blue blooded murder of the english tounge

I've been meaning to put this post up for about a week, but I have basically spent all my free time sleeping. I have wanted to have my birthmark removed for a long time and last Wednesday was the big day. The operation went well and didn't hurt much at all but this still didn't stop me being a sweaty, shaky, pale mess after. I really do not cope well with needles or the thought of having my arm cut open. During the operation I didn't look at my arm at all so when I went to get the dressing changed on Friday I was a bit shocked when I caught sight of it. It's healing exactly as it should be but I still ended up crying down the phone to my mum in public which was a new low for me. I think I have cried more this week then I have in the last six months which is crazy because I have got exactly what I wanted.

 

Shoes - River Island

Jeans - Levi's

Vest Top - Topshop

Kimono - Primark

sick and tired

I am so sick of being sick and tired. After having only 2 hours sleep last night, I booked the afternoon off work so I could come home and do nothing at all. I bought some of my favourite foods (Kettle Chips, raspberries, strawberry milkshake and Milky Bar) and actually made the time to sit down and read a book! I haven't read a book in so long and I've really missed it.

I've heard good things about Bill Bryson from my mum so I'm looking forward to reading the book Down Under. I'll be sure to do a cheeky review once it's done. I have so many books that I have bought but not had the time to read. I need to make the time.

In other news, today I got a call from my doctors to arrange a date for a minor surgery. As you may have seen in some of my outfit posts, I have a birth mark on my left arm. I am really self conscious about it so I'm pleased I can finally get it removed.

you can't sleep? me either, let's can't sleep together

Tee [old] - Topshop

At the moment I feel so tired that I think my bags look like I've been punched in the face. They don't actually look too bad in the picture but I think I look unwell and tired.
Like a lot of people, I have trouble sleeping. I wake up tired and spend the whole day being tired. In fact, the only time I start to feel awake is when I should be settling down to sleep and because I feel awake I start watching CSI or writing lists or doing something on my 'to-do' list. Before I know it my alarm is set for only 4 or 5 hours time. It's ridiculous.

I've worked out that it is roughly every 4 weeks that I have to book a half day at work because I'm feeling so exhausted. I work full time, go out too much and don't sleep enough. I miss the days where my Sunday's used to mean staying in bed pretty much all day, watching films and reading.

I am now trying to make an effort to change these bad habits. I have a lot to do in the next few months and I need to make the most of my day instead or being sluggish and useless. I am making the effort to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. I know it's meant to be 8, ideally I'd like 9, but I think for now this is something I can manage. I've also found a few things that help me settle down:

Camomile Tea

Kalms

Lavender Candles

[Fuck Off] Eye mask

Relax & Rest app

My friend Tara told me about the Relax & Rest app when I went to visit her in Norway. I think it's meant to be for meditation but you can change the settings about a bit. At the moment I go to sleep to the sound of crashing waves - I realise this makes me sound like a freak.

I am also trying to avoid my computer late at night; there is always something to distract me. I also keep a note pad near me when I'm sleeping. I always have random thoughts pop in to my head about what I need to do the following day or something I need to book up. I write them down so I know I will remember and I don't have to worry about forgetting.

Do you have any tips that help you sleep?

this really is great britain

Well, I don't know about you but I have a massive sense of pride after the last few weeks! Not only have our athletes done amazingly well and received so many medals, but I think that London has been a brilliant host to the games and I am so proud to have been a part of it!

My story starts in Darwin, Australia in 2010. After a short call home to my parents and being reminded of the closing date to apply, I spent an hour or so in a small internet cafe completing the application form. I then carried on with my travels and returned home at the end of 2010, forgetting I'd even applied along the way. 200,000 people applied and I was one of 100,000 that were asked to an interview, mine in January 2011. I still remember my first interview and the buzz that was in the air with the opportunity of being part of history. I soon found out that I was one of 70,000 successful applicants and that I would be part of the Olympics. I had to attend various training days and test events to learn my role and the safety procedures. 

I was on the Technology Team at the ExCeL working behind Fencing and Taekwondo. At first I wasn't too thrilled about the sports I was going to be involved with but I got to learn something new about two sports I didn't know much about. By the end of my shifts I was able to understand the rules enough to enjoy watching the sports. I really enjoyed watching Team GB Men's Team in Fencing and I got to see Jade Jones win the first ever medal for Team GB in Taekwondo, which happened to be one of our many golds! What an amazing night that was!

I worked for 9 out of the 16 days, some days starting at 7:45am and some days finishing gone midnight. I'd work between 6 and 10 hours a day and I'd be on my feet taking results to different parts of the ExCeL all day. I've never been so tired before but it really has been an amazing experience and I would do it all over again.

It's hard to sum up my time as a Game Maker in a few (or many) words. The experience was priceless and one that I will remember forever. I never thought I'd get emotional over sports, but I have basically spent the last two weeks teary eyed or crying because the atmosphere was so overwhelming. I got to meet some interesting and brilliant people that I would never usually be able to meet. I've met some new friends who I'm sure I'll be meeting up with again soon. I've had the time of my life.

At the beginning of the Olympics there was so much negativity towards it, some people didn't really understand why I'd give up my annual leave and spare time to work and not get paid. I'd respond with "it'll look good on my CV" or "it gets me out of work" but what an amazing experience to volunteer for your country on one of the biggest events ever. I'm so proud that I was a volunteer for London 2012 and part of history! If I had the opportunity, I would do it all over again. I absolutely loved watching the Closing Ceremony and I actually cried my eyes out when good old Seb Coe mentioned how well the Games Makers had done and the applause went on and on and on. I think it was at that point that I realised what I had actually been doing and what it meant to be part of the Olympics.

I have now packed all my Game Maker uniform and gifts we received in to a vacuum pack bag for safe keeping. A lot of the uniform, pins and 'thank you' presents have appeared on eBay, but I will be keeping mine. On my application form I said that I would be interested in working at the Paralympics, but I have not been asked to. In a way I am pleased so I can now enjoy watching as much of the Paralympics as possible and I'm hoping to get tickets for anything, just so I can experience being a part of the crowds. I really hope that the Paralympics are as successful as the Olympics because I think sometimes in previous years they can be forgotten about which is so wrong. The adverts Channel 4 have for the Paralympics make me think they are going to be brilliant. - "Thanks for the warm-up".

london we go hard

You can not escape the Olympics. If it's not interfering with your journey to work, it is on your TV screens being used in adverts for just about everything. The build up has been slightly ridiculous and all we seem to see on the TV is the greedy and negative sides of the games. Despite all of that, I am actually looking forward to the Olympics as I will be part of it. I will be one of 70,000 volunteers working behind be scenes, know as game makers. I am based at the Excel on the Technology Team working behind Fencing and Taekwondo.

I sent my application to be a game maker for the Olympics from a little internet cafe in Darwin, Australia in 2010. I still remember the very first interview I had and I can't believe the day of the Opening Ceremony is finally here.

This is a post to show you the uniform that I will be wearing.  As Adidas are sponsors of the Olympics I will be dressed head to toe in sportswear, including the first pair of trainers I have owned for a long time. I will be volunteering for 10 days out of the 2 weeks as well as working at my full time job when I can. It's going to be a busy few weeks but I am sure there is going to be an amazing atmosphere that will make it all worth while.

chasing daisies

I can not believe that it has been nearly 3 months since I last did a post. To call it a 'short break' is a bit of an understatement. But I am well and truly back to blogging and I am really looking forward to it. I have a few posts planned including an update on my Operation Shorts and some outfit posts.

I have also changed my mind totally on what I want to do with my life. It used to be all about Australia but after having some good news from my job I am thinking of staying in England for much longer. I am planning on going to Australia for a month next year but I think that will be it for now.

I have also decided that I want to concentrate more on what makes me happy, because it's important to be happy right? For me this is includes getting experience in event planning and looking to move to London! I will be doing more blogger meets so I get to meet some more of you lovely people. I am also going to organising something a bit different which will combine my love for travel and blogging. Keep an eye out ;)

It's been a weird few months of seeing friends go through hard times and finding out just how confusing some people really are. But things are looking up for my friends and I can finally start to get my head around the fact that I am basically Bridget Jones before the whole Daniel Cleaver or Mark Darcy fiasco, because I have no one. I will now leave you with the image of me singing in to an empty vodka bottle whilst listening to Sad FM ;)

n e w  s t a r t  f o r  j u n e

gap travel

Everyone spends their money on different things. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may of noticed that I love to visit different places and travel as much as I can. Faye put me in touch with Gap Travel and I was asked to write 100 words about different places I have visited. I am very excited to say that the pieces I wrote about Australia and Holland were put in :)

[If you click on the picture, it is easier to read]

This feels like a massive step in the right direction and I hope I get to do a lot more in the furute. A great start to 2012 :D

feeling festive #8 - new years eve

2011 has been a strange year. I've learnt a lot, lost some friends but gained many more. I've learnt that a friend can be anywhere in the world but still be there when you need them.

I'd like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to every one who reads my blog. I don't think I say it enough, but I really appreciate every comment and view I get.

This year I have been able to meet some of you at the blogger meets I have organised. Event planning is something I hope to get in to when I grow up (haha!) and it has been great to combine my two loves - blogging and event planning. It would be great to meet even more of you at the next one I organise :) I'd like to say thank you to Law for helping organise the second blogger meet of the year!

[blogger meet one and two.]

My family has been there a lot for me this year and it seemed fitting to spend the night with my mum and dad. It was a great night and a lovely way to see in the new year!

I hope you've all had a brilliant night and that 2012 is everything you wish for.

The fireworks in London actually bought a tear to my eye! A bloody amazing display! I am feeling very optimistic for 2012 - good things are going to happen!

I woke up tired of life

For the last week or so, my life has been all about my bed. I have been going on my laptop, eating my dinner, tweeting and sending silly amounts of emails; all whilst being snuggled up in my bed. I've been feeling slightly under the weather but I'm determined to have a brilliant weekend, rain or shine!

Not many of you may know, but I actually love rugby! Today, I am going to watch England Vs Wales play rugby at Twickenham. I bought me and my dad tickets ages ago and I can't believe how quickly it's come about! I actually love Danny Care, and he will be playing along side Jonny Wilkinson - I am a very happy girl right now!

Tomorrow, I am meeting up with the lovely Aimee for brunch in London. It'll be the first time we meet each other in person and I'm really looking forward to it, but slightly nervous at the same time. We will be brainstorming some more ideas for the London Blogger Meet and I will do a blog post when I get home to keep you all up to date.

For those of you on twitter, I was thinking we could use hash tag #ldnbloggermeet, so I'll be able to answer any questions you have and everyone else can see the Q&A's in case they have the same query.

Becky has created a wonderful badge for the event. It links back to her page, where she'll update the details as we come up with them.

I thought I'd leave with you one of my favourite songs. I hope you all have a very lovely weekend.

2 1 ♥ sunday

Once I'd got home from London in the morning, I just wanted to sleep! But, I had all my family coming to my house so I decided on lots of red bull! All my family started to turn up from 3pm. I got some amazing gifts from my family and I felt like a very lucky girl indeed! I got a Nikon D3100 from my uncle and parents, a gold locket from my aunts, uncles, cousins and nan and a necklace with my birth stones in from my grandad and gran. I also got some dollars for my holiday to las Vegas in the summer which I thought was amazing because I didn't think of asking for any! We had some lovely curry for dinner and lots of alcohol! By 7pm everyone was a but merry and it was really nice to see everyone enjoying themselves at my 21st birthday! A very lovely day and a perfect end to a wicked weekend! I would like to thank everyone that has made my weekend very special ♥ I will never forget my 21st birthday!

2 1 ♥ saturday

I woke up unusually early because I was so excited! I was like a kid at Christmas! I spent the morning with my family. I opened lots of cards I'd got through the post and some amazing gifts! From my Mum and Dad got me a Me to You statue, las Vegas and a camera (which I got on Sunday because it was also from my Uncle). My brother Steve and his girlfriend Andrea got me a lovely Tiffany & Co bracelet! My brother has made me a video. He puts filming footage and photos to music! I will also see this on Sunday for the first time! I also got this scarf sent through from my friend Sara who lives in Wales. I thought it was incredibly kind of her! My friend Gemma come round in the morning to give me a present. I got a lovely Alice band and iPhone case and she's made me an amazing cake with Harry Potter on it! It was absolutely brilliant! My friends Jess, Cathy and Becca, come round in the afternoon so we could get ready for our night out in London. My friend Cathy flew back to England from Germany for the weekend. I thought this was so nice of her to come all this way to spend the weekend with me! We had some beer, wine and vodka jelly whilst watching some sex and the city. My surprises started today and I was truly touched! I had a quick shower and when I come down the stairs a lady had arrived to do all of our make up for the night! I had absolutely no idea that they'd planned this at all! I was in shock! I had fake eyelashes and coral lipstick on and I'd not worn either of them before. We all looked stunning and the make up was done so well! Once we was all ready was were just waiting for our lift to London. There I was thinking that my friend's dad was giving us a lift but when I went outside a limo had arrived! I just could not believe it! I am lucky to have such lovely friends that have made such an effort to make my birthday a special one! I will always remember my birthday and the surprises from them!

The journey up to London was a lot of fun and was filled with music, champagne and wine! We dropped our bags at the hotel we'd booked and then went straight to the London Eye! I have been on the London Eye before but never at night. Seeing London lit up was really special! We then made our way to Planet Hollywood for dinner. I got a lovely garlic chicken noodle dish and I ate the entire meal with chop sticks, I was really pleased with myself haha! We got starters, a main meal, dessert (with sparkles) and 2 cocktails for £25 each! I thought that was a really amazing price. My dad printed off a voucher for us so we got lots of money off, click here. We then got a cab back to our hotel and crashed for the night! I would like to thank my friends for making my birthday an extra special one! I was totally unexpected to have my make up done and a limo for the night! ♥

mark harold

My brother does a variety of creative activities in his spare time. I think that he is amazingly talented so I am going to share some of his work with you.

DJ Earcandy

Find him on Facebook, YouTube or his website.

Mark is a self taught DJ. He started teaching himself in 2006 and started it as a profession in 2009. He found inspiration to start DJing from his passion for music. He enjoys DJing because he has the opportunity to meet new people and gets a sense of achievement when he sees the crowd enjoying themselves. He also produces his own music and remixes past and presents classics to form new and original songs.

Photography and Graphic Design

Find him on Flickr.

Mark has always had an interest in photography as an influence from his Dad. He was able to develop this hobby at College and gained an A Level in the subject. His likes to focus on landscape photography and anything weird and wonderful. As well as taking photographs he also edits them on Photoshop.

Mark studied Art at school. He become increasingly interested in the graphic aspect of Art and Design and studied it as an A Level at college. Sometimes during his spare time he creates his own work ranging from logos to digital paintings.

Video Production

Mark studied both photography and film studies at college which helped him develop an interest in video production. He likes to both film and edit videos. He will usually edit film and photography to music but is also very good at documentary type films. His current project is a Summer 2011 video in which he hopes he can involve people from all over the world to show how they spend their summer.

Mark is so talented and I hope that one day he will be able to do what he loves and have the whole world see it too ♥

new year, new hair

New year, new hair.

2011

I had a very good new year's eve this year. My friend Sara from Wales come to spend new year's in Essex. We spent the day in London and took in the sights as Sara has never been to London before. We started at St. Paul's Cathedral then walked across The Millennium Bridge. From the bridge we got to see a brilliant view of London, The Thames and Tower Bridge. We then walked to The Tate. I met Sara in Australia and so it was only right that we celebrated the new year of Australia in. We stopped at a pub and had a few drinks. In Australia there are different time zones, so obviously we celebrated new year's of 3 different time zones in. We then went to the London Eye and walked over the Waterloo Bridge and towards Trafalgar Square whilst passing Big Ben. We finished our day at Buckingham Palace and made our way home ready for the party.

My friend Becca had a house party and had all her family and friend's there. It was a really good party and a lovely way to see the new year in. We had many laughs and a lot of fun!

2010 has gone quickly. Most of my year was focused on going to Australia. The saving, the planning... it was all worth it! My 2010 has been an amazing year and I am looking forward to 2011 and new things and new faces.

♥

meet syd

This is Syd. He will be coming to Australia with me. My brother and his girlfriend, Steve and Andrea, bought him for me.

I would like to thank everyone for being so generous! I've had a lovely few days but I am really excited about starting my travels! I have finally finished packing and have everything sorted! I just want to be there now!! I can not believe how quickly it has come around!! See you in 3 months (:

bon voyage

Last night I had some friends and family round for a farewell party! I had the best time! It was so lovely to see everyone before I go away for 3 months! My Mum and Dad put together some lovely food for everyone and my Aunt made her amazing curry! Soon, the Sambuca and Tequila shots come out for everyone who was left and the dancing began! It was a great send off and I look forward to seeing everyone when I get back home!
There was one person who was missing from this night and that was Cathy! We miss you and drank plenty for you!

the beginning

Today it was my last day at work. I quit my job to go travelling around Australia for 3 months. I was unable to return to my job but I though the memories I would gain would be better than staying at a job I dislike and wondering what if.

Although I didn't enjoy my job I have made some lovely friends that I will miss very much.

My last day was very special. Everyone had been very generous and I had a huge collection. From the office collection I got Australian Dollars. I also got Australian Dollars from Di & Ali, Jacqui, Bou and Vikki and this meant I had enough from them all to pay for the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. Amazingly kind. I got given the office collection too early in the morning. The whole office had come in to see me receive my collection and card. I also got some funky sunglasses and a pink cowboy hat with corks on strings like a true Aussie hat from Pat. I was extremely embarrassed but I really appreciated everything everyone did to make my last day a memorable one.
After my day at work I went out for dinner with some of my closest friends from the office. It was a lovely way to end the day and my 2 years at the office.
I started the job on a temporary contract for 12 weeks to cover the summer holidays in 2008. After two years I finally learnt all the jobs that I could have and more. There was no chance of progression so it was the right time to leave, but it didn't make it any easier to say goodbye. I will miss everyone lots and I will be in to visit when I get back.

auf wiedersehen

Today Cathy moved to Germany. I would like to wish her the best of luck and hope she has an experience of a life time! She will be working in a school helping German children to speak English. I've spent a lot of time with Cathy in London at the weekends since she moved there so it'll be weird now she is gone. I will see you in December just before Christmas :)

I miss you already!

hellogoodbye

My good friend is moving to Germany for a year. Today we had our last day together before she goes. To start things off we booked a trip to Barcelona for Cathy's 21st birthday! We will be staying in the city for 3 nights from the 2nd January; what a way to see the new year in. We then spent the day in our town, drinking in pubs and in the garden. It was a lovely way to say "see you later".
I will miss her very much whilst she is away but I know I will be going to Germany to see her soon!
♥ True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but never in the heart.