Memorable May

Its the last day of May and i've just realised if I don't post a new blog today then I fail my new years resolution of blogging at least once a month this year. Soo here goes...

I'm been lacking blog inspiration this month. I'm also feeling a bit down today so I thought what better way than a reflective post on all the good that this month has seen :)

This month I went to the Busted 'PigsCanFly' concert. This was my 4th ever concert but probably my favourite. I went with my sister and my 2 best friends and it was soo nice to spend time with some of my favourite people all together. It was especially nice to go to a concert with my sister. Our music tastes are so different but growing up Busted was always the music we both enjoyed. Everything from the lighting, to the flying pig made this concert memorable. Seeing the support act of Emma Blackery (a youtuber both myself and my sister watch) followed by hearing Wheatus perform teenage dirtbag live was the best way to start off the concert. Busted were incredible and it made me feel like I was 10 again.

Busted Selfie, Me and Sis ready for Busted Concert, Busted

Another thing I enjoyed this month was a night out with my mum and a new group of friends. We all met at slimming world, and we have a good laugh. We decided to get custom tshirts printed, let our hair down, I got drunk (classic Ames) and then had a hangover the next day. It was worth it though.

Before photo with Mum in our tshirts, Amester, Drunken Selfies

The third highlight of my month was dying my hair. I was bored of my normal hair and fancied a change. Change is good!

Purple Plum

But although all these things were highlights of the month, they have all been topped by one thing! One thing that means my childhood dream is now able to become a reality! My Working Holiday Visa for Australia got granted!! Time to start planning...

What made May memorable for you?

Amester x

Things I am thankful for

Why is it easy to get soo wrapped up in life's flaws and hindrances instead of fixating on the positivity life has to offer? It is all too easy to become blinded by the good things staring right at you! I know for one, I am guilty of this. Although I'd class myself as a generally positive person, there are times, situations and scenarios that draw me into a negative mindset. 

Here is a poem I have come up with that highlights the things I am currently thankful for:

Life has its hindrances and flaws

To eliminate the negativity

Break through the locked doors

To enter the new era of positivity

Discover what makes you thankful

For me a loving and supportive family

Wifi and WhatsApp are wonderful

Allowing communication with my sis in Bali

Medication that maintains my health

My dog who gives endless affection

A job that allows some wealth

My bed for a hard to break relation

Youtubers for publishing hours of footage

Always educating, enlightening, inspiring

Spare time like creating this in a train carriage

A good network of friends allows enjoyable socialising

A unique space like this blog

Allows me to document, reflect, express

A written down physical log

Complete freedom, no expectations to impress

This blog post came around from an idea I had in the shower, and a spurt of creativity on a recent train journey. I find it hard to put my thoughts into word form, so I'm quite pleased with this poem I managed to come up with :) 

What are you currently thankful for?

Amester x

#fmsphotoaday February 2016

This blog post is inspired by my sister, who wrote a blog post about her attempt at the #fmsphotoadaychallenge in January.

The #fmsphotoadaychallenge was introduced to me a year or so back by my mother. It is a photo challenge set up by a blogger called fat mum slim Each day of the year has a different prompt to base a photo on for that day. These can then be uploaded to instagram with the hashtag #fmsphotoaday or uploaded to the official Facebook page. It is essentially a community of like minded people who enjoy photo sharing through these prompts. Although each individual is using the same prompt, each photo is unique and so much diversity can be found.

During the month of February I set myself the challenge of attempting to upload each day for this challenge. Here are a selection of my favourite uploads. The rest can be found over on my instagram page by clicking here

Day 4 Prompt: Texture. 

For this one I decided to photograph the texture of the tree trunk at the bottom of the garden. I was stood wandering which section to photograph, when my eyes were drawn in. I realised that a section of the bark looked like the outline of the continent of 'Africa'.

Day 8 Prompt: Family

I had to get my pandas in somehow this month!

Day 12 Prompt: Paper

I was struggling for an idea for this prompt, when I was sat making a photo album. I suddenly realised that photos are indeed 'paper' and this is what I came up with :)

Day 13 Prompt: Pet

Conveniently the 'pet' prompt fell on Busters 10th birthday.

Day 24 prompt: Path

For this prompt I decided to think outside the box and I came up with this quote. To me I believe life is to short to not follow the path YOU want to take. After all its only you having to live your life! My current life path is one of travel, what is yours?

Regretfully I failed at this challenge. I made it to day 25 (of 29) and basically fell at the last hurdle. I lost inspiration and felt that it became more of a daily chore I had made myself instead of a fun interaction. Although I will not be continuing this daily I will still participate in this challenge, when I feel I have a good idea for a prompt.

If you are reading this blog post and participate in this challenge, or even if you don't and are an active instagrammer, I would love to check your stuff out. Please leave your instagram handles in the comments section or tweet them to me at @AmesterAmes

Amester :)

Panda-monium

Anyone who remotely knows me will know that I have a love of pandas. What they may not know is why.

This love affair all began in 1993, on the day I was born, where I was gifted with a cuddly toy panda. Naturally as a young kid my love for this cuddly toy panda grew into more of a big deal whereby pandas were now my favourite animal. Ever since, anything panda related has been associated with myself, to the point 22 years down the line where I now have a substantial panda collection.

The original panda

Let me introduce my original panda. The cuddly toy I fell in love with, looked after, washed (in the washing machine), put plasters on when holes appeared until mum or grandma sewed them up, took everywhere with me, still sleeps in my bed at the age off 22 (I have no shame) and to this day is my most treasured possession, which if my house was on fire and I could only save one thing (after my parents, sis and dog), I would without question save this panda.

For this blog post I decided to try and find some old photos of myself and 'original panda' for a trip down memory lane. This is what I uncovered...

Panda chilling with myself, my older sister and dad in the caravan in 1994, when I was 1 years old.

I took Panda to the dinner table so he could eat the same food as myself...

...later that same day, a much need nap was taken.

At this stage, I should probably introduce you to Brian. Brian is my sisters teddy and Pandas brother.

Me, my sister, Panda and Brian

For my 3rd birthday I received this panda cake :) made by my aunt!

Nap time cuddles

Being the cheeky person I am, I clearly thought it would be funny to throw Panda when having a photo.

Picnic time!

As well as looking through the photo archives I also thought it would be a nice idea to gather all my panda possessions into one place. Now, I knew I had a lot, but after seeing the visual representation, I find it quite funny how much I actually have.

My current panda collection.

In this photo there are 72 items! Consisting of...1 lunch box, 1 plate, 1 money box, 1 book, 1 tile, 1 bag, 1 memory box, 1 PJ top, 1 purse, 1 pair of slippers, 1 panda charm, 1 set of stickers, 1 set of panda thankyou cards, 1 set of panda Russian dolls (brought on the great wall of China itself), 1 salt and pepper shake, 2 pillows, 2 hats, 2 jumpers, 2 fridge magnets, 3 figurines, 3 brooches, 4 underwear, 6 keyrings, 9 pictures, 12 different pairs of socks and 12 cuddly toys.

The funny thing is, these are mostly gifts I have received over the years. I think I have brought no more than 5 of these 72 items personally. Although this is all I could find, It wouldn't surprise me if there is more panda items hiding somewhere in the house.

Have you had an obsession growing up? If so comment below what it was!

Amester x

P.S; if you'd like to find my sisters blog it can be found at http://fairyelephantblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Thankyou 2015, 2016 I am ready :)

The end of a year/beginning of a new year always somehow turns everyone much more reflective. I know for one I reflect on the previous year, what I accomplished, what I didn't achieve, the memories made and the pondering of what the next year may pan out like. So now it is 2016 and this blog post will reflect on my 2015 and how I see my 2016 going.

How the hell is it 2016 already?! It feels like 2015 went past in the blink of an eye. Despite it flying by I feel 2015 was a good year for myself, one I will look back on happily for years to come.

2015 marked my first entire calender year out of education since I started the long haul of academia at the age of 4 (I'm 22 now, so work out how many years I had to endure education). The end of this era bought with it my first entire calender year in an employed position. I'm fully aware that the next 45+ years will all be dedicated to work but getting the first one out of the way feels like an achievement in itself. 

In January 2015 I finally had my graduation ceremony, despite being freezing all day and wind swept photos for memories I look to that day with pride of celebrating the achieving of my degree. It was made all the more special that I shared it with 3 of my closest friends who supported each other through the hard times and laughed at the good times throughout the 3 years at university. Also having my family witness me graduating meant a whole lot to me :) It was a fitting way to end my time at university. It didn't stop me feeling sad on the drive home when reality struck that graduation was my last cling-on to claiming I was still a student, that I had to accept I was a fully accepting adult in societies eyes and I could no long use the 'but I'm a student' excuse when I didn't wake up till 2pm, was low on money, was hungover, etc.

2015 also saw me escape rainy, cold England for a couple of months to travel rainy, cold Europe (the sun appeared towards to end of the trip). 6.5 weeks of just my sister for company, living out a backpack, paying in foreign currency, using different transport systems, trying to establish what foreign signs said, trying to converse with people speaking in different languages to get by, sightseeing, etc. It was a challenge but an enjoyable one where I gained many memories that I'm sure will be spoken about for years to come.

2015 was also much more than these big events; it allowed me to realise friends can live at distance and not speak/see each other all the time, it just makes the time spent together mean much more. 2015 let me appreciate family time a lot more than ever, I have always been family orientated and close but with working it now means less free time, so it was down to me to make sure I filled some of this free time with family time. 2015 allowed me to go out for food and coffee with my mum and sis (hot chocolate in my case) more often, and being able to offer to pay because I had a stable income for the first time in my life. 2015 allowed me to buy more people Christmas gifts; again because I had a stable income and had saved up to ensure I could do this. 2015 turned me into a saver whereas before I was a spender, by saving I can plan towards the future with the knowledge that I will have sufficient funds saved when I may need them.

Despite all the memories and achievements 2015 bought, inevitably it had its drawbacks. I feel that for the months after my return from travelling, my life became engulfed by work. Working 5 days a week, a change of ownership and more hours on offer I found myself working more and more. I also struggled to switch off from work on my days off. I noticed that this was effecting my happiness and mood, I felt my personality was fading because I was constantly in my work role where you have to be more professional. As a result I decided to put myself first, work my 5 days, leave when my shift ended, switch off from the workplace and try to make the most of my 2 days off a week.

So what will 2016 bring?! I want to continue making the most of my days off, I want to put myself first, be my old self and do what I want to do! I'd like to continue to make people laugh, I want to lose weight and get my body to a stage where I am comfy in the clothes I own. I'd like to develop a hobby. I want to put more effort and attention into this blog; I know I failed last year so during 2016 I will aim to post once a month at the least, if its more than that's a bonus :) 2016 will also see my childhood dream become a reality! If all goes to plan, towards to tail end of the year I will be travelling to the other side of the world and living in Australia for up to a year on a working holiday visa.

2016 will be my year! I am looking forward to it :) What are you most looking forward to this year?!

Amester x

Raindrops keep falling on my head

A friend suggested to me the other day that people following my travel blogs may think i'm still in Italy seeing as I haven't posted an updated blog in over 3.5 months. Belated apologies for this but to fill you in on my long absence from my blog, since my return my days have consisted of; work, sleep, seeing friends and family and more work. My life can be described as back to the boring mundane pre travelling era. To be honest, this travelling malarkey feels like a whole distant dream that I once lived. But for those still interested here are the much anticipated (don't kid yourself Ames) Italian blog posts, there will be 4 in total :)

Leaving Salzburg drew to an end stage one of mine and Jens European adventure, while at the same time starting leg 2; Italy. Somewhere we had both wanted to visit for a long time, somewhere we had penciled in 2 weeks of our travels for to explore this country. On our train journey somewhere between Salzburg and Padova, we traveled through a snow storm! Snapping away with my camera, trying out different settings to try and capture some of the nicest snow covered scenery I have witnessed kept me entertained. When our train became stationary at a random station I was itching to get out and play in it! We opted not too because well knowing our luck the train would have left without us. In hindsight we wish we did as we were stationed at this station for a good 30-40 minutes.

Snow pretty

Upon arrival into Padova, our base for the next 5 nights, we found our b&b. Welcomed by the host, shown our room and given a detailed history of the area, we were tired but excited. By now we were hungry so ventured out for pizza then called it a night. The following day still lethargic from the long day of travel the day previous we decided to take it easy. This meant a day exploring the city of Padova. Map in hand we just set out in search of all the places of interest that our host had circled for us. Well that was until I lost our map, meaning we were wandering around without a clue where we actually were haha. Heavy rain and sore blisters made this adventure all the more interesting. We made it back safely to our b&b though so alls good :)

Day 28 of our travels took us to Venice, a half hour train ride from Padova. Despite constant rain all day I really enjoyed Venice. For once I enjoyed being lost, not knowing which street or canal we were following. We walked our way through this maze city for hours, still happy despite raining. We found a lovely little restaurant called Ginos to eat in. A menu stating which dishes were vegetarian pleased Jen while free wifi pleased me. Infact we ate here for both dinner and lunch :) No gondulas were experienced by us due to the expense; however with the downpour of rain we wouldn't have enjoyed it anyways. Instead we enjoyed wandering inside souvenir shops, found some gifts for friends and just enjoyed the vibe of this unique city. Jen was also on a mission to find some new shoes seeing as hers had fallen apart. This was a success and the new pair lasted the whole remainder of the trip :)

Venice was lovely even in the rain

Still raining, we were still determined to explore. Day 29 saw us board another train, this time to Verona. Verona was also a very nice day trip. lots to experience including a lovely waterfall situated next to a small amphitheatre; marble covered streets which although looked impressive, weren't practical in the rain causing slipping; Castelvecchio Castle and its bridge over the river and Julietts balcony to name a few.

Verona

Finally on our fourth day in Italy the sun decided to make an appearance :) Italy was where I planned on topping my tan up so out came the shorts :) We spent much of the day sunbathing in Italy's largest square Prato delle Valle. This area was buzzing with different sports; tennis for the youngsters, zumba, an organised pink run (presumably like our race for life); music, dogs, couples, street sellers, etc. The vibe was just lovely :) We also ate at a restaurant where the served food was most likely an expensive microwave meal on our behalf. Before leaving we decided it would be a good idea to use their free loo. Jen went first and on her return informed me it was literally a hole in the ground. I decided to pass on experiencing this and waited until return to the b&b haha.

The tractor reminded of me home!

The first stage of my trip to Italy was wet (stupid rain), busy but enjoyable and from what I have seen of Italy soo far, I like it :)

Amester x

These are a few of my favourite things

After Prague it was time to head for Salzburg, this required two different trains and with it you get two different stories - aren't you spoilt!

During our travels me and Jen have made no attempt to socialise with outsiders and have been content with each other for company. We enjoy our own space so it suits us fine not really socialising! Sometimes we can't even be bothered to socialise with each other hahaa

Train one from Prague to Linz, Austria. Here we found our seats for the journey in a little cabin (like on the Hogwarts train). Eventually we were joined by an American guy who plucked up the courage to try and engage us in conversation. Having not socialised with outsiders for around 3 weeks this was scary! Anyhow we found out he was living in Linz working as an English teaching assistant, had only seen Heathrow in England and enjoyed a cheep kebab in Prague. He also told us about getting a 'Salzburg card' to get discounts into different museums which was nice to know even if we didn't follow his advice because we weren't interested in visiting the museums. Still was nice to talk to someone other than my sister for 5 minutes.

Now onto story 2 which is more interesting - again sat in our seats we were joined by a group of 2 elderly couples. Old people talk to everyone so we were forced into conversation again - by now my social threshold was being stretched :p Anyway the typical icebreaker question of 'where do you come from?' was voiced. They were obviously English as they were talking about ordering a cuppa within seconds of sitting down so I said Gloucester. Laughs erupted. Turns out one of the ladies lives in Gloucester also - 926 miles (thanks google) from home suddenly made the world feel a whole lot smaller!

A long way from home

Other than traveling the most productive thing we did on that day was wash our clothes in the sink. Something before these travels I probably had never done seeing as home has a washing machine.

Believe it or not the actual process of travelling from A to B is actually quite tiring and not as much as a rest like we'd hoped would be the case. As a result we decided to make our first full day in Salzburg a rest day. By rest day I mean a lazy morning followed by a McDonald's followed by a trek up a big steep mountain! I soo wanted to give in half way up but decided I may as well plod on. The views at the top were fantastic so it made the walk worth while :) the plan for the evening was to try and watch the sound of music on my tablet but the internet was too slow so we settled on doing some of our travel journals. Oh yea my trousers also ripped today - wouldn't have been an issue but they were the only pair I had on me during my travels -_-

Salzburg through the trees

The following day I was on a mission to find some new trousers. I eventually found some within my price range in good old h&m, happy days :) we headed into the city for a walk around but didn't come across anything interesting so we settled for sitting along the river enjoying the hot weather.

Percy enjoyed catching the sun along the riverside

The next day we had booked to go on a sound of music tour! It was really fun seeing all the filming location and inside knowledge about how the film was constructed. During the trip we stopped for an hour in the town of Mondsee, home to the church used during the wedding scene in the sound of music. It was a cute little town and did very nice cake! During the coach trip the sound of music soundtrack was played which was enjoyable.

Sound of music locations

I did enjoy my time in Salzburg but it has been my least favourite place so far. I think this is mainly due to the area not having an awful lot to do.

Amester x