New Years Resolutions 2018

This resolution thing seems to be working for me so here we are for another year.

1. My priority for this year is reducing my waste. I’ve already started my zero waste journey but there is so much more to do. I am very lucky that I’m surrounded by people who share the same mindset as me, and I can’t wait to share this journey with them.

2. Continue my vegan activism. ‘Continue’ isn’t usually a word associated with new years resolutions but I’ve come so far in this area and I want to continue the momentum and go to the next level.

3. Meditate at least once a week. This year I’ve been going to a yoga class once a week and I love it – but I definitely need to delve into meditation more and sharpen my mind.

4. Maintain relationships – I’m going abroad for much of the year, meaning I will be away from all my closest friends and family. I’m excited at the opportunity to make new friends but know and recognise the effort I’m going to have to put in to maintain all the relationships I’ve grown in the past few years.

5. Read more books! This is the third year in a row I’m doing this one, but seriously, it’s getting silly now. I need to read more.

6. Be on my phone less. I am on the verge of addiction and it’s hindering not only my concentration but sometimes my socialising too. It would just be great to get that automatic habit of unlocking the phone thrown out.

That’s all for now!

Until next time lovely people,

slothyqueen

Zero waste

My first thoughts when I watched that TED talk (bloody love TED talks) about zero waste many months ago was, ‘what a great thing to do but nah, it’s not for me.’

And then, I stumbled upon a couple more articles, then a few YouTube videos and now here I am, about 1 month in to my zero waste journey. And, I’m calling it a journey because it is – I am nowhere near zero waste yet, but I’ve started to make the changes needed, and once you get started I don’t think you ever look back. The main message about all of this is doing something is better than doing nothing. Refusing to take that straw or bring your own bag to the store still reduces your impact on the world that tiny bit more than being a completely unaware consumer.

Being zero waste, unlike veganism, in my opinion cannot be done overnight. It’s a learning process which has easy and hard bits. Easy bits include no longer buying plastic water bottles or using plastic bags. Hard bits include resisting buying that packet of crisps or completely changing your bathroom habits.

I want to record my journey, encourage others to also try it out, just as people like sustainbly vegan and rehana sara inspired me. Unfortunately, I don’t have the skills or time to do YouTube but check out my instagram veganprina to keep up to date.

Please link me to your favourite zero-wasters and any videos/articles that are related! 

Until next time lovely people,

slothyqueen

 

Materialism

I’m not going to lie and say I never have the desire to have material things (my weakness is always in the stationary) but I’ve always been acutely aware of how material goods are valued in society. And now, after some serious reflection and a few videos/documentaries on minimalism, greed and desire, I’ve become even more aware at how the material possessions I own impact my life.

Buying an object may make me happy for a few minutes or even a few hours after the purchase but it rarely lasts beyond that – so why waste my money, and clutter my space with unnecessary items? Now, with all the items I have (and those I will buy in the future) I have to go through a mental checklist as follows:

1. Does this item add value to my life? This is the most important question. Do I use this item enough to justify keeping it? Am I just keeping it because I might use it in the future? Have I got more than one of the item?
2. Is this an ethical item? This mainly applies to stuff I am buying. I have recently made a pledge to not partake in fast fashion or buy from high street stores so as well as this, I need to take whether it has animal products into account.

It’s quite surprising at really how much stuff you have, which might have seemed like a fabulous idea at the time but in reality is utterly useless (yes, I am talking about that random ornament from Barcelona that used to sit on your window sill).

I have a lot more to say about this, so expect another post, but I welcome your thoughts and experiences!

Until next time lovely people.

slothyqueen

 

Earning Ethically?

The thought process of a lot of people (mine included until very recently) is that if you’re doing something good you should be doing it for free. Yet, if you’re doing something that exploits people, the planet or animals in your day to day job to whatever degree, it’s the norm.

This is a very new realisation for me and one that I’m still getting my head around. But, why do we expect charity workers to volunteer and give up their time for free while letting CEO’s exploiting people and animals of the hook? It just doesn’t really make sense.

I’m going to be making some changes in both my actions and thoughts from this epiphany and I would love to know your thoughts.

Until next time lovely people,

slothyqueen

P.S – Shout out to TVC podcast for opening my eyes to this,

Losing Friends

Sometimes this happens in the most dramatic way with a big argument but other times it happens gradually, slowly – without you even noticing. And then one day, it hits you. You realise things aren’t how they used to be.

I’m not sure what I wanted to achieve by writing this except to acknowledge that this happens. Sometimes it’s worth fighting, other times you just have to accept it. It’s hard to know when to do which, but I tend to go by the rule, fight for a bit and see if they fight back. Then you know who’s worth fighting for.

Until next time lovely people,

slothyqueen

 

 

Living in the Moment

Sometimes I just want to yell at people taking pictures – ‘LIVE IN THE FRICKING MOMENT PEOPLE!’

The other day, I went to a beautiful part of Oxford University – a room called the Divinity Room. My friend and I were just listening to the audio guide, soaking in the history and majestic nature of the room when a group of about 20 tourists come in, all with their selfie sticks and phone cameras at the ready. A few seconds in, they were posing in front of pews, taking dodgy quality pictures of each other and the room around them. It seemed like this was the only reason they’d even bothered coming.

I’ve been travelling a fair bit recently, and this seems to be a trend in any tourist place I’ve been to. The main goal seems to be the pictures. And I make ‘pictures’ plural intentionally – because taking a picture positioned the exact same way 100X is all the rage. Now, I understand the desire to capture a moment, but when there are professional photographers at a wedding, is your little camera phone going to really get a better shot? (I’ve also been to a lot of weddings recently…).

This all got a bit too ranty a bit too fast. I am not against taking photos at all, in fact I love taking pictures. But first and foremost, I’m there for the experience, and if the whole experience is looking through a screen, making sure I’ve got a picture of it then it’s not worth it.

I would love to know your opinion and whether I’m being a bit too harsh on tourists just wanting to remember their holiday in as much detail as possible.

Until next time lovely people,

slothyqueen

Best Travel Apps

When you’re travelling you want it to be as stress-free and enjoyable as possible so here are the apps you NEED to make that happen.

1. Google Maps – This seems pretty obvious I know. But this was easily one of my most used apps when travelling – it takes away the need to fumble with paper maps (though having one is thoroughly recommended). It’s not perfect, and often glitchy but will usually get you there in the end. What we found especially useful was the that it could take into account public transport with times so you don’t need 100 different timetables.
2. Splitwise – If you’ve ever been on holiday with friends you know the mess of people owing other people money. This app will be your saviour. Every time someone pays for something pop it into the app in whatever currency you happen to be in and it will add it to a running total.
   

   
3. Happy Cow – If you’re vegan or vegetarian I’m sure you’ve already got this godsend of an app. It’s a lifesaver when you’re in a completely unknown place which you think is going to be totally vegan un-friendly and up pops an amazing vegan restaurant.
4. Google translate – Who knew this had a scan function which translates writing for you?! It’s so useful in restaurants when you actually want to have a clue about what’s coming on your plate.

Comfort Zones

I may have written about this before, but I just can’t express enough times how much stepping outside my comfort zone has genuinely made my life better. It has opened me up to so many opportunities that I never would have had if I had decided to stick to what I know.

When you get that feeling of apprehension mixed with excitement, you know something good is going to come of it. Whether that’s learning a new skill to help you in the future, or just making new friends. In my little cushy first world, I can’t think of a situation where you won’t learn something from stepping our your comfort zone – even if it just to never do that thing ever again.

Until next time lovely people – do something wild.

slothyqueen

Must Watch Documentary

If you could live a life where you don’t have to murder and torture innocent sentient beings for no reason, would you?

If you live in the UK, or even if you don’t I would highly, highly recommend watching this documentary which shows the truth of the meat and dairy industry in the UK. After all, if you can’t bear to watch it, why is it okay for you to fund it?

 

My general rule about veganism is not to be too pushy as it turns people off. But other times people need truth bombs. And I hope this is one that will change your life for the better.

Until next time lovely people,

slothyqueen

Busy-ness

1 month of writing a blog post every single day. Here we go…

When deciding what month I wanted to do this, this year, I searched for a month where I was less busy and had more time to spend on writing. What I found was, that there was no month. My life this year is always ticking – I have breaks from uni, just to travel, and breaks from travel to socialise with family and friends I haven’t seen the rest of the year.

It got me thinking, is this a way of life I enjoy? Ultimately, the simple and short answer is yes. The fact that I’m busy and have all these opportunities to do all of this exciting stuff is a privilege and I shouldn’t forget that. Of course, everyone needs downtime and I make sure to get it but at this stage in life where I have the energy and motivation in my life to do as much as possible I’m going to grab it.

August is the quietest month of the year, but having it all to myself would be a waste. So I’m going to treat you to a whole month of me whittling on about my thoughts and experiences. Enjoy!

Until next time lovely people,

slothyqueen

P.S I’m going to try and improve my writing during this month. Let’s hope we can see a difference?