Poem: Sensation

Smell the rain,

Smell the rain, don’t see it

The dampened tarmac aroma intensifies as cars go flying by like drive bys at midnight

Feel the heat of the rays on your skin,

Hairs on your neck rise like budding blossoms in spring

Hear the drops of tears hit the leaves, leaves crushed by commuters, the buyers and thieves

Don’t see……….feel

 

When your eyes sleep, other senses awaken

Do not be mistaken, the alternative senses must not be forsaken

When I ask you what do you see, please don’t just say trees

Say the rustles of leaves in the breeze or the sticky sap on your knees

Tell me that you will see more than you thought you were meant to see.

Too many people let life pass them by, avoid eye contact with strangers, avoid our environment’s hidden surprises.

To only stop for a moment and take in the world around us

would be a pleasant realisation that life has finally found us.

 

**We can sometimes move too fast through life, become lost in the chaos. I feel that it is important to take a step back at times to reflect and truly take in your surroundings.

Oh The Quarrels Of Buying A New Camera

So, I’m not placing any bets on becoming the next Steven Spielberg anytime soon, although needless to say I quite fancy my chances at dabbling in a bit of vlogging in the near future. In addition to perhaps snapping a few odd pictures of  little wilting dandelions, or, if I time it right, the mugshot of a randomer stuffing their face full of food. My point being, I wanted a camera that would be above average at both photography and videography with a below average price tag, for I’ve no shame in admitting that I’m ballin’ on a tight tight budget!

I began my quest many moons ago and only now have I ordered my new country walk companion. One of the earliest obstacles I had to hurdle over was the decision to join either team Nikon or team Canon. It was like choosing which arm I wanted to chop off, right or left. How about none! So, you guessed it, no choice was made for a good few weeks until I came to the sudden realisation that if I don’t pick this damn camera soon then I’ll never pick it! After careful research I went with Canon, not to say I won’t ever get a Nikon but in my experience I just found more reviews on Canon products online and therefore I could learn more about Canon models than Nikon. And boy did I learn! I think I could draw the diagram of the internal workings of  a DSLR camera in my sleep now, and it ain’t a pretty picture ( that’s a digital single-lens reflex camera for all you novices out there. Come on, get reading)! All those complicated cogs and lenses led to some (incredibly dry) interesting reads on my weekday evenings I can tell you that much.

So I gave myself a budget and a level of competency to aim for, around £350/ $396 and beginner level/hobbyist. My dreams were crushed. Only the bulky EOS 1300D sat in that price range on my findings. A good beginner camera sure, but without an articulating screen I’m f*cked. I’ll be taking selfies of my scalp at that rate. So, carrying on I delved into the world of the Rebels (T5/EOS 1200D, T6i/EOS750D, T6s/EOS 760D, T7/EOS 2000D, T7i/ EOS 800D). Reading these numbers should give you a taster into the kind of research that needed doing, Needless to say I went for none of the models above in the end!

And instead I got the Canon Rebel SL2 / EOS 200D! Hence I’m now eating toast and beans for a month and still trying to decipher the big words on the first page of the instruction manual.  So take from that what you will!

But it’s worth it, I want to make best quality of documentaries and blogs that I can, what’s the point of having a good story idea if your visuals let you down? Spielberg eat your heart out son!

 

**In future I’ll do a more condensed post on why I actually chose the SL2 camera in particular and how it functions and not just a mini rant! Because I relied alot on other people reviews when choosing this one.

 

collection of gray scale photos
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A Second Chance To Make A First Impression

My second time uploading this because no one seems to like an introduction! (*Cue introductory moody af facial expression ) I know breaking the ice is awkward but let’s just make a start on finding the chisel, eh?

What’s the blog about?:

A lifestyle blog intertwined with a few off topic rants and the occasional poem or two.

Hot Topics:

  • Daily Observations
  • Location Reviews
  • Fashion (eventually, I’m currently p*ss poor so can’t buy any new gear, pray I make a hasty recovery back to the world of financial stability please).

I enjoy writing more than I enjoy reading, so I hope you enjoy reading what I write! If not (cries myself to sleep)…….c’est la vie!!.

Oh look, here’s me below again, yes I am a real person and not a robot looking to steal your pin number. Now smiling because you took the time to read my intro!

 

Tough Mudder – S.O.S

For any naive soul out there who doesn’t know what ‘Tough Mudder’ is exactly, I suggest you keep it that way. For it seems to be the hybrid spawn of Satan and someone your mother dearest just isn’t too fond of. In other words – it’s going to be hell. And guess who just signed themselves up for a first class pass straight through its gates!

But before I get too over the top let me take a step back and explain what I’ve let myself in for. Not dissimilar to your casual Sunday walk in the park, I’ve just went ahead and signed myself up for a 5 mile f*cking track around a farm in the middle of nowhere. Inbetween this mammoth jog there just so happens to be 13 obstacles slowing me even further down from the finish line. If names are anything to go by then what would you take from obstacles that go by: ‘birth canal’ , ‘the human pyramid’  and my personal favourite ‘skidmarked’? My ass cheeks are clenching at just the thought of this (because of nerves about the race not because of the last obstacle)! Anyway, because I’m a big wimp, this race type isn’t even as bad as it could’ve got, I should’ve really treated myself and went all out with a 10 mile and 20 obstacle jaunt through pig sh*te. Boy have I missed out.

I’ve physically paid for this moment of insanity months ago and have been to the gym about 10 times max. The race line is nearing with less than 2 weeks to go. So I think the moral of the story is – I’m f*cked.

**I’m secretly really looking forward to the above, just having a friendly rant, Tough Mudder is fast growing in popularity and I can definitely see why. Certainly no spawn of Satan and more like the child of Christ! This event is as godly as they come. I can’t wait to see all of the Adonis’ squatting and lunging in some slippery mud. I just hope there’s room for one more in that tight trench!

A great event for charity and team building, I highly recommend giving it a go or an event similar. You may sprain an Achilles but atleast you’ll feel like Hercules doing so.

**BTW they don’t sponsor me to promote them in any way (but can if they’d really like to).

Other events similar to Tough Mudder include:

 

My kind of Races, pit stops of Red wine and doughnuts:

 

Come on warriors take on Tough Mudder!

silhouette people on beach at sunset
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6 THINGS YOU’RE DOING THAT’S ACTUALLY MAKING YOUR STRESS WORSE!

Stress – a word on the tip of everyone’s tongue who’s either just f*cked up or who’s fearing that the f*ck up is just around the corner, kind of like your creepy neighbor.

So perhaps it’s easy to realize when exactly you may be feeling stressed, but how about we have a little chat about parts of our routine which could potentially be amplifying those nail biting, hair pulling moments of this weird phenomenon we call life.

Just check it out here!

beautiful face female girl
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Poem: Rorrim

 

I control you.

From the cradle to the grave, I will own you.

You can smell me, hold me, taste me,

lose me.

Yet you cannot refrain from the goal to retain me.

You lie to everyone about me,

conduct deceitful acts to earn me,

learn for me, learn from me,

either way, like it or not, you yearn for me.

I am inanimate.

Yet cause you such animation.

Cause corruption and celebration.

You collapse and I spare you.

If luck promises this truth,

I provide the means needed to feed you.

And ask not to whom may this be repayable to?

Yet you still are oblivious to my deeds.

 

You gaze upon me in awe,

via those rose-tinted glasses.

Can you not feel the thorns?

I mesmerize you with every move,

captivate you all too soon.

But you abuse my power.

You twist it.

To capitalize on your venture,

to indoctrinate your peers,

have them rely on fear,

that they will lose me.

I will only go

when a lack of esteem starts to show.

 

Time cannot keep me from you.

You cannot keep me from you.

You are afraid that I may leave your side.

And when I do, you may run and hide.

But do not do so forever.

For to give up on me,

is a battle already lost,

and I will disappear as if merely a ghost.

But stay faithful to me,

and just wait and see.

As things aren’t always what they seem to be.

When I find you, do not be alarmed.

For I am unarmed, unharmed, I am charmed.

 

For it will be pleasant,

to be in the presence of such elegance.

I can blossom or dismantle you,

the choice is my command.

But you may be unlike any other man?

Who had tried to deceit, inflict and conflict me.

          But when all is done, the power will come back to me,

to ordain how your life is planned.

Do you not know who I am?

The aim of the poem is to maintain the reader’s curiosity, and keep them guessing as to what the abject/ topic of the poem is based upon. The poem begins by making the audience assume that the poem is describing money/wealth, the poem then transcends into depicting beauty and the ideas and pressures of beauty pushed by the media, before entering the combined domain of health and aging.

The overall concept and ending finalized question of the piece “Do you not know who I am?” leaves the reader wondering and desiring to know what the root of the poem is hinting at.

The answer is that the poem is a reflection of you. Whatever topic the reader / you associated most greatly with, will be what you then think is the final answer as to what the poem is based on.

The title of the poem – ‘Rorrim’ is actually the word mirror reflected, to subtly hint that the poem is in fact a reflection of each of our own individual unique desires and fears: money, beauty, aging and death.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Photo by Mikes Photos on Pexels.com
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

 

4 Ways To Be More Proactive

Let’s face it, we all like our lie ins on weekends (and weekdays if we can get away with it). We like it when someone else cooks us dinner and when someone else cleans up those dirty dinner plates. We like it when another human being empties those rotten bins with leaking bin juice before running us a nice hot bath with just enough lavender oil that allows us to flirt between the lines of drowsiness and full on sedation. Oh yes, being inactive is something so many of us proactively seek out. But this my fellow opportunists, is where the road must end on this joyride of convenience. We shouldn’t  expect the whole world and his dog to do every laborious task in our lives. But most of all, we shouldn’t think so little of ourselves. Ofcourse we are capable of taking out those damn bins (and having a sneakily slug of that vintage bin juice in the process). So while that thought marinades in your mind let’s move on swiftly to 4 ways to pull your finger out, I mean pull one’s socks up hehe:

  1. Timetable: as creatures of habit I encourage each and every one of us to put pen to paper and plan out a weekly or daily schedule. Although some (including me) may not be the biggest fan of routine it is at the end of the day essential to actually getting sh*t done. It allows you to break down bigger, more challenging tasks into measurable and manageable portions.
  2. Make Lists: leading on from getting a routine in place, if you find that in your day you must juggle so many tasks I suggest ranking them in order of difficulty and the time taken to accomplish them. Ranking tasks is a great way to prioritise and will make you more productive in my opinion. I use this method all the time.
  3. Don’t Overthink: oh maybe I should go to the gym, ah but I’m halfway home now. I’ll just take tofu round the block a few times. But the gym would be better. I know, let me just order a pizza. My point here is that sometimes it’s best just to act on impulse. If you give yourself too time to think then you give yourself too much room to procrastinate.
  4. More Sleep: some amongst us may scoff at this one, others will be definitely onboard. Whatever your stance is on sleep know that only 3% of the population can survive on 6 hours or less sleep per night, the rest of us are modern day sloths so just except it. Don’t fight your body, get the rest so then you won’t feel the need to go through the daily coffee dialysis routine as soon as you get to the office.

So there’s 4 and not 5 tips that I hope offer some help on how to become more proactive. It’s easier said than done, I know, that’s why I write. Good luck!

cat sleeping
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**Please note this article is intended solely for ERIC Mag, and I will link to the article on their site if/when it becomes live.

Poem – Lost

Below is a poem I wrote in a state of confusion one evening. I was at a loss with what my purpose in life should be. Frustrated that I had so many thoughts in my mind  yet took so little action:

Lost

I feel lost,

There’s a voice in my head that can never be silenced.

Yet a tongue in my mouth that only works when I’m violent.

I don’t see life through rose tinted glasses,

As a matter of fact, I don’t even see violet.

 

I’m lost within myself,

What is my purpose on this planet?

What should I be?

I endlessly try and plan it.

 

I’m tired.

Of the constant scribbling on pages.

Years have ticked by,

And still it’s words I have wasted.

Not actions.

 

For I can say a million things in a night,

And not act on a single one of them.

Lie awake at night,

Yet dream more when the day begins.

Against myself,

I feel I cannot win.

 

7 Emotions Everyone’s Been Through When Trying To Find A Job

Let’s face it, finding a job can be like finding a needle in a haystack…..which has just been packaged into weighted crates…and dumped at the bottom of the Pacific ocean. Well, OK, maybe not this extreme but the painstaking process really can be an emotional roller coaster. So let’s buckle up and see what lies ahead (or lay ahead if you’ve landed a job already)!:

  1. Vigour – You know the feeling, it’s early days on the path down sheer monotonous scrolling but things are yet to take a turn for the worst because you feel ready to take on this challenge. You feel energised and proactive as you align the bullet points of your CV, and Google fancier words for your cover letter ‘template’ (we all use these don’t lie)! Oh if only you knew what lay ahead! 

    adult chill computer connection
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  2. Curiousity – Your CV is updated, you’re now on the prowl, but for what kind of job are you after exactly? Here is where we all meet our fates as either one of two people: the ‘tunnel vision – this is the kind of job I want, no questions asked’ types or the ‘I’ll take anything that goes’ breed. Either way you take on an investigative approach as your mind wanders to whether a chef hat would really bring out your eyes or maybe the suited and booted corporate attire may do you more justice. Curiosity is the emotional stage which piggy backs onto vigour moments, just before your energetic searching becomes tedious and unfruitful.
  3. Boredom – You’re now on your 60th application, the 60th time you’ve written ‘I respect your company ethos because….’. It’s been a month now and the same kind of job keeps popping up. You’re trying to think outside the box on methods to try and get your CV seen by different kinds employers. Google, once a loyal friend has become quite the foe as you’re never done typing ‘jobs in my area’ into the search bar till the wee hours of the morning.

    woman with her hands on white table
    Photo by Tran Trung on Pexels.com
  4. Impatience – You’re now on your 90th application, you’ve received 2 responses in the last month and a half, both of which were automated and so the finger tapping and thumb twindling begins. You’re crawling to reach the 100th submission when….
  5. Frustration – ‘Sorry you’re application has been unsuccessful……..’ yes, you’ve read that correctly and probably in your sleep for the amount of times these spam your bloody inbox! You felt numb by rejection email no. 22 and now feel like almost throwing in the towel until the blessed subject line ‘interview opportunity’ is bestowed upon you.

    man person face portrait
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  6. Sheer ecstasy!(bit much) Hope: Just when you thought your efforts were futile an interview for a pretty respectable role comes your way. You prep endlessly for the two weeks leading up, researching the company to the point where you basically know the CEO’s family tree and favourite colour better than they do. You try on a million outfits to get the smart yet casual look before reciting your reasons why you love the role……
  7. Overjoyed/Crushed: It’s judgment day, if it’s a yes from the interview you’re over the moon, if it’s a no, your world is crushed and it’s back to the drawing board. I guess you’d better bookmark those jobsites as a security net.
man person people emotions
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*But don’t be too disheartened if it’s a no, it wasn’t meant for you. The right job will come along. Believe me. I’ve been rejected so many times I’ve lost count. Key thing is I didn’t give up until I got a job I was happy with.

 

 

*NB I managed to land my job through a contact I met at one of ERIC’s very own events at Covent Garden. That’s another trick, don’t leave your chances limited by using solely online websites, it may seem scary but go out and meet people. The exciting (scary) thing is you’ll never know who you’ll meet.

 

**Please note this article is intended solely for ERIC Mag, and I will link to the article on their site if/when it becomes live.

How NOT To Get Hired

What’s a job if it isn’t but the only way to make some money so we can afford to feed our scrawny selves in hope of keeping up appearances enough to attract some other average being to spawn with so to carry on our everlasting dreams of immortality.

So, maybe the above is  a bit far fetched! Cutting to the chase, you want the wonga, so what steps must you avoid in order to land the job that will have you crowned #BALLER in no time.

Check out my article for ERIC MAG to find out here.

 

 

*This post is linking to the article which is intended solely for ERIC Mag.

No Good, Bad And Ugly Work Habits

As creatures of habit we therefore succumb to many repetitive behaviours we wish we hadn’t! As I wallow in this thought and share them in writing by teaming up with Go Think Big, I suddenly remember,  my annoying colleague wants another tea, no sugar.

So whilst I brew the perfect cuppa, why don’t you have a browse over at the  Go Think Big site for the 9 reasons why we all aren’t perfect! Some stunning examples include:

  • Too many tea breaks (what’s wrong really with trying to get the perfect shade?)
  • Complaining about other colleagues
  • Being constantly late.

Why not let me know what yours are in the comments below?

man and woman doing high five
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**Please note the featured image logo belongs to Go Think Big. This post is linking to the article which is intended solely for Go Think Big.

2nd Place Poem – End Hunger UK – ‘A Closed Fist’

2nd place in the End Hunger UK poetry competition.

‘A Closed Fist’ –  a spin on the meaning to hurt someone. A closed fist can be a punch but it could also be inferred to as a hand that is not offering food and therefore hurting someone by starving them.

I wanted the poem to show how it’s essential to be kind to one another. Afterall you never know where someone might be in their life, or who they may become. And perhaps you may even find yourself needing their help oneday. The bigger picture is that we are humans we need food and we need to put ourselves in eachothers shoes more often, especially when it comes down to this essential element of life – to prevent starvation.

Listen to the Poem:

 

Closed fist verse 1closed fist verse 2

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