Boxing Day Sales 2011

personal vegetarianism

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beauty

Review: Lush Gingerbread Tin

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The Gingerbread House Tin was given to me for my birthday back in November. Last night I used up the last of the goodies within so am ready to make my review! Lush is absolutely one of my favourite brands and buying me something from there for a birthday is always a good idea! ;)

Within it are four goodies: two bubble bars and two bath ballistics. I had never tried any of their bubble bars yet so was quite excited (I had actually had my eye on the gingerbread house - how did my friends know?) plus they had tow bath ballistics, and I am going to start the review by saying that I have never been overly impressed with bath ballistics. Just get that out the way first...

Firstly we have Candy Mountain Bubble Bar which was probably my favourite product within the box. Lush itself describe smell as "lovely vanilla and candy floss" which is very accurate in my opinion. The description did however make it seem as the bubbles would be pink. They're not. The water itself turned pink but the bubbles were just the regular white. Which I should have expected but I can get a bit giddy when pink is mentioned and envisioned myself relaxing in a cloud of pinkness!

I used the entire mountain within one bath and had to say I felt that regular bubble bath such as my favourite Radox usually gives me much bigger bubbles. The bubbles themselves were softer and more luxurious feeling than Radox though. If you're thinking about purchasing this product it would depend on which you prefer: soft bubbles than are on the small side or big bubbles that aren't as delicate on your skin. I personally prefer being engulfed in bubbles so I won't be trying any more bubble bars (unless I read a review for another one that says "omg these bubbles go up to the roof!").

The second product here is the Cinders Bath Bomb There also another bath ballistic within the box, So white, but I forgot to take a picture. Bath bombs and bath ballistics may be different things but these products felt very similar whilst using them. Unfortunetly the two products like this within this box did very little to change my opinion on things that fizz around your bath. I just can't really see the point in them. I keep thinking they would be better suited to kids who are amused by things that travel around the bath (the same as they might laugh at a rubber duck). But me, not really.

The final product we have here is the Gingerbread House Bubble Bar which was the first product to catch my eye though is reviewed last. Norm. Like the Candy Mountain bubble bar the description mentions mountains of foam which wasn't true in my opinion. I didn't quite follow the intructions on the packet when using this one (first time using bubble bar and all that!) but I did when I opened the Candy Mountain and whilst it produced some more bubbles that the Gingerbread House not quite as much as traditional bubble bath.

To show you something:

When using the Gingerbread House I remembered to photograph the bubbles before I got in the bath. This personally is not enough bubbles for me (I also wear a facemask in the bath - how lux of me!). You can't quite see it in this picture but the water is orange whilst the bubbles are white - a similar effect with the Candy mountain bar, expect that was pink.

Overall?
Would I buy this again? Probably not. The Candy mountain at a push, but the others no. I do adore lush products but aside from the bath melts their bath products have never wowed me. Something I thought was really good was the smell and in fact I left the water sitting there a while after my bath just so the smell would travel through the bathroom (a plus about living alone!). The water was definitely softer than traditional bubble bath as well but for me Radox still wins as a bath product because, personally, I like to have bubbles above my head (and not have coloured water!).

Have you tried this? Already bought it for someone? Is it on your Christmas list? Want to tell me off for dissing ballistics?

Morag x

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Planning my first vegetarian Christmas

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As some of you may know I started my transition to vegetarianism early on this year, and touched my last piece of meat somewhere circa August. One of the few problems I have faced is the decision of what to eat on Christmas day.

I am the first vegetarian in my family (to my knowledge - with one half of my family coming from a farming background it isn't exactly a common occurance) so how to work this diet into my Christmas day meal (which is shared with my parents and grandmother - possibly one or two other relatives) is proving difficult. I have agreed with my mum that I will prepare what I want to take some pressure off her in the kitchen (a very small kitchen btw - how will this work?). Starters and dessert is easy as it's usually some kind of soup and I'm in charge of dessert most years so that's my area completely! But main course?

I still want something Christmassy, so a bowl of mac and cheese is out of the question. And whilst everything that gets put around the Turkey or Chicken is usually veggie I still want a center piece for myself.

Here are a few of the ideas I have already:

Source: Good Food Channel

This Vegetable Cobbler from the Good Food Channel sounds quite simple but would make a good centre piece. I would have to adapt the recipe slightly as leeks = bad in my books. I think this would also be something that would go down quite well with the meat-eaters at the table as it still looks quite filling.

Source: Good Food Channel

Again another adaptation is needed on the basis of leeks being minging. but I'm a fan of crumble and cheese is an area I consider myself highly specialised in.

Source: Vegetarian Society

So far this may be a winner. Most of the longer-term vegetarians I know say this is usually their center-piece. Whilst the pre-made packets of nut roast make me want to down 2 litres of water to try and re-quench myself I've been assured that when you make them yourself properly they can be quite a tasty affair.

If you're vegetarian as well what do you usually eat on the 25th of December? Or even if you're a meat eater know of any good recipes?

Morag x

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fashion

How I Looked: Tashes and Tartan

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Jumper: Primark

Skirt: Primark

Necklace: Claire's Accessories

Nails: Barry M

Tights: H&M

This outfit was put together (and bought for! - way for annual events that fall on pay day!) for the joint celebration of St Andrew's Day and the very last day of Movember! My Student's union put on a "Tashes and Tartan" event where we had a ceilidh (event with traditional Scottish dancing - we're pretty much all forced to learn it at school) and then at midnight we had a "shave off" where all the boys of Movember had their tashes taken off. Needless to say their were a few relieved girlfriends in the room!

I found the skirt in Primark that very day. Tartan isn't really in right now so there wasn't much selection going about. I did spot a tartan dress in Primark but the high neck just meant it wasn't for me. The necklace was found in Claire's Accessories and while there was a good selection there I was disappointed to see a lack of moustache jewellery in general. I think making moustache jewellery for the ladies with proceeds going to Movember would be a good way to get more money (and awareness!) for a good cause.

Hope you had a good Movember! (And St Andy's day if you're Scottish)

Morag x

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personal

21 Things I've Learned In 21 Years

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Despite keeping it fairly quiet I turned 21 on Thursday and now I'm just winding down from the celebrations. So now it's time from some wiseness from an official adult. Maybe I don't quite have the wiseness that Ms Von had on her 31st birthday (and yes I am stealing the blog idea!) but if the UK government reckons I'm responsible enough to adopt a child or ride a big-big-big motorbike then I should be worth taking advice from.

At least I'm wiser than you average 12 year old.

1. Make a copy of everything.

Birth certificate, drivers license, passport and any work for projects you're currently undertaking. I lost photos 'cause my PC crashed and then I just kept everything on my memory card until it made it's way to the Internet. And then my camera got stolen along with photos of Social Media Week, a friend's 21st and a vlog of me walking through the streets with Andy Android on my face. Now they're on PC, memory card and Internet.

2. If you know what you want to do with your life then you're lucky (or lying)

Very few people know exactly what they want or how they are going to go about it. Ask round your circle of friends; there will be a few who have no idea of what they'll do post-university. I now know I want to work in social media, but what companies to go for? Shrugs.

3. If You Don't Know What To Do You Still Need To Do Something In The Mean Time

Volunteer. Gain some soft skills! Go to community college and do several small qualifications to help find your passion. Or work for money. Point is: sitting on your ass won't help you find your passion.

4. Keep your Facebook friends limited.

I gave my friends list a big clear out on New Year getting rid of those who I hadn't spoken directly to (not even a happy birthday) since school. When I leave university another big clear out will come again. It feels liberating. I never send friends requests and I'm not afraid to say no if I'm a bit confused as to who they are. But what about those pesky people who you don't like but have to stay friends with for the sake of office/classroom/family peace? There's a feature that allows you to bloke certain people's updates from your News Feed. No longer do you need to know about your cousin's baby's first tooth!

5. An awkward silence is sometimes better than blurting out something stupid.

Recently I was sitting with the ex-boyfriend of my ex-boyfriends new girlfriend (keeping up?) just as my ex walked by and we fell into silence not knowing what to say. My friend piped up "Could you bet more awkward?". Yes, in fact. Since not long after the split originally happened I blatantly ran away from him.

6. Unless you're harming yourself or others what you do is no one elses' business but yours

Tattoos don't harm you. Neither do eyebrow piercings. Veganism doesn't do much harm either. Neither does the way you dress. Drinking every night until 4am does.

7. Six degrees of separation is true (or at least somewhat true)

I've caught many liers out this way because they didn't quite realise how small the world is. Such as the male friend who told another guy not to chat me up because there was something going on between us. Only for me to re-meet this said guy later on down the line. Or the ex-boyfriend who said his most recent crush prior to me "dressed like a slut" only for me to meet her and reckon her dress sense was quite frumpy.

8. DIY it when you can

Will save you so much money. I haven't been inside a hair salon since I was seventeen. And I've never had a manicure despite taking loads of pride in my talons. Walking doesn't quite cut it as DIY but walking when it's less than half a mile won't hurt you.

9. The contraceptive pill is an amazing invention

Not just for the child-free amongst us. Also for period pains. Forget hot water bottles, this is where it's at!

10. Emerging yourself in a new environment is the best time for an image change
I constantly tried to "come out of my shell" during high school but struggled because everyone who had known me as a shy child got a bit confused. When I went to university everyone took it at face value. Many people even struggle to believe that I shy fifteen year old.

11. Determining someone's income based on their image is harder than you'd think
I'm perceived to be rich. But in reality I have an NHS nurse as a mum and a dad who is registered disabled. My grandad also comes from the council estate where The Scheme is set. Whilst I'm hardly working class I'm certainly not as privileged as a some people have me pinned down as. Truth is: I earn my own money as well as what my parents provide me, plus I am good with the money I do have (and a fair chunk of my money goes on my appearance).

12. Use the name people prefer

Saves embarrassment and anger. Jeff isn't always short for Jeffery. And some people choose a different name because people pronounce their true name different on their home country. I have an Irish friend Deidre and a Romanian friend Laura. Google how you pronounce these names in their home land.

13. People with good relationships with themselves have better relationships with others

They aren't insecure and don't think they're other half is cheating if they talk to a guy at the bar. They don't get paranoid if someone can't make their birthday. They also won't whine to their friends if their bum is fat. Love yourself otherwise others might show you the door.

14. You'll never gain true happiness pretending to be someone you're not.

I've become happier since I went vegetarian. Not because veggies are necessarily happier people but because by giving up meat I was finally being true to myself. I'm also happier at a bar with a pint of Apple juice playing pool with a bunch of boys than I am out at a club with a bunch of girls.

15. What you choose to do for your GCSE's/Highers won't effect "the rest of your life"

Unless you're planning to apply for a degree in Medicine what subjects you do at this point don't specifically matter. What is more important is how well you perform in them. Most degrees only request that you have Maths or English.

16. Define what success means for yourself

Do you want to be a stay-at-home mum? Maybe you have no plans to open your own business and would prefer to work for someone else forever? Maybe you don't think you've made it until you're Prime Minister? We all have different goals and they're unique to each of us.

17. Those who are successful (in their own way) probably made sacrifices

No matter what you find yourself successful in you probably made a sacrifice. The high powered career woman who wonders what it might have been like if she had procreated. The mother who doesn't have all that of a social life. We all make sacrifices; it's about deciding which ones you want to make.

18. Your parents aren't always right

Ssssht! Not saying that fifteen year olds should drink on a street corner but sometimes you do have to throw two fingers in the air at mama and papa and tell them that you want something different than what they had planned. I'm still finding the courage to get tattooed here!

19. Bad experiences don't change a character - they test it

Ever noticed how two people can go through the same thing and yet one ends up running a business whilst the other remains in psychiatric ward forever? Whilst it's not as black and white as this - there's some people who have gone through experiences that are obviously hard to recover from - remember this the next time things fall apart for you.

20. What ever you're going through someone else has been through it before

My search history includes "my boyfriend has left me for someone" and "how to get over a bulgarly". Try some Googling or even group therapy. No matter how alone you feel there is someone out there who has felt exactly the same before and is proof you can come out the other side.

21. Concentrating on what you do have can get you through the worst

Just over a year ago I was homeless, said goodbye to a friend than had wronged me, I wanted to leave university and got left for someone. During this period of my life I reminded myself that I had a supportive family, an active social life and even though I didn't quite like my degree anymore, I was still good at it. A positive attitude can get you through so much!

Morag x

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Samara Morgan: Halloween 2011 Edition

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I'm no doubt a bit (well almost a week late) with the whole "what I wore for Halloween" post, but never fail 'cause I have a creepy one! I've never been into being "pretty" on Halloween. I've always went for something scary (aside from the few last minute costumes for parties not quite on Halloween) in my quest for the perfect Halloween costume.

The maxi dress was found in the sale section of Primark for £5 (what a bargain!) only for me to go and destroy it with black food colouring, water and some nail varnish! The ripped t-shirt that was thrown on top (the dress has a strapless top which just didn't seem "creepy little girl" enough) is from a previous Halloween zombie costume. The bag (if you're looking closely - these photos were taken at 1am when I got in) has a video cassette attached to it. I used Velcro for it and have now detached it and the bag is still in good condition so can be used again for a regular outfit. The video was to help distinguish me from being the creepy woman from the Grudge (as people said prior to Halloween it didn't matter - I was just going to a be a creepy Japanese character regardless!). The make-up was put together with the help of this Samara make-up tutorial (some great tutorials there!) and the nails (which you can't see very well) had black and burgundy nail polish put into the cuticles to give the impression that I have climbed up a well.

Hope you all had a good Halloween and even a good Guy Fawkes night (I'm not a fan of fireworks and the ones I can hear right now are driving me nuts).

Morag x

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blog social media

Social Media Week 2011 #SMWBlogOff!

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On Monday I headed through to Glasgow for Social Media Week 2011. It was a free event and no invitation was required. I managed to register for four events, one of which was Blog Off! which was by far my favourite event as I felt was really informative and fun.

It was held at the rather fancy Mansion House Bar which has to be one of the fanciest places I've ever been. It has a lovely decor which pink accents and chandeliers. Me likey! I didn't manage to try any of the food so cannot give a full review but the decor was just lovely. I did however take a look at the bar menu and was pleased to see a few vegetarian options which were more exciting than just a cheese salad.

Saskia the Style Fairy telling her blog story.

Some recognisable faces!
The event was hosted by Transatlantic Blonde but also featured appearances from Ellen Arnison and Saskia the Style Fairy, who's blog I have followed for some time. And I can confirm that she is also as lovely in real life! And was dressed amazingly that day in a leopard print top, leather trousers with some henna on her hand. I probably sound like such a creep.

Nice To Tweet You
Something that might sound silly to non-internet people is the idea of a "real life Twitter event". Yes, really. You have to find another person to describe yourself to, and then you move onto someone else but within the new conversation you have to "re-tweet" something about the previous individual. A good way to show how Twitter works and also an exercise in listening! All this time however Transatlantic Blonde was walking around listening in, a reminder that unless you use Direct Mail, anyone can follow the conversation you're having.

A small snapshot of where to add your keywords

SEO
Search Engine Optimisation is something I had yet to learn much about so was really excited to gain some knew knowledge. Whilst I'm not exactly going to cry if mo'adore doesn't display first when you type in "Scottish girl who like open-source softeware, is vegetarian and takes photos of herself" I am in the process of opening up my own professional blog which means SEO is going to be HELLA important.

The presentataion from Addams Design

Design and Video Blogging

These were the other two sections of the day. Whilst informative for other people I personally didn't feel I took much away, but that's maybe because my interest in the internet was design before it was ever blogging.

Other Events I Attended
I also managed to attend Fashion Blogging 101 which certainly had it perks. Was able to meet some bloggers I had come across before such as Les Garcons de Glasgow whilst discovered some new ones, such as Bee. It wasn't so much a workshop but more a bunch of fashion bloggers getting together and discussing blogging, including an interesting perspective from Sarah about why she doesn't advertise on We Shop Therefore We Are. I also stopped by Yomego's "How Clean Is Your Rep?" but sadly I felt they were pitching their company more than informing anyone else on how to manage their reputation themselves. The hashtag for the event was even #SMWYomego rather than #SMWCleanRep. Also took part in a Twitter event (yes, a Twitter event) hosted by SIE about supporting student entrepreneurs.

A Small Bit of Networking

Maybe the biggest benefit I took away from this event was the large amount of networking that took place. Since the event I have gained 15 new Twitter followers (I've also been added to another list) whilst my blog has gained a small amount of new followers. I met some lovely like-minded people with whom I was able to speak Twitter and share our favourite bloggers with.

Thank you Social Media Week and Transatlantic Blonde for a lovely event, which was both friendly and informative. I took away so much in terms of both information and a fuzzy feeling.

Morag x

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Popping to the Shops as Wonderwoman

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Let's not lie, I'm pretty big on themed parties and fancy dress. I look for excuses to do so and always scoff when I see people dressed up as a school girl (again!). I would wear fancy dress outfits everyday if I could. Wonderwoman for a driving lesson? Batgirl for the local shops? How about some Cleopatra for a trip to your grans?

Maybe not. At least not full throttle. Maybe lady Gaga can get on-board a plane with a lobster on her head, but the rest of really can't. The rest of us have to tone it down a bit and just include elements.

And this is where Polyvore enters. And truthfully this is where I get a lot of my fancy dress inspiration from (you know the long promised fancy dress series where I show you all my outfit glory).

None of these were made by me, btw, I just scour Polyvore constantly.

wOnderwOman! by paris90 featuring a leather shoulder bag

wonderwoman! by madgrace featuring diesel bags

Batgirl! by sarahdreamon featuring silver plated jewelry

Batgirl by cattywolfy featuring a suede satchel

Batgirl! by killakiddy featuring t shirts

I'm a SuperGirl by polystar25 featuring a royal blue shirt

SuperGirl by bmalerba featuring jersey shirts

Rogue by walnutwhale featuring leather jackets

Original Rogue - Revamp by cattyrose featuring green tops

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Why It Took Me 20 Years To Give Up Meat

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Most vegetarians will get asked questions about their choice to live meat free. Either out of general curiosity or just plain judgement. One of the ones I get thrown most often is "why so suddenly, we didn't realise you wanted to give up meat?" which can translate to "dude you've been around for two decades, why now?" Which is very much a fair point. I grew up in a meat eating household, my mum and her siblings were raised on a farm that slaughtered animals and I used to be a McDonald's addict. It seemed odd.

I think the part of the story that many of them can't see is that I didn't wake up on my twentieth birthday and discovered a great distaste to meat. It had been along time coming.

I first entertained the idea of vegetarianism back when I was thirteen. Though I had also been slightly fascinated by meat-free diets (and gluten-free diets, and diabetes) for most of my youth. I was quite the little animal-rights activist when I was younger; argumentative essays against wearing fur, refusing to wear leather, you know that kind of thing. We all develop some sort of passionate stance at a young age and that was mine.

I however didn't follow through with it. Between being raised in a meat-eating household, taking Standard Grade Home Economics where meat was all around, very little sand which choice at lunch and not knowing any vegetarians it wasn't easy and I didn't have many roles models.

As I moved on I continued eating meat and my passionate stance swerved more to women's issue's and LGBT rights. I also became a fast food addict at one point when I took classes at a school which was around the corner from a McDonald's. But as I moved on I met more vegetarians. And when I met more my heart sank. It reminded me of what I had once wanted to be and had not fallen through with. They were what I wanted to be. Not because of natural talent or better luck; but because I hadn't stuck to my guns.

September 2008 was when I moved out of my parents house and into student halls. Now I was cooking for myself and could have switched. But this is when I met my first boyfriend. A meat-eater. And he was a real meat-eater. If we went to a restaurant you could bet money he'd take the meatiest thing there (rack of lamb was a favourite) and he dubbed trips to McDonald's a "tradition" within our relationship (I never visited a McDonald's restaurant if he wasn't about).

This relationship ended but not long after that came another (one day I'll speak of the importance of a relationship gap) and he actually said, direct quote: "vegetarianism isn't natural". May I add that this ex was a smoker? My mind stayed on meat.

Still all the time meeting vegetarians and feeling a pang of jealousy.

Come October 2010 I became single for the first time in two years. And this break-up was bad. Public spats. Crying through the night. Banging on doors, being reported to uni and use of the Facebook block function. I was a mess. I spent the rest of the semester trying to get decent grades and living out the "oh-so-awesome-social-life" routine that we hope our exes will spot.

Come New Year I decided to pull myself up. Being at home for Christmas had given me a much needed break from university, the chances of seeing him and the stress it had taken on me. I went back through all the "How To Get Over A Break-Up" articles that had helped me through the initial stages and came across this little gem which, as most of them do, talked about watching your food intake and overall health. However this one talked about reassessing your diet as a whole, suggesting maybe vegetarianism or raw food may be better.

If you feel your current diet isn't working for you, try a new way of approaching food - would vegetarianism or more raw food work for you? Trial a new style of cooking and eating, even if only for one day a week.

It clicked. It was now or never.

I was now for the most part living away from my parents with almost non-existent flatmates. I was also now single. These two factors meant that compromise wasn't a huge part of everyday life. No being offered that extra slice of pepperoni pizza. Or having a big dinner with flatmates. Or romantic meals to McDonald's. Time to go!

I began slowly cutting the meat slowly out of my diet right after January. I finished off the last of my frozen chicken and any bacon I had left (these were the only meat I really ever ate). From that moment on my grocery shopping was strictly meat-free. I danced past the meat isle before twirling down the fruit and vegetable isle. I've always been a big fruit and veg fan and the lack of meat in my diet meant that I had more money to spend on vitamin C induced goodness!

Out and about publicly I was still a meat-eater. Being vegetarian in the real world requires work and I wasn't quite there yet. Though I'm not huge on eating out due to money restrictions which released some pressure. It was just snacks at lunch where therein lay a problem.

Coming up to moving back home for summer I was near enough vegetarian. I decided to go public whilst at home and not in close contact to my social groups.

I'm now publicly vegetarian to anyone who has asked or the conversation of meat has come up. There are still many who maybe don't realise and will seemed confused at why I oh-so-suddenly changed. But it's done now and my decision is final and I have been meat-free for months now.

So there it is, why I so suddenly became vegetarian after being alive for two decades. Which wasn't so sudden when you know my past and the thought process behind it.

Morag x

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Themed Parties I'd Like To Throw

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I'm a bit nuts when it comes to fancy dress. And by a bit nuts I mean I beg my friends to make their birthday parties a themed event. Even if they're the ones who always turned up to fancy dress parties thinking cats ears alone is an acceptable attempt (which it isn't).

Katy Perry Party

This has pretty much been decided as my 21st birthday theme. Inspired by the fact I'd love to dress up in a dress decorated in sweets and don an purple wig I think a Katy Perry party could be very versatile. If like me you love to look a bit inappropriate in public, wearing cupcakes on your breast would be ideal. But for the more conservative amongst us you could simple wear jeans and a brown loose fitted shirt and be all Teenage Dream. And for the boys there is the obvious choice of Russell Brand but if he isn't your cup of tea (and I'd forgive you if he wasn't) then there's 3OH!3, Kanye West or even Travis McCoy.

Obscure Harry Potter Characters Ball

Due to the fact that Harry Potter is now no more it may raise eyebrows to have a HP themed night. But I really just want an excuse to dress up as Bellatrix Lastrange without the fear that people won't "get it" (this however has not put me off attempting to be her for Halloween 2011). I want it to be obscure characters to avoid seven Harry's turning up due to a lack of HP knowledge. It would make my life if someone came as Nagini.

Sorting Hat Ceremony

Can you tell I like Harry Potter? This one is easier to gather items for (if you know where to look) whilst deciding how to dress up could be hard. Hard is in that us Muggles don't have a worn old hat to tell which house we'd belong to. Yes, for the sorting hat ceremony you are all asked to come in memorabilia or colours of your chosen house. I just want an excuse to spent a £29.00 on a an official Ravenclaw scarf. But we can still have fun in the process.

Jesus Party

So my church-elder of a mum probably wouldn't approve but how about we all grow beards and wear crosses whilst drinking nothing other than red wine (or red wine spritzer if you're working tomorrow) with bread to line our holy stomachs? No? You suck.

ElizaBathany's amazing attempt at a Twitter costume!

Twitter Party

We all come dressed as the cute little blue bird and dangle @signs in front of our names. Plus cupcakes with hashtags and on them. Plus a hashtag for the party obviously. And if anyone has a plasma we can have running updates. And maybe a re-writeable timeline poster. (I did some Googling and can't find this already in existence so I'm calling copywrite!)

The Social Network

As half my IRL friends don't have Twitter then I'll compromise with a generalised social networking party. Though I know I'll end up with 13 Facebooks. You could re-use your twitter bird costume or dress up as Tom Anderson, or get yourself an iPhone costume. You could even come in an outfit which is bright pink and bright blue and call yourself Flickr!

Very sorry, but I have no idea who is this photo.

Portal Party

Where we all have DIY portal guns. 'Cause that's what normal people do! I'll even make sure there's a deep male voiceover running through the chosen venue.

What would your ideal themed party be? Would you keep to normal themes such as Fairytales or a certain decade? Or something even more odd?

Morag x

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things i love thursday

Things I Love Thursday #14

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She was the person who influenced this after all: galadarling.com

Everything is looking very quiet at my blog right now. I haven't really been able to post anything other than TiLT or Sunday Reflections. And I haven't really been commenting elsewhere so that's slowing down the traffic. Once I'm done with learning to driving I should be back into a more stable routine but until then everything will take a back seat! But I am mega-excited about, and mega busy with, my personal life!

Becoming insured on my parents car & extra practice My parents finally found the confidence to take me out driving with them as well as my instructor. Very exciting! I was told back in school that in order to pass your driving test successfully you really do need extra practice outside of your official lessons. My first attempt in my dad's car (a Ford Fiesta - think how old that is!) didn't go so well and I ended up stalling three times before leaving the driveway. But my mum took me out later that night to where I had my very first lesson and let me play with teh car to get used it. And this extra practice really seems to have helped ^_^ I even successfully parked for the first time that night!

Being told "this is your best lesson to date". This was on the lesson today, when my dad took up a position in the back seat. It's not test ready yet, but we're back on track to getting me driving by the end of September. I can be quite the grandma at times with my speed and that was looking like it would be my downfall. I'm not the most practically able of people (I can write killers essays but ask me to use my hands at something and you're asking for trouble!) so being told I can drive was a confidence-boost ^_^.

My own custom Blogger theme. Over at my Test Blog I have been developing my own Blogger template from scratch which for a while was seeming like a right headache! So much code! Blogger is definitely one of the hardest codes to write my designs into but thankfully, through Google, I was able to find some decent tutorials that explained how Blogger worked (if I find the time I'll write a full description of how I went about it). The sidebar is still very messy looking but it's getting closer to what I want (if anyone knows how to get it looking like my previous blog with a split sidebar beneath an about me then please share).

A big pay check that is enough to pay off my overdraft! And leave me with a nice bit left over. This will be spent on finally upgrading/fixing PC parts. Want to know how desperately I need to do this? My PC has been out of sound for over a year. Yes, really. Now hopefully I'll be able to play to 30+ PC games I have but have never been able to play.

Finally putting myself out there! Okay this hasn't quite happened yet. But I have been thinking about it and I am now finally prepared to put together my own domain name blog/site on a particular subject that relates to the career I want. Essentially it will be a portfolio and a collection of my own personal opinions. I'm REALLY excited for this project which should take effect after I re-arrange this place. Time to shine baby, time to shine!

Let's just say I'm a pretty happy person right now!

Hope you all have something to be grateful lovelies!

Morag x

things i love thursday

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feminism

In Defence of Girl-Like Women

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Apparently riding a bike isn't "woman-like"

Do you like cupcakes? Do you squeal at the sight of kittens? Perhaps you have colourful hair or maybe still wear converse? Does your blog CSS contain pink hexes for links? Does this make you immature? Does it mean people take you less seriously? Does it matter? I don't think it does.

Apparently Julie Klausner thinks it does.

Apparently it's all for men, or in her words "women are trying to broadcast to men that we won’t bite their dicks off". According to her the reason I like wearing hair clips from when I was six is because I feel it makes me more attractive to the opposite sex. Not because, oh you know, I might like wearing bows in my hair. No, it's cause I want guys to think I'll be at their side at all times and make them plenty of sandwiches.

(I'm also on a relationship detox so attracting men isn't high on my agenda right now. If Klausner has any tips on what repels men then, please, share.)

God forbid don't even think about wearing one of these!

Furthermore it means men are more likely to demean us if we wear our hair in pigtails rather than a tight bun. I think a true sexist will judge regardless. If a man believes women should be in the kitchen then I don't think it matters whether she bakes cupcakes or grills salmon. He'll still be sexist.

Have I ever had men look and me and assume stupidity based on my appearance? Yes. One boy always made me feel stupid in school 'cause I was squeally and smiley but he ended up in prison so his opinion is irrelevant. Recently I've had a male tell me I couldn't do his programming course and that I should "leave it to the smart people" not realising I have all the correct grades to make it onto his course (I'm overqualified for my own course).

But is putting my hair in a bun, wearing a brown pants suit and carrying a copy of The Economist around (which I do read btw!) really the right way to get my male counterparts to take me more seriously? I don't believe we women should have to. If someone wants to judge me by my leopard print converse then that says more about them then it ever will about me.

It shows they judge a book by it's cover. They might ignore a fabulously capable potential-employee because they wear a hand-made ring. Maybe they might cold-shoulder a life-changing business opportunity because their female partner wore a sun dress. And one day they'll get pwnd by a giggling blogger they underestimated. And I won't be there with a shoulder to lean on.

Ahh Michelle Obama, what we should all inspire to be...

Truth is people are more dynamic than Klauser portrays them to be. Women do not fall on either side of a "girl-like or women-like" brick wall. Just cause someone likes to bake pink macaroons doesn't mean they can't balance a cheque book. Just cause someone has a Tumblr full of bunnies doesn't mean they don't have a job with responsibilities. Wearing jewellery from Etsy doesn't mean you don't understand what 'inflation' means; it might actually mean that you're making a political stance in defence of small businesses.

So do what you want! If you do wear a brown pant suit daily then good for you! If you wear playsuits all the time then good for you! This is about being who you want to be and that no one should tell you otherwise. Also to remind people that thinking a women is a 'moron' because she has a pink stripe in her hair makes you the short-sighted moron.

All images taken from the article in question.

feminism

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How I Looked 14.06.2011 Eurovision Special

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Russian Outfit: Amazon.co.uk

I know this isn't exactly what you'd expect from a blog that classifies itself amongst the "fashion/cupcakes/make-up realm" but this was genuinely what I wore for last nights Eurovision. As you can probably (hopefully) tell I was representing Russia. I have mixed reviews on their entry, with me sometimes liking it, sometimes not, depending on when I hear it. My vote last night went to the winner Azerbaijan, with Denmark and Estonia being the other acts who nearly received it.

Me and my friends kept talking about going to Eurovision next year and when Azerbaijan won I thought it sounded like a cool quirky place to visit 'cause it's not your normal holiday resort (I have no interest in going to Aiya Napa or Ibiza) but when I started researching it this morning I found out it's a pretty hard country to get into. And if you're Armenian (even by heritage) you can't get in at all due to the conflicts.between the two countries. The Eurovision song contest always has a political theme going through it but next year may be very political.

As for the outfit, it's definitely one of my favourite fancy dress pieces to date! I love fancy dress and am referred to as the "fancy dress queen" amongst my main group of friends. It grits on my nerves slightly when people don't take it seriously or "don't want to look stupid". In my honest opinion it's the people who don't partake and wear normal clothes to fancy dress parties who look more out of place. This posts has also been given a tag that is new for this blog "fancy dress" as I hopefully want to create more posts about this topic!

Morag x