8.com/


x

Awesome Of The Week | 30 day photo challenge.

I've been meaning to try harder with my photography for a long time now in the hopes that I might gain some sort of skills in taking, understanding and editing photos!

Let's be honest we all know the only effective way to genuinely get better at something is by, well, doing it. I researched some ideas to enforce taking photos on a regular basis and my favourite was definitely the challenges that people come up with.

I came across a 30 day challenge which fits so perfectly into this month (after missing the first day.....) and knew I had to try my hand at it.
I'll be uploading each day to my Instagram but will also do weekly updates on here so you don't even need to go over to a different site if you don't want to. Look at me being all thoughtful for you.

My Instagram - https://instagram.com/colourmyworld10/

Original challenge - http://expertphotography.com/30-day-photography-challenge/

X

Awesome Of The Week | Evelyn.

I came across this video the other day and learned about a truly inspirational lady called Evelyn who is so unbelievably selfless and kind and I think every single person could learn a thing or two from her.

She is 98 years old and lives in a retirement community, they used to have a bus service to take the residents into town but for an unknown reason it was stopped.
Evelyn realised that many of her friends were now stuck at home unable to travel or experience anything for themselves and she wasn't having any of it! Sadly she lost her drivers license a while back simply due to her age! She made a promise to get her friends out and about again, so she reapplied for her license and passed and regained her driving privileges to courier all the locals into town.

I did get the tiniest bit emotional watching this and knew I had to share it, if you are looking for someone to encourage you to be kind and the best you can be watch the video below because Evelyn might just be the person for you.


 
Video from KarmaTube

Click the link to see the whole article.

x

Awesome Of The Week | Miranda Hart Book.

This is the first book I've read that's written by a comedian and I was very excited when I found it in a charity shop for less than £1!

"Is It Just Me" is full of unfortunate yet hilarious and (worryingly) really very relatable stories and anecdotes from Miranda's life. If you have seen her TV series you'll already have a pretty good idea of what to expect here, what I love is that she seems no different to the "character" you meet on the show.
Obviously the show is based on events that genuinely happened in her life but it's different when it's not acted or scripted and just her first hand accounts.
I'm so glad I decided to give this book a go as it just left me with this over powering feeling of acceptance and that however strange and unexpected things turn out there is always a funny side. I've never been one to take myself too seriously but after reading this I have realised just how ridiculous life can be and that it's life itself that should be laughed at not just myself.

You have to spend so much time being an adult but why does that mean we have to be grown up about it? I already had strong opinions on this but honestly this book has increased them 10 fold - have fun and be silly because at the end of it all the aim isn't to have money or power or world domination, but happiness. Happiness in what you're doing, who you spend time with and most importantly happiness in who you've become.

Miranda Hart thank you. I recommend this to absolutely every single person but especially you reading this now. Go forth, buy this book and feel empowered ..... and also kinda hungry!

x

Awesome Of The Week | Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

So my schedule has already failed! Without warning our internet decided to stop working over the weekend and as I had very little spare time I couldn't get anywhere with wifi to edit and post this. Alas I am doing it now so I'm hoping you can forgive me this once. I have had to spend 4 days without internet so deserve a certain level of sympathy.

On to my AOTW which was our family day out to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard for my mums birthday. All four of us (Mum, Dad and sister) have annual passes to the docks but for me and my sister it was our first visit and we loved it!

There are ancient war ships that you can walk all around, we didn't get any of the books or audio guides as our parents had already been a couple of times but I definitely advise you do this on your first go round as there isn't a whole lot of info on the actual ships. You can however just wonder around pretending you're in Pirates of The Caribbean .... which I definitely didn't do.

The Victory and Warrior are fully intact ships and they are brilliant as they really let you appreciate what it would have been like to travel on them, but my personal favourite was The Mary Rose Museum. Although an entire half of her is missing there are thousands of objects that were preserved perfectly that can be marveled at, all with their own fascinating back story and the half that's left is still pretty damn impressive.
The legend of the Mary Rose is truly astonishing and the museum goes into beautiful detail so you can re-live the history. Plus I've always had a bit of a crush on the Tudor period so to experience just a taste of King Henry's pride and joy is worth every penny (on that note entry is super cheap and lasts for a year so you can go back and won't feel in anyway rushed!).

The weather was gorgeous, the company was amazing and over all we had brilliant day celebrating my Mum and everything she does for us!

x

Awesome Of The Week | Wagamamas Vegetarian Food.

Before I specifically talk about the veggie dish I ate I just want to take a minute and appreciate the glorious restaurant that is Wagamamas.
It is Japanese food that is always super fresh and delicious, I would go as far as to say that right now it might be one of my favourite places to eat!

On Wednesday I went to Wagamamas for the first time since becoming a vegetarian/vegan (which I'm sure I will post about at some point!) so I had to make a more conscious decision on what meal to choose... turns out it probably wasn't vegan. I'm still learning which foods are 100% vegan, it can be a bit confusing and sadly this time I was mistaken!

I had the yasai katsu curry and although I am disappointed it wasn't vegan it did taste amazing and I genuinely prefer it to the chicken version. If you are a vegetarian looking for something a little different Wagamamas is probably a very good choice. Also the ingredients are so fresh and pretty darn healthy so you don't even have to feel guilty afterwards, added bonus!

P.s A side dish that actually IS vegan and insanely good is the Yasai Gyoza - Vegetable dumplings. Yum.

x

Awesome Of The Week: Blueberry Cupcakes.

I decided to make some cupcakes the other day, we happened to have some blueberries in the fridge so I threw them in the mix to see what happened.

Turns out insanely tasty things happen.

Just a simple and easy recipe for cupcakes - which you can find anywhere - will do. I tend to always go with the rule of 6,6,6 and 3 (same if I am making a victoria sponge.)

6 Oz butter
6 Oz Sugar
6 Oz Self-raising
3 eggs

I actually only used 2 eggs and some milk for this batch because that was all we had and on my day off work I was not okay with the idea of walking into town to buy more eggs.

I splashed in 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence and the small punnet of blueberries, then cooked for roughly 20 minutes at 180oC.

I am yet to decide if I want to ice them or not but I might give it a go, it's so easy and quick so if you like cake - I mean who doesn't? - give it a go.

x

Awesome of The Week: Gary C Charity Shirt

I came across this shirt approximately 7 minutes ago and am in love.

A very brilliant YouTuber called Gary or Gary C designed this t-shirt and all proceeds are going to a charity that he volunteers for called Mind which supports those that perhaps need a helping hand due to varying mental health issues.

They do great work so giving anything to them is going to make an incredible difference... plus the t-shirt is adorable and crazy festive so what's not to love?

Here is the video where Gary talks a little bit about it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0noL99P_xSY&list=UU_4syT17DvSSc8wGpxc2b1w

Give it a watch and then why not head on over to here to purchase your own. They are only available for a limited time so don't leave it too long!

x

Awesome Of The Week: Ed Sheeran Music Video

There isn't a whole lot of explanation needed for why this is my choice for an awesome thing this week because it's a cute Ed Sheeran music video where he looks beautiful and is ballroom dancing.... that's really all that needs to be said however I should probably add something else.

I am one of those people that upon finding a song I enjoy will form the music video I want for it in my head and replay it every time I listen to said song .... it's normally involving me as the main actor obviously!
I become obsessed and so there are few things that give me as much pleasure as watching the actual music video for a song and it being perfect (trust me I'm not easy to please!).

This was one of those glorious moments, now everyone loves a bit of Ed Sheeran and his song "Thinking Out Loud" is another triumph, it's beautiful, heartfelt a bit mushy and my god do I love this gorgeous ginger genius.
I think we can all agree that we'll be forever envious of the lovely lady that stars along side Ed in this video and what makes it so delicious is the choreography. People seem fixated with being big, bold and different when it comes to music videos but this has ignored all that hype to strip back to the basics (if you can call this epic dance basic, which fyi you can't!). What do people do when hearing music? Dance. Bam music video sorted.

So if you didn't love him before simply watch and listen ... trust me you will fall, with very little grace, for this extremely talented young man.

Well done Mr Sheeran. Well done.

x

Awesome Of The Week: New Bracelet/Necklace.

 This was given to me by my Grandma as for a long while she has been looking for something as a keep sake for me, something that belonged to my Grandad.

He passed away about 6 years ago now and since then I have wanted something of his to have as a little reminder of him. He was a huge part of my life and my family so losing him was a big blow to everyone.

As you can see from the photo this is actually a mans bracelet and as there is no way to make it smaller it is masses too big for my wrists so my nifty little brain came up with a plan to be able to wear it as a necklace. Simply threading an old chord necklace through the two ends and voila!

I am hoping to change the clasp and keep it as a bracelet as it is kind of chunky as a necklace.

The inscription on the plate reads B. Webb (Barry Webb) on one side and "All my love Joan" on the back - Joan being my Grandma, along with the date it was given to him which happened to be his 21st birthday.

 I think it absolutely vital to keep the memory of those that mean the most to us alive once they have gone.

I refuse to let my Grandad be forgotten and I will cherish this for myself and know that he is never really gone as long as I keep talking and thinking about him.


x

Awesome Of The Week: 21 Day Kindness Challenge.

This is a challenge that I tried to take part in last year and honestly didn't accomplish as much as I'd hoped soooo I am signing up again this time around.

It is an annual challenge set up by the lovely people over at kindspring.org (I have mentioned this before but go and take a look around their site because it is a fantastic project). They are aiming to encourage as many people as possible to complete an act of kindness every day for 21 days.
The challenge begins on October 2nd and continues throughout the month, now thinking up 21 different acts is actually kind of tricky so if you join this challenge each day you will be sent an email with inspiration for that day.

There is no pressure to complete the specific task they set in the emails and you can do whatever sort of act you wish, if you see something that you think would be a lovely thing to do then go right ahead. The emails are simply a push in the right direction if you need a helping hand.

If this sounds like something you would enjoy then sign up here for the emails etc. Small acts can have a huge impact not only on those around you but also on you, doing kind things promotes more kindness. The reactions you receive will encourage you to notice and take advantage of any opportunity for kindness, it will also encourage others to do the same and that can only be a positive thing.

So go forth and increase those warm fuzzy feelings.

x