Growing Up: Leaving School and Starting University

• Choose subjects to study
• Get good grades
• Choose a career path
• Get into University
• Graduate
• Get a job in chosen career

This list is only slightly different to one I made myself in my final years of High School. As I progressed through the higher years of school, the increasing pressure of finding "what is next after high school" was very much clear. When it came to my last year, I still didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, which isn't exactly bizarre when that choice needs to be made at 16 years of age, or so we're led to believe.

I chose a mix of different subjects, ranging from Sciences and Maths, to English and Geography, hoping that I would soon discover an innate ability in one of them. My last year finished, I got decent grades, but definitely not the great grades I'd previously planned - Of which would DEFINITELY be the end of the world if I didn't get - and despite slightly lacking in one grade requirement, I was still offered a place in my chosen University course.

This was the point where I came to a crossroads in my life, contemplating on the plane home from my "end of school celebration holiday" whether I continue to see through my plan I'd made the year before, despite the fact I started to feel regret for the course I had managed to get into, or whether I should do the "embarrassing" option and not take the place at university, possibly blocking four years of endured dread.

I decided to withdraw from my University course, look online at the mocked backup college courses I had applied to - which was insisted by the school - until I realised I had unknowingly applied to a very specific course that excited and interested me. My family had already celebrated the fact I had got into university straight from school, the first in my immediate family to do so; I almost felt ashamed when I had to tell them I'd withdrew and planned on going to college instead. From this point forward I decided to go with life as it comes, no more planning set lists and how things should be followed through, but instead just working on forward with a set - flexible- goal in mind.

Two years later and I have now graduated from my college course; a two year diploma which allows entry straight into work if desired or entry into third year of a relevant University degree. My worries two years ago almost seem trivial, having intrusive thoughts of shame for going "off track" with my progression in education when, in the end, I came out right on track. With a place at university for a course I show a great interest in, which would not have been discovered if I had not side-tracked, I now feel more at peace with the future than I ever did.

The moral is, if you're leaving high school unsure of whether your chosen path is right or not, don't be scared to temporarily disappoint others to find something you truly enjoy. It all works out in the end.

Apple Macbook Air (Review)

Apple Macbook Air (Latest Model as of 10/10/16)

As I get myself back into the habit of blogging, it only makes sense to have suitable devices that aid in the process. Although blogging wasn't a massive reason for me to buy my new computer, it did still contribute as a reason. I have been with apple for years, whether its through the iPhone or previous MacBooks I've had over the years, and after switching to a windows computer, I felt it was finally time to return to the Mac. All-in-all if you're someone who enjoys iOS on the iPhone, or just an iPhone in general, then chances are you're also going to enjoy switching to Mac.

Price

Now, the price can vary in certain ways; Whether you decide to get the 11-inch or the 13-inch, and also whether you decide to go with Tier 1 or Tier 2 of each size. I personally went for Tier 1 of the 13-inch Macbook Air which cost £849 (figures may vary on the Apple website) but I will list below every Tier with the differences and also the prices.

Macbook Air 11-inch (Tier 1)
- 1.6GHz Processor
- 128GB PCle-based flash storage (Literally not too sure what PCle means)
- 4GB memory (Basically RAM I'm guessing?)
- Intel HD Graphics 6000
- Turbo boost of up to 2.6GHz for Processor
Cost - £749

Macbook Air 11-inch (Tier 2) 
- 1.6GHz Processor
- 256 GB PCle-based flash storage
- 4GB memory
- Intel HD Graphics 6000
- Turbo boost of up to 2.6GHz for Processor
Cost £899

The differences in the 11-inch tiers is basically just the increase in storage from 128GB to 256GB, which is most likely better if you're someone who likes to store a lot on the computer, otherwise the Tier-1 model will be just fine (You could also just buy an external hard drive)

Macbook Air 13-inch (Tier 1) 
- 1.6GHz Processor
- 128GB PCle-based flash storage
- 8GB memory
- Intel HD Graphics 6000
- Turbo boost of up to 2.6GHz for Processor
Cost £849

Macbook Air 13-inch (Tier 2) 
- 1.6GHz Processor
- 256 GB PCle-based flash storage
- 8GB memory
- Intel HD Graphics 6000
- Turbo boost of up to 2.6GHz for Processor
Cost £999

Again, the differences in the 13-inch tiers are basically just the memory increasing from 128GB to 256GB, so it's not too much of a big deal unless you need the extra space.

Review 

The differences between the 11-inch and 13-inch models in general mostly boils down to the fact that the 11-inch models contain up to 7 hours of battery life, whereas the 13-inch models contain up to 12 hours of battery life (And I personally have been able to sit for hours on end without needing a charge) along with the pretty obvious differences in the screen sizes.

It's a great device to use for things such as blogging due to the fact it's fast as heck (possibly one of the fasted computers I've had before, which is strange since the processor isn't really anything too special)

If you feel like getting yourself a Macbook Air, for things such as: university, college or just in general, I would recommend using your student discount if you are eligible. Apple offers up to 10% off iPads and MacBooks for students, which in the end can result in £75 - £99 discount depending on what device you by. Sign up to UniDays  if you think you are eligible for this discount

Graze Chocolatebox (Review)

GRAZE BOX REVIEW

Yes, it is finally the time again to post another graze box review, this time with a different type of box. Instead of the usual graze snackbox review, I decided to try out a new box that graze offers called the chocolate box. Instead of taking a picture of the nicely packaged box like I usually do (And let's be honest here, I think we've seen a lifetime of those boxes) I decided to just go straight inside the box.

SNACKS RECEIVED

Cookies & Cream (A mixture of mini cookies, white chocolate, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds)

Bounty Hunter (A mixture of Belgian milk chocolate, coconut and cranberries)

Brilliant Black Forest (A piece of chocolate cake with a cherry purée sauce)

Sticky Chocolate Pudding (A mixture of Belgian milk chocolate with green and black raisins)

Rating for this snack is a 7/10

The first I tried was the Cookies & Cream which looked to be the most appetising. Surprisingly, the cookies inside were very crunchy and nice (nothing different to non-healthy cookies) and the white chocolate tasted very milky and sweet. Although I couldn't bring myself to taste the sunflower seeds (I'm just not willing to eat plant seeds sorry) I'm sure if you like that sort of thing they would have been nice too.

Rating for this snack is a 4/10

The next snack to try was the Bounty Hunter which was actually one of my least favourites I have received from graze. The milk chocolate was very good and of good quality, and the cranberries were also very nice too, but in all honesty I could feel myself trying not to gag when I tasted the coconut (which made up most of the snack by-the-way) 

Rating for this snack is an 8/10

Next, the Brilliant Black Forest dessert which I was very excited to try when I first saw it. The chocolate cake was very spongy and sweet but not too sweet, you could immediately tell that it was freshly made. The cherry purée its self was very strong and tasted slightly alcoholic (I don't know why) but with the cake, the bitterness complimented the cake.

Rating for this snack is a 7/10

Now to the final snack, the Sticky Chocolate Pudding. Again, the milk chocolate in this was the same chocolate in the other snacks in the box and tasted very nice. The black jumbo raisins were also nice (although slightly dry) but I felt that the green raisins had a strange taste to them so I wasn't too keen on them.

OVERALL RATING

The average rating of this box was a 6.5/10

I personally rate this box a 7/10

I hope you enjoyed my review of this new box, and if you want to try out graze click here to try a free box! 

Lush Haul

Shout out to my mums bed for providing the background

So, as you can see by the iconic paper lush bag as the blog post header, today I'm going to show you what I bought from lush! These products that I bought aren't actually for me, I bought them as part of a gift for a birthday present for someone who enjoys baths a little too much..

The first thing I bought from lush was Granny Takes A Dip which is a bath bomb. It looks very colourful just as a solid bar and has a very fruity/citrus smell to it which made me buy it (A summer smelling bath bomb) It has the following description on the website;

"This ginger, pepper and lemon-scented bath bomb turns your water psychedelic and puts some colour in your life. Simply drop into a warm bath and watch as its fizzing centre dissolves into multi-coloured waters. Its spicy, citrusy scent will pep you up: lemon oil boosts the mood, while ginger and pepper are warming."

The next thing I bought was the Fizzbanger and althought it looks like it would smell like lemon, it actually smells more like cinnamon and apple spices. It is a very dense bath bomb so I suspect there are other colours beneath the outer layer although I am not sure because I'm not the one who will be using it! It has the following description on the website;

"A Catherine wheel of a bath bomb. It changes colour as it fizzes, crackling with popping candy as it goes and releasing first a citrussy apple and then a cinnamon, apple pie like scent with a hint of ylang ylang. Petitgrain is used in aromatherapy to calm the breathing, slow the heartbeat and reduce feelings of anxiety. Ylang ylang produces a feeling of joy, and cinnamon leaf oil helps you let go."

The next items I bought were actually bubble bars, which in case you don't know, is a product that you crumble under the running tap/bathwater to produce nice smelling bubbles. The first bubble bar I got is Brightside which has very orangey citrus smell and is slightly sweet smelling in contrast to the bath bombs. I also really like the colour mixture in this bubble bar. It has the following description on the website;

"When you’re chewing on life’s gristle, don’t grumble, give a whistle! Hop in the bath with one of these uplifting bubble bars, Sicilian mandarin, bergamot and tangerine essential oils to help you look on the bright side of life! Its jazzy bright colours will create magnificent orange bath water, and the sunny citrus fragrance is sure to leave you jolly and refreshed."

The last bubble bar that I bought was The Comforter, which is very sweet and fruity smelling compared to all of the other products bought. It smells kind of like raspberry/blackcurrant and I can imagine it turns the bath water pink. It has the following description on the website;

"Sometimes you just need to shut yourself off from the outside world under a blanket of fruity foam that will put you back in the right frame of mind to face the world. This bar is supersized, so you’ll only need to crumble half a bar under your tap to make enough bubbles for a long, comforting soak. Cassis absolute gives a distinctive blackcurrant fragrance, while bergamot adds an uplifting note."

That's all for my "Haul" today and I hope you enjoyed reading what I bought from Lush! If you want to check out Lush or check the ingredients of the products I bought, click here to go to their website.

SmileSciences Teeth Whitening Pen (Review)

TEETH WHITENING PEN

So I thought it was time I did a review that DID NOT concern food for a change and this time I chose to review a product from Smile Science! The product its self is a teeth whitening pen which can be used to remove stains on your teeth (making them whiter) please not that this is NOT a substitute for brushing your teeth.The company also recommends that you consult with your doctor before using any whitening products (not just from them, but in general) 

Before we get into the review I thought I would post some other information that the product has on the package.

SIDE AFFECTS

Some side affects that may occur due to the use of this product is temporary sensitivity in your teeth, although this is normal and will subside

Discontinue the use of the product when you feel sustained discomfort or irritation.

The product should not be used when you are pregnant or breast feeding.

The product is unsuitable for children aged less than 16 years old, persons with dental problems such as periodontal disease and bleeding gums.

DIRECTIONS

Step 1 - Brush your teeth and floss

Step 2 - Twist the pen to dispense the teeth-whitening gel

Step 3 - Smile to keep lips away from your teeth while applying the gel

Step 4 - Apply a layer of teeth-whitening gel to your teeth

Step 5 - Relax your lips after 30-40 seconds (and rinse)

Step 6 - Repeat twice a day for 14 days.

REVIEW

Okay, now since that is out of the way let's get into the review of the product! Now I have only been using this product for a few days and I have already noticed a change in whiteness to my teeth (I am a coffee lover..) Although there is a possibility that you may experience sensitivity, my teeth were already kind of sensitive and I did not notice any increase in sensitivity at all since using the product and other reviews that I have read agree with me. 

When you open the package, it comes in a little box which you will see above as the cover picture to the blog post. Inside the box is then the little teeth-whitening-pen containing the gel that you put on your teeth. The pen its self is kind of small and portable so can be used on-the-go (I used this when I was away camping) It is however a bit tricky to know exactly how many times you twist the pen to push the gel out and how much to use on your teeth, but I guess that just comes down to your own preference for how much you think you need.

The product recommends that you use it for 14 days (which is how long the gel usually lasts until) but I personally feel like I may get a few more days because of the large quantity of the gel that you get in the pen. After only a few days of using the pen I can notice a slight change already and I will post an update on the product when I have finished the full course of the product!

I hope you like the first part of my SmileScience review for their teeth-whitening pen and if you want to check them out I will post their information below!

SmileScience website - http://smile-science.co.uk

Graze Competition Closed

So after one month of pure inactivity, I return with the winners of the graze competition. I picked two random names from my followers on Bloglovin to determine who would win the graze vouchers and I have already contacted the winners! I'd like to say congrats to Millie and Frankie and hopefully they get back to me on their experience with Graze when they redeem their vouchers!

Now that it's summer time, I can now also say that there will be regular posts since I have no other current obligations until school starts back again. Expect to see some new product reviews in the close future which I expect to be arriving soon (some have already been dispatched actually) so it is quite possible that may be the next blog post! Both Millie and Frankie also have blogs, so if you want to check them out I'll post their links below;

http://millieerosee.blogspot.co.uk/
http://www.francescaeloise.co.uk/

Another Graze Giveaway

Yes, I'm using my school shirt as a background

GRAZE VOUCHER GIVEAWAY TO CELEBREATE 170 FOLLOWERS!

So if you've read my blog for awhile now, you would know that I have done a few Graze reviews on here for the first few times I have ordered the Nibbleboxes and I gave away 2 vouchers to two different readers of my blog (Selected at random through twitter/my blog.

I still have a few more vouchers left that I'd like to give out (£5 vouchers with instructions on the back of how to redeem them as you sign up to Graze) I was already planning to give these away, but it also turns out that I hit 170 followers for my blog, so it's to celebrate that too!

How to Enter?

There are no specific rules for how to enter/win, I only ask that you are following the blog through Bloglovin or are a member of the blog. 

How will you get the Prize?

I'll use any contact method that is suited to you! If you follow my twitter, it's also easier to select winners from there, so if you follow me on there, I can easily just DM if you win and send you the code right there and then!

That's all for this post, hopefully you enjoyed my Graze reviews in the past otherwise this give away is pretty much useless to you! Thank you for 170 followers!

Reviews?

So as you can see, I've made some new changes to the blog by adding a new contact page (and a few other behind the scenes stuff) This is mostly because of how the blog and twitter have been getting a lot more attention recently (This may be due to me signing up on Bloglovin)

So I eventually decided to create a contact form for people to fill out if they have any requests on what I should review, or if companies want me to review any of their products. If anyone is interested in recommending things for review, or wants me to review any of their own products, please keep in mind that what I post is 100% my thoughts about a product, I'm not going to "glam" it up to encourage people to purchase it if it isn't actually good.

This is equally bad and good. It's bad in the sense that if you're just looking for cheap sales with no real thought behind the advertisement, getting a review from a blog is not going to be for you. It is however good in getting real feedback from someone who is in the same place as a customer, whether this helps you to make improvements or helps you to know that your product is of a good personal standard to them.

This is just a short update post for everyone to read! Also please check out my Bloglovin and follow me there.

Poland & Germany

As I've said in some previous blog posts when I was anxiously anticipating the trip, I had visited Poland and Germany and as promised, I have some good pictures to show you! (This will not be like one of my usual rant blog posts and mostly pictures!)

Firstly, we have some pictures from the Salt Mines, which were very cramped and claustrophobic at some times!

This was near the start of the mines, where we would soon descend even further

Travelling 433ft underground

The giant Chappel at the end of the mines

After the salt mines, I then visited the Auschwitz concentration camp where I got some pictures. The camp had a weird atmosphere the whole time there...

The blocks where the prisoners were kept

This picture conveys the atmosphere in the camp

The view from a guard tower

After being in Poland for a few days and visiting the concentration camps, we felt it would be better to visit a happier location, so travelled to Berlin in Germany. Our trip there mostly consisted of shopping, sightseeing and tasting German food...

Checkpoint Charlie (Featuring McDonald's in the background)

Remnants of the Berlin Wall

Shopping in Berlin

Alexa shopping mall in Berlin

Well that's most of the good pictures from my time Poland and Germany, I hope you enjoyed this different type of blog post! Let me know in the comments if you think I should do more like this.

Life Update

Like I referenced in other posts, school did indeed get in the way with my my internet life. I know I haven't posted in a while, but considering this is my most important year of school...yeah...

Anyway, for around the past month or so I haven't done anything very interesting aside from GETTING MY FIRST JOB?!. Yes, yes, I am very proud of myself to be quite honest, and I do get a very reasonable pay, which can be quite exciting it's self (checking my bank balance go up each week) but I personally think the whole experience of independently earning money is exciting as well. If you happen to be thinking "Wow, you got a job, ok..." lest we remember that I was only able to legally get a job quite recently, so I would say that's pretty cool ;)

I do plan on posting much more (e.g during holidays since I'll have more time) and I swear I will try to be more interactive next time I decide to "disappear".

Accepting Yourself (Re-draft)

This is an issue a lot of people come across at some point in their lives, and that is what they think about themselves. Some people are uncomfortable with the way they look, whether it be if they have imperfections they do not like, or if they are sensitive about their weight. They may even feel insecure about the way they do things differently to other people. All of these problems come down to one thing, and that is self confidence, one thing some people find hard to develop.

I think the pressures we get as a teenager are way too harsh, but unfortunately it's not something that can be changed easily. Most people have this image of perfection in their head and that is why they feel they aren't good enough. The pressure of being 'Skinny' is one that particularly effects girls and can be vicious cause of Anorexia and Bulimia, and this is because some people don't understand that 'we are who we are' 

Although it may not seem like it, there is also a great pressure on boys when it comes to being attractive, after-all make-up is often noted down as a thing for Females, and while most girls do not use it to totally change how they look, much rather just bring out their best features, boys simply don't have that luxury (without the endless harassment for wearing male makeup anyway)

My best advice is probably that, although you may feel shit about certain things, there comes a point where you just think "I really don't care anymore" and once you get to this point, life is honestly so much better. At the end of the day, how can you expect other people to accept you when you don't accept yourself.

Exploitation of Popularity

By now, I'm sure everyone is familiar with the whole Sam Pepper fiasco and how he purposely took advantage of his fans, but not many people know that this happens all-over youtube, and it's not easily stopped.

Seeing as the community of Youtube mostly consists of easily influenced young teens (Ages 11-17) it's not exactly hard to see how this can lead to exploitation, but what is shockingly disgusting is how some youtubers can use their position of popularity and fame to influence their viewers into doing degrading things. It doesn't only occur with hugely popular youtubers either, even small channels with under 50,00 subscribers partake in such vile things (The youtube channel Eddplant comes to mind here)

Now, although the youtube community is actually really great, welcoming and mostly friendly (aside from the trolls) it is definitely home to many predators who constantly abuse any amount of success they receive. This causes controversy between why they are allowed back into the community with 'open arms' when infact they actually aren't, it's just the fact that we have no power over their channel and can't actually force them to close it

Long story short, yes, people can easily influence people for the worst on youtube, but it can also happen anywhere else on the internet, and to be blunt, no, the youtube community does not condone these acts.

Youtube Channel

Before you start expecting something I usually post, this is just a little life update! I have recently made a youtube channel to coincide with the blog ( I don't expect the channel to go anywhere )
So far, I only plan on making 'How to' videos which will mostly be software based.

My most recent video is 'How to make thumbnails' which is basically just me making and editing a thumbnail very fast. Although it doesn't sound like much, there are quite a few youtubers who use the same method ( I originally found the website through watching a youtubers video)

If you feel like it, check out my channel and maybe subscribe!

All Around The World (Kind of)

So I just wanted to write A short post about something very exciting which will be happening pretty soon. I've known about this 'Exciting thing' for a while now, but I just never really thought it was something I should post about, but things change I guess. Basically, I'm going on a trip around Europe with my school to countries such as Germany, France and Poland. We plan on spending a few days in each country (2 or 3) so we can get through as many as we can while not being away from school for too long.

Of course I plan on taking PLENTY of pictures (This is one of the reasons why I bought my new camera too) and I hope to make another post about the whole experience and also include all of the pictures I took.

Sorry this post is so short, I basically just wanted to do a quick summary instead of a full-out detailed description. If any of you live in Europe comment below what Countries you live in and recommend something that my class can do while we are in your country!

The World of Youtube

If you are aged 12-19, chances are that you already know about Youtube and how great it is! So I thought I would make a post talking about the Youtube Community and who the major 'Youtubers' are at the moment.

Video blogging (or vlogging) is the new popular thing at the moment on youtube, and is one of the main things that attracts the audience most of them have. Not only does it gain them dedicated fans, but it earns them money from things such as channel/video views, advertisements and product reviews. Now, this money isn't enough to make them millionaires but it is 'enough the pay the bills' and send them to popular events such as Vidcon and Playlist Live. Most popular youtubers can also be very positive role-models and do not consider themselves celebrities but plainly normal people who make videos.

Zoe 'Zoella' Sugg

First of all, we have Zoe Sugg (Zoella) who's Fashion, Lifestyle and Beauty blog expanded into a Youtube Channel in 2009. Since then, Zoe has accumulated 6 million subscribers on Youtube, and Millions of Subscribers on Twitter and Instagram. She is the headlining face of Gleam Management, which also manages popular youtubers such as Tanya Burr and Caspar Lee.

She accumulates 26m views on her Youtube channel each month and 8m views on her blog a month. Her youtube channel has been on the rise since late 2012/early 2013 where she gained millions of subscribers over a few months. As described by Gleam, 'Zoe's cute and quirky personality makes her shopping hauls and beauty recommendations easy to watch' however she has now branched out to doing other types of videos, such as collabs with other youtubers featuring dares and games, and she also has her own Vlog channel 'Morezoella'

Marcus 'Helloooo!' Butler

Marcus Butler is also another example of a popular Youtuber (who is also a very good role-model to his fans). He is managed by Gleam, like Zoella, and started his Youtube channel in 2010 after creating music remixes in College. His main youtube channel currently has 3m subscribers with 22m views a month. He also has over 2m subscribers on Twitter and Instagram and his Blog attracts 250k views a month. His vlog channel is also a clear audience attracter, which features his girlfriend (and newly found youtuber) Niomi Smart.

Marcus focuses on posting random videos on his main channel and daily vlogs on his second channel, and he is now working on his own Gaming channel. In 2013 he was also part of a youthbe channel named "Guiness World Records OMG!" in which he attempted to beat World records with other youtubers such as Alfie Deyes.

These people are the personalities of the present and the future, thanks to youtube.

Sexism in Society

There has always been a strict line between how a Man and Woman should behave, and I think it's about time society 'gets with the current times' and realizes no one should be expected to do something, or be judged for things that the same gender does.

Recently a prank video of Sam Pepper has reached media with wild responses and allegations. This video features sam pinching girls bums as they turn their back and him covering it up (blaming it on other people mostly). I believe that although it is degrading for the women in the video, if it was a woman prankster in the video there wouldn't be as much media attraction and there would be almost next to none allegations of sexual abuse/harassment. 

However, I feel like women have a lawful favouritism when it comes to things like harassment. Women can just as equally abuse someone sexually, but of course, in the eyes of the law a woman cannot rape a man. This is basically because you have to be penetrated for it to be classed as rape, and most peoples response is 'Men can't be raped because they would have to be unwilling' I find this pretty dim-witted and shocking that society actually believes that men just think sex 24/7 (That's only the nymphomaniacs) Equally however, A women who has slept with over 2 men is classed as a 'slut' whereas a Man gets praise for bedding as many woman as he can find; I also find this pretty sexist.

An expectation society also seems to have for women, is that they must be perfectly presentable at all times, even if that means they have to suffer in pain in order to fit into a 'stylish' dress. Teenage girls these days are also expected to wear make-up every day to cover up their flaws and make themselves seem more attractive, and I think this is honestly atrocious that people can make others feel so uncomfortable and insecure.

In conclusion, basically society just needs a wake-up call that we are our own person and we shouldn't be judged for acts people of the same sex commit; we should all be equally praised and punished. Also please do not take this as hate for whatever gender you are, I just brought up points I felt were relevant.

The Two Sides of Scotland

Recently, on the 18th September, there was a very special vote which took place in Scotland. This vote was (or would have been) the first step toward Scotland's independence, and how we would break away from the UK.

I was one of few who weren't very intimidated by the Scottish Referendum, and actually voted without A moment of stress or regret. I decided to vote Yes down to the the fact that I believe my country would do fine on it's own with the amount of resources we have access to, and the strong trades within the country. I would however, still be happy if we stayed within the UK (Let's not lie to ourselves, Thorpe Park and Alton Towers are great)

Over the past few days since the final result however (which was a NO, by the way), there has been riots between Yes and No voters all throughout Scotland, and mostly within our most popular city, Glasgow. Not only is it pointless, but it is downright embarrassing. Whether the Vote was tampered with or not (There have been several allegations of miscounts and fraud during the referendum) Scotland as a country will need to accept whatever outcome occurs and adapt to it; but of course this wasn't the case.

Riot in Glasgow George Square

Since the result, there has been a great divide in Scotland between those who voted Yes and those who voted No, which has also caused a petition for a re-vote to surface. This just shows how badly countries can react to votes of Independence, and I personally think the country would be better off if no vote had taken place.

Ebola Outbreaks

There are soooo many dangers in the world, and the most deadliest are often too small to see with the naked eye. An example of these microscopic killers is the Ebola Virus, which has been fighting it's way through our population since 1976.

It all started in 1996, in the village of Yambuku near the Ebola river - where the virus got It's name from - and the first person to contract the disease was the village Headmaster, Mabalo Lokela, who became infected after touring the Ebola river during the 12th-22nd of August 1996; he later died on the 8th of September. Since then, there was another 318 other cases reported near the same area which resulted in 280 deaths (Meaning the virus had a 88% fatality rate).

The virus was then eventually contained with the help of the World Health Organization, but then another species of the virus was identified in Sudan, which effected 283 people and killed 151 - Meaning this species has a 53% fatality rate -. Since then, the Ebola Virus was generally unheard of up until 6th December 2013 in Guinea, where an outbreak was traced back to a 2 year old boy who later died. Since then, by mid-august there has been around 2,127 cases and 1,145 deaths, and due to this, on the 8th August 2014, the World Health Organization declared an "international public health emergency" epidemic, which urged the rest of the world to aid effected regions of the world.

The virus can often be confused with viruses like Cholera, Typhoid fever and Malaria (Symptoms also tend not to appear for up to 21 days). The virus has flu-like symptoms such as headaches, fevers and muscle pain, but anyone infected with the virus may also suffer internal bleeding and even external bleeding from the eyes, ears, mouth and nose. The only current way to treat anyone infected is to isolate them in intensive care, where body organs can be correctly supported as the body fights the virus. The only discovered way for the virus to transmit from human-to-human is through bodily fluids, although the natural host for the virus is thought to be fruit bats.

All of this was the thing that led up to the deadly virus that is migrating from country-to-country today, so as long as you don't exchange bodily fluids with anyone who has recently visited countries around the equator (specifically Africa) you should be fine!

Dexter (TV Review)

Rating = 10/10        Seasons = 8        Genre = Crime Drama

I thought it was time for another TV show review, and one show I have been watching a lot lately is Dexter. It ended it's run in late 2013 after 8 seasons and 7 years of production. Although it ended last year, it is still one of Netflix's most viewed shows and that is for that reason; it's amazing. It has to be one of a few shows where everyone is rooting for the 'bad guy' not to get caught.

Plot Summary

The show starts off with it's central character, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) who is portrayed as having a bipolar-like life. He is a Forensic Scientist for the Miami Metro Police by-day and then a sadistic serial killer by-night. As the show progresses however, we soon learn Dexter has a code which he kills by, and one of his rules is to only kill people who he believes should die, which basically means he doesn't kill anyone who is 'innocent' but only criminals.

James 'Surprise Motherfucker' Doakes, Portrayed by Erik King

Later into season 1 of the show however, we learn how Dexter came-to-be such a hellish human being, and that is mainly down to the fact that his mother was ripped apart by a chainsaw right in-front of him. His adoptive sister, Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter) is also a very interesting character. Her foul mouth and obliviousness are part of the key elements why she is a show favorite, and she also plays a vital role throughout season one (I won't tell you why, check out season one yourselves!) Lastly, another interesting character in the show is Rita Bennett (Julie Benz) whom is a caring mother for her two children, Aster and Cody, but she is also very emotionally damaged due to being abused by her ex-husband, Paul. When her and Dexter first start dating, it is clear he only really sees her as camouflage for his vigilant acts, but soon we begin to see how Dexter starts to form monumental feelings for Rita, which creates A lot of problems with his 'code'.

My Thoughts

Now, obviously I don't want to give away too much (although surprisingly I actually haven't, the show is full of mysteries) so that is all I'm going to write for the plot summary (It is only a summary after all)

Surprisingly accurate still of Debra Morgan (Jennifer Carpenter)

Basically, Dexter is the type of show that can play with your feelings pretty well and you honestly get sucked into it pretty fast. It has a rating of 9.1/10 on IMDB, and as we know IMDB are pretty tough critics. I have just recently finished season 4, and I have to say that it actually had an emotional effect on me (Once I stop feeling so sad I'll start season 5!) and I think this is an experience with a show that everyone should have

In conclusion, Dexter's anticipation, mystery and interesting plot proves to be the best combinations for a very successful and enjoyable show. It is different to any other show and kind of turns the tables on what we would normally go for in a TV show; this will definitely get you excited about the bad guy instead of the 'hero', and as Dexter would once say, "If I had a heart, it would be breaking right now".

Graze Nibblebox #2 (Review)

Recently, my second Graze box came through the letter box and I have to say, after last time, I was pretty excited for this weeks box.  It came on the exact day it was supposed to (It must have been a problem with the post last time) and the box was packaged very nicely (as always)

Basically, after gently pulling off the pieces of plastic separating me from the food, I opened the box to a lovely picture of blackberries. Inside the bottom compartment was the usual booklet containing information on the treats received and also some friend code slips.

These are the treats I got inside my box, which I was quite happy with. The ones that looked the most appealing were the My Thai soy bites and the Walnut & Vanilla Truffle. Now, obviously they can't ALWAYS send you the stuff that you like so they will try to send you new things to try and then rate, so that's where my Rhubarb & Pear compote came from (I kind-of despise dried pears). Now I'll write my review on each individual snack!


      Salt & Vinegar Nut Selection                                                                 Walnut & Vanilla Truffle
            606 calories (Per 100g)                                                                                                               484 calories (Per 100g)

                                                   

The Salt & Vinegar Nut Selection consists of Salt                         The Walnut & Vanilla Truffle consists of
& Vinegar flavored peanuts and Almonds. You can                       Walnuts, Pieces of fudge, Vanilla flavored
taste the salt more than the vinegar, but they are still                 Pumpkin seeds and Raisins. Although this
very nice! The nice crunch and unique taste of Salt &                   looks very nice, it does not taste the way it
Vinegar are just a few reasons why I already prefer                      looks (especially the walnuts, which look
these to regular shop-bought nuts.                                              slightly caramelized but taste plain)

Rating = 8/10                                                               Rating = 5/10

            My Thai Soy bites                                                                          Rhubarb and Pear compote
            336 calories (Per 100g)                                                                                                            329 calories (Per 100g)

                                                     

The My Thai Soy bites consists of 8 bakes soy                               The Rhubarb and Pear compote consists

bites (which are very nice btw) and a sweet chilli                             of Cranberries, Rhubarb and Pear slices

dipping sauce (which is also very nice). All together, I                     (which have been dried I assume) They 

have to say this was one of the best savory snacks I have                all taste pretty nice aside from the Pear

received so far from graze, the crackers were absolutely                  having a very weird aftertaste and first-

amazing and the chilli since was nice and sweet!                              hand taste. Not one of my favorites.

Rating = 10/10                                                          Rating = 6.5/10

I hope you guys enjoyed this second review and if you want to give graze a try, click here to get your first, fifth and tenth box free! Also a quick reminder I am still doing a giveaway to win two £5 graze vouchers! This competition is over