burntoutflame

Monday, June 20, 2016

It's finally summer and you're in the summer spirit, but you have nothing to do. I always have such high expectations for summer, but I almost always spend the majority of time in front of my laptop. It's not always our fault- the weather in the u.k is terrible, but I made a list of how to spend your time wisely and how to be productive indoors and outdoors!

Things you can do alone

1. find a new tv show to watch
2. binge watch that tv show
3. go on twitter, instagram, tumblr or pinterest
4. start a blog or a youtube channel
5. make a reading list and try to read a book a week
6. tidy your room
7. redecorate your room
8. clear out your old clothes and give them to charity, or sell them on ebay
9. try to learn how to do yoga, pilates or pilates
10. bake cakes, cookies and brownies
11. pamper yourself- manicures, pedicures, a face mask (or a hair mask)
12. take a relaxing bubble bath
13. shop online
14. watch a movie
15. dance
16. help around the house
17. write- in your journal, blog, an essay, a novel or even fanfiction
18. nap
19. research and form a strong opinion on politics/ national issue
20. play with your pet
21. make lemonade
22. make ice lollies or ice cream
23. create a scrapbook and fill them with ur summer memories
24. watch a documentary- theres honestly so many interesting ones on youtube
25. learn a new language or skill
26. do some gardening
27. talk to your internet friends or make some
28. try to plan your future- university, career, goals, etc.
29. make a bucket list
30. take an online class
31. write a poem- if you cant, its so funny to try
32. watch anime- dont knock it until you try it!
33. read manga
34. try to draw
35. watch the sunrise
36. watch the sunset
37. make a playlist- summer, but u can always make ones for autumn or winter too!
38. become socially aware on an important issue- gender equality, racism, homophobia, poverty
39. watch your favourite show from when you were younger
40. perfect your makeup skills
41. try to overcome a fear- you'll feel so much better and you'll actually achieve something this summer
42. dye your hair- you could even try a fun colour that's against your school code. go wild
43. get a part time job!
44. go running or swimming
45. volunteer in your community
46. stargaze
47. meet new people
48. catch fireflies (and let them go)
49. grow out your hair
50. colour in a colouring book

Things you can do with friends

1. go camping- you can go in your garden if you're too poor
2. have a sleepover
3. attend a concert
4. go on a summer holiday
5. go on a bike ride
6. go on a hike
7. go to a festival or a fair
8. go on a picnic- if you're feeling creative you can even make the snacks yourself
9. have a movie marathon
10. go to a theme park
11. attend any events thats going on in your town or city
12. throw a beach party- or just attend one lol
13. roast marshmallows over a campfire
14. spend a day at the beach or a lake- be sure to use sunscreen and cover up!
15. swim in the ocean- stay safe!
16. visit a farmer's market
17. go on a road trip
18. go to a safari
19. start a book club
20. explore your town or city- this is really fun if you live where there's lots of nature
21. go crab fishing (and let them go)
22. eat at a different cafe or restaurant
23. go to a sports game
24. ride a ferris wheel
25. throw a bake sale
26. try upcycling
27. sell stuff at a carboot sale
28. make a lemonade stand
29. have a barbecue
30. go rock climbing
31. eat a snowcone
32. watch fireworks
33. build a sandcastle
34. try going vegan or vegetarian
35. visit the library or a book shop
36. visit a famous landmark
37. run a marathon
38. do something for charity
39. visit a museum
40. eat pizza
41. search youtube or pinterest for some healthy recipes and try to make them
42. play video games
43. go to a spa
44. make sushi- its harder than it looks
45. walk your dog- or ask your neighbours if you can walk theirs
46. go shopping for summer clothes
47. pull an all-nighter
48. have a water balloon fight
49. eat chips in a cone (if you're not british you might be a little confused)
50. have fun!! (i ran out of ideas but it needed to be 100)

It's worth mentioning that a lot of these can be done alone or with friends, your call. Remember to take lots of pictures to remember your summer! You'll thank yourself one day. Try to spend as little time possible on your electronic devices and as much time as you can outdoors. Winter is for hibernation. I hope you have the best summer possible!

Thursday, June 16, 2016

The weather this week has been the actual worst. It's supposed to be summer. I guess that's expected seeing as I live in the UK. I realised that my school holidays start in a month and I'm not even excited, since it doesn't feel like summer. That made me sad. So, without further ado, here's a few ways to get into the summer spirit!

Make a summer playlist

Be sure to include all your favourite summer songs, you know, the ones that make you want to live in California and go on a road trip with your friends. If you don't have any for this year, just look at the charts, OR they don't even have to be from 2016- make a playlist of songs that remind you of previous summers. If you're out of inspiration, there's plenty of playlists available for you on spotify, apple music or even youtube

Watch summer movies

High School Musical 2 is a must. If this doesn't get your heart beating, I'm not sure what will. Other movies include Grease, Dirty Dancing, Starstruck, The Parent Trap, Wet Hot American Summer, The Notebook, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, Camp Rock, Aquamarine, 50 First Dates, The Last Song, etc...

Food and Drinks

If you want to get creative, check out these healthy vegan 'nice cream' recipes, and these healthy ice lollies. There's honestly SO many ideas on pinterest for healthy summer recipes. Also, this blog has so many delicious and healthy recipes. What's summer without lemonade? I can't wait to try out these recipes. Fruits like watermelon and strawberries always get me in the summer spirit.

Clean out your wardrobe

Replace your old wardrobe with your summer clothes. I actually did this today, and it got me so excited for the hot weather, planning what I can wear when the sun actually comes out. It's actually such a nice feeling when you realise how much your style has changed since last summer. You'll probably find a couple of dresses and cringe, "Who let me wear this?" So, that brings us to our next point...

Buy new summer clothes

Go wild, unless you're poor like me. You obviously don't need to buy a whole new wardrobe, buy things that go with your old clothes and new style. ALSO buy a new bikini or swimming costume.

Get all of your school work done

I never used to do this, I left everything last minute and panicked the last weekend of summer. But this is a great way to ensure a stress-free summer!

Make a summer reading list

I'm not good with recommendations since I've only recently started reading again, but if I do find any noteworthy books, I'll be sure to share them with you.

Make a summer bucket list

I used to do these when I was a pre-teen, and they always got me so hyped for the summer even though I couldn't really do any of them since I was eleven and couldn't do anything outside my neighbourhood. If I make one this year, I'll share it with you guys too.

Make plans for the summer

Holidays, festivals, parties, roadtrips... This will ensure that you have a reason to look forward to summer.

Go outside and enjoy the sun

If, like me, you live in a place where it always rains, you probably get really happy when it’s actually hot outside. Just go outside and really feel the sun and take notice of the warmth on your skin and how it makes you feel. You don’t even need to sunbathe, a refreshing walk will be just as beneficial. Be sure to put on plenty of sunscreen and soak up that vitamin D!

Write about what you hope to achieve by the end of the summer

Confidence? A new hobby or skill? Love? Friendship? You can later look back at this and see how productive you actually were during the summer.

Important: Summer is honestly one of my favourite times of the year, but spending too much time in the sun is dangerous. Stock up on sunscreen, after-sun lotion and sun glasses. Make sure that you reapply your sunscreen throughout your day- once really isn't enough. It's also essential to stay hydrated so drink plenty of water too.

Real talk: many young and insecure women will probably fall targets of body-shaming this year, like they do every summer. You'll probably see magazines such as 'Closer', judging 'bikini bodies' of celebrities. There will probably be a lot of articles on 'how to lose weight fast' (fyi those diets NEVER work) This is a little ironic coming from me, but try to reject those messages and love and nurture your own body because you are beautiful.

HAVE THE BEST SUMMER EVER!

Hi, and welcome to my blog!

My name is Sian and I’m a 17 year old girl from the UK who wanted to start a blog but has absolutely no idea what to blog about. Honestly, I can’t count the number of times I’ve tried to keep a diary or a journal but failed after a few weeks. I have so many half written diaries laying about it’s actually funny. I mean, that’ll probably happen to this blog too, but there’s no harm in trying, right?

I hope I get a life soon so I’ll actually have something to blog about. In my past time I complain, rant, watch anime, read manga, play the sims, sleep, and try to avoid social interaction at all costs. Wow I love being quirky and relatable.

But honestly it’s gotten to the point where it’s an actual problem. I’ve recently tried to try new things for example, reading actual books, yoga, learning a new language, and starting a blog. (Hence why I’m here.) Yoga hasn’t gone well so far, but that’s okay there’s plenty of other sports I can try! I should also point out that I’m not going to try to be someone I’m not, just trying to become a better person overall. Maybe this blog will be about me finding a life.

Although maybe max two people will see this post, that’s okay because I’m not doing this for publicity, I just love writing. Since I was little, I’ve loved writing, especially writing my own fictional stories. I know that I could never make a living as an author, as: 1. my stories aren’t the best; 2. my grammar is also not the best. So I apologise in advance for any bad grammar or typos that will almost definitely appear in my posts.

My posts will probably just be my personal rambling and rants, and what I do every day. My life isn’t very interesting, but I hope you join me on my journey to getting a life. I’m just a girl, trying to find a place in this world. (I hope at least 1 person gets that reference or I’ll look really sad)

(I’ve just read some examples of a blog introduction and I’ve done this so wrong uh oh)