Currently listening to: International Music playlist

I thought I would delve into my Spotify playlist and share with you guys some of the songs I've been loving recently but, adding a bit of a twist, I decided to have an international focus.  I've been listening to a lot of songs from countries other than America or the UK, namely from Latin America/Spain, France and West Africa. A couple of friends from University speak Spanish (which is great until you find yourself at the dinner table not having a clue what they're laughing at because someone decided to tell a joke in Spanish!) and my sister is currently studying French at college so she decided to create a french playlist on Spotify (French rap is actually pretty cool, who knew??) that I've been listening to aswell so I guess you could say I've been influenced by them! Oh and Afrobeats because, well, this genre of music isn't exactly new to me but it's just great music to dance to when you've got nothing else to do on a Friday night!

Indila - Derniere Danse

Kendji Girac - Andalouse // Gitano

Jill Barber - Petite Fleur

Black M - Je ne Dirai rien // Mme Pavoshko

Enrique Iglesias - El Perdedor // Bailando // Bailando (English Version) //

Prince Royce - Darte Un Beso

Marc Anthony - Vivir Mi Vida

Romeo Santos - Propuesta Indecente // Eres Mia

P Square - No one like you // Chop my money

Bracket - Yori Yori // Mama Africa

Falz - Marry Me (Insert cry laughing emoji here)

Banky W - Yes/No

I can't speak a word of French or Spanish by the way (although I am learning), but a quick google search for lyric translations and it's all good! So, a couple of my favourites at the moment, enjoy and let me know what you're currently listening to!

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Saying No // Musings

'One day, I'll find the right words, and they will be simple' 

 Jack Kerouac

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Scrolling through twitter on the bus, trying to ignore how packed it was and how close some guys armpit was to my face as he clung to a railing to avoid falling over, something was retweeted on to my time line that caught my attention. I should have taken a screenshot of it but the gist of the tweet was:

'Learn to say no. Without explaining yourself after. No. Just no. Because no.'

And, let me tell you guys, this is so hard to do.  I always think that the word 'no' needs to be followed by an explanation as to why. And in some situations this may be the case. But sometimes, if you don't feel like doing something, a suitable explanation as to why might be hard to come by and that is ok. 'Not right now' and 'no thank you' are perfectly fine as complete sentences and can be used in a number of situations - at work, with friends, with a guy.

At work

Not wanting to get involved with something or if you are too busy to even think about taking on any extra work are probably the biggest reasons that you would want to decline work. I know that at work this might seem pretty hard to do, especially if you are new to the company or you are at a trainee position, declining work does not paint a great first impression. But if there comes a time where extra work would prove to be a detriment to your health, causing stress and exhaustion, then saying 'no' becomes a necessity you can't escape. Valuing your time and understanding your priorities are important and a courteous 'not right now' or offering a solution/different contribution is a great way to do this without offending.

With friends & family

Spending time with friends and family is great. Obviously. Making memories, telling stories and just laughing till it hurts are things every single person has the opportunity to enjoy. But sometimes, you need some 'me time', you know?? Saying no to a meet up date but offering an alternative date is a great way to balance it out. And besides, sometimes you don't even have to explain your 'no' - that's the great thing about friendships, they are understanding and empathetic if you're just having 'one of those days'.

With a guy

Ever been approached by a guy and the words 'no, sorry, I have a boyfriend' naturally fall out of your mouth? Yep, same. Regardless of whether or not you do have a boyfriend, this sentence is pretty standard in avoiding followup attention. It pretty much translates to 'I would love to give you my number, but because I have a boyfriend and I'm not the cheating type, I am forced to decline your offer. Gutted.' Which is wrong in all kinds of ways but the bottom line - 'No' is sufficient and 'no' is a complete sentence.  Buuuut obviously we don't live in a perfect world and you get the guys who are annoyingly persistent, even when they can see that you are uncomfortable and unwilling to engage in conversation. But with getting into the habit of putting weight behind a 'no' and not following it up with a reason, after a while, the guys gotta accept reality, right?? Or you could just do The Face and hope it will scare him away.

I think that saying 'Yes' and saying 'No' to things are two important lessons to learn - you don't want to cut things off without ever seeing what opportunities may come your way, but at the same time, you don't want to exhaust yourself by bending over backwards to accommodate for everything people ask of you or every opportunity that comes up.  After all, life is all about a happy balance.

Do you guys have any advice to offer on saying 'no'?

Check out my latest YouTube Video: Having an unexpected crush

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Mistakes of a 20-something // Musings

I recently stumbled across this blog post from The Sunday Blah and I loved it so much that it got me thinking about my own continuous mistakes that I should probably stop making. Everybody makes mistakes, some are small, some are big but you're always supposed to learn from them right?  But there are always be those poor acts of judgement that are misguided, wrong or regrettable that you seem to find yourself making again... and again.... and again. So I thought I would compile a small list of my own silly mistakes in an attempt to gain some reassurance that I'm not the only one!

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Staying up late

And by late I mean scrolling through blogs till 4am when my alarm is set to go off in about four hours time. Sleep?? What is that??!!!?!!! I always find myself getting tired at around 11pm but by the time I've gotten up from where I'm sat and completed my night time routine, I find that I am fully awake and ready to partaaay (ok  maybe not exactly partaaay).  So, you know, I'll just check twitter/bloglovin/facebook/youtube/my emails/that new app I downloaded again and hopefully it'll make me sleepy. Fast forward a couple of hours and I'm halfway through watching a new TV series or I've found myself in an endless scroll of tumblr reblogging all the cool images. Time to sort out my sleeping schedule and be part of the rise-and-shine-at-6am-all-refreshed-and-totally-not-grumpy gang

Being disappointed that everything isn't figured out already

As much as everyone keeps saying that your 20s are for figuring out what you want to do with your time and trying new things, a big part of me wishes that I already did have it all figured out so that I can chill with the constant thoughts of 'omg, what am I doing with my life?!' And it's all very well saying that everyone is also in the same position because Facebook begs to differ. Ah, Facebook. When did it go from a place to laugh at last nights photos to a place of status updates about the new job/home/holiday/marital status?  I guess this is a mistake that will keep on happening until things really are figured out but until then, it's a perfect time for growth, ambitious dreams and determination. 

Waaaaaaay too much chocolate eating

Chocolate is both my love and my kryptonite.  I mean, it's delicious, but also probably not the best thing for general health, you know??  I once vowed to give up chocolate forever; a resolution that lasted all of 5 months.  I guess that was still somewhat of an achievement and I have definitely cut my chocolate intake in half (hey, some people are trying to quit smoking, I'm trying to quit chocolate!) Now, I always find myself doing some food shopping and just slipping in a couple of bars of chocolate, or snacking on a Snickers bar while doing some work or munching on KitKat while waiting for the bus and I reckon my arteries are screaming for me to stop. I think it's time I made the transition to making my own chocolate snacks with cacao powder so I can feel less guilty!

Refusing to check the bank balance

Who else just does not check their bank balance for ages and pretends like everything is ok?! Of course it's ok, why would it not be ok?? It's not like you have failed to save more than £200 or you continue to spend your money on frivolous things that you don't actually need...  It's not like every time you go to buy something your heart does a little leap of worry just incase today is the day that the shop assistant will look up at you with a sympathetic face and asks 'do you have another form of payment? This card's not working...' Yep, been there, done that, got several t-shirts.  It's definitely time to build a better relationship with the bank!

What are some of your mistakes that you keep making and should really put in effort to stop?

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Tales of a wanderer // Musings

'Today, find a point of stillness:

Brief, but precious. 

Slight, but full. 

Small, but luminously real...'

- Na'ama Yehuda

I'm pretty sure I've already mentioned this about 542987 times before but the University of Nottingham has such a beautiful campus and it shares its grounds with Highfields Park which is quite possibly my favourite place in Nottingham (apart from my house of course, because, you know, food and my bed. Oh and my family I guess).  It's nothing spectacular but it's the place I like to go when things get a bit blearuurrrghhmehhharghh (oh yes, that familiar feeling) as it's always really peaceful or, as my friend likes to say, 'tranquil'. 

So I go, wander around for a bit, find a nice bench with a lovely view, sit and just people/squirrel watch before heading home.  Sitting on a park bench and doing nothing or wandering aimlessly around the grounds may seem like a complete waste of time, I mean, time is the biggest commodity we have, so why waste it right??  As the one thing we strive to use efficiently and constantly crave as we get older, time is the most important thing there is. As the saying goes, time is money and however we spend it builds up who we are as a person. But among the deadlines, exam revision, house chores, life errands, work schedules, social dates, family commitments etc etc etc, sometimes you need a moment, some space and some time to just be still. Some people like meditation, others choose yoga while for some a run on the treadmill works best. For me, it's a moment on a park bench. It's a place of sanctuary and peace, a place to be still while the world keeps going and a place to think with no distractions, no messages, no stress... no worries. 

I think everyone needs their own place of stillness - a place of quiet among the raging noise of the world - so I challenge you guys, if you don't have one, to find one. A place and time where your phone goes off and you just listen to the sounds around you, to your own breathing, to your own thoughts... completely aware of your being in that present moment.  I sound like I'm a new found Yogi telling you to 'search for your inner eye' but I can promise you this - learning to take a moment to be still is priceless and one of the greatest lessons I've learnt.  It's one of those things where you start doing it you think to yourself 'why the hell have I not thought about doing this before??!!' 

What do you like to do to find a moment of peace?

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A Few Moments With: Such & Such // Interview #11

One of my blogging goals in 2015 is to expand my interview series to not only include a diverse range of bloggers, but also companies and individuals doing great things online. I love coming across small companies or bloggers/youtubers/general amazing people who share their work online and why not pick their brains a little in an interview and share with you guys?! 

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So, to start off the interview series in 2015, I want to introduce to you Such & Such - an online store founded by brother and sister, Ali and Nikki, that aims to sell nothing but products with great design. From an indoor swing (seriously cool) to a USB Jar this is the place for unique and original gifts, and the best thing about them?? Every single product is hand crafted and would make any living space or work environment look that little bit more snazzy, ohhh yeaaaah.  One of my favourite things is how simple yet awe-inspiring the products at Such & Such are while Ali and Nikki also share stories about the designs and anything else they find inspiring. To find out more, I decided to ask them a couple of questions about how they set up this unique and refreshing space on the internet and any plans they have for the future. 

Hello! Could you tell us a bit about yourselves?  

We are brother and sister, Ali and Nikki. We grew up in the Peak District and now Nikki lives in Bedfordshire with her husband, Jake and two girls, Bessie (aged 3) and Anna (aged 10 months), whilst I live in London with my wife, Gee. 

Before we started Such & Such, Nikki was an artist and studied fine art at University before working in a number of galleries in London whilst continuing to paint. She then went on to study Interior Design at KLC School of Design and worked for a short time as a lighting designer before moving to Vietnam for a number of years.  

I studied Geography at university and then became a lawyer and spent a few years at a City law firm and a couple of years working in-house for a large finance company before we started Such & Such.  

How and why did you decide to start Such & Such? 

We started discussing the idea that would become Such & Such whilst I was out visiting Nikki in Vietnam. We went to some old furniture warehouses and a couple of design stores and started to chat about some of the great things we saw and how good it would be if we could bring them back home. We knew that there were a lot of great designers and makers out there but that it wasn’t always easy to find them or to buy their work. Over the next couple of years the idea developed as we started to look for potential products. We found time and time again that we loved to know how a product was made and to hear the stories behind a product or learn all about a designer or maker. We continually felt that we connected with a product and the designer more when we understood the provenance and the time, skill and care that had gone into making the products. 

What are your favourite items currently in stock?

Nikki – my favourite product is the Torbuschka storage bags. I love the way they look and that they can be used for loads of different things, I use mine for kids toys, magazines and they are great for logs too. I also think the fact that the felt is squeezed from recycled plastic bottles is brilliant. 

My favourite product is the iPad easel by Peg & Awl. It’s really useful, well designed and I love the history it brings with it as the reclaimed oak is primarily sourced from the 1800s.  

How do you pick the designers you work with? What do you look for? 

Working with the right designers and selecting the right products is extremely important to what we are trying to do and create. We spend a lot of time looking for new designers that are passionate about original design and that are making things with care and skill. We seek out products that catch our eye and then try to learn about how it was made and find out about the story behind the product and/or designer. By researching the designers/makers and products, and hearing the story behind them, we usually learn whether or not the designer and the process by which the product is made fits with our ethos.

Where do you look for inspiration?  

We are slightly addicted to design blogs and magazines and so probably spend a bit too much time reading those with the excuse of trying to spot trends in materials and colour. We also attend a lot of the design events to look for designers and products. 

Thank you! What can we expect in the future from Such & Such? 

We did our first pop-up this year and really enjoyed it so we are planning on doing one again next year, possibly for a couple of months. We also released the first product designed in-house at Such & Such, the Reclaimed Wood Dining Table, which was designed by Nikki. We are really keen to create more of our own designs going forward. Plus, we have a list of exciting new products and designers/makers that we want to work with. 

Check out Such & Such on Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Tumblr

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