Day 4 of Blogmas - Favourite Christmas Adverts ever!

Can you believe we're 1/3 into the 12 days of Blogmas? Feel free to look at the other Blogmas posts. Yesterday was all about Father Christmas - facts and traditions surrounding him. In case you missed it, feel free to click here.

Today was going to be a post all about fundraising and encouraging you take up a challenge in 2017. However, there is a lot to get through and feel if I tried today it might not be finished or as perfect as I want it to be. Instead I'm going to go through something that has got so many people speaking in recent years: the festive ads.

Here are some of my favourites in no particular order:

1. Polish Advert for a Polish Auction Site (2016)

You would need to be utterly heartless to not be touched by this advert. One of my friends shared it with me and I just loved it. It features an old man learning english and the reason why makes it truly beautiful. Click here to watch this interesting story.

2. Coca Cola

I couldn't do this list without including this brand. After all, they were the ones who marketed so well that they created Santa as we know today as discussed in my previous post. You can't help, but get wrapped up in the Christmas spirit when you hear the bells #Holidaysarecoming.The advert always used to get me excited because unlike other adverts, it didn't feature too early. After all, how adverts are non-christmas related at the moment? It has been like this since November, maybe October.

3. Irn Bru and the Snowman (2007)

As you'll know from many of my posts (especially in my recent post, 20 things I love about Scotland), I adore Irn Bru! I'm actually more excited for drinking some on Christmas Day than anything else. I may or not said, I suffer badly with things like acne and it often flairs  up when I drink fizzy drinks like irn bru so have been avoiding my favourite beverage. Since I have work early the next day, I won't be drinking anything alcoholic, but weirdly I don't really.

4. Yellow Pages - Mistletoe (1992)

This might have been made the year I was born, but I have seen it many times. It is such an adorable advert. Click here.

5. Budweiser - Snowball Fight (2005)

There doesn't need to be a warm fussy feeling, I love funny adverts too! Remember those horses doing a snowball fight?

6. Kellogg's Cornflakes - Waiting for Santa (1991)

What a lovely advert which captures the magic of Christmas. It also so happens to advertise one of my favourite cereals, which says a lot as a cereal addict! Click here to see this adorable advert.

7. John Lewis - Buster the dog (2016)

This year's John Lewis ad had to be my favourite from them yet. They are known for their amazing advertising, but to me this combines everything that's important in Christmas. The joy of giving, families and good humour. John Lewis have done some powerful advertising on the lead-up for Christmas, and have even got people excited to see their adverts. I also loved last year's advert, the man on the moon. It was powerful and promoted giving to charity, and thinking of others which are very important messages.

8. Sainsbury's - Mog's Christmas Calamity (2015)

I remember being transfixed in the story of this. It gave me goosebumps as it promoted the power of community spirit and coming together. Watch it here.

9. Marks and Spencer - With love from Mrs Claus (2016)

I adore this one! It demonstrates to me that behind every amazing man is a hard-working woman. It is lovely like any advert from M&S, whether it promotes their underwear or whether they seductively describe their food! Click here to see it for yourself.

10. WWF - #iProtectTigers Christmas Advert (2016)

I was unsure what to have as my 10th as there were a few good ones. Aldi had Kevin the carrot, which was ok but I would have only added it for it's other adverts such as these ones. I also thought about the impressive animation of Very. However as a previous fundraiser with a love of supporting charity during the festive period, I knew I had to promote WWF's recent advert. For anyone who hasn't seen it, it features a family caring for a tiger. I don't want to spoil it for you, but it is very heartwarming! Watch it here.

Let me know what you think, do you have any favourites that aren't here? Do you look forward to seeing adverts from any of your favourite adverts.

Day 2 of Blogmas - Christmas Memories and Traditions

Today marks day 2 of my 12 days of Blogmas posts, and hope you are enjoying it. Incase you missed yesterday's post, click here. It discussed my wishlist for Christmas 2016.

Unfortunately due to moving and a lot of boxes still being unpacked, in the spare room, I couldn't find any old pictures of me celebrating Christmas, which I would have loved to share. However if I do, I will attach some to the post before Blogmas is over!

For this post, I wanted to discuss traditions and memories.

I can't think of a specific or one "fantastic" memory of Christmas. I just remember my favourite Christmasses having more people around. We used to have my Gran around, and I'm sure whether it was Christmas or during the new year, but we sometimes had my Mum's friends around. I think a Christmas with more people is somehow more fun.

That being said, it is usually a Christmas of me, my Mum, Dad and the dogs. I love it being close-knit with the two people who love me most. I still feel like a big kid who expects her presents in her stocking; to be bought an advent calendar every year from my mum and a yearly argument or three.

No matter what we're doing, Mum's cooking is always amazing. I'm not a huge fan of roast dinners but love the food at Christmas  I usually have turkey, gravy, pigs in blankets, mash and anything else I might have specifically asked for. Mum is like the food Santa when Christmas is involved! We ask, she gets. Throughout the day I laze infront of the telly like many might do, use or try my new gifts and stuff my face with chocolate and treats until I can eat no more.

The only specific memory I remember as a child is being asked what I thought of my presents, and saying to my mum one year: "Everything is perfect, but wish Santa hadn't bothered getting that!" and pointed to some stuffed doll thing. Years later, I still cringe at being so spoilt and ungrateful.

What are you Christmas memories and traditions? It's always fun to hear how people's Christmases vary.

Gilmore Girls is FINALLY back!

You may know from my other blog posts how much I love Gilmore Girls, and with that I knew I had to write about it coming back. Due to the move, I've not managed to binge on the latest episodes (I've only seen the first episode of  A Year in the Life: Winter). Gutted! That being said, on the run-up I've been watching a lot of the old episodes and fell in love all over again. My Mum jokes that she thought it was finished. Oh how wrong she was!

I've also watched lots of clips on YouTube and know about the ending. The cliffhanger. The four words that leave you with more questions and wanting more. I was so upset to know the ending before seeing, so will not spill like I've seen some bloggers, Youtubers and fans already have. I was thinking of further reviewing the new episodes, but will see about that...I'm not good at keeping quiet!

This post will be my hopes for the upcoming episodes and my predictions:

Team Logan

When I left it originally, I was Team Jesse all the way. I disliked Dean a lot. He made her feel bad about herself. The way he dumped her when she didn't say "I love you" right away, the way she messed with her head after he said he still loved her despite being married and of course how he never challenged her. I also find it unrealistic to have someone falling for their first love; he live and move on. He has no ambition and has little in common with Rory.

Rory had been instantly attracted to Jesse; there is obvious chemistry and they share a love of books. They have grown a lot since they first started dating. They got on at an intellicental level, and made each other better in some way. Rory trusted Jesse, and became more interesting with him. I think he might have done as well without Rory's influence.

Initially, I found Logan spoilt, entitled and very different to Rory, but upon watching it again I have found that out of the three he is the most perfect for her. He was hard-working to make his own way in the world outside of his family riches, loved Rory and she loved him back. They met during university, and out of the three she was with him longest and from that I noticed they went through the most. He was instantly there when her grandfather had a heart attack, he saw her during her graduation, he supported her through falling out with her mother and quitting Yale (although brief) and most of all they made it through the brief long-distance. Therefore I hope they do make it back together. I feel Rory was right to refuse his proposal as she had more to achieve than just becoming Logan's wife. That being said, he has supported her through any decisions and I hope they make it.

Obama Campaign

I hope to hear how Rory got on during the following of the Obama elections, and the relationship there. I loved the clip with her and Michelle. Typical Rory with the books! It would have also been entertaining if it had been filmed after finding out that Trump is president. I know she was a big fan of Hilary Clinton after all. Remember, how she wanted to say she'd be the person she'd most like to eat with, when applying for university (or college).

As someone who wanted to go into journalism, I will adore hearing all the opportunities that came her way. Will she make it to New York Times?

Rory & Lorelai's lives

I've seen hints that Rory is out of work, and even starts working at Chilton. This would be an interesting one as this is where it all began. Stars Hollow is where we fell in love with the mother-daughter relationship, and it brings it all back now that Rory is coming back to the small town. I can't wait to see their antics, witty comebacks and fast-talking! Will Lorelai still be running the Dragonfly inn or does she have more ambitions in the eccentric town?

Lorelai & Luke

I always wanted the other Lorelai to marry Luke and have his babies. However I feel since we don't see this in the trailers and she's likely to be 48, the likelihood of children might be off. I'm still hopeful for the right wedding this time. Christopher was always unsure, immature and too spontaneous for Lorelai. Luke was always right for her. He argued, challenged her funny ways, loved her, appreciated her and always wanted what was best for her. He supported her where she needed, but never told her what to do. He helped with her crazy ways - when her car broke down, he made sure she got the same exact model (helping get it fixed), and organised the entire party for Rory leaving in the final episode. What more can be said? He's perfect! Who doesn't love a happy ending?

Sookie

Sookie is one of my favourite characters despite Lorelai and Rory of course. I can't wait to see how the kids have grown 7 years on (I can't remember how old the first one, Davy was, so wonder whether there will be a teen?) Anything with Sookie is always funny though. Especially her and Jackson arguing. I also hope she's still showing her passion for cooking, and can't wait to see what they named the youngest. Yes, I'm that sad!

Lane and Zac 

Oh how I loved that rock star couple so much! I hope they're settling into parenthood, and Lane hasn't given up on drumming. Are they still working in Luke's? I was gutted to see so many fans who disliked Zac for Lane; I thought he was perfect. He adored her and was always there, quirky and managed to find ways to relate her scary mother.

There is one mystery that eludes me though. Where is Lane's father? Did he die? They always mention it in the plural - parents, but never has he appeared. They have had many Korean family occasions, even her wedding and still to see him...

Taylor madness

Are Taylor's town meetings still crazy? No doubt. The comebacks of Taylor and Lorelai were well-worth it. I also love how he managed to encourage the townspeople to do things they totally disagreed with. Remember, when Jackson did his job for a while? Yeah, it didn't last long...

Kirk

What jobs is Kirk doing now? Has he married Lulu? I've seen him attend the traditional Friday night dinner, so can't wait to see the comedy at that one! I also like the hints of his advice column which have circled around on facebook pages. See below:

The "Gilmore Girls" 

So many good pictures for these 3!

Richard passes away like the actor did unfortunately. I loved him! The fiercely loyal and protective father, mentoring and supporting nature to Rory and the way he proved to be Emily's solemate. It will be interesting to see how Emily copes. I saw a clip where she gets a wall-sized picture of him, which made me chuckle. It sums up Emily's quirky character. Friday family dinners are still on too!

Stars Hollow

It's exciting to see what all the townspeople of Stars Hollow are up to, and what unusual events will be on! I honestly can't wait to get back to it.

To finish this post, here are a few screenshots of Gilmore Girls quizzes I've done (sad I know):

Always get different ones - had Sookie before!

Hope you enjoyed the post, and love to hear your comments especially if you like the show as much as me!

Still unsure whether to review the new episodes, when I've finished watching.

Portsmouth - D-day Museum, Hovercraft & the City

My last post promised that I would update more, and I meant it. I meant to put this post up about 2 weeks ago, but unfortunately I've been away visiting friends in Scotland and therefore have been otherwise occupied! Good news is that because of my travels, I've been inspired to write many more posts. Stay tuned.

I'd also like to thank those for commenting on my last post: Do horrible comments affect your confidence in the long-term? To be a total newbie to writing, it excites me to have something to respond to! It was my first post to get any comments, so thank you, thank you and thank you again! I apologise for taking so long to reply, I honestly thought I'd replied, so hope my responses were worth the wait. Any way back to the post...

Recently I've been visiting Portsmouth to take up a volunteer opportunity, which gave me an extra insight into this city. I'd never been to Portsmouth before, and honestly can say it isn't the most exciting city I've been to. I definitely prefer Southampton to Portsmouth because I somehow feel like I'm missing something. There doesn't feel to be a "heart" to the city, like most cities I've seen from Aberdeen, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Leeds...you look and go "Well that's the centre." Maybe someone can tell me different, but I found it to be quite bleak, and I've lived in the granite city (Aberdeen).

Portsmouth seems to be misunderstood to me though. I keep asking myself what am I missing? It is after-all the birthplace to the famous author, Charles Dickens. I was saddened to hear that the museum is closed during set periods, but hope to see it one day as a lover of books. I mean my favourite characters of TV series, books or films are big readers: Matilda in Ronald Dahl's Matilda, Lorelai and Rory Gilmore in Gilmore Girls and many more.

However, as a big lover of history and someone who enjoys visiting art galleries and museums, I was excited to see the D-Day Museum. It is about a 15 minute walk from the hovercraft which gets you into Portsmouth from the island. Walking along Clarence Pier was a delight, and I took many beautiful pictures as I walked over. Here are just some of my favourites:

Somehow love these lampposts, and found myself picturing these more than Clarence Pier! 

Beautiful view out at Clarence Pier

View of some of the city including the famous "lipstick" building

Memorial

As someone with a great interest in World War 2, I was a bit underwhelmed by the D-Day museum. Not because it wasn't good; I was happy to have gone, but having visited amazing sights such as Eden Camp and Anne Frank House, it wasn't the most impressive. I also read some of the displays and realised I knew a great portion already.I enjoyed looking at displays of ration books, remembrance areas and displays of dummies (soldiers) set up how they would have been; really setting the scene.

However I didn't have a great knowledge of D-Day itself, and gave it a chance. For instance, I didn't know that D-Day was prepared and launched from the South Coast of England, which meant that Portsmouth was at the heart of the operation. It also had beautiful embroideries to look at, which gave it a lovely creative aspect to an otherwise history-focused museum. It was also interesting to see the museum combine its focus on the south coast, but also discuss how D-Day affected all the British soldiers who fought that day. 

It is a must-see, but mainly because D-Day should never be forgotten; the soldiers risked their lives and without them, we could be living a totally different life. This museum is about keeping the story of D-Day alive, and the story of WWII. There are also plans for the museum to become the national D-Day hub, and therefore I believe that this is only going to improve to engage with it's audience. The museum plans to create resources and partnerships to help individuals and communities nationally discover their wider D-Day heritage;a new website is due to be set up in time for the 75th anniversary in 2019.

Unfortunately after my little tour around the museum, I missed the hovercraft back home (Isle of Wight), but I was lucky this time; the next one was due in like 10 minutes. Many of my friends on the mainland ask how long it takes to get from the island to the mainland again, so I thought I would briefly say. Portsmouth is new to me. You have two routes to the mainland - Southampton and Portsmouth/Southsea. Getting to Portsmouth is the quickest way. Going to Portsmouth takes a meer 10 minutes, and from there you can get the hoverbus that takes you around southsea to the city centre. Going to Southampton can take about 25 minutes on the Redjet through Red Funnel, and the Quay Connect bus is free if you show them your ticket.

Goodbye and I hope it won't be long until my next post, I hope to write something about my recent travels to Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen...however I promised to not leave it so long last time, so not making promises this time! Over and out, and hope you liked my honest review of visiting Portsmouth. If anyone else has visited Portsmouth and has any recommendations of places to go, or can tell me anything they like, please let me know!

Do horrible comments affect your confidence in the long-term?

I said I'd started a blog and write regularly, but I've already slipped up. Truth be told, I have felt a bit negative. Writing does make me feel better, but tiredness and lack of motivation stops that.

So what have I been doing? I've not done a lot truth be told. Since last posting, I have had a few trips to Southampton, started volunteering and learning more about stress. Lately, I have felt very contemplative (not sure if that is the right word to use)...I have been looking back on my confidence and self-esteem and thought how this can completely change because of certain people.

I remember being about 9/10. I had moved a few years previously from living in Manchester (Boothstown if you wish me to be exact), and I remember still feeling like I didn't fit in. The friends I had were great, but I never felt like I fitted in with them; it was like they were always better than me. They had big screened televisions, sky (while I had maybe digital at best - probably the 5 channels at that time). I didn't care but for some reason being friends with them I sometimes did. That being said, that is not the point I wish to make, as usual I am babbling.

The point that I wish to make is bullying is horrible; it is one of the lowest things that a child or even adult can to do. Physical and mental abuse. It doesn't matter which can shape a person. Although I was too young to remember being bullied, and therefore have not let it affect me... I have heard about when I was 5, a girl tried to twist my arm behind my back to break it, but being double-jointed that didn't happen. I remember my mum going to school and getting frustrated with the teacher for lack of understanding. However I don't remember any incident. Lucky, I guess. That being said, some people aren't that blessed.

Even though I have no memories of being bullied,  I do know on a number of occasions I have allowed people to knock my confidence and self-esteem. I could say how horrible people are, or that they were just mean people, but that wouldn't be true to me. Everyone has their reasons. I don't agree with them, and what they do is not about me. I would say the same to anyone. 

Coming back to being 9/10, I remember one of my "friends" speaking unkindly behind my back. She called me an "ugly, thick bitch". It was awful. One of the other friends told me. It hurt and still to this day, it hurts to have either description used on me or anyone really. I never felt beautiful after that moment, and although I can happily say I have beautiful days where I look in the mirror, and think, "Wow, you look good today!", I know those can sometimes be rare. I have seen girls sharing 5 pictures where they felt beautiful on Facebook. In that spirit, here are five I wish to share:

Why do I feel beautiful in these?

1. This is obviously my graduation picture, and it is one of those days where all my makeup went well. Love how the blusher went on, my skin looked flawless and it's one of a handful of times wearing eyelash extensions and loving how my eyes pop!

2. I just love my hair in this picture, and it reminds me of spending time with two of my best friends on my 22nd birthday. This might be the only one I have of when I dyed my hair pink too. 

3. This is a picture from the last time I got my hair done. I'm useless at curling my hair, and love it like this!

4. This is actually very recent, and again I love my hair colour, and my makeup looks flawless. 

5. This is the oldest picture of them all. It was taken maybe 5 years ago (when my dog was still technically a puppy at 2 years old). I just love how happy I look with my baby.

My confidence has increased a lot since then. It increased when I fell in love and was told I was beautiful. Although I don't recommend basing your self-worth on anyone, I think you should surround yourself with family and friends who make you feel like a good person. I still have bad days though. During stressful times, my skin can break out. It did recently in fact. From these periods, it has left scarring that I find hard to cover with foundation. One guy I fancied when I was 18 even went as far as telling me it looked "disgusting". I know it does to me, but never thought anyone else would say or think that. Sometimes I hear those words back when I do my makeup in the morning. 

What I've learnt recently is...it doesn't hurt when someone says something hurtful. Well, not all the time. It hurts when they say something hurtful about something you already hate about yourself. For example, in primary school I remember another "friend" saying that I had hairs on the top of my nose like the hobbit. She said something like: "You know how in the Hobbit, they have hair on their feet, you have it on your nose!" She was just laughing about it, and to be honest I hadn't really looked there and it still doesn't bother me. However it hurts when I've been specifically called ugly or disgusting for things I'm self conscious about like my skin. I feel this must be the same for women who feel overweight, hate their nose, their lips, you name it!

Going back to that comment, "ugly, thick bitch"... at the time I didn't focus on the ugly part. I focused on the "thick". In primary school, I hated it. I felt stupid. Having dyspraxia (which affects co-ordination; making your handwriting messy and struggling in sports), it meant I often needed to attend special classes to help with my handwriting. We used to be divided into small groups - top (the clever ones), average ("normal") and below average (those struggling a bit like me). No matter how hard I tried, I always seemed to be below average. However the day that this girl said this, I got  a really good grade in English for writing a creative story. I feel that sometimes I want to prove that I'm not "thick". 

It's probably why I pushed myself when doing my GCSEs, why I wanted to go to university and why I try my best even in jobs I have hated. 

Has something someone has said to you stuck in your mind? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.