Thursday 26 June 2014

How To #9: How To Write a Bucket List


Making a bucket list, or as I like to call it, f**k it list,  is always something I’d planned to get round to- like writing a novel or going on a diet, but have never done- until now. I stayed up most of the night making mine, not because it’s necessarily hard to do, but because once you start listing stuff, you can’t stop- something I like to call Pringle syndrome. However, it can be a daunting task- you have to think about what you want to do with your life in the lead up to your impending death, at the end of the day- so here are my top tips for starting a bucket list.

1.       Have a f**k it attitude: seriously, even if it seems absolutely ludicrous, but still makes you smile, write it down. Want to travel the world in eighty days? Write it down. Want to learn how to fly without wings? Maybe a bit ambitious but whack it on the list anyway. Once you let go of any boundaries your list can really get going.

 

2.       It doesn’t have to be material things: no one said you can’t have any, we are living in a material world and I am a material girl. But make sure to throw some simple ones in there too, something as simple as sleeping under the stars or donating to charity.

 

 

3.       The goals you set yourself are meant to be impossible, that’s the point: am I ever going to run a marathon? Probably not, I can barely run down my road without panting, but I stuck it on my list anyway. Although the goals you set yourself now may seem impossible, you never know, you may actually achieve them. Plus, it never hurts to dream a little

 

4.       Saying that, put some achievable goals down too: No one wants to end up with a bucket list they can’t complete, so set yourself some that you know you can achieve one day.

 

 

5.       Start Planning! If, unlike me, you are not a student and broke, and are serious about your bucket list- plan how you are going to achieve each goal. Next to each goal you write down, also write down how you plan to achieve it, and give yourself a realistic time scale of when you would like to achieve it, for example, in the next five years.

 

Good Luck!

Georgia x

 

If you need inspiration, click here to view my bucket list (still incomplete!)

If my bucket list didn’t quite get your creative juices flowing, bucketlist.net is a great website where people share their bucket list ideas.

Wednesday 25 June 2014

How To #8: How to do Prom


It’s prom season right? Right? I don’t know, It’s been two years since my prom, which was unnecessarily built up by the way. What I had imagined was getting picked up by my date, drinking the punch someone had spiked with vodka and dancing the night away. What actually happened was me going to the prom alone because my friend had ditched me last minute for her prom date, the coke was £2.50 a glass so I had to stick to tap water all night, and the only people dancing the night away were the teachers who had had a little too much vino. Bearing in mind this was a UK prom, not a US one, which I’m guessing are exactly how they are in the movies. This was more like an episode from The Inbetweeners. No matter what type of prom you’re having- here’s my guide to making sure your prom goes to plan (sort of, I’m not a miracle worker.)

1.       Choosing a Dress/Tuxedo: In my experience, the boys get this so much more right than the girls. This is because they rent their attire. It’s relatively cheap and they never have to dig it out again, bonus! Girls at my prom splashed out over £200 on a prom dress, Big Fat Gypsy Wedding style (this was the type of school I went to, folks) Mine was a relative bargain at £65 from Jane Norman (R.I.P)- it was £85 but I got a discount because there was a rip in the hem. I’m so classy. Downside is it’s still sitting in my wardrobe collecting dust as I haven’t worn it since. So, my advice is unless you regularly attend balls or are a member of the Royal Family, and will require a formal attire of this type often, rent a dress or tux- it’s cheaper and more practical.

 

2.       Getting a Date: This is also something that is very Americanised, so us Brits feel pressure to get dates to the prom or risk being a total loner. No teen movie would be complete without a scene where the guy hypes himself up to ask the girl to prom or vice versa of course. I did have a date, sort of, but we decided to go together when we were drunk, and in the cold sober light of day, we realised we didn’t actually like each other (his excuse was: “um, I actually think I’m going on holiday that day.”) So, I was dateless, until I agreed to go with my best friend, deciding to make a girls’ night out of it. Then, she ditched me for an unexpected date. Thus, I ended up going to prom with a larger group of friends, girls and boys, and still had a good time. My point is? Prom dates aren’t actually that important. Just because you don’t have one should not stop you from having a good time.

 

 

3.       Getting Ready: Initially, all my girlfriends and I had planned to get ready together, High School Musical style. However, then their turned out to be this craze where it was absolutely necessary to get your hair and make up done professionally. Myself, not one to stick to the status quo, curled my own hair and got my make up done for free at a Boots counter (although I did spend loads on cosmetics afterwards.) I got my eyebrows threaded and my nails done professionally, but we’ll keep that between you and I. This really all is down to choice- getting ready with your friends can be great fun and you can have a sneaky vodka and coke beforehand, however, if you insist on looking your best and have the money to do so- I would advise getting your hair, make-up etc. done professionally.

 

4.       Arrive in Style: it may be cheesy, but it sure is worth it in order to make an entrance. My friends and I got a limousine to the venue, which looking back was incredibly tacky and I kind of wish I’d arrived in a VW camper van instead. Whatever your taste, despite the cost, hiring an alternative mode of travel is well worth it (unless the venue is down the road to your house, in which case it is not.)

 

 

5.       Outside is where the party happens- If your prom venue has an outdoor area, use it, as I quickly found out that this is where the real fun happens. When we first arrived, we were sat around the table, awkwardly drinking our diet cokes whilst being closely monitored by the teachers. Outside, my fellow peers were secretly knocking back beers and having a crafty cigarette- outside is away from the prying eyes of chaperones and also has a more laid back, less formal atmosphere, which is what a girl like me who had previously never worn a pair of heels needed.

 

6.        Avoid the food if possible: Unless your school is rolling in it and can afford Gordon Ramsay to cook for you- avoid the food like the plague. Not only did the food look disgusting, by the time I’d circled the catering area a few times, all I had done was pick at a soggy Brownie and eat the least Asian samosa I have ever tasted. This is something I have picked up as a basic rule now because of that night- eat before you go out, because you may not like the food there.

 

 

7.       Use the Prom to your Advantage: For most people, the prom is the last time you will see the majority of your classmates, some of whom I’m sure you can’t wait to see the back of. Yell, “boo, you whore” to the Regina George in your year, or punch the guy in the face who always got on your nerves. If you can’t tell people how you feel now then you never will.

 

8.       Do Not Leave too Early: I mistakenly left early 1. Due to an awkward encounter with my then crush and 2. Because the invite said it finished at 11:30, which I had assumed meant that everybody must be out of this building by 11:30 on the dot or else. I left early only to be told by my much more party animal friends that I had “missed all the fun.” Apparently, the party kept jumping til 1:00am, which was not disclosed on the invite. My advice- live out the last days of your Senior year for as long as possible.

 

 

9.       Take a Camera: For loads of bathroom selfies, obvs.

 

10.   Prom is Overrated: so even if it doesn’t live up to your expectations, such is life. Welcome to adulthood. Just enjoy your prom for what it is, even if you do feel like you’ve been cheated out of £35 for décor designed by the year 7 art department.

 

Have a fab prom!

Love Georgia x  

If you insist on going all out and buying an extravagant prom dress, this website has loads of choices:


Struggling to find the perfect prom dress on the high street? Here are some great places to look:





Burton also does a fab tuxedo range, which you can rent or buy, visit them in store or online:


 

Looking for inspiration? I love ‘The Blonde Salad,’ a blog bursting with ideas to get you inspired this prom season! Check it out on my Must Read Blog List.

Tuesday 24 June 2014

How To #7: How to Get An Ex Back



Normally, I avoid these sorts of articles at all costs. They make me cringe and feel like I’m some kind of agony aunt. But, alas, it was one of the top suggestions this week, so here are my top tips for getting an ex back. Ugh.

WARNING: From my own and others’ experiences, I would never actually recommend trying to get an ex back- THERE WAS A REASON YOU BROKE UP, REMEMBER? Whether she cheated or he kept leaving his pants on the floor, is this really something you can live/put up with again?

1.       If you decided to completely ignore my warning, than more fool you. My first top tip for getting an ex back is to become the person he or she ‘fell in love with.’ Sound cheesy? That’s because it is, but apparently it seems to work. i.e. if she loved your humour, than be funny and if he loved your intelligence, then be smart or whatever.

 

2.       Prepare your first words- i.e. when you next bump into your ex, don’t cry or laugh hysterically or immediately start an argument, e.g. “WHY DID YOU DUMP ME?” No. They will most probably run off in the other direction and whoopsies, you’re back to square one. Example conversations starters include “Hi, how have you been doing?” – any awkward pauses after this point is all down to you folks.

 

 

3.       Use the past to your advantage: Did they love it when you had a beard? Grow it out! Did he love it when you wore your hair that way? Get down to the nearest hair salon. Remind them of the past you shared with them. Note to all divorcees- do not use this as an excuse to walk around in your wedding dress 24/7, this is unnecessary and also a little odd.

 

4.       Find out if they still care- If they have moved on, i.e. fallen in love, gotten married and had ten kids, they obviously don’t care about you in that way anymore. Do you have any mutual friends? Get them to casually throw you into a conversation- though try not to use your most extraverted friend for this task as all kinds of cats will be let out of the bag.

 

 

5.       Ask if they’d like to do something non-committal with friends: so you found out that they still care- great! To move the re-patching process along- go to the movies with a large group of friends so it doesn’t seem obvious that you have orchestrated this whole thing just to get them back.

 

6.       Let them know you were thinking about them- so, you’re on this large, non-committal gathering and your friends ditch you one by one, leaving you and your ex alone together. Awkward. To get a conversation going, bring up past events, preferably that relate to the current event. So if you’re at a party, say “hey, remember that time you threw up on the sofa at Jess’s party?” DO NOT SAY “Remember that time we were madly in love with each other?”

 

 

7.       Pay attention to your appearance if you have been neglecting yourself in that department: e.g. if you have been sat at home watching Netflix eating ice cream for the past month and have not even bothered to shave your legs- DO SO PLEASE, or wear trousers if it’s winter. WIN.

 

8.       Stop Caring About How Others Perceive You: A break-up can really knock your self confidence, which can be rectified if you stop giving a damn about what others think of you. Even if your friends tell you that you are cray cray for giving your ex another chance, if you think you are completely and utterly sane in your decision, then go for it.

 

 

9.       Remain positive- if nothing seems to be working, this is by far my favourite “look at me, I’ve moved on” tip. Social media is a wonderful thing, so use it- upload pictures of you having a whale of a time without them- it will make them realise what they’re missing.

 

10.   Remember, no situation is hopeless- even if nothing seems to be working and you want to crawl up with ice cream and a Gossip Girl box set for the rest of your life, unfortunately society says this isn’t the proper way to live. As my mum loves to say, “there are plenty more fish in the sea,” which is perhaps the only true cliché saying I have ever come across. Give being single a go- switch the Taylor Swift to the Beyonce and the vodka to a pina colada- you’ll have loads more fun, trust me.

 

Best of luck!

Love, Georgia x

Fretting over relationships? There isn’t much in the way of relationship blogs (surprise!)  but ’20 Nothings,’ a blog which I have mentioned previously, takes a gloriously witty approach to relationships and life during your 20s (and 30s)-  definitely worth a read.

 

Monday 23 June 2014

How To #6: Make-Up for Darker Skin Tones



Being mixed race, it took me years to find a foundation that didn’t make me look like Casper the friendly ghost, let alone make-up that actually complimented my skin tone. So lucky you folks, I’ve done years of trial and error, epic fails and experimentation so you don’t have to.

Foundation:

It is hard for anyone to get an exact foundation match, but is made even harder when you have a darker skin tone. Luckily, there are loads more options now than ever before. It is paramount you have the closest match possible for your skin tone, too dark and your face doesn’t match the rest of your body and you are left with tan like lines and too light you look like you’re dressing up for Halloween. I’d recommend this for any skin tone but the best advice I can give you is ask a make-up consultant next time you are in a cosmetics store. For some bizarre reason, women seem more embarrassed to ask advice at a make-up counter than they are getting their bra size measured. They’re advice is useful and free- bonus! They’ll help you find the closest matching colour foundation to your skin tone.  
 

My Epic Fail: Maybelline Dream Nude AirFoam in  'Caramel' (too dark!) and Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in 'Sun Beige' (too light!)

My Pick: Max Factor Second Skin Foundation gives flawless but light coverage and doesn't feel heavy on the skin- I wear shade 080 'Bronze'
 
 

Added extras: Concealer and Powder

Concealer is one of my must have make up items- add to your problem areas to cover imperfections.
 

Go easy on the powder, but I find powder particularly useful if I want shine and oil free skin as it helps create a matte effect. Dark skins are also more prone to being oily so I often favour powder over foundation as a cover up.


My Picks- Max Factor Pan Stik concealer can also double up as a light foundation, so I sometimes wear this on its own. I wear shade 'Cool Copper.' Other picks include Max Factor Powder in 'Medium Beige' and 17 Bronzer in 'Medium'.




Skin Care
This doesn’t really apply to any specific skin tone, but I find it unnecessary for women to put so much make up on their face. Give your skin a break! I once went a week without face make up and my spots and impurities had dramatically cleared up. As I said before, darker skin tones are more prone to oil and spots/impurities so simple cleansing and moisturising will mean even your make up free skin is flawless!


My Pick: Clean & Clear Morning Energy Shine Control Daily Face Wash. This is also an oil free product so doesn't add to the oil on your skin. I also love Simple Moisturiser, but I'm all out *cries*

 

My epic fail: Value moisturiser-I love a bargain but cheap doesn’t always mean it will be as effective, and this is definitely true of moisturisers.

 

Eyes

Guess what? If you have a darker skin tone, your options are endless! Bright eye shadows pop on darker skin tones and bronze tones create an Amazonian look. Smoky eyes also look amazing on darker skin tones- make sure you blend it in well, and if you are looking to create that extra effect, add on a pop of colour around the inner corners of the eyes. I love Urban Decay eye shadows, and Naked Palette 2 is like my beauty bible. Lighter eye shadows such as pinks and creams/whites, I usually avoid, as I think it makes my skin tone look washed out. Don’t be afraid to be bold!

My Pick: Urban Decay Naked 2 palette and Urban Decay NYC palette

 
My Pick: Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette- some gorgeous nude shades for day and night. I would recommend this edition over the newer Naked Palette 3 for darker skin tones.

 
My Pick: Limited Edition Urban Decay NYC palette- this palette is so fab I only use it for special occasions. My recommended shades for darker skin tones are circled in red.


My epic fail: pale palette colours, such as peach, white and cream- wouldn’t advise using these as a base colour, but they can be useful when placed in the centre and inner corners of the eye against a darker colour for a ‘wide awake’ look.

Lips:

Lips are a tricky one when it comes to darker skin tones. I am still yet to find a lip colour that was “made for me.” Lighter lip colours such as peaches and pinks are a no-go for darker skin tones. This is because often, the colour of your lips is darker than the actual lipstick colour, so again can make you look washed out, or like you’re trying out the 80s electronica look. Personally, I avoid lipsticks as a given rule as they dry my lips out. During the day, I either wear Vaseline cocoa butter, or Benefit lip gloss in ‘Dallas.’ Of an evening, go bold with bright lip colours. I’m channelling Rita Ora at the moment and love her Rimmel London collection which include 'Colour Rush' lip crayons, which I find stay put longer- who has the time to reapply anyway?



My Pick: Rimmel London Colour Rush Lip Crayon in 'The Redder the Better' gives hours of lasting colour. During the day, I love a nude lip gloss such as Benefit High Flying lip gloss in 'Dallas'






Nails:
There are no rules here! I am yet to find a nail colour that looks terrible on dark skin tones. Bright colours such as neon yellow and green look amazing on darker skin tones.

Go Bold! This summer, I am loving bright nail colours, which look amazing on darker skin tones.



My epic fail: White nails- can look fab on most skin tones but wasn’t cutting it for me.





Need more make up advice for dark skin tones? Below are some great YouTube tutorials:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql0plqMVbAs


www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wKVQxb_ltA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzQrLfXGij0


www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXoNFOWQ_vM


A budding Beauty Queen? Check out the beauty blogs 'London Beauty Queen' and 'Raspberry Kiss' in my Must Read Blog List to the right hand side.


 

Friday 20 June 2014

#5: How to Write FanFiction



Fanfiction, or ‘fanfic’ as it is affectionately known, is no recent phenomenon, but it continues to grow. Heck, everyone’s at it and they aren’t ashamed to admit it either. Researching fanfic, I was expecting to just find crazed One Direction fans dreaming up a scenario where the curly haired one falls in love with them. And believe me there are more than a few of these ones, so much so that One Direction fanfic is quickly overtaking Harry Potter fanfic in popularity. I looked at three main sites: Wattpad, fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own. Searching Wattpad’s fanfiction section, it is hard to find fanfic which isn’t centred on One Direction, which left me disappointed. Too much One Direction can be a bad thing, you know. From this, one piece advice I would give aspiring fanfic writers is that it appears that the less popular the fandom, the easier it is for your work to get recognised. Although there are stack full of stories about Harry (of the Styles, Potter and even Prince variety) there seem to be a select few that are popular, such as “He’s No Good” centred around Zayn Malik from One Direction, and currently has 7million hits.

If the thought of being dominated by Directioners trying their hand at literature puts you off, there is still hope.  Websites such as fanfiction.net and Archive of our Own has a fandom for everything from Buffy the Vampire slayer to Degrassi. Who knew? These sites are great for those who want to branch out to even the most obscure of fandoms. Sign up is free, although Archive of Our Own requires you to be ‘invited’ like some kind of secret society.

I only planned to read a few fanfics but it got strangely addictive, and before I knew it, I had spent 3 hours reading and had added a One Direction fanfic to my Wattpad library. And I’m not even a 1D fan. It was official, fanfic had become my guilty pleasure.

Reading fanfics from all walks of fandom I noticed two trends that seemed to be occurring. Writers would either use the characters from the TV programme/film etc. and mould them into a completely new storyline that they had conjured up.  For example, one writer had made a bizaare fanfic hybrid out of Breaking Bad and Wizards of Waverly Place. I’m not sure how a programme about Disney wizards and a programme about cooking crystal meth could possibly be a match made in heaven, but it apparently seems to work, getting 358 hits since it was published three days ago. Although the storyline seems bizaare, with this method you can literally let your imaginations run wild.  An alternative method was following the original storylines, making alterations here and there. This was true of a Gossip Girl fanfic I found, one of my favourite TV programmes ‘back in the day’. The author of ‘Once Upon a Chairytale’ had used the original storyline of Chuck and Blair’s relationship and had altered it slightly. Hell, there was even a girl that had written and altered every single episode. Now that’s dedication. I wasn’t so much of a fan of this method but if you chose to do it this way, be warned- you have to know your fandom inside out or you get other members of the fandom verbally attacking you for being inaccurate. Another point, the fanfic world can be harsh.

I’ve read a lot of fanfics today; more than one person should be able to stomach. I’ve read some surprisingly good ones, some frankly disturbing ones, and some ‘meh’ ones. With this in mind, it is difficult to establish ‘how to’ write fanfic because there appears to be no rules. I think the one great thing about fanfic amongst all its hype is that it is fun, to be enjoyed by the author and other members of the fandom, rather than being scrutinised for poor grammar or lack of extended metaphors like ‘normal’ novels. And that’s what fiction should be about- enjoyment, and however much fanfic may get laughed at and mocked, I think it sets a pretty good example for the rest of fiction writing, and sites like the ones mentioned only make fanfiction easier to be a part of.

Happy writing!


Love Georgia x

If you’re interested in writing or reading fanfic, these are great fanfiction sites:




 

If you fancy a read of the fanfics I had a look at, check out the links below:

“He’s No Good” by MalikIsSexy (One Direction)


“You Make Me Feel Human”  by 3mmaRawrs (Vampire Diaries)


“The Disappearer” by Porkchop_Sandwiches (Breaking Bad and Wizards of Waverly Place hybrid)


“Once Upon A Chairytale”  by rayj829 (Gossip Girl)


 

Thursday 19 June 2014

#4: How to make England Cupcakes



I had not planned to do more than one post every day, but the opportunity for patriotism and cake was just too good to miss. We all know that England have about as much chance of winning the World Cup as it actually being sunny during British Summertime- but then again, we all thought UKIP didn’t have a hope in hell of winning the European elections, but they did. If there’s one thing you can say about England, it’s that we are full of surprises (not all of them necessarily good.)  

It is rare that I sit through a whole 90 minute football match, and these cakes will make it easier to endure the England vs. Uruguay match tonight. They can work as a celebratory treat if we win and comfort food if we lose and if it’s a draw- you can do what you like with them. So, crank up that oven and get your caxirolas out, if you’re lucky you can get them cooked before the match starts, and if you don’t- well, at least you’ll have an excuse to miss some of it.


p.s

A massive foodie? (who isn’t?) check out the blogs ‘Brown Eyed Baker’ and ‘Chocolate Log Blog’ on my Must Read Blog List to the right hand side.
 
 
 
How mine turned out...
 
 
 
 
 

#3: How to do Yoga


Yoga has always felt like one of those novelty exercises that celebrities rave about, but none of us normal folk have a clue why. I’ve always found Yoga laughable when they do it on TV- can inhaling and exhaling whilst in a tree pose really count as exercise? And you’re posing as a tree. That’s pretty funny.

So, after deciding that running was just not happening this morning I decided today would be the perfect time to find out what all the fuss about Yoga was about. According to Google, there’s a lot of fuss- ads for hundreds of Yoga classes near me and news stories about celebrities, such as Gabby Logan and Nicole Scherzinger, who “swear by it” popped up. Hey, if Yoga will make me look like Nicole, I’m down for anything. Yoga, according to Wikipedia (a notoriously reliable source) was initially the physical, mental and spiritual practices or disciplines which aim at transforming body and mind. It was until the 1980s that the Yoga we know today became popular as a system of physical exercise, known as Hatha Yoga. Who Knew? According to Ann Pizer, the about.com guide to Yoga author, benefits include increasing flexibility and balance as well as reducing high blood pressure, aches and pains and stress and depression (pay attention all those needing to recover from A-Level stress/trauma)

Needing to learn the basics of yoga in one day, YouTube seemed a safe bet. There are tons of Yoga videos, ranging from the beginner (i.e. me) to the advanced (i.e. not me.) If like me, you giggle at the term “downward dog,” be warned- some of the poses will have you in hysterics, which really just makes it all the more enjoyable. My yoga teacher for the day, Esther, talks me through a 15 minute morning Yoga routine. “Do you wake up feeling tired?” she asks. Yes. “Do you struggle to get going in the mornings?” Hell yeah. This woman clearly knew I wasn’t a morning person. We started with a few stretches and then a warrior pose, stretching your arms and legs out like, well, a warrior.  After a good 5 minutes sticking my legs out at awkward angles that should not be possible for the human body thinking “sorry, what is the point in this?” I actually started to enjoy it a bit. During the meditation section, after having your limbs pulled every which way, I actually felt better for it. I would definitely agree that, even after one session, my stress levels had decreased and I felt generally happier. This is because, according to Ann Pizer, “the concentration required [for Yoga], your daily troubles, both large and small, seem to melt away on the mat.” Although the metaphor is pretty extreme, this does seem on the whole true.

So, would I try Yoga again? Not unless I have fifteen minutes to kill, and if I do, it is usually spent watching Netflix, looking at cat memes on Twitter or eating. As for the physical benefits, I didn’t really notice any. But like with all exercise, I suppose you don’t get to see the physical benefits for a while. Although it’s a great way to relax, I don’t think Yoga is my bag. I found it all a bit hippie dippie and I didn’t come away from it feeling like I had done any exercise, making me feel all the more guilty for missing my run this morning. But I felt a lot better when I found a slab of dairy milk chocolate in the fridge…

Happy Yoga-ing!

Love Georgia x

 

If you fancy giving Yoga a try, there are tons of tutorials on YouTube, though I found this channel (Ekhart Yoga) particularly helpful:


For information about Yoga and its benefits, the NHS website gives some good basic information, but for more in depth info, Ann Pizer’s article on about.com is also good:



Interested in health, fitness and wellbeing? Check out the blogs ‘Black Girls Run’ and ’20 nothing’ on my blog list to the right hand side.

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Challenge #2: How to Start a Blog


Hey, this isn’t a cop out. It’s genuinely something new that I spent all frickin’ day trying out. As I stated in my previous blog post, I have created blogs before, but lack of traffic and lack of motivation mean they were all short lived. So although I wasn’t a complete blog virgin, I still needed to do my research as it had been a couple of years since I jumped on the blogging bandwagon. Yes, that’s the first, most important tip I can give to new bloggers. For God sake, DO YOUR RESEARCH. There are tons of useful hints and tips online, it would be dumb to dive into blogging head first (like I have mistakenly done so many times- and only ended up hitting my head at the bottom of the pool.)

If you are thinking of starting a blog, I think the first step is to establish what you are actually going to write about. This was a major problem I had before- one week I was writing about sport and the next, I was writing about fashion. Humans are creatures of habit, so it helps if you are consistent in your blog posts. Do you specialise in art, fashion, sport, gardening, bee keeping? Whatever it is, someone out there is guaranteed to want to read about it, if you are that passionate about it. And that’s another thing- whatever you choose to write about, make sure it is something you are passionate about as no one is going to read what you write and even worse, you aren’t going to want to write about it. I am passionate about learning and experiencing new things, hence the birth of this blog. If you are passionate about what you are writing about, you’re on a sure fire path to a successful blog.

The next tip I would suggest for new bloggers is to explore the different platforms available to support your blog. Like a man or a good pair of shoes, there is a platform out there for everyone, so it’s best to explore your options first. From my research, the most popular platforms for blogging appeared to be Wordpress, Blogger and interestingly, Tumblr. Tumblr, for me at least, was instantly out. I don’t know much about Tumblr, but it makes me think of One Direction memes clogging up my timeline, which, whilst appealing for some, was definitely not appealing to me (sorry 1D fans.)

The site that topped most of the reviews I looked at was Wordpress.org, a site that I had not heard of when I started blogging, which made me feel so not down with the kids. Anyway, apparently it is like the Twitter of the blogging world, so simple that even Snoop Dogg uses it, apparently. I gave it a trial run, but whilst I think it’s great if you are serious about blogging, are trying to promote a business, or perhaps even want to blog for a living, it seemed like a little too much pressure to handle for a newbie blogger like myself who was trying to get back in the game. Also, if you want a domain name, you’ll have to pay $3-$6 dollars a month, which apparently, is the price of an average cup of coffee every month. And I’m the type of girl to spend my money on coffee, every time. I’m not sure how it works out in GBP however (I couldn’t find a UK version, surprisingly.)  The good news is that if you’re still interested in WordPress.org and think it might be the site for you, it’s sister site, Wordpress.com, is free if you don’t want a domain name, and is also easier to maintain, so I hear.

Although there are tens of other sites to take into consideration, I was left with Blogger, which I had used before. In my experience, it’s relatively simple (and free!) to use, but according to the reviews, it was now “outdated.” Left out in the cold like Facebook which, according to my 14 year old brother “is for old people now.” I mainly decided to go with Blogger because it was a site I was familiar with like an old friend, thus I concluded I wouldn't have to spend too much time fussing around with the features and so forth. I think I would recommend Blogger to the casual blogger, as there is less pressure to establish yourself as "a blogger", yet still room to grow your blog if you wish.

Remember how I said I chose Blogger because it would be easier to deal with features? Nope, far from it. The site has obviously had a shake up since I last logged on. It took me hours to design my site before I had even posted anything, which meant my Tuesday was spent drowning in cups of tea whilst glued to my laptop. I kept looking at other sophisticated blogs and then looking back at mine, which resembled the work of a 5 year old child in comparison. Patience has never been one of my virtues but I persisted. Again, there are tons of tutorials and tips if you want to know how to add certain features to your blog page if you’re unsure of anything.

Last tip: I’m no expert blogger but I do know that if all else fails, just have fun with your blog! Otherwise, what’s the point?

Happy Blogging!

Love, Georgia.


p.s. below are some useful hints and tips about making a blog that I found on the web:

tips about the best blogging platform for you:
http://monetizepros.com/ 




video tutorials about Blogger features:


How to add Social Media tabs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4hI5WmqpBw



Remember to check out the blogs on my blog list to the right hand side!

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Challenge #1: How to play Poker


I’ve always fancied myself as a bit of an ace gambler (pardon the pun) and I’m not alone, with 73% of UK adults regularly participating in gambling of some sort* I’m quite good at card games, but ask me to bet on which horse will win the Grand National and I probably won’t know the difference between the favourite and the three legged donkey. Blackjack is my strong suit (hehe, these puns just keep on coming), there’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when you’ve got 21 (or even better, pontoon) and knowing you’ll be raking in the winnings. I usually play with my Gran who is the blackjack queen (this pun wasn’t even intentional, I swear), but she only lets us play with pennies and still doesn’t let me keep them at the end “it’s just for fun love.”

Well, I fancy upping the stakes and the most popular, renowned card game of them all is poker. As I learnt today, there are many different variations of poker, but they all have the same basic rules. The poker game that I am learning is Texas Hold ‘Em, the most popular poker game, and also the fastest growing. Many like me associate Poker with glamour, excess and Vegas. However, I was limited to my kitchen table and some novelty chocolate pretend poker chips I got on a trip to Vegas, funnily enough.

After asking my Grandma about poker failed miserably “I don’t know anything about poker, I don’t know why you’d want to,” I turned to Google, as most people do in times of trouble. The first thing I came across was a WikiHow article that might as well have been written in Taiwanese. “Wild cards introduce an additional hand, five of a kind, which normally ranks above a straight flush,” A flush what now? Like most projects I embark on, I assumed this would be a 30 minute job, 40 tops, and by an hour I’d be so good Vegas would be a-calling. Nope. 30 minutes in and all I’d managed to do was stare blankly at my Disney themed deck of cards and nibble away at the chocolate covered poker chips.

Running out of options, I decided YouTube was a safe bet. Here, I have learnt everything from how to do a fishtail plait to how to chop an onion (yes, seriously.) After watching several videos of elderly males in suits try to teach even a novice like me how to play poker well (they didn’t), I came across a lovely chap called Chris Moneymaker (yes, apparently that is his real last name) who had posted 5 videos entitled “Poker for Dummies.” Right up my street then. Even though his Tennessee accent started to grate after a while, I got pages worth of tips. (Oh, yes, you’re going to want to note a ton of stuff down.) After he had taught me the basics, e.g. what hand was valued the highest, a pretend poker game was then played out with three other men and two women (gender equality and all that.) The aim of the game appears to be to get the highest valuing hand in order to win big. However, this game clearly has a huge amount of skill which can’t just be learnt overnight. What they say about poker faces is so true, give away or ‘tell’ as it is known in poker, how successful your hand is and this could affect the bets placed by other players.

In the absence of anyone willing to play with me, and my mother becoming concerned about my gambling habits “I don’t think I’m okay with my daughter playing poker,” I tried the game out for myself. Party of one, which I would not advise as it is mega confusing. I get the gist though, and it’s easy to see why this game can get so addictive as players become increasingly greedy with each round. I might try it out with my friends, although it might take most of the evening to explain. I don’t think I should be let into to a Casino any time soon though, Vegas will have to wait for me.


Love Georgia x

 
p.s. If you want to learn how to play poker much better than I can, check out the links below that I found helpful:

http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Poker (not as helpful as the YouTube videos, but you can still grasp the basics from this)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq9MezqmZB4 (or type ‘Poker for Dummies’ into YouTube, you'll come across it eventually)

Happy playing! Remember to gamble responsibly and that there are legal restrictions on gambling if you are under 18. If you need any help, advice or information about gambling, the links below are helpful.


 
Oh, and be sure to check out the blogs on my blog list to the right hand side, I'm loving fashion and beauty blogs at the moment :-)
Playing like a pro

A Royal Flush, the best you can get in Poker

Intro

Hi and welcome to The Sunshine Blog,

I have started many blogs before but have always given up because 1. I never had anything solid to write about and 2. frankly, procrastination is my weakness. So, I decided to write a temporary blog (for now) to record my summer experiences.

After finishing my final A-Level (hallelujah!) last week, I quickly decided that as much as I would like to, it is not healthy to watch Netflix with the curtains closed, avoiding all human contact, everyday until September. Summer doesn't have to be boring even if you are broke and lazy like me. Thus, don't expect posts any time soon about me climbing Mount Everest or bungee jumping, because ain't nobody got the time or money for that (if you have, I wish I was you.)

Therefore, expect stupid, original, crazy new things everyday that I try, and hopefully you and I can both learn something along the way. Happy Reading!

Love,
Georgia x