NYE - A Look Back At 2013 & Onward To 2014

Highlights of 2013

• The introduction of my new furry friend, Jackson! After the immense sadness at the beginning of the year when my dearest Scrabble died, having another little hamster to dote on eased the pain a bit. Jackson is no longer little now, but big and fat and playful, and he's been a great addition to the family.
• On March 17th, Norman Reedus (e.g. Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead and all round sweetheart and sex god) followed me on twitter, and still follows me to this day!
• I turned 21, a milestone age!
• This year in May was the first time I attended Comic Con at London; it was blogged about extensively on here, and was so much fun! I definitely want to go again some time soon!
• I also gave blood for the first time, and still get a little rush of pride when I think about it.
• Ashleigh's hen party - also blogged about here, the whole night was so much fun and cemented my belief that my brother chose the right lady to marry.
• I sold my soul to Apple and got an iPhone, and it may as well be surgically attached to my hand now.
• My darling brother Liam got married to Ashleigh, on the 15th August. I wrote about it here, and it's one of my fondest memories - not just of this year, but of my life. It was the most beautiful, happy day, and I got to be a bridesmaid for the third time in my whole life, but the first time as an adult!
• I began my final year of university; I will soon be spat out of academia and into the world of being a real adult! In addition to this, an honorary mention of my flat this year has to be made. I'm so happy with the people I live with, they're brilliant! I'm glad this wasn't a repeat of where I lived in my first year. My flatmates have made uni fun again for me, and I thank them so much for that!
• I visited Caz in Manchester for the first time, and that was a lot of fun - even though I was sickened at how inexpensive some absolutely beautiful flats are there!
• Getting Lana drunk for the first time was a highlight; I was very proud of how well she holds her drink! I'm glad I could get her out and having a laugh with me and my wonderful flatmates, and I'm happy that she enjoyed herself so much!
• My health kick and general life upheaval beginning to take form (more on this when I talk about my goals for 2014).
• The Flat 1 London outing and Christmas party - two very enjoyable days with my flatmates before leaving for the Christmas holidays! We ate and drank and shopped and had lots of fun; it was great as a last hurrah!
• I wrote a dissertation for the first time ever. I have written about language and communication difficulties faced by people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, and I am so proud of how it's come out, and the fact that I've actually finished it! I enjoyed myself writing it, but it was easily the hardest piece of academic work I've ever done.
• The Christmas holiday has been one of my best yet. Seeing all of my family and being back at home is wonderful, I've been able to annoy the hamster every day and eaten far more than I should have. Christmas Day was spent at my Mutti's with her, Martin, Ryan, Nan and Dave. Later, we were joined by Liam & Ashleigh; Arron, Kim & Harvey; Paula, Steven & Ellie; and David! So I got to see all the siblings on Mutti and Martin's side. Boxing Day Liam, Ashleigh and I went over to Vati's, where we and Kath were joined by Nan, Uncle Paul and great Uncle George. More food and presents occurred! And yesterday, I went for dinner with Mutti, Ryan, Liam, Ashleigh, Gramps and Maggie, as well as my Uncle Adrian who has come over from Australia, and his girlfriend Jacqui! It was bloody delicious, and I think I have put on about a tonne of weight, but it's been such a happy time!

Photo Collages

I made some collages of a few of my favourite photos from this year! It was hard to narrow them down, because I take so many photos and there were so many great ones, but here's the collages I ended up with:

Goals for 2014

• Finish my degree and graduate from university.
• Continuation of the aforementioned health/life kick: Swim lots more and get fitter, watch my eating habits and be more healthy, keep up with counselling and my journal.
• Get a job - the thing I'm most interested in at the moment is teaching English in Germany. Liam's friend Colin is doing a similar thing in China, and he doesn't have to know Mandarin because the kids are only allowed to speak English in his class; I want to see if there is something similar in Germany as I would like that experience, and also to work on my German so I can speak it better! That's only one possible avenue though, of course.
• Save up some money and get an apartment (either somewhere in England or in Berlin)
• Have a holiday - I'm hoping Rome will be a possibility!
• Do all of the London museums that I haven't seen - Natural History, Imperial War, Science and the Tower of London.
• Blog more here, and blog properly!

This evening, Caz and I are going to have a feast of mainly tequila and whiskey and it's going to be a bloodbath. Happy New Year to you all, and I hope 2014 is everything you hope for!

"The Blood Is The Life!"

Trust me to use a quote from Dracula about today's experience! I went to donate blood for the first time in my life this evening; it was definitely exciting and interesting. Because I've had so many blood tests, the needles didn't bother me, and all of the staff were clear and instructive, and made me feel at ease. I would occasionally peer over at the blood bag to see the blood, as it comes out of the body so dark it fascinates me. It was amazing to think all of that came from this little needle in my arm!

Afterwards I felt a little bit wobbly, like when a baby antelope has just learned to walk. I soon perked up after a big glass of orange squash and a Penguin bar. I also took two stickers to wear proudly on my way home! Here they are:

(the top one says 'Be nice to me' on it - I accidentally cut it off)

I'm glad I went to do it, as it didn't affect me badly, and I was thrilled when I was told I am able to give blood while on my medication; it's something I've been interested in doing for a long time, and I think I will make this a regular thing. Just knowing that that bag of blood, which wasn't a huge loss to me, may save someone's life one day is an amazing feeling. My little brother Ryan (who came with me to keep me company) seemed both fascinated and slightly revolted, but maintained afterwards that giving blood is something he really wants to do when he's old enough, which he is in just under a year!

I just wanted to make a blog about this because it's a new experience, and I would like to say that it's not at all scary or uncomfortable; once you have that initial needle scratch, it's plain sailing! As long as you follow the staff's instructions, you'll be fine afterwards. I would recommend people go to donate if they are able to and if they meet the criteria for healthy blood giving; blood is always needed in the medical world, and even one donation of just under a pint could potentially keep somebody alive and fighting for longer. 

Because I don't have much money, giving blood is kind of like charity to me (like filling the donation bags that get posted to our house with items I don't want/need any more); it's free to do and makes you feel really good about potentially helping others. Here's a photo of me looking pleased with myself to finish off this entry:

London Comic Con 2013 - Day 3

We went forth to the third and final day of Comic Con yesterday. The day was much the same, with many fantastic (and horrible) costumes, browsing the cute merchandise, and getting annoyed at the many fools who couldn't seem to get out of people's way. It was a very plushie-themed day, with me buying myself a pastel green-and-purple Gloomy Bear (I've wanted one for years) and Caz buying herself a hilariously squishy ghost plush, a Domo-kun dressed like a rabbit and a small Domo-kun dressed as a panda for me. She also treated me to a cute steampunk octopus necklace that I adore!

After Caz and I had met the loveliest Lara Croft cosplayer (who was incredibly tall), I was loitering by the Batman figurines and spotted Drew and Shane! This was lovely as I haven't seen them in over a year and I've missed them quite a lot. Lots of hugs and catching up ensued, and the three of us were smiling way more than normal for us sad goths. It was great to see them and they seemed to enjoy my Gloomy Bear - "Does it have pink blood coming out of his mouth?" Shane asked with some disgust.

We took advantage of our last chance to get hold of some Japanese snacks minus excessive shipping costs, said hello to Jack and Dean again, and sat outside in the shade watching lots of amazing cosplayers going by. I asked a Squall Leonhart how he wasn't boiling to death in his leather jacket and trousers, to which he replied, "I am boiling to death." He looked absolutely awesome though, so his suffering paid off. A lot of the time outside was spent just looking around at everyone because there were so many different costumes - a personal highlight was when the entire Fellowship from Lord of the Rings trooped past us.

It was another lovely day with absolutely glorious weather, and the reason I'm writing this blog now is because yesterday involved getting back home from Judith's. Lugging many heavy bags, and my heavy heart at saying goodbye to Comic Con and Caz, I had to get the Tube to King's Cross and then barrel onto the nearest train that would take me to Hatfield.

By the time I got to Hatfield, I had missed a bus by two minutes and had to sit there for half an hour waiting for the next one. I didn't mind much because it was wonderfully cool and fresh outside and I could rest my aching feet for a while. When I got home, I was so exhausted that I just dumped my things in my room, ate some dinner, then went to bed. So here I am! I will be reviewing the videos tomorrow to see if there's enough decent footage to make a vlog out of - if not, I'll post a few separate clips.

My verdict on Comic Con? It's absolutely packed and hectic, but so much fun. Definitely worth going, and I'd like to thank Caz for getting me a weekend ticket as my 21st birthday present! I had a great time, but now I have to face reality and look for a summer job to make rent money - boooooo.

London Comic Con 2013 - Day 2

The weather was much nicer today, so I got a chance to debut my new (very awesome) sunglasses, and we didn't have to scuttle quickly to places in the rain. I am ridiculously glad Caz and I went to the previews yesterday because today it was absolutely packed. We could barely move most of the time because there were so many people and we didn't get as much of a chance to look around, so it's good we got to do that yesterday and not miss out on anything. 

I hugged three Slendermen in total (there is a video of one of these instances, which will be on the vlog!) and have renamed him 'Frienderman'. I bought Caz the One Ring as a birthday present, and got myself a Rilakkuma skin for my Oyster card and a pink Super Mario mushroom plush (I guess you could say it's a... PLUSHroom - YEAAAAAAAAAAAH), which is now hanging on my handbag. We also did プリクラ ('purikura', look it up!) and this is the result:

When the con got too warm and too annoying for us to deal with any more, we skedaddled over to Camden because no trip to the city is complete without going there. We spent ages looking at all the wonderful, beautiful things in Cyberdog - I got a Guardian Angel t-shirt in black and silver, which means that my entire ensemble tomorrow (except for my shoes) will be Cyberdog! 

We also had a KFC that tasted 1000% better due to how starving we were - it had been a while since my breakfast of frosted Shreddies and my stomach was disgruntled. I posed in KFC with Caz's new Minecraft pickaxe:

We stopped at a shisha bar for a while (opting for the cherry flavour) and took a seat next to a man who looked like he could have been Christian Bale's nomadic brother. He turned out to be an American named John who was something of an art buff - he taught us the concept of 'sword placement', in which artists always make sculptures of people holding their swords near their hip, which - when viewed at the right angle - looks like a dick. Caz and I found this deliciously funny and dubbed John 'the penis guy of Camden', a title that he took without question or protest. He also had a gigantic cup of tea and asked if he could squeeze the pink mushroom on my bag - I spluttered because he said, "Can I squeeze your mushroom?" and I thought it was some kind of horrifying euphemism. I'm not sure I can sum up how chill and hilarious he was, so I won't try. We felt like we'd met some kind of cryptid.

At the station near Judith's place, we saw a discarded cap on the floor. Caz flipped it over with her foot to get a proper look. It said BAYWATCH on it; we promptly collapsed laughing because of all the things in the whole world, I wouldn't have guessed that in a million tries. I'm not even sure why we laughed until we were choking, but have a photo of Caz wearing the best hat in the world:

We stopped at Tops Pizza, which is literally next door to Judith's flat, then went back to Judith's and got into pyjamas before eating pizza and watching Markiplier's new videos! The pizza was delicious and so was Markiplier. It was a beautiful end to another hilarious and bizarre day. Now it's 3:20am and I really need to go to bed if I'm going to get up anywhere near a reasonable time tomorrow for the third and final day of London Comic Con 2013!

London Comic Con 2013 - Day 1

After only two hours of sleep, Caz and I braved the journey to London Town. We arrived at Judith's on time and with no trouble, only to find a host of post-it notes scattered around her flat, telling us where we were sleeping and other essential details. We found this on the sofa:

Which was incredibly helpful and informative. There was also a note on a pack of cookies, inviting us to help ourselves. Judith, it seems, is the perfect hostess. We got over the horror of travelling and walking to her place in the pouring rain and then set off to ExCel!

It was fun to see lots of cosplayers milling around and chatter excitedly about what was to come. After a gigantic queue in what appeared to be an SCP containment hangar (complete with people cosplaying SCP employees), we were given our wristbands and let loose upon the many stalls and attractions waiting for us. It was magical - we really didn't know where to look first! Here is a photo of us looking rather overwhelmed and shell-shocked:

We mostly spent the day getting to grips with the new environment and browsing the many wonderful stalls set up in the area. Obviously, money was spent straight off, mostly on edibles from Cybercandy and Tofu Cute; I finally found some Panda Pocky, so I was happy! I also got a t-shirt with Daryl Dixon on, saying 'Sorry Brother' (the bit just before he shoots Dale in season 2) and it's fab. Caz got an OMFGItsJackAndDean shirt that says 'It's pronounced Fac-e-book' on it - this was amusing as she bought it from Jack and Dean themselves, after much coaxing from me to go over and say hello (she loves their videos and was excited/nervous about approaching). They were really sweet guys and laughed when Caz told me to "OH, FUCK OFF." after I looked at her standing silent and scared and said "You are shitting yourself, aren't you?" We got a big hug each from both of them too, which was a nice thing and also they are shorter in real life.

A terrifying but fulfilling moment in my life came after Caz and I had eaten a delicious burger called 'The Guv'nor' and witnessed Master Chief from Halo hugging The Mask. We saw a Slenderman standing eerily to one side and I said, "Slendy! Hey Caz!" Caz tried to get away, but I nudged her towards him saying "Say hello to Slenderman, you love him!" At this point, Slenderman began to follow Caz without her realising, gliding along in a terrifying manner. We both screamed Markiplier-style when we noticed him, and then I asked him for a hug. That was the terrifying but fulfilling thing. I hugged a Slenderman. I fear the nightmares will never end.

There was so much to look at in the con that I couldn't possibly list it all, but I've spied several interesting objects that may or may not become mine within the next two days. I want to take some photos of the amazing costumes I see, and there may be a vlog in the pipeline for after the weekend, including as many fun clips as I can get on my camera. It was a really, really fun day, we didn't stop until we got back to Jude's this evening, where she presented us with dinner she'd prepared - a sausage and apple plait with potato wedges. Delicious!

I'm in such a good mood - it's great to see Caz again, and today was so much fun. Tomorrow, if the weather is nice, we will have a small outing to Camden at some point - if not, there is still the wonderful con to spend the day at again.



P.S. Also, we tried some shaved ice in mango and strawberry and it was so tasty!

Calamity Jayne Designs

Today, I received my third purchase from the wonderful Jayne! She's a London girl who makes jewellery and sells it on her Etsy store - she mostly specialises in cameo necklaces, but also makes rings, earrings, phone cases, bracelets and other, non-cameo necklaces. I first bought from her when I found a beautiful Edgar Allan Poe cameo on her store; after checking the feedback and finding a 99% positive rate, I decided to buy from her. I received the necklace mere days later:

It's absolutely beautiful, no? To make this successful gamble even better, her cameo necklaces are only £4.99 each! For such a low price, the items are such wonderful quality and look fantastic with my admittedly dark style. I ordered again from her in March, this time after spying a Vincent Price necklace in her store. Once again, Jayne herself was friendly and approachable, and was incredibly quick with delivering the item, which again turned up within days:

Now, when this beauty came through the post, I decided that I was going to be loyal to this store! Again the quality was great, and this time I had a different coloured chain from Edgar's antique one.

This time, I decided to put Jayne's custom designs to the test; she mentions on her store that she is willing to make custom jewellery for people who tell her what they'd like. I messaged her asking if she could make me a necklace featuring Bela Lugosi as Dracula. She responded very quickly and was enthusiastic about the idea (turns out she's a Dracula fan too!); the necklace itself was made within two days. I was impressed! She also sent me a photo of the finished product to make sure I liked it, and hell yes I did! The listing was put up and I bought it straight away. Today, it arrived:

It's absolutely top notch. I was so excited when I came downstairs to find the little package waiting for me, and it was definitely worth it! So, not only are her pre-made designs cute as hell, she really comes through with her customs as well.

The best part is that she doesn't just make necklaces featuring batshit insane writers and horror icons, no. The designs range from all kinds of interests, featuring things like Disney and Adventure Time, not to mention 'classic' style cameo designs, quotes and classic artwork. So you have a massive choice, even without the custom design option!

I'm making this blog post because I think Jayne and her lovely shop deserves to have a blog entry dedicated to them! The store is now my go to place for cameo necklaces; the items are pretty and reasonably-priced, and the owner is helpful, friendly and grateful!

Click here to visit her store! I highly recommend it!

A Brush With Summer

Pictured: Every English person's reaction to sunshine.

For once in our lives, us Englanders got a bit of sunshine today. I always love it when the sun comes out because it's like everybody wakes up; everyone laughs more and there are more people outside walking, doing the garden, kicking a ball about, etc. It's just nice to stroll around without needing a jacket and feel the cool breeze and photosynthesise a bit (please don't ask - I've been telling people that I photosynthesise for years.. I promise I'm not just a giant, sentient piece of plant life). Not to mention everything looks so much brighter when the sun shines - colours stand out more vividly and everyone looks just that bit nicer.

I sound overly sappy and pretentious, I know, but it's bloody rare to see the sun around here! It felt nice to get out of the house and get some air in my lungs. Plus I am cold-blooded like a serpent so the warmth was wonderful for me. I get disproportionately angry when I'm too cold.

Just a short one, but I think this plus my introductory post will suffice.

It Begins

Well hey, good looking! How the devil are you? 

First entry of a new blog is always a bugger to write; I never know whether to put down some basic information or write my life story or just say a big hello to anyone that may be having a peek.

Really, it should come easily to me, seeing as I started blogging in May 2007, having barely turned 15. I didn't really get 'into' it until later that same year, when my posts became less empty and sporadic and more full of anecdotes from school (and later, college), stupid things my friends/family said and did, photos from life, opinions and rants, and shameless plugging of other weblings that I loved. This continued for a good few years, and started to fizzle out around the beginning of 2011. Thus, by May 2011, four years after I started my blog ('shygirlslose', affectionately known by regular readers as 'SGL'), I decided to stop the detailed posts.

This was for a number of reasons, the first being that - around the time I closed SGL down - I was in the midst of applying for university, and preparing myself for moving to a different town over 90 miles away from home. It was a giant and terrifying hurdle, and I found that the blog was too much to keep up with on top of everything else. I was also disheartened at the lack of feedback I got on the blog; I had a few readers who read every post and commented on most, but I felt that I was making a hell of a lot of effort for a blog that was hardly read. Being rather foolish at the time, I didn't bother keeping an eye on my analytics, which would've told me that many people were in fact looking at my blog. I seemed to count popularity in comments, which is both sad and shameful. I kick my younger self for this.

So, I left Blogspot. I moved my primary blogging over to my tumblr account here. This was easier to keep track of because the site generally isn't a 'write reams and reams' kind of place; it was more for pictures and quick, snappy updates from my life. This suited me as I was busy with lots of new and exciting things, and has suited me for the past few years.

Now, however, I feel like I'm missing something again. Tumblr is a great site, and I do love my blog on there, but it's not really what I'd call a 'blog' - it's more short text posts about stuff that's going on in my life, photos of me/from my life, and then many reblogs of things that I find around tumblr that I like or that interest me. It's a lot of fun, but it's become something that isn't as open and personal as SGL was, and I miss having that creative outlet. Plus there's quite a mean streak on tumblr, especially when people express an opinion that doesn't jive with what everyone else is saying. I'm not a fan of censoring myself, so I guess that comes into it too. So here I am, creating this new blog - for me, for the dedicated SGL readers that have never left me (even when I was an awful person and stopped blogging there), and for anybody else that decides they want to read it!

~ Kayleigh