Top 5

Hey Internet Friends,
So today I will be sharing with you the top 5 famous people who have inspired me in one way or another (not in any particular order).

1) Stana Katic - One of the stars of my favourite TV show, Castle. Stana Katic played a kickass NYPD detective and for me is a strong example of a powerful woman.

2) George Orwell - After reading Nineteen Eighty-Four I was inspired to take a slightly stronger interest in politics and the world around me, as well as gaining the confidence to voice my political opinions. So inspiring, especially since his work is still relevant today.

3) Harry Styles - My celebrity crush who is inspiring due to his kindheartedness and still being so down to earth.

4) Zoe Sugg - She helped me understand panic attacks and one of her videos where she is so honest and open about them inspired me as it showed I'm not alone.

5) Brendon Urie - An insanely talented musician whose song Girls Girls Boys inspired me and gave me the courage to come out as bisexual. The line 'girls love girls and boys' was just the perfect boost I needed.

Hope you enjoyed.

Love and Hugs,
1 More Blogger xox

Thoughtful Thursday - Reflection on 2016

Hey Internet Friends,
So today I thought I'd look back on how this year has gone. I am going to split this into mini sections so I don't ramble and obviously still keep some things more private. This is just a rough overview of how things have gone this year, hopefully with quite a positive attitude. Without further-a-do, here is my reflection on 2016. Enjoy.

Blog - This year I have managed to stick to my schedule and put up posts when they're meant to go up all year. This is likely to be down to the many reminders on my phone and notebook of ideas so I can plan in advance. This is definitely something I will continue to do in 2017.

School - So, 2016 was the year I sat my GCSE exams and I will admit I worked my backside off revising. Thankfully, it all paid off and I was accepted into the Sixth Form I wanted to go to, as well as onto all the courses I wanted. The start of A-Levels has been quite stressful but I'm enjoying it.

Work - This was the year I got my first job! I was taken on as a Christmas Temp. back in October. I am loving where I work as it got me into the festive spirit early and I work with some really nice people. It's helping me gain confidence as I deal with strangers every week.

Relationships - In terms of friendships, these have definitely changed, but I'm glad to say I've been forming closer bonds with better people to keep me on the right track. Romantic relationships on the other hand, well, lets just say 2016 hasn't really been my year.

Hobbies - In my spare time (which there isn't really a lot of), I have been reading lots of book and listening to a lot of music. I've also managed to find some time to plan blog posts, organise things and get better at art.

So, that's a quick reflection on how 2016 has been for me. Hope you enjoyed.

Love and Hugs,
1 More Blogger

Thoughtful Thursday - Growing Up

Hey Internet Friends,
Thoughtful Thursday is back and this time is about growing up.

Growing up is a strange concept. While you're young you forever want to be older. No matter how many people tell you that you never fully appreciate the simplicity of young life. When your biggest decision is what to play with, life is simple.

As you go through school, the days become more intense. Exams become much harder and more important. You begin to face decision on qualifications to work towards and which career you want.

That's all well and good unless you don't know. You begin to fear getting older as the decisions get tougher and tougher. Large life goals loom ahead and forever get closer. The uncertainty of things like illness, fight and death throw you off course sometimes but you just have to keep growing.

I may have made growing up seem all gloomy but I can't wait till one day I have a family of my own, a job I love and to live the life I was destined to receive.

Love and Hugs,
1 More Blogger xox

Thoughtful Thursday - Supernatural beings

Hey Internet Friends,
Supernatural beings; are they real or aren't they? No one really knows for sure so here's what I think.

First of all, I don't believe things like vampires, werewolves and zombies etc. exists. To me they all seem to just be fictional creations for books and films to help add excitement.

On the other hand however, I'm not sure whether ghosts exist or not. If they do, I highly doubt they are like how they're portrayed in films. I guess in a way I believe they are likely to be invisible to us who are alive. It's quite a nice thought that after we die our soul lives on and can watch over our loved ones. I'm not religious so have no religious beliefs on this topic which could be why I'm more susceptible to believing in certain types of supernatural beings.

What do you guys think? Have you ever experienced anything that has convinced you supernatural beings exist? I would love to hear about them!

Love and Hugs,
1 More Blogger xox

Tips to Stay Calm

Hey Internet Friends,
First of all, apologies is this isn't too good as I don't feel very well right now but I still wanted to get a post up for you guys. Today I am going to share with you tips for staying calm.

If you are a particularly anxious person, writing down your worries might help. If you don't like the thought of keeping your worries written down, then enjoy ripping them up after ad just imagine the worries disappearing.

Another thing you could do is get a colouring book and just colour in anytime you are particularly worried about something. I often do this as I find it takes my mind off whatever I'm thinking about.

Finally, you could try writing. Whether it be a blog, story or poem, writing can help take your mind onto something else you don't have to worry about. Use the emotions to your advantage.

Hope this helps,

Love and Hugs,
1 More Blogger xox

Thoughtful Thursday - Love

Hey Internet Friends,
Todays idea for Thoughtful Thursday is courtesy of my amazing boyfriend. As I am in a relationship, my feelings about love might seem slightly biased, but everyone has different opinions.

What is love?
To me love is the feeling of safety when someone you love is holding you tight while you're at your weakest. Someone who sticks by you no matter what is always important; everyone needs someone they can turn to when things happen.

Young Love
I hate it when people say "You're too young to be in love". I believe you can fall in love with anyone at any point in your life. It doesn't matter how old or young you are.

I believe love is forever. It's so strong and to me a bond of love can never be broken. It's something that will always last, even through the difficult times.

I hope you enjoyed that. Let me know what your opinion on love is.

Love and Hugs,
1 More Blogger xox

P.S. Sending love to all those effected by the shootings in Orlando. This world is a cruel place.

Thoughtful Thursday - Exercise

Hey Internet Friends,
Exercise to me is like marmite. You love it or you hate it. I can't stand it! I hate feeling too hot or sweaty. Yuck!

So, how do I stay fit? Well, as you can guess, running or going to the gym is definitely not my thing. Quite often I like to go for a walk with my family in the evenings. I always find this makes me feel more refreshed after a long day. It also helps me get a much better sleep that night.

I also do a 30 day Fit Butt challenge each day, which I've mentioned before in a previous post. I find this isn't too strenuous but helps keep my thighs and bum nice and firm. No wobble, bonus!

Finally, I occasionally do some yoga. I used to do this once a week, however now that I'm spending so much time on revision, I struggle to fit it in. Again, yoga isn't too strenuous but helps keep everything nice and firm.

So, what do you guys do to keep fit? Do you love or loathe exercise? Let me know by commenting or let me know through social media.

Love and Hugs,
1 More Blogger xox

Thoughtful Thursday - Animal Testing

Hey Internet Friends,
Today's topic for Thoughtful Thursday is animal testing. Just a quick note before I begin, no images will be used on this post as I can understand how upsetting and disturbing they can be.

First of all, I agree with testing on animals for medical research if there is no alternative option available. Ground breaking results in the medical world can come from testing on animals and save so many lives.

On the other hand however, I am against testing cosmetics on animals. So many brands manage to make safe products without testing on animals so why should others still be allowed to test? As much as I love cosmetics they are not an essential thing for survival. I always try to check my products haven't been tested on animals as it's cruel, wrong and unnecessary.

I'd love to hear what your opinions are about animal testing and whether you try to avoid products that have been tested on animals.

Love and Hugs,
1 More Blogger xox

Thoughtful Thursday - Gay Marriage

Hey Internet Friends,

Before I begin I would just like I say I'm very passionate about this topic. I'm bisexual and there are members of my family and friends who also aren't heterosexual. I completely support gay marriage. If two people are in love, I don't see why it should matter what gender they are. Just because marriage traditionally means bringing/joking together a man and a woman, it shouldn't mean we stick to that. Times change. People are more open and more educated about different sexualities. Why should some people be disallowed to so something, just because of who they love? It's their life, why should it matter to anyone else? I'd love to hear what your opinions are, so either comment or message me using the links on the contact me page.

Love and Hugs,

1 More Blogger xox

Thoughtful Thursday - Relationships

Hey Internet Friends,

Today I thought I'd talk abut relationships with you all. Over the years I've been through a handful of relationships and so I thought I'd share what I believe to be good and bad things about them and the people involved.

Bad:
Okay, so first of all, I find a controlling relationship to be bad. If you don't have the freedom to be yourself then it's not a good place for you. Another factor of a bad relationship is if it's full of neglect. If you don't communicate or spend time together, then what's the point? Relationship's are meant to be two people wanting to be together for as long as possible. It's the same as if the relationship is very one sided, if one of you is making all the effort and the other is doing nothing at all, the one making all the effort is going to feel neglected and fed up of being the only one trying. This leads to loads of arguments which just end up in the 'blame game', where no one will accept that they've done wrong and so it carries on for ages. The final bad thing in a relationship is lies. You should never lie to your partner (unless you're trying to surprise them) as they will only lose trust in you and it won't last very long.

Good:
A good relationship, to me, is one that's full of love and care; one where you can just be yourself and feel comfortable with your partner. I always find it's good if you can talk about anything and everything; tell each other your worries and problems and work at solving them together. A good relationship is about finding someone you really connect with, despite having differences. You don't have to love the same things, but it's nice if you always find time to talk to each other about the things you enjoy. Naturally, there will occasionally be problems but in a good relationship, you'll always manage to work together to sort everything out.

Currently I'm in a relationship and I honestly couldn't be happier. He treats me like a queen. On Valentine's Day he gave me a gorgeous necklace and bracelet, as well as hand warmers and a box of chocolates. He's just perfect, he always knows when somethings wrong and always cheers me up. He knows when to just hold me and tell me everything's going to be okay when I'm upset. So far, we haven't had any problems as there's just so much love and care between us. I can just be myself around him and talk about absolutely anything.

So, that's what I have to say about relationships. Hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think are good and bad things that involve relationships.

Love and Hugs,
1 More Blogger xox

Hi Internet Friends!

I was thinking earlier last month about what topics would make a good Thoughtful Thursday. I like to sometimes look at topics that people have very conflicting views about; this post is about gender equality.

Why should someone be treated differently die to their gender? Why do we associate certain jobs with a certain gender, why does sexism still exist?

Just some of the things that come to mind when I think about ended equality.

Feminism: "A range of movements and ideologies that share a common goal: to define, establish, and achieve equal political, economic, cultural, personal, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment." * I am a feminist. Not because I think women are better than men, but because I think people should be treated equally, regardless of their gender, race, sexuality or age.

I mean, come on. It's 2016. Why are people so wrapped up in sticking to traditional gender specific roles? If you want to do something, regardless of your gender, you should be able to do it. We don't choose what gender we're born as. We didn't choose to not be 'suitable' for a certain job just because of our gender. It's ridiculous. Why should it matter?

I hope you enjoyed, let me know your opinions either by commenting or via social media (links in the contact me page).

Love and Hugs,

1 More Blogger xox

* Disclaimer: the feminism definition is not my own, all credits and rights go to the original author [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism]

Thoughtful Thursday - Social Media

Hey Internet Friends,

So, today's Thoughtful Thursday is all about social media and whether it's a good thing or not. Lots of people, including myself, use some form of social media but is it really worth it?

On one hand social media is brilliant as it enables you to communicate with people worldwide incredibly easily. This can be great if you want to keep in contact with family members or friends who don't live near by. It also allows you to interact with your favourite celebrities which would be incredibly difficult without the use of social media. Another bonus of social media is that you can openly express your opinion about a topic and find people who feel the same way as you. This can quickly lead to conversation and before you know it, you have another friend. Finally, social media can help broaden our knowledge on what's going on in the world around us. It provides us with so many links to and comments about different news stories, which helps make us all more aware.

On the other hand however, social media can often cause problems. For starters, you will always get people who share ignorant opinions which can be offensive to others. From this spring the haters and bullies who spend their time annoying and upsetting people as they have nothing better to do. Social media, unfortunately, makes it easier (in my opinion) to come across unpleasant people who may be lying to you about who they are. If it goes too far, you could end up putting yourself at risk. Finally, social media is full of photo-shopped images of celebrities and models. If you come across these often, it can occasionally lead to negative thoughts about yourself as you see more and more of an unrealistic ideal.

As you can see, social media has both advantages and disadvantages. I personally think it's a brilliant thing, provided you stay safe. What do you think?

Just as a side note, if you are experiencing any bullying online, make sure you don't go through it alone. Get help online or talk to someone you trust about it. Remember to report any horrible behaviour as it can prevent some others from being targeted.

Love and Hugs,
1 More Blogger xox

Thoughtful Thursday - Rant

Hey Internet Friends,

This Thoughtful Thursday is slightly more of a random rant. You can comment and let me know you're opinions on this and suggest ideas for what else you'd like to see on my blog.

Love and Hugs,

1 More Blogger xox

I hate feeling like i have to hide who I am through fear of being judged and criticised for it. We should all be allowed to be who we want and make our own decisions without people bringing us down for it. People need to learn to accept others for who they are and not make them feel like they should hide their true self. It's sad really because everyone has secrets. Everyone has a darkness inside them that continues to grow; that they feel can't be spoken about due to hatred and prejudice of others. It needs to stop. Things need to change.

Thoughtful Thursday - 'Society'

Hey Internet Friends!

Today I decided to post something I wrote one late night last week. Hope you like it and feel free to comment your opinions.

"Us as individuals are pressured by society to act, look and behave in certain manners. If we try to stand out, be unique or we aren't exactly what society want, we get pushed down and made to feel so low. Why all the standards? Where did they come from? After all, we as individuals are part of society; everyone is. So how and why have these so called 'perfect ideals' appeared? Maybe it's down to feeling threatened by others or being jealous of what they have (whether it be physical things or appearances or attitudes and ideas). Maybe we have trouble accepting ourselves so feel the need to bring down others. Maybe we want something to blame and so we create these harsh images of what is right and wrong and label them as what society thinks is best. Or maybe we are just ignorant. As a species, humans are very often ignorant and maybe some of the things we view as 'perfect' originate from the ignorance of others."

Love and Hugs,

1 More Blogger xox