Why Why Why?

Guilty, there's only two whys in this post...

Why I miss blogging.

Wow, it's been well over a year since I sat down and wrote out a post to publish. Sure I have a few drafts but honestly, with the lifestyle I've adapted to, I fell out of love of blogging. It became a bit too forced to me like I just had to post anything for the sake of posting but truthfully I just didn't know what I actually felt passionate about writing.

After a year full of constant change and hecticness that surrounded my life, I finally have a few days a week to sit down, relax and reflect on everything and whilst scrolling through Twitter there are so many bloggers that I still follow and their content is amazing and then I began to miss writing down how I felt.

I then started to use a notebook which admittedly helped satisfy my writing needs and it also helped me alot mentally, actually putting pen to paper and just venting for a few pages, really started to put my mind at ease because I find it difficult to express how I feel verbally, (unless of course it's to my mother!) and it was then I thought what if I just resume my blog?

Why I don't understand boys.

How do I even begin to explain my confusion with the opposite sex? As a female, I can put my hands up and admit us girls are hardwork. There's no denying that, especially when we know what we want and as much as we can be indecisive I'd like to think we are consistent with our work, our life and our feelings. Yeah, we have our ups and downs but ultimately we are honest and true to ourselves. I'm not talking on behalf of all guys but so far, all males that have entered my life, initially, seem sure of themselves, what they want and their carefree attitudes but their inconsistency is such a turn off and ultimately frustrating! One day they can act so into you, almost a little bit too clingy and then the next they do a complete 180 degree turn and go cold, distant and leave you feeling like you're the size of a peanut, as worthy as a round £1 coin. And yet, they seem so oblivious to how they actually are making you feel then resume talking to you days later and because we are all suckers for a little bit of attention, we somehow have short-term memory loss until the next time it happens! It's a vicious cycle until the conversation and any kind of relationship you had dies completely. 

Why is this generation's dating system so fucked up and complicated? Surely if you like eachother you like eachother, if you don't you don't. Call me old fashioned but bring back the days where my parents met and 6 weeks later moved in together. Skip forward 34 years and they are still very much inlove. 

Things were alot more consistent back then!

Online Friends.

Hello m'loves.

So, this post today is something very close to my heart aswell as i'm sure thousands of you out there; Online Friends.

Who remembers when they were younger before "proper" social media was invented we were taught not to talk to strangers, not to speak to anyone you don't know online etc. (although i must admit the awful days of "chat rooms" there were a few, lets say "interesting" individuals you came across.) but like everything technology has evolved! Facebook was invented to reconnect with your friends and family but the Holy Grail that is Twitter was basically created to interact with people you didn't know.

Think about it, Celebrities and aspiring musicians/artists/actors etc use Twitter as their primary source of gaining new fans to grow their following and success. To be honest, it's quite impossible to even remember life before it. How did we find out the latest gossip so fast? What did we use to vent? How did we know about events etc? It's very scary how pretty much everyone on this planet relies on the internet nowadays. And of course, by following your favourite people you're going to interact with other new strangers who share your interest from all over the world. For something potentially so dangerous, it's actually pretty amazing. 

Over the years I have been lucky enough to find friends across the globe from when i was a fan of The Wanted {y'know the other boyband that wasn't One Direction .. Glad You Came?} well with their growing success came growing fans and I was in this little bubble with so many my age who wouldn't judge me unlike my "real life" friends and we would gossip, laugh, cry together until the early hours of the morning, gushing about our love. 

Honestly, when I first got Twitter I never expected to be able to grow such a deep connection with someone over a computer and I have had many friends that have come and gone but each time was truly special and if you had the opportunity to meet, it would be the most emotional time you could experience. Thanks to everyone I've met online, I've had the chance to travel some of England, Ireland and Wales. I've gained experience and memories so to those who frown upon it, those who constantly undermined me and judged me for liking "a poxy band" it was the best decision of my life.

And here I am today. I may not be crazy over a boyband anymore or in any kind of fandom but at almost 21, I'm still meeting and befriending people everyday. With different lifestyles, different backgrounds it's so fascinating to me and right now I have Dublin to look forward to where I will see Soph who I met in 2011, I'm going on adventures with Charlotte {who lives near me BUT WE MET ON TWITTER} and my two current closest friends Jay and Sam who I met online, and we are all uncomfortably close to the point we share everything. 

And even more exciting news; I GOT TO MEET JAY YESTERDAY.

 

Never underestimate the power of the internet.

My word of advice is; Speak to Strangers! (But obviously be aware of creepy people lurking around.)

Love you all lots!

P.s. My photoshop is back up and running so I'm playing around with header ideas for each post, what do you think?

Katie x

2015; The Year Of Memories

A couple of months ago, I decided I really wanted to own a photo album with memories of this past year. Lurking around my house are many photo albums from when I was younger, my siblings were younger and my parents were younger but with the new technology of Instagram, Facebook etc. owning a photo album with physical photos is unheard of. I know the trend of Polaroids are back in but I don't think anything beats flicking through an album.

You might be surprised that you literally cannot purchase a photo album ANYWHERE, unless its a wedding album or another occassion, there are just photo frames everywhere which was so frustrating so in the end was forced to find one online and I fell in love with this. 

I got it for around £5 on Ebay and it's perfect. It holds 200 photos, has lines to write captions/memories beside each photo and the cover is so pretty. My only qualm (i like that word) is that you can only put in your photos horizontal, meaning my selfies are sideways but I suppose it's the memory that counts!

I spent quite a bit of time out of Plymouth this year as well as spending time with my friends and working; I went to Cardiff for the X Factor tour with my sister, I made monthly trips to London with my good friend Charlotte before taking my mum on her first proper trip there in August (the original time we were stuck in a coach station all night because we missed the last bus) and I met up with very talented people along the way who I become very close with (some more than others) ... 

ANYWAY, this book is full of my favourite moments of these past 2 years that I can keep forever and look back on as well as adding more memories to come. It also shows how myself and alot of other things have changed already but I will always have those moments with me.

Courtesy of The Wanted and my favourite song;

The Memory Of Being Here With You, Is One I'm Gonna Take My Life Through, Cause Some Days Stay Gold Forever.

Katie x

How To Stay Safe On Dating Sites/Apps.

Eharmony, Tinder, Grindr, POF, Love Match, even social media sites are being infamous for finding dates!

Gone are the days where you bump into a handsome stranger in the street, he spills coffee over you and you both fall madly inlove.

Okay, so even the most cliche Rom Coms are dated now and I expect even if they did make a film about 18/Female/UK seeking 40 year old millionaire, they'll leave out the part where 90% of the people you find online are NOT NORMAL.

This is why Catfish is also one of my favourite TV shows because they show the reality of meeting someone online and how a fantasy can be crushed by one (or in most cases a few!) lies. Because it's so easy to lie on the Internet right? How many of us got a social media account before we were 13 and changed our DOB, or clicked the "I Have Read The Terms and Conditions" box? At the time we had no idea how much that one lie can escalate.

As a single girl, of course I have experienced going on dates with someone I have met on social media and I've recently signed up to Plenty Of Fish to see whats out there because I've found having Tinder and swiping right if I like what I see is so degrading and how am I going to tell what kind of person they are by their Profile Pictures on Facebook?

This is what our society has come to, modern technology has reinvented the way we communicate with new people so here are a few tips from my own experience to help you:

• I'm all for giving everyone a chance, so treat it as if you're meeting someone for the first time in person, if they were in your opinion "ugly" you wouldn't just ignore them if they said hi would you?

• Flirty banter is the current phase but know your boundaries and retain your dignity. If the conversation becomes uncomfortably inappropriate too soon, get rid! You aren't going to find The One by recieving a d**k pic are you?

• If you do find you are liking him/her, protect yourself. Don't go all Nev and Max on the poor thing but before you get in too deep, know who you're talking to. It's a very small world, 9 times out of 10 someone you know is bound to know them or of them but just to be sure, double check it's not psycho Derek down the road luring on you.

• Meet them before committing to them. Someone's personality written down is far too generic. It's a fact of life, not everyone gets along even if you're consdered a "perfect match" online who enjoys long walks on the beach and napping; so does a dog!?

• IMPORTANT: When meeting for the first time, day dates are perfect or even going for a drink in a public place. That way you're in a secure environment and it's preventing yourself from any danger.

If I've missed anything out, you don't agree with something I've said or you have any further tips, please let me know. I think it's our responsibility to look out for eachother these days.

Katie x