Friday 20 March 2015

Eclipse


The word eclipse comes from the Greek meaning "The Downfall of the Heavenly Body" and historically they are believed to have negative consequences for leaders on the ground. These are my  photos of the Eclipse in England on 20-03-15 around 9am.





Sunday 1 March 2015

Sunsets


In the complete absence of anything interesting happening in my life to write about or even take photos of I thought i'd have a look at the best kind of photos, sunset photos. These are some I have taken from all round the world.


Thailand


Maldives


Bahrain


South Carolina


Croatia


Friday 20 February 2015

Chinese New Year


I wanted to walk through China town on Chinese New Year, the colours are so beautiful. The energy was so positive and people were clearly so happy and excited, and it was so bustling!








Saturday 7 February 2015

The Smallest Amount of Snow


I'm just not a massive fan of snow. Snow deep enough for skiing? Sign me up. A sprinkling of snow which melts into a mush? Less exciting. Snow in Southern England is just frustrating and causes delays, it also serves as a reminder that I still have not managed to move to a tropical climate where the cold isn't an issue!




Monday 2 February 2015

Under the Thames


This is the tunnel under the Thames, passing from the Cutty Sark. I think it's really interesting, when they first built this tunnel it was such an amazing enterprise people thought it was magic and it's still standing today.




Monday 26 January 2015

Flying Over London


London from above in a little gondola, you can start at either the Docks or North Greenwich, and see some lovely panoramic views of the city. I want to do this on a more beautiful day with a perfect sunset.





Ana looking a little unsure about the bouncing motion...


Wednesday 21 January 2015

Motivation No.1

The temperature has dropped and taken with it whatever inclination I had to leave the cosy comforts of my bedroom, leaving me curled up in bed ordering things from Amazon.


Recent orders include (but are not limited to): "Not that kind of girl" by Lena Dunham, "Yes Please" by Amy Poehler and "Girlboss" by Sophia Amoruso.

Many reviewers, Amazon wish lists, and Girlbosses alike have grouped these reads together (along with others in my basket which are currently waiting for my moments of weakness) mainly because they are written by feminist women who have broken the social stereotype and actually succeeded. Do I believe that biographies by several culturally relevant men would have been grouped together in this manner? No. Does this make these books any less worthy of your time? Not at all.

I believe that analytical software the world over should have instead grouped these books together because they have a similar theme, that in the age of fad dieting and "spark notes" we seem to have forgotten. Success is not something which happens overnight. Okay yes, this is a phrase which has been reiterated to us our entire 'meaningless consumer driven lives', but the concept was somehow still lost on me. Sophia is praised for having grown her business in "only" seven years, Amy spent a really bloody long time waiting for her "big break" and Lena did not make an entire TV series overnight. Their paths to success incidentally did not involve sitting around eating pizza and waiting to be "discovered".

What these women have in common is their ability to own their personalities, celebrate their achievements and work hard for what they want. They did not succeed because they were the cleverest, most talented or had the right timing, they worked really hard for a very long time. They also understood that sticking out is a hell of a lot better than blending in.

When people compare themselves to others they make themselves unhappy, they forget to celebrate the lives they have and the people they love. So what if the girl next to you has a My Little Pony lunchbox and yours is plain red, this does not stop you from having a damn shiny red lunch box. Thinking that you are inferior to other people only makes you feel bad, putting other people down and thinking badly of them does not make you a better person. Motivate yourself in a positive way to achieve more for yourself because you want it. Celebrate other peoples successes and use them for inspiration. In essence, if you work hard, are genuinely nice to people and you believe you're awesome, you are more likely to succeed, in whatever success means to you.

These books were not perfect, however i'll leave it to other people to pick them apart and bring that negative energy into the world. A true review of these books should be a celebration of what these women have achieved and a discussion of how truly motivating their voices are. They were wonderful reads.