Hi everyone, it's me! Yes I am back again from a long period of reckless abandonment (9 months to be exact.. oops). If anyone is reading this, which I doubt they are, I'd like to apologise for my absence for such a long time - if I have to admit, I was totally uninspired to write anything and had what they call 'a writer's block', leading me to forget about blogging completely.
I'm not saying that I'm back for good and going to write regularly, but I thought I would give an updated version of my Introduction post which I published over a year ago (it's incredibly scary how time flies!); I read through all (or most) of my older posts and realised that heck, I am good at writing - despite how vain that sounds, I'd like to accept it to myself as true. It's indefinite that a lot of things have changed, therefore I have no choice but to re-write my introduction and hopefully you can get to know me as the updated Asia of 2016.
Now, I am undoubtedly older - 15 years old, and counting. I'm now in Year 11 of my secondary education, and fast approaching the dreaded GCSE's (gasp). I completed my mock exams earlier this month and I have to say, I coped with them a lot better than I thought I ever would or could - let's just hope it's the same when the real thing comes around. This leads onto the first part of me: I am a work in progress. Like many of teenagers in society, we like to be people pleasers; there is an enormous pressure to be standardised in society through both the media and social media of what we are expected to look like, how we are expected to behave, dress, etc etc. And I, like many teenagers, begin to find it difficult to understand if I am thinking my own thoughts, or thinking thoughts that society want me to think. It can be hard to rationalise certain things, (which sounds silly, I know), but when you are in constant battle with society, you start to lose a sense of yourself and the world around you, too fixated on the image that we hold within the screen of a mobile phone or a computer monitor.
Linking back to my mock exams, I felt a pressure to maintain what others would view as an 'excellent reputation' - the one who achieves good grades, the one who seems to always know what they are doing, the one who completes their homework, the one who all the teachers like.... as you can imagine, it's quite glorifying, but there is an underlying fear of being unable to attain what is expected of you. You fear letting others down or to begin feeding a less reputable perception of yourself - and that's not what you want, especially when you're a perfectionist like me. But you know what? I revised, except not overly, taking it a bit at a time - what some would view as 'balanced' - I started around 2 months before they happened, which some people may think is a long time, but actually, it made me less stressed and allowed me to spread out my revision in short chunks over a long period of time, which helped my well-being and ability to engage in other activities, too. I panicked and I cried, but I got over it - something I would never have been able to do before. I walked into those exams, tried my best (DIDN'T CRY!!!!) and knew that it was the best I could give, so heck what the results are - I know I tried my best, which is ultimately more gratifying than any high grade.
In addition to this, I had to balance my school work/revision with gymnastics too. My gymnastics competition was dated the weekend before the mocks started, which of course, would make anyone stressed, but I fought and kept on going, even when I thought I couldn't - I thought I'd had enough, wasn't good enough for gymnastics -having had struggled with the tumbling aspect of it- and was ready to quit; but then I remembered, hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. I may not be especially gifted in tumbling as I am in say, flexibility or academically, but if I work hard and don't give up, it will give me a result that I will be pleased with, and that's exactly what happened! My trio came 4th in the competition, a mere 0.27 points stood between us and 3rd place, which was annoying, BUT I worked hard to get to the place that I was, and in that moment, it's all that mattered. This proves a huge advance in my mental state throughout the year, when I was unable to cope with what I viewed as 'failure', and therefore shows that I'm not the same person I am now than I was earlier in 2016, nevermind 2015!
I'm unsure whether this post has turned into a ramble to not (you decide) but I can't really remember what happened in earlier 2016 if I'm being honest, so, like last time, I will leave a short/brief fact file for you, but updated of course:
Favourite book: (gosh, I've read soooo many this year, it's hard to pick! But a few of them are) 'I was here', 'Beautiful Broken Things', and 'Frozen Charlotte'.
Favourite film: LOL (a film I always go back to; there are so many films it's hard to choose just one, but this does the job just nicely)
Favourite Christmas film: ELF and Home Alone
Favourite series: Stranger Things (my new obsession)
Favourite season: Autumn, then Spring.
Favourite food: Roasted potatoes/sweet potato (but it's so hard to choose!)
Guilty pleasure: Banana slathered in peanut butter (or by the spoon!)
Favourite shop: LUSH
Favourite body part: My eyes or my ears (purely because they are pierced - just to clarify, my ears are pierced, not my eyes)
Favourite feeling: Strength, or laughter/happiness
That's it for today, I hope you enjoyed reading about me as much as I loved writing it - damn, it feels good to get things off your chest, even if they're not really on your chest. I hope you, if anyone is there, have a fantastic new year and a year filled with happiness, health, family and friends.
Until next time,
Asia xox
Thursday, 29 December 2016
Sunday, 13 March 2016
February Favourites!
1. Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion
February often shares imagery of crisp, winter-spring mornings, with sun rays just breaking through the clouds - exactly why this lotion was (and still is) my number one priority for keeping skin in top condition! Ever since I was born, there has always been issues with my skin; excema, dry, itchy, peeling, cracking - whatever else you can name, there's a chance I'll have been there too. However, particularly in winter months, the skin around my eyes loves to give me additional problems to the many that I already have, and decides to become itchy, dry and flaky - not the most wonderful imagery as you can imagine. As soon as I introduced this Aveeno Lotion into my life, it worked wonders - my skin was left hydrated and soft throughout the day and night, and made me feel a lot more confident! I 100% recommend that you buy this, whether you have skin issues or are simply keen to keep your skin moisturised, I promise it will do the job; I bought mine from Sainsbury's as it was on offer, but it is also available in stores such as Boots, Superdrug, etc.
2. The Body Shop Raspberry Body Butter
The second item on my favourites list is (an item which I can no longer use as it's all gone!) The Body Shop Raspberry Body Butter, which you may recognise from my 'What I got for Christmas' post. Again, like the previous item, this body butter really does work wonders, and smells like wonders too! As I mentioned before, my skin is not in the best condition and therefore I need to look after it carefully to ensure that it is moisturised well, with the best available products (as my skin is one which reacts to certain additives in certain products!) However, I am able to rely on The Body Shop to provide me with the best ingredients to feed my skin! The texture of the body butter is thick, like you would expect from a 'butter', except it is easily appliable and a little can go and extremelly long way! I recommend any of the Body Butters from The Body Shop, for both dry and normal skin.
3. The Body Shop Hemp Lip Conditioner
Whilst we're on the topic of The Body Shop, another staple product that was packed with me at all times was this Hemp Lip Conditioner, which I still continue to use like the previous favourites I have mentioned. Although Spring was approaching, the Winter season was still tightly hooked onto February and left me with unhydrated lips, (another on-going issue), so ultimately, I had to carry something around that would prevent me licking my lips all day long! It really is a great product - small, easily appliable and to carry around, a real winner here.
4. Botanica Exotic Fig and Sandalwood Body Scrub
I actually received this product at Christmas from a friend (paired with a lotion), however did not post it in my 'What I got for Christmas' as I had not opened the box to review it! Although now, I have used it plenty of times to give my opinion, starting with the fact that it smells incredible! As I am a gymnast, there are many times when a spray tan is required, and therefore, exfoliating the night before is a crucial stage to remain with flawless, even tan - although exfolating otherwise is great for the skin! It's really easy to use, personally, I do it in the shower - simply wet a shower scrunchie (or whatever they are called), or exfoliating gloves and gather some of the body scrub onto it, then in a circular motion, scrub everywhere around your body (deeper in areas such as the elbows and knees) and wash off afterwards! It really is that simple!
5. Avon Planet Spa Sleep Serenity Spray and Balm
The last item on my favourites is a product by Avon, which is the 'Planet Spa Sleep Serenity' range; from the range I (my Mam) purchased the spray and balm. I'm usually tied between being a light and heavy sleeper, as I easily wake up when the birds start tweeting outside, but could sleep solid through an Earthquake - there is no inbetween. However recently I've been struggling to fall asleep, and sleep is obviously important to stay alert and concentrate at school, therefore I resorted to try this in order to improve falling asleep on a night. I simply spray a few times over my bed/pillow area, and apply the balm to my temples, philtrum and wrists (like perfume) and hit out the lights! The smell is wonderful too, which is probably why it is so easy to relax and fall asleep!
That's all for today's post! If you like this kind of post, be sure to tell me in the comments as I'm not quite sure what you guys want to see from me, but otherwise, leave suggestions!
Thank you all for reading!
Until next time,
Asia xox
Saturday, 23 January 2016
What is the meaning of life?
I know we all have those days where we either have a mental or physical block, and we're just not acting as our usual selves, or rather, feeling like it; but sometimes thoughts and feelings can get too much to handle and manage to throw us over the edge which, ultimately, causes an unbalance in our lives that can put a big strain onto living our daily lives, but living with this mindset every single day can get extremely tiring - of course, I'm speaking from a mentally ill background.
So, yes, I'm saying that life isn't going as smooth as I'd like it to right now, but I guess it's easier to say, 'cheer up', than actually doing it. School wise, it's not going too well either - I'm just in a constant battle of under mining myself and over estimating the standards of work that I can produce, or even taking matters to the extreme and completely breaking down in sweat and tears during class when I don't understand something, which is 1. highly embarrasing and 2. quite uncontrollable, (However, I'm only lightly touching on the fact that this might have happened today).
Anyway, I didn't want to abandon my blog for yet another week, and so therefore I came to the conclusion of writing what the meaning of life actually is.
What is the meaning of life, exactly?
I am by no means a science expert or ancient philosopher, but has it ever occurred to you that out of all the galaxies in the universe, and solar systems in those galaxies - just like ours - and out of all the planets in our solar system, life just 'happened' to form on Earth, the only planet that we know of with the exact climatic conditions to sustain human life?
And on Earth, there are 8 BILLION people, just like you, living their individual lives, with all of their invididual relationships, friendships, problems, worries, jobs, homes, children, which are all intertwined with eachother; quite, and utterly fascinating, and of course, the biggest 'coincidence' ever to happen.
So, are you still not convinced that we were meant to be here? Well, secondly, there are star signs - some people are often sceptical about this topic and usually think it's just a load of hula hoops, but have you ever found, and read a reliable source, and realised that everything it says relates to you, and your life, your way of living, your personality and people around you? And in addition, you were born at an exact time, an exact day, and exact month, in an exact year, which allowed you to meet the people that you know, and love, and listen to?
Personally, I think it's an overwhelming thought, to be able to acknowledge the presence of human life around you, living and breathing every single minute. Some will die, some will be born again, but life as we know it will come in a cycle, we start in the ground, a seed, then we grow, we sprout, experience life, and when our time is done, we are buried, back into the ground, ready to decompose and fertilise the soil for new life to grow; an amazing, amazing concept of life, that is too often left unrecognised.
The rest is left to you, your life is what you make it, as clichê as that sounds. The meaning of life is what you make it, there is no guideline or instruction, everyone and every single life ever lived was, and has been different. If your meaning of life is to explore and discover new places to meet the love of your life, go ahead! The meaning of life is to fulfil your time being on Earth and appreciating the beautiful designs around you, the designs that were made to satisfy someone's meaning of life, somewhere.
Life will never be a smooth ride, there will be ups and downs, like a heartbeat as it were, but they have to be there, because they show that you are living.
Stay humble,
Asia xox
Sunday, 3 January 2016
New Year... New... goals?
Hey guys, HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY 2016!! Did you guys see the Sherlock Special!!!???
You've probably heard this a million times already, (hyperbole much?), but I cant believe it's 2016 already! The last year flew past so fast, along with its ups and downs, however, it ended on a high and this is how I intend to live in 2016, and for the many years to come.
Today's post I decided would not be about being 'a new me' or my new year 'resolutions', because quite honestly, that's not what new year is about. Yes, you can change your hair, eat more chocolate, see your favourite artist in concert; but isn't that something you could enjoy doing for the rest of your life? A lot of people often set new years resolutions as a goal to complete throughout the year, but more than likely, the person gives up and is left disheartened as their ambitions were doubted upon and eventually just gave up, so wouldn't it be better to stick to realistic goals, but for the many, many new years to come? Similarily to a bucket list perhaps, but focused more on yourself and your lifestyle, rather than travelling the world and other oddly exciting adventures and experiences; for example, living a healthy and balanced lifestyle, start yoga, smile everyday, try new recipes, get fit - FOR LIFE, crack a joke everyday, make someone happy - all of these goals can be achieved, and have a reasonable amount of time to do so! Don't feel pressured to achieve a lifelong goal in one year, it's okay if it takes more than one year, even more than two, it's all about the individual and what makes YOU happy!
So, I decided that I would write a list of small goals to achieve, or just plan to stick by as a rough guideline in the new year, as I want this year to be the best that I have had in a while, (but I don't think anything could top 2013!).
1. Be willing to go out and socialize with my friends.
For about a year and a half now, the amount of times that I have rejected invitations to go out with friends has increased largely, and is unbelievably heartbreaking; I used to be such a happy and crazy young girl who would do anything to be around anyone and make them laugh and smile and make new memories, this all began to fade but I am determined to get this girl back, THIS YEAR, because I was at my highest point during those years and I am also incredibly lucky to have the friends that I have, so I am going to accept every opportunity I get and go out more to socialize and meet new people because I can't hide away forever; social media is NOT real life, and I need to engage my head with the real world and real people, living and breathing around me, which leads me onto my next goal...
2. Spend less time on my phone.
Yes, in a lot of aspects social media is good because it allows the communication and connection between billions of people across the world, and can be there for comfort, support, information, memories, interaction and lots more incredible things, but a little more dosage than we need can often lead to a kind of brainwashing effect that injects the idea into young minds that different 'trends' and 'lifestyles' are good, and most in fact are not, but they continue to influence society to achieve and strive for unrealistic goals which can often lead to damage of the mental and physical state; what happened to the days where you would run home to catch 'Mona The Vampire' and 'Jungle Run' on tv? Throwing on some jeans and a hoodie and knocking at your best friends door? Climbing trees and grazing your knees when you fall off your bike? Yes I know, that's what we did when we were 8, but even as ridiculuous as it sounds, 8 year olds are now instagramming, tweeting, facebooking, and taking selfies on their IPHONES! YES, IPHONES! I didn't even have a phone until I was in year 7, and even then it was only something like an LG Cookie! Anyway, getting to the point, younger people often look up to their older siblings and/or parents and use them as role models to copy and use as an example for themselves, but what kind of example are we setting if all we do is stare at our phones and walk like zombies in the street? I only really spend time on my phone during the holidays off school, because in an average week I am too busy with homework, school and gymnastics that I hardly ever get time to go on it, but the goal is to spend the time which I would use to go on my phone, to instead, talk to my parents and sister, or create something to hang on the wall, that kinda thing, you know?
3. Do well in my academic studies.
I am yet to enter into Year 11 in September of this year, however I still want to try my hardest at school in preparation for the next year, (although I always have tried my hardest), as I want to achieve the best possible results at the end of my GCSE's and make myself and my parents proud, and to help me build the foundations of my future. I've always had a fear of growing up, as it requires a lot of responsibilities and different leading roles such as paying taxes and bills which I feel patronised by and am by no means not ready for, but I've learnt that everything will come in time, and there will be a time when I won't have to worry about what type of job I will get, or where I will live or who my husband will be, because it will all fall into place, I just need to be patient.
That's it for now, I know it's a really short post but I really can't think of anything else at the moment, but I have a whole 363 days ahead of me to think about that, and if I do, I will be sure to write another post about it, if that's what you'd like? I'm not sure, leave a comment telling me what you think I should write about next or in the future.
I hope you guys have a fantastic year ahead of you!
Until next time,
Asia xox
You've probably heard this a million times already, (hyperbole much?), but I cant believe it's 2016 already! The last year flew past so fast, along with its ups and downs, however, it ended on a high and this is how I intend to live in 2016, and for the many years to come.
Today's post I decided would not be about being 'a new me' or my new year 'resolutions', because quite honestly, that's not what new year is about. Yes, you can change your hair, eat more chocolate, see your favourite artist in concert; but isn't that something you could enjoy doing for the rest of your life? A lot of people often set new years resolutions as a goal to complete throughout the year, but more than likely, the person gives up and is left disheartened as their ambitions were doubted upon and eventually just gave up, so wouldn't it be better to stick to realistic goals, but for the many, many new years to come? Similarily to a bucket list perhaps, but focused more on yourself and your lifestyle, rather than travelling the world and other oddly exciting adventures and experiences; for example, living a healthy and balanced lifestyle, start yoga, smile everyday, try new recipes, get fit - FOR LIFE, crack a joke everyday, make someone happy - all of these goals can be achieved, and have a reasonable amount of time to do so! Don't feel pressured to achieve a lifelong goal in one year, it's okay if it takes more than one year, even more than two, it's all about the individual and what makes YOU happy!
So, I decided that I would write a list of small goals to achieve, or just plan to stick by as a rough guideline in the new year, as I want this year to be the best that I have had in a while, (but I don't think anything could top 2013!).
1. Be willing to go out and socialize with my friends.
For about a year and a half now, the amount of times that I have rejected invitations to go out with friends has increased largely, and is unbelievably heartbreaking; I used to be such a happy and crazy young girl who would do anything to be around anyone and make them laugh and smile and make new memories, this all began to fade but I am determined to get this girl back, THIS YEAR, because I was at my highest point during those years and I am also incredibly lucky to have the friends that I have, so I am going to accept every opportunity I get and go out more to socialize and meet new people because I can't hide away forever; social media is NOT real life, and I need to engage my head with the real world and real people, living and breathing around me, which leads me onto my next goal...
2. Spend less time on my phone.
Yes, in a lot of aspects social media is good because it allows the communication and connection between billions of people across the world, and can be there for comfort, support, information, memories, interaction and lots more incredible things, but a little more dosage than we need can often lead to a kind of brainwashing effect that injects the idea into young minds that different 'trends' and 'lifestyles' are good, and most in fact are not, but they continue to influence society to achieve and strive for unrealistic goals which can often lead to damage of the mental and physical state; what happened to the days where you would run home to catch 'Mona The Vampire' and 'Jungle Run' on tv? Throwing on some jeans and a hoodie and knocking at your best friends door? Climbing trees and grazing your knees when you fall off your bike? Yes I know, that's what we did when we were 8, but even as ridiculuous as it sounds, 8 year olds are now instagramming, tweeting, facebooking, and taking selfies on their IPHONES! YES, IPHONES! I didn't even have a phone until I was in year 7, and even then it was only something like an LG Cookie! Anyway, getting to the point, younger people often look up to their older siblings and/or parents and use them as role models to copy and use as an example for themselves, but what kind of example are we setting if all we do is stare at our phones and walk like zombies in the street? I only really spend time on my phone during the holidays off school, because in an average week I am too busy with homework, school and gymnastics that I hardly ever get time to go on it, but the goal is to spend the time which I would use to go on my phone, to instead, talk to my parents and sister, or create something to hang on the wall, that kinda thing, you know?
3. Do well in my academic studies.
I am yet to enter into Year 11 in September of this year, however I still want to try my hardest at school in preparation for the next year, (although I always have tried my hardest), as I want to achieve the best possible results at the end of my GCSE's and make myself and my parents proud, and to help me build the foundations of my future. I've always had a fear of growing up, as it requires a lot of responsibilities and different leading roles such as paying taxes and bills which I feel patronised by and am by no means not ready for, but I've learnt that everything will come in time, and there will be a time when I won't have to worry about what type of job I will get, or where I will live or who my husband will be, because it will all fall into place, I just need to be patient.
That's it for now, I know it's a really short post but I really can't think of anything else at the moment, but I have a whole 363 days ahead of me to think about that, and if I do, I will be sure to write another post about it, if that's what you'd like? I'm not sure, leave a comment telling me what you think I should write about next or in the future.
I hope you guys have a fantastic year ahead of you!
Until next time,
Asia xox
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