♡ A New Year, and a Not So New Me.............? ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I LLLIIIVVVEEE! (bonus points if you guys know, which movie scene I'm channelling there) but, HI THERE! I have been still living, and breathing, but I took a year off, and away, from the pressures of blogging - which has been nice, and now even though I do feel ready to do this again, but I am going to do this at my own pace, at my own degree, and listen to myself when to comes down to decisions etc. Did any of that make sense? Or is my mind just going on another ramble quest as per usual? 

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SO ANYWAY... 2017 came and went extremely quickly, no? I don't have many interesting experiences from last year - as my mental health took an extreme nose dive down the dunny - but one of the major things that happened last year, was that I changed jobs! I'm still working in childcare, but I changed my setting (as at my old one, my manager was an extremely toxic person) and I am happier where I am, and I feel that I can progress on further with my career! Another major event - my second baby cousin (a boy, called Samuel) was born, and he's a May 4th baby!!! So, basically I am going to be sowing the seeds of Star Wars into this child as much as possible, aaannnddd last but not least, my brother went and got married, so I now have a new sister! That's it. I didn't do any fancy travelling abroad, or anything memorable, but nonetheless, it was still productive, and even though there were, rather a few shall I say, dark times during the past year, I came out the other end breathing, maybe just a tiny bit ragged, but still breathing. So bonus.

A thing, though, that I did focus on more during the last year, was my photography and it has been rather nice, if I do say so myself, to have that distract me for a while. 

This next part goes slightly off tangent - but there is a reason behind it, so do keep reading! There is this interesting guy - who I found about, from my mother! She got his book from the library, and I started reading it, and kinda found myself nodding along. He's called 'The Angry Chef', (you can read his blog here btw) and he basically rants, and exposes things to do with the food world - which you've gotta admit, some things can be pretty ridiculous, no?! But in the end, it was these words that stuck out to me the most;

Just a small mantra, that will always stick with me from now on. Seriously, fuck what other people say or think - and to continue on with that mantra, I did decide that for 2018, I wasn't going to do any resolutions or goals, or whatever you'd like to call them. But, I am going to do more. More travelling, more exploring, more eating, more treatin', more ignoring the "looks" and "comments", more not feeling guilty about the small things, just MORE. More of life, more of breathing freely, more of not being sorry for being who I am, and more of living.

So here it is, and here I stand. Unfiltered, and (trying) not to give a fuck.

♡ Oh Shit... Whaddup 2017! A Quick Catch Up + What I got for Christmas ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

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It's been a while hasn't it? I must admit, I hadn't had that familiar blogging feeling for a while before my trip to Tokyo, but now I am back - well, it seems to have travelled back with me!

2016, has most certainly, been a roller coaster for everyone it seems - some with more ups, than downs, whilst others had more downs, than ups, and that is not necessarily a bad thing?! Personally; a massive down for me, involved hitting the highest peak of my mental health - where I had been driven to the point, where I saw no reason in carrying on any more with life... yeah, that was hard to say the least. But, with prodding and shoving, I was able to drag myself to the doctors, and I have been given the correct help that I, so desperately, needed, and now I am (slowly) on the road to recovery! I've decided, not to let my mental health stigmatise me, and lead my life any more, and I will strive forward with the determination (and some form of grace) I have had hidden away inside of me, for quite a while it seems.

Despite that down, a big climb up I endured, was completing my NVQ Level 3 in childcare - so that makes me, officially, a qualified nursery nurse! *inserts some form of witchy cackle here* Oh, and I suppose, another big climb was travelling to my dream country.. I mean, if you've been following me on instagram, and twitter, then you may have seen the spew of my posts. Only a small amount of spew... tiny, weeny bit *coughs* But, in all honesty, Tokyo was extremely fabulous, and I still miss the hustle and bustle of the city, and just... *sighs* I need to go back ASAP. Not going to even sugar coat it. I am going back. End of discussion.

Now, I don't have any goals, or resolutions, for 2017 - especially the ones that involve the mantra "new year, new me!" pffft. I'm just going to go along with life, and whatever comes my way - whether it be good or bad - I will take it. And hopefully not spontaneously combust from it, but hey, we shall see! I already have a few good events coming up this year - birth of another new baby cousin, my older brother getting married and... ok that's about it so far, but I'm sure more will come along!

What I got for Christmas

NOW. Here's something light, to finish off this post. I always love seeing what everybody received for Christmas - because heck, who doesn't love to be surprised by presents? Especially when there were some items, you weren't truly expecting! I only had a small, ten (or was it more... I can't remember tbh) item list, as I would have just come back from Tokyo with lots of goodies, so I wasn't expecting a great deal - until I come down on Christmas day, and get greeted w/ most of this lot (I say most, because I hadn't seen some family members until later that day, and on Boxing Day etc)

The biggest surprises for me - were the Vera Wang Princess perfume, the Jeffree Star Cosmetics and the Colourpop cosmetics! I'd completely forgotten that my mum was asking me which brand(s) I preferred, other than Urban Decay, and without even clocking on, I just said those two. Which is true, because these two brands were the two I used the most throughout the entire year!

Regardless, I feel like a spoilt princess, and I love each and every piece, and I am wearing my new slipper boots until they die - seriously they are so soft and warm and jfc, my feet welcome them.

So that's it! I did think of a couple new goals for the year, as I wrote this - improve my photography, and improve my make-up skills! Hopefully it will happen... fingers crossed. So, I wish all my friends, and family, and everyone in between, a healthy and thankful new year. May you never quash your hopes, dreams and desires, and remember to reach for the stars and the moon - because even though you may not believe it, you damn well deserve it ♡

Thank you for reading!

xoxo

♡ Hyper Japan // Nocturnal Bloodlust ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

It has been, now, over a month(?!) since Hyper Japan and I am still feeling it all. It's also the summer holidays here in the UK, and my work hours have dropped dramatically (YAY for term time children!) yet all I would like to do, is sleep. Besides the hours I have had at work, I have been so, so, so lazy with stuff - I've literally just eaten, slept and watched TV series, oops.

Hyper Japan is, now, the one and only convention I do these days, and every year it is very up and down with its organisation skills. Last year, their organisation was as good as it could be for a last minute venue change, where as this year, it just seemed very... "splot we're here, deal with it" kind of attitude. But anyway.

Before Hyper Japan, on the Friday (15th July) Saph and I went to a gig in Camden Underworld - more particularly, we saw Nocturnal Bloodlust - who are a deathcore/metalcore band from Japan and holy shit... they were just... they were seriously amazing. Besides seeing LOST ASH at Hyper Japan last year, seeing this band was near the top of my list and wow. They honestly blew me away during the live! I was lucky enough to get a V.I.P ticket, but it was kinda disappointing because all we got to do was walk past, and have a handshake with the band members - and I know this probably sounds extremely whingy of me, but in the past, a meet and greet was a little bit than just a handshake - especially when it was £20 extra for just that?! Best meet and greet for me (besides LOST ASH shhh) was SCREW back in 2012, because for that little bit extra money, they did photographs, handshakes, signatures AND a Q&A slot... so yeah guys, sort it out there.

ANYWAY. The live was amazing, and there was even a death/mosh circle pit! Not a literate death circle, but Saph did want to go and throw herself in it... me? Not so much. I have to admit, in the past, I would have been up front, as close to the centre as possible but this time around, it was nice to be at the back and away from the................. squishing. All in all the set was amazing, and they played quite a lot of songs, and a encore. 10/10 would go see them live again. It was just so energetic, and the surge of power from the band, well. Just epic. I got some brilliant goodies - two cd's and a photoset, whilst Saph got a poster.

Moving on to the next day - where I must admit, I wasn't too achy but I did have blocked ears - the bane of being RIGHT next to a bass speaker during a gig... and my ears didn't unpop all weekend so I felt extremely old, yelling at people and saying "FUCKING SPEAK UP, SERIOUSLY" yes, that's what I said, and I regret nothing. We managed to wake up at 9am (WOW, CHECK US OUT) and get to the venue just before midday - which to us, it's nice because we were able to do things at our own pace, and our own leisure.

We are so cute together, shhh~

Normally, I don't stop and listen to bands that are performing - unless they are someone I like? - but this year, it was Saph's turn to be happy as larry, as CHARISMA.COM were performing, and I'm not going to lie. I was hooked. They are super catchy and really know how to get the crowd going! I was also lucky enough to meet them afterwards! They are both super cute, and easy to talk to!

This duo wasn't the only lovely people I met up with - I was able to hang out with Toni, and Milly, and meet Saph's boyfriend Tom, and some of Saph's friends too! It was just nice to hang around with people, who enjoy the same things I do, and not feel............... ridiculous?!

The second day was just as hot as the Saturday - I honestly hate the warm weather, I am just NOT a warm weather type of person... pft. But we managed, and we had just as much fun as we did on the Saturday. I can't really tell you much else about the weekend - it was literally; food, friends and fun! What more could we ask for?!

What was nice about this year, was everything was spaced out, so no one was crushed together, but the whole event did feel slightly... haphazard? Don't get me wrong, I enjoy everything about Hyper Japan in general, but this year, it definitely felt different. I can't quite put my finger on it with why, but I just have that niggle. Oh, and the fact that the venue has a glass ceiling. Glass ceiling + hot weather = grumpy and sweaty people. Cries.

Before I finish off - I didn't purchase as many goodies as usual, but nothing really grabbed my attention, besides what is pictured above! Annnnnnnnd, an amazing friend of mine managed to catch Caqui's pick from the gig! She caught a couple, as well as found a couple on the floor - so I was lucky to nab one from her! I do like collecting guitar picks from gigs...

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ Hello Kitty Cafe in London ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I was given the opportunity to go to the Hello Kitty Cafe, located at Cutter & Squidge in Soho, with my friend Chewwie. I had been trying to book a place for weeks, as well as trying to find someone to go with - I didn't want to ask Saph, as she was already going to go a few times in August - but alas I couldn't do so?! But swoops in Chewwie with her fabulous-ness and flair, and BOOM. Along we went last Sunday, eager and ready for our afternoon tea.

A little backstory behind Cutter & Squidge - they don't use a lot of sugar and fat contents in their treats, and have quite a selection of gluten free in the Hello Kitty Afternoon tea. On their website they state;

"We make everything from scratch and where possible we use real British ingredients or source from British producers where we can't. Our eggs are always free range and our butter is always British creamery butter (mmm real butttter).

We don't use any margarine or hydro-what-do-you-call-'em fats and certainly no artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives... we really can't see the point!

Our flavourings and colourings are all natural... the hulk green of our green tea biskie is purely from the premium grade matcha green tea we use and our crazy pink raspberry biskie... that's all pure raspberry!

Our decorations are created using our homemade all natural colourings which we make from fruits, vegetables, spices and flowers - we even make our own sprinkles.

We believe in using the best fresh and natural ingredients... full stop!"

I wasn't disappointed with the shop - the layout is clean, with a splash of colour here and there, and at first, it seemed that there wasn't anyone actually in the shop?! Chewwie and I were a little confused, but after seeing a sign, we guessed that the 'secret garden' was actually hiding somewhere else! Very clever in my opinion!

Whilst we waited for our table to be ready, we were given a glass bottle filled with pink lemonade - decorated with a pink straw and a Hello Kitty bow! We were also given wristbands (I'm guessing to help the staff know who were waiting during busy periods?!) and after fifteen minutes (we did arrive early just so you know) we were taken downstairs to the secret garden for our delectable food!

The walls were donned with Hello Kitty decal style wallpaper, and there were vines donned with fruits and flowers that just oozed that secret garden vibe. We were seated at (a very snug) two seat table, that was dressed to impress - and somehow fit all the food onto as well! But they were very clever with how to put everything in front of us, as soon enough, our food arrived in a VERY high pile of wicker steamer baskets (you know, the ones you use for dim sum?) and boy, was there a lot. There were five levels altogether and that is a lot when you think about it, especially when we were told that there were refillables for EVERYTHING - food and drink! Worth it right?

The first two layers are the savoury side of the afternoon tea - the first being Kitty's snack time sandwiches of cucumber & cream cheese, hummus & pepper, cheese & red onion and salmon & chives, whilst the second layer was filled with savoury cheese scones w/ a red pepper relish and cream cheese, and a coronation cracker.

The third layer is full of a strawberry milkshake biskie, blondies and I believe the vanilla cookie - even though the vanilla cookie (the Hello Kitty face one) tasted more like the strawberry milkshake, whilst the other one tasted of vanilla and strawberry... BUT I may be wrong!

The fourth and fifth layers were the ones that were topping us at this point - the fourth layer had the Mimmy's very berry jelly kiss, Mimmy's pink lemonade marshmallow, cake truffle and strawberries and finally, the fifth layer had Kitty's chocolate mud pie and Mama's apple pie mousse.

But it didn't just end with those... ooooooooh no! We were also given ice cream at the end of it all - served up w/ strawberry sauce and in a very cute, small, blue teacup. Full is definitely an understatement at this point of the session.

Oh, I chose an apple pie flavoured fruit tea - which was very nice, lots of cinnamon, and it did have that apple pie flavour, but it was very subtle. I didn't get any other flavoured tea - which you can do throughout the session - but I did drink a bucket load of the pink lemonade, as I was seriously addicted to that stuff. It wasn't too sweet, and had that traditional lemonade sour twang at the end of each sip, which is just perfection for me.

Quite a few pieces of food, throughout the afternoon tea; is gluten free, dairy free and acceptable for vegetarians - and they do offer a full vegetarian option for the savoury side of the meal - and it did all taste delicious, well 95% of it did, as Chewwie and I weren't keen on a couple of pieces, and it was all pretty much gone b the end of our session. We even ordered another third layer - with the biskies and blondies - and was able to box it up, and take it home.

I do think £40 is a fair price for this afternoon tea - especially with the amount of food and drink you are given with at first, followed on by the extras you want afterwards. Chewwie and I, were sooo full though, that even walking back through Chinatown was a little bit of a struggle... I think we almost rolled back! I think, besides a couple of items, and that feel of feeling overfull at the end of the session, I had no problems - the staff were friendly and accommodating, the food was seriously moreish, and the flow of drinks was always there.

I would gladly go back to Cutter & Squidge though, just to try out some of the delicious things they have to offer. There is such a large selection to choose from, heck I would have problems with deciding, but then, that would mean more trips back... right?!

Cutter & Squidge have quite a few social platforms - twitter, instagram and facebook - and I do recommend checking them out, just to see all the delectable goodies they post! I'm seriously drooling already... cries

Thanks for reading!
xoxo