Morning Petals!
It's been a minute since I last blogged as I've been up to my eyeballs in uni assignments and burning the candle at both ends. As I don't take my laptop to hostels in London during the week, my only blogging time is the w/ends which are usually spent catching up on sleep and getting up to trouble. I thought I'd fill you in, so grab a cuppa!
I've just returned from another week hostel hopping, this week I was at a groovy hostel in Kings Cross called Clink 78. The building is stupendously grand and used to be a courthouse where The Clash once stood trial for shooting a pigeon in '78 and where Charles Dickens worked as a scribe... pretty neat!
Although my living situation is a lil different to most, that doesn't stop Christmas... oh no! This week I stayed in a room with 12 ladies and it was so endearing how many had advent calendars ~ now that's dedication! I also woke up one morning to find a giant Christmas tree in the lobby à la Hogwarts. Anywho, I thought I'd share some bits and bobs that have grabbed my attention over the last few weeks ~ let's dive in...
I recently discovered an offbeat makeup artist called Isamaya Ffrench whose work is inspiring me to be more creative with my makeup and forget the rules ~ for instance, lately I've been using lipsticks as blushers, glitter eyeshadows in my brows and I'm even in the market now for a purple mascara!
I thought I'd share a Youtuber that I've been digging for little over a year now. His name is Alex Ikonn who is an entrepreneur and creates motivating content ~ if you want your daily dose of inspiration, look no further! Here are two tips that I've picked up from his vlogs that I've incorporated and recommend you to do so too:
1) Working in pomodoro's. In a nutshell, it's a super effective technique in which you work in 25 minute intervals. Put your phone on silent, get shit done.
2) In a recent vlog Alex encouraged his viewers to always volunteer to go first, whether it's in your business/social/academic life, as it shows passion and initiative. In many of my uni workshops we have to share our weekly progress and even in year 3, it's still daunting when the dreaded question "who wants to go first?" engulfs the room. As we all have to bite the bullet eventually, I've started to volunteer which my lecturers are definitely taking note of!
Alex's quote "Sit in the front row, ask questions - there are no stupid questions" really resonated with me and reminded me of this corker:
I think this vlog is a great place to begin and will hopefully leave you feeling pumped :-) Alex's kickass wife Mimi's channel is also enriching and also leaves me feeling like I want to better myself!
& When all else fails, there's always Shia...
This may or may not be my screensaver.
Winter is well and truly in full swing now and it's all about layers. I love these two Topshop pieces as not only do they add a pop of colour, but they also add a jazzy vibe to any outfit whilst warming your cockles! It's always an added bonus when you can totally see your style icon sporting these, Padmé Amidala in my case... speaking of Star Wars, 9 DAYS TO GO!"£?$!"£%£!
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I was recently browsing The Guardian for some inspiration for my Digital Journalism in Practice course when I stumbled upon this spellbinding article entitled Around the World in 40 Pirouettes. As tis the season for spreading a wee holiday cheer, I thought these backstage glimpses of ballet productions of the Nutcracker in all corners of the world was appropriate.
I'm actually planning on blogging about my favourite Christmas films soon which will most definitely feature Clara and the Mouse King, so keep your eyes peeled!
Has anyone else spotted these hysterical Christmas adverts featuring Jeff Goldblum on the telly recently?! I dare you not to chortle!
Finally, I thought I'd share this brilliant blog post from my old high school chum Violet who is documenting her year abroad in Paris... alright for some ;-) The post is called Lost in Translation and follows her journey weaving her way in and out of the French language ~ did you know that baguette also means chopsticks, wand and drumsticks? ... confusion/chaos ensue! The piece is particularly hysterical and relatable as I often get myself in a tangle when I'm in Greece. In fact, I just might write a post about the plethora of ridiculous situations I've been in ~ let's just say that the only difference between minced meat and waves is which syllable you annunciate! In any case, I've found that the best way to escape awkward scenarios is to yell "hey is that a unicorn?"
Violet also wrote an incredibly poignant post called Learning to Dance in the Rain following the aftermath of the recent tragic events in Paris. If you want to witness the raw power of words and the unity they offer, give this post a read!
I hope you're having a sunny day wherever in the world you are ~ stay safe and love hard!
I recently discovered an offbeat makeup artist called Isamaya Ffrench whose work is inspiring me to be more creative with my makeup and forget the rules ~ for instance, lately I've been using lipsticks as blushers, glitter eyeshadows in my brows and I'm even in the market now for a purple mascara!
Not only is Isamaya the beauty director at i-D magazine, but she's also a UK brand ambassador for YSL. For your surrealism fix, follow her wackydooda instagram ~
I thought I'd share a Youtuber that I've been digging for little over a year now. His name is Alex Ikonn who is an entrepreneur and creates motivating content ~ if you want your daily dose of inspiration, look no further! Here are two tips that I've picked up from his vlogs that I've incorporated and recommend you to do so too:
1) Working in pomodoro's. In a nutshell, it's a super effective technique in which you work in 25 minute intervals. Put your phone on silent, get shit done.
2) In a recent vlog Alex encouraged his viewers to always volunteer to go first, whether it's in your business/social/academic life, as it shows passion and initiative. In many of my uni workshops we have to share our weekly progress and even in year 3, it's still daunting when the dreaded question "who wants to go first?" engulfs the room. As we all have to bite the bullet eventually, I've started to volunteer which my lecturers are definitely taking note of!
Alex's quote "Sit in the front row, ask questions - there are no stupid questions" really resonated with me and reminded me of this corker:
& When all else fails, there's always Shia...
I was recently browsing The Guardian for some inspiration for my Digital Journalism in Practice course when I stumbled upon this spellbinding article entitled Around the World in 40 Pirouettes. As tis the season for spreading a wee holiday cheer, I thought these backstage glimpses of ballet productions of the Nutcracker in all corners of the world was appropriate.
I'm actually planning on blogging about my favourite Christmas films soon which will most definitely feature Clara and the Mouse King, so keep your eyes peeled!
In my BBB&B posts, I usually share a bunch of mesmerising outfits spotted on the red carpet lately and lust over them. This time there's only one and it's this magnificent noir number that Gwen Stefani wore to the AMAs...
How amazing is the recent announcement that the Red Hot Chili Peppers will be headlining next years Leeds fest?! I've been a die-hard fan of theirs for many moons now and I'd buy a ticket in a heartbeat if the festival wasn't held in August, as that's the month I visit my grandmother in Greece. Whenever I'm working on assignments and need a lil background noise, I always flick one of their concerts on:
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Finally, I thought I'd share this brilliant blog post from my old high school chum Violet who is documenting her year abroad in Paris... alright for some ;-) The post is called Lost in Translation and follows her journey weaving her way in and out of the French language ~ did you know that baguette also means chopsticks, wand and drumsticks? ... confusion/chaos ensue! The piece is particularly hysterical and relatable as I often get myself in a tangle when I'm in Greece. In fact, I just might write a post about the plethora of ridiculous situations I've been in ~ let's just say that the only difference between minced meat and waves is which syllable you annunciate! In any case, I've found that the best way to escape awkward scenarios is to yell "hey is that a unicorn?"
Violet also wrote an incredibly poignant post called Learning to Dance in the Rain following the aftermath of the recent tragic events in Paris. If you want to witness the raw power of words and the unity they offer, give this post a read!
I hope you're having a sunny day wherever in the world you are ~ stay safe and love hard!
