BOOK REVIEW // Opal Plumstead by Jacqueline Wilson's 100th book!
Friday, 14 August 2015
During primary school I was obsessed with Jacqueline Wilson. Cookie was my favourite, my mum gave it to me when I broke my ankle, something to read during recovery after the surgery. I hadn't picked up a Jacqueline Wilson book in probably 6 years or so but it was interesting to revisit her work. The story goes as follows;
"Opal Plumstead might be plain, but she has always been fiercely intelligent. Yet her scholarship and dreams of university are snatched away when her father is sent to prison, and fourteen-year-old Opal must start work at the Fairy Glen sweet factory to support her family.
Opal struggles to get along with the other workers, who think her snobby and stuck-up. But Opal idolises Mrs Roberts, the factory’s beautiful, dignified owner, who introduces Opal to the legendary Mrs Pankhurst and her fellow Suffragettes. And when Opal meets Morgan - Mrs Roberts’ handsome son, and the heir to Fairy Glen – she believes she has found her soulmate. But the First World War is about to begin, and will change Opal's life for ever."
I would never had guessed that at this age I would come back to her work and be just as intrigued as I was when I was 7. I think I found this book so interesting because it has some rather heavy themes for a children's book. I wasn't expecting there to be so much depth which is why I'd recommend this book to all sorts of ages. It encourages young girls to stay strong through tough times. I don't want to talk too much about the plot as I hate spoiling things. Despite such a tragic ending, I wouldn't fault anything about this book.
LRM
Tips that may save your life - 'through a rapists eyes'
Friday, 17 July 2015
*I gathered the following information off of a tumblr post, I found it worthy of sharing*
A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:
1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.
2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who’s clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors to cut clothing.
3) They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.
4) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked at is grocery store parking lots.
5) Number two is office parking lots/garages.
6) Number three is public restrooms.
7) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.
8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be time-consuming.
9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.
10) Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it.
POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:
1) If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: can’t believe it is so cold out here, we’re in for a bad winter. Now that you’ve seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.
2) If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.
3) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.
4) If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and armpit or in the upper inner thigh – HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.
5) After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy’s parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he’s out of there.
6) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.
7) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.
FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ….
1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.
2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans : If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you…. chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping,eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side,put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS, LEAVE.
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be hiding at the passenger side , peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. (DO THIS TOO BEFORE RIDING A TAXI CAB) .
b. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).
7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!
8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, be sure to share it and comment any other tips you have for avoiding these situations.
LRM
LiLash review
Sunday, 14 June 2015
This is possibly one of my favourite products, LiLash helps your eye lashes grow longer and LiBrow helps your eyebrows grow thicker. They both work amazingly, I noticed results straight away. If you have short lashes or need to grow out your brows this is the best product for it.
It's definitely a product to invest in. The application is easy and it dries fast, I forgot to apply in a few times but these are my results after roughly a month;
Before:
After: 
Both are without mascara. I didn't apply the LiBrow as much as my eyebrows are thick enough, I just used it to fill in a few gaps which worked great.
LRM
How to lighten your hair
Monday, 25 May 2015
I have dark blonde hair and it tends to lighten in the summer. However summer doesn't last all year here in the UK, and besides getting my hair highlighted, the following products help me to maintain a lighter look and silky hair throughout the year.
ESSENCE ULTÎME BLONDE & BRIGHT SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER - This shampoo and conditioner is perfect for moisturising all sorts of blonde hair, from natural to coloured. It helps to gently brighten and improve your blonde tone. It also improves the quality of your hair, making it stronger and shinier.
ESSENCE ULTÎME OMEGA REPAIR INTENSIVE HAIR MASK - To ensure further treatment, I occasionally use this mask. It helps to prevent split ends and strengthen hair. You only have to keep it on for 1 minute and you notice improvements instantly.
CASTING SUNKISS JELLY - I recently tried this product to see if it would blend my roots into my lightened hair. It worked really well, I applied it mainly to my roots and sat in the sun; as suggested for a more intense result.
Great new flavoured milk drink you need to give a try!
Friday, 3 April 2015
Emmi have expanded their iced coffee products to include chocolate milk. The two flavours are original and caramel. They both taste really good, I haven't had chocolate milk in ages and now I'm addicted. The lid is really handy, it's like the coffee cups you get when you're on the go which makes it's perfect for travel. I normally have one on my walk to sixth form. Since I tried them out I've been popping into Tesco, purely to buy a few. They also have a caffe latte range, I tried the cappuccino and vanilla flavour; both were amazing. My favourite of all is the choco lait caramel, I would recommend it for sure. I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I did!
At the moment they're running a daily competition every day for 100 days to win an iPhone 6. Just visit the website and take a look at the daily challenge, upload a photo of the required task and you could be in the chance of winning an iPhone 6!
LRM
At the moment they're running a daily competition every day for 100 days to win an iPhone 6. Just visit the website and take a look at the daily challenge, upload a photo of the required task and you could be in the chance of winning an iPhone 6!
LRM
Mother's Day Cards
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Mother's Day is a week away and there's no better way to show your appreciation to your mum than a card to fill your thank you's in. Made With Love have a lovely variety of mother's day cards for you to choose from. There are also other cards, gifts and stationery available.
I received the moon card (£3.50) and the Alice In Wonderland card (£4.50). The cards have a pearlescent finish which is really nice and makes them worth the price, they're a great quality and can be personalised on the site. I love the design of the cards, including the ones on the website. They're so different compared to ones you find in most card stores. I love how the moon on the moon card is a soft watercolour print, the styles are just perfect. I'm so excited to give them to my mum. Well, I'm going to give her the Alice In Wonderland one, the moon card will be from my sister.
I had a look on the site and the interiors are so nice. Everything is my style so I will for sure be buying from the site. It's really worth giving a look at. Don't do what I normally do and leave it till the last minute, get a pretty personalised card from Made With Love :)
What are you planning on getting your mum and how will you spend the day?
LRM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
