The sky caught my eye last night, whilst I was on my travels. It was blue but the clouds had a warm pinkish tone to it. Also, it displayed a streak of orange. So, I decided to capture the moment, before the sun went down. It was also raining as well, as I thought that would add to the effect too.
I’ll show you a before and after picture of the images:
BeforeAfterThat’s all the BTS information on how the photograph was manipulated. Both taken and edited by me.
The aim was to bring out the warmer tone, to give it a subtle calmness.
Rainy days aren’t always so bad.
Feel free to leave a comment or share on social media (the links are below).
I’ve been testing out different tea brands for the past couple of weeks and I’ll be sharing and reviewing the ones I’ve tried below:
Pukka’s Herbal Tea CollectionThis one is packed with a variety of different herbs in each sachet. There is three of each flavour that does it’s specific job, especially night time and detox, which helps remove toxins from your body and sleep better. Whereas, if you’re looking for something to fire up your insides, you should drink Lemon, Ginger and Manuka Honey as it reignites the spice within you. You can feel the effects of the ginger working especially in your chest area. I’ve realised three mint may help individuals with respiratory issues, such as sinusitis, rhinitis and asthma. It’s a combination of spearmint, peppermint and rhinemint that provides relief by clearing your chest. Also, the minty flavour distinctively evident as you drink it.
Overall, I liked this one because you have an assorted choice in the box, so you’re not limited to what you can drink. It isn’t one constant taste either, you can switch up it whenever you like it, to suit your desires at that moment.
It’s priced roughly between £2-3 in local supermarkets, such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Now on to the second choice:
I’ve also tried out Twinings Pure Green Tea. This one is useful for daily usage.
Green tea has good all-rounder benefits. One of it’s main functions is it’s an antioxidant, which is one of the positives about it, as it detoxes the body of it’s toxins and waste accumulated from daily eating and drinking routines. Furthermore, it is alternative choice to caffeine intake, such as coffee. It is nicer when you mix it with honey, because it gives a sweet twang. Otherwise, it can taste quite bland but you and your tastebuds can decide. It has a calming effect, as it tends to slow you down, so you can concentrate on yourself. The feeling of how it runs through your system, allows you to take a moment out of your schedule and/or just to relax at the end of the day, with a nice cup of tea.
Both teas can be used to assist with maintaining/losing weight, alongside good meals.
It is priced at no more than £1.50 from supermarkets and they have wide range of choices to pick from.
Don’t hesitate to go check it out, it’s like participating in the adult version of choosing pick ‘n’ mix sweets LOL. Remember back in the day when you use to go Woolworths to test out the sweets. Anyways, you’ll have all these boxes in front of you, so deciding the right one to satisfy you will be the fun part. This will encourage you to go home willing and ready to try it out!
Healthy mind, healthy lifeThe Media is heavily influential for positive and negative changes. However, in regards to body image; How much images do we see a day, that is either photoshopped or quite proportionally edited, to appear to look ‘ideally’ perfect? Understandably, it is nice to want to incite an audience, but most of the time it is portraying an unrealistic standard for society to look up to. Instead, providing us with a box to fit ourselves into, anything else is deviation from what is expected.
Comfortability is the keyMagazines, TV programmes, Social Media are top three in my opinion, which contribute to this matter. I’ve been looking at these three contents to see the way they project body image to the masses. For example, in terms of physical print, they will use weight as a main attraction on their front covers to sell their magazines. Personally, I just don’t understand how they can think it is okay to do so. Can you imagine you’re comfortable as who you are and then a gossip magazine comes along to make unwarranted comments about your appearance?.. It promotes unnecessary self-doubt because it can create insecurities about how an individual should look. This isn’t good for our mental health.
It works the same for both males and females, who are subconsciously misled to believe they must live up to societal standard. They will eventually become self-conscious about their body. This is manufactured by institutions to help keep their businesses running. How would the economy survive, if there was shortage of people failing to buy into their consumer demands. Furthermore, it would erode away the brainwashing techniques that has held society stuck within the way it runs now. There are so many homemade methods giving us ways to improve our appearance. As well as, there being a range of non/cosmetics procedure that are available to enhance your features. I don’t think people should be judged for using either methods, as long it makes you feel better.
There is no problem with wanting to look your best, everyone wants to appear look physically attractive. However, it becomes an issue when that is what you’re constantly striving for, because it doesn’t exist. You chase after it thinking somehow if you do this, maybe you’ll look different, or if you do that, that might tweak this. This is how you fall into a cycle with wanting to constantly improve on yourself. It’s even more challenging, when people are commenting on your body type. It can be hard not to internalise opinions, but just remember you’re the one who walks around 24/7 with it. Whether you work out, eat healthy, or even the opposite; you have a sweet tooth etc. Please don’t make yourself feel bad for wanting to eat it. You are responding to what your body wants at that time. Essentially, you’ll work out how to balance your diet to suit your needs/tastes.
Last but not least, it’s weird because you never really see in yourself, what others see in you. So it’s hard to believe a compliment given to you, as perhaps it does not align with the mental image of yourself. Although, knowing difference between compliments and flattery will help assure yourself, to know it is factual information. Nevertheless, everyone is unique and we should learn how to be comfortable with our differences.
Balance and Effort
There are no strict rules and regulations , just put in the work when it matters to you 🌻🦋
Chanda D
Disclaimer: all images were taken from Google images.
Landscape photography allows you to capture everything at once and in one photo, to create the bigger picture. You can use the buildings and objects in the camera frame, to construct shapes and dynamics, within the image. Here’s some pictures I took earlier on today: Trafalgar Square Water FountainWaterloo BridgeSt James Park
This book is about a young female called Flora, who has anterograde amnesia. This condition affects her everyday life, as she is required to use her memory for most things. One day she has intimate contact with a boy, on the beach and suddenly it changes her life. She remembers something and this excites her. Can you imagine what it must be like to not be able to use your short term memory and one day out of nowhere, one event just sticks?
Well, according to improvememory.org – Anterograde Amnesia is “often a permanent condition generally thought to be caused by damage to the hippocampus section of the brain. This damage can be caused by an accident, as a result of surgery, alcohol, and even an acute deficiency of thiamine known as Korsakoff’s syndrome. Whatever the cause of the trauma, the person who is affected is unable to convert their short term experiences into long-term memory”. This is reflected in the book, by Flora constantly writing down notes. Also, her parents constantly remind her of who she is. They leave letters and information around the house, in order to keep her memory activated.
She decides to embark on a journey to France, to find the guy who helped her jog her memory. She decides not to inform her parents, by telling them a white lie ( the lie is she’s going with her friend Paige, when she’s traveling solo) because they wouldn’t approve of her new-found independence. They believe she only accustom to her familiar settings, so they are apprehensive about how she will handle the outside world.
Her trip to France is definitely an experience, as her mind was opened to many different revelations about herself and overcoming obstacles she faced during the time. She meets people on her way, who assist to get to her chosen destination. In the end, she finds Drake (the boy she kissed) and they have a discussion about the night they shared on the beach. However, there is a plot twist, Drake denies the event and leaves Flora in confused manner. Also, her parents find out about her secret adventure and immediately wish she would return home. As well as, having different accounts of information coming in from various people and direction, which causes a mental overloaded sensation for her.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, because you got to see what it was like to live with anterograde amnesia. It showed how the condition affects a person, those who they interact with and surrounded by. It also focusses on how her parents are able to cope managing her, even though they have to attend to her older brother Jacob, who has problems of his own. So, it must of felt good for Flora, to remember something, bearing in the mind the majority of the time, her mind is completely blank. You can see how it made a significant impact on her life.
Similarly, it must be like sitting in a dark room for hours, then a ray of sunlight hits you; it feels good, because the sun is blessing your skin. Another great way this book explains her condition, is by including the parts she regurgitates notes back to herself to remind her of who is she and what she’s doing. You get a snippet into how she analyses and re-centers herself, so she can proceed with her tasks. I think it was very brave of her to branch out and explore the world on her own. She took a risk, without her medication, knowing the implications it may cause but went for it anyways. That is true determination on her behalf!
The book is available at WHSmith for £7.99. Also the ebook and audio version is available too 🙂
After a seminar workshop last night, I went for a stroll by the River Thames and caught three landscape photographs. It was nice to stop off and get the best images I can before setting off on my travels home. I’d like to share those pictures with you all..
Tower Bridge (Black and White)
London Bridge Side View (Blue Tone)
London Bridge (colour tone/night life)📸Taken by Chanda D
Young T and Bugsey are a rap duo from Nottingham, United Kingdom, who have been delivering consistent bangers for a while now. They first made their mark in the music scene with the track Glistenin, afterwards releasing No Mickey Mouse Ting, and a collaborative feature with Belly Squad called Gangland. All their music is available on all major platforms (Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer etc.) . You can watch their videos on Youtube too. I’m also sure you can catch them doing live performances. I’d recommend checking out their social media pages. (It will be listed at the end of the post).
I’ll be talking their recent song 4 x 4 produced by ScribzRiley.
The two seem to know what they are doing on every beat they touch. Every song has a smooth feel to it, with the instrumental making your head bop. Their lyrics are always accurately placed together, allowing it to collide perfectly as the song progresses. I’ve noticed their ability to produce catchy bridges and choruses. This especially can be heard on 4×4 – “Now I hop out the 4×4, man jump out one by one”. You can sing along to it quite easily without getting tangled up within it. (It’s been stuck in my head since I heard it).
The song talks about how they were trying to bring their people through but they were not interested in it. However, they are now perceived to be of a higher class status, as they have the privilege of cruising in a 4×4 vehicle with their friends. So consequently as the song continues, they dive back into the archives of their life story and explain their positions, before they got to where they are now. Young T and Bugsey also mention life-changing events and circumstances that have contributed to the upheavals in their lives. Perhaps, many artists will be able to relate to their come up in the industry. Whereas the music supporters get to understand and picture what it was like, as they take in the lyrics. Luckily for us females, we find out Young T knows what contour does. It hasn’t been an easy road to success, but they are reaping the benefits for the journey as time goes on. Last but not least, it includes references to their popularity with the ladies.
Go and check out their music!
Twitter – @YoungTandBugsey , YoungTArtist x BugseyETMG
This book is written by a lady called Sara Bernard.
It discusses the complications couples face, when in a relationship with a language barrier. For example, the main characters Rhys and Steffi. Rhys is deaf and Steffi can’t speak (she has selective mutism), so therefore they communicate through sign language and lip read. It actually teaches you a bit about sign language and provides you with further information; if you’re interested to study it.
Despite their differences, it’s cute because they use this msn type messenger called Jackbytes to talk. It’s more like a snapchat version (the messages disappear). However throughout the course of the story, it shows how they face issues and overcome it. For example, they take a trip out to Scotland. Rhys has an accident whilst hiking in the mountains. This really tests their relationship, as he feels like he’s let her down but can’t express himself.
Nevertheless they come to realise they understand each other on a fundamental level, so they overcome the minor hiccups they have.
The book also revolves around Steffi’s friendship with Tem (her best friend) and shows how having differences in friendships can be worked out.
Overall, this book was really good to read, because you could hear the story from her perspective and understand the relationship and family issues that come up. It was like being in her brain navigating your way through how she sees her world of life. I found some parts of it to be humorous, because it reminded me of mini inserts, you know things you would be thinking in your head but won’t say out loud. Similar, to a thought bubble lol and also, the simple language that was used; direct and straight talking.
Last but not least, it’s available at Waterstone bookstore for £7.99
It’s a condition that affects many; leaving you feel like your head is chilling in the clouds but it’s not light. It feels heavy, similar to the atmosphere when it’s about to rain or furthermore, like an obstruction blocking the road so you can’t move. Even more so, for creative people, it can be a major issue, because your use of imagination is limited. This prevents you from putting your mind to good use.
I’m going to list some of the symptoms, just in case you’re wondering what to look out for:
Disorientation in communication/trouble with speech
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, but….
There are ways to get rid of it, once you’re aware of it:
Try hot spices (if you’re a person who loves spice, you’re definitely going to enjoy using this first tip lol)
Eating fish – Tuna and salmon are good for the brain
DRINK WATER – this is the main one, I’d advise you to invest in a water bottle you like (preferably a tin one). You will be more likely to drink out of it, if you admire the look of it. Similarly, when you buy a new pair of creps, you’re feeling it! so you want to wear it. OR..
GREEN DRINKS– Aloe Vera drink (usually a £1), any green smoothie (including spinach), Green tea (can be mixed with lemon, honey or any other fruit to maximise flavour).
Try out vegan or gluten free food/drinks. It has a distinct taste, but you never know you might enjoy it and plus, it doesn’t make you feel as heavy.
Cut out sugary/fatty foods or try and calm it down, think of takeaway foods as a treat.
CHOCOLATE ( don’t overindulge though, however try to find a good brand like Ritter SPORT)
DAILY WALKS– another good one, take a long stroll with or without headphones (your choice)
EXERCISE
MASSAGES- it’s good for body and mind stimulation
For further information on brain fog, google it or click on this link: Brain Fog Info
Sometimes you can find it hard to get back into things you use to enjoy doing, because you’re still holding on to memories of the past. You feel like you’re over it, but only parts of you really think that. For example, mentally you can be detached, whereas physically your body is telling you something different.
I’ve noticed how we avoid pain is by listening to our heads, rather than listening to our mind and hearts combined. This can lead you down a dangerous road. It has the potential to change you as a person, because you’re not able to see the damage you are doing to yourself. Once you wake up, you realise certain things need to be changed.
When you’ve been through bad experiences. It is having to untangle bare knots, similar to when you’re unravelling headphones. Sometimes you don’t know how to tell people what’s going and pretend to be fine, until it’s too late.
Could be the biggest mistake.. you find yourself further detached from reality, whilst still trying to make sense of moving times. It’s a funky concept, but I’m sure you can imagine what I mean. Hypothetically speaking, the clocks have moved forward but your laptop clock is still stuck on 12. You check your phone, it says 12:05. You see 12:05 on the household clock. You wonder why your laptop is still telling you it’s midday. See right there is how confusion is created. The analogy to describe how the mind works, when you’re not really with it.
So much goes on in that brain of ours that we forget to be still.
I’d recommend meditation music as it’s really calm, to help get you wind and forget about all the stressors that go on around you.
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this blog post.
Let me know about any topics you would like me to talk about in the future.
chandademi 