5 Things I hate about ... Reality TV

Time for 5 things I hate about and this time its all about Reality TV! 

This is definitely going to be one that divides, but for me, for the most part I just can't stand the ups and downs, the real or the fake and the really really annoying characters!  I just don't want to sit down on an evening and see people bitching, here them badly sing or talk about their 'oh how annoying is it when the little people don't understand' lives.

I have many conversations with my friends in which I have no idea who they are talking about - although sometimes this is not exclusively to reality TV stars. Sammy is my 'who are these people?' version of IMDB.  Also the further these celebrity reality shows go on the less of a celebrity you have to be!  

  

In which case, I thought this would have to be in my 5 things I hate about series.

1.  People who want to be famous - You know the ones, the ones where all they do is do things to get noticed rather than what they are on there to do in the first place.  What ever happened to people getting noticed for being good at something, rather than hanging out at a nightspot.

2.  No one needs to see that.  I don't need to see anyone eating bugs or going to the toilet and I especially don't need to see people flirting with someone they shouldn't.  It just makes me cringe, its car crash TV and the people in it don't even have personalities to keep them going.

3.  It takes over the TV.  You can't watch other programmes without there being something reality TV on in the adverts or your show you like being moved so that they can schedule it in.  Every time I see Big Brother advertised I wonder when they will stop.  I do remember seeing the very first series as it was new and I was slightly nosier in my younger age, but now its just boring and the same and they are mean.  I am just not that interested in seeing how people get annoyed with each other with little food/sleep - I have seen that with previous housemates!

4.  People think they are their friends.  There are conversations about the people in the show as if they know them.  They talk about these people as if its real in their own life.  I get confused and have to ask lots of questions.  But I am not really that interested and so it doesn't stay in my brain - useless info just gets chucked out of the brain space.

5.  One for everyone (apparently) - there are so many shows now.  Some for people who live in; Essex, California, New York or even the valleys of Wales.  Are these people really indicative of the people who live there - I hope not!  I would hate to come from the area in which was being portrayed as I am sure they hate to be judged on the TV show alone.

Now I know that lots of people put there like Reality TV and I am not saying you shouldn't, I'm just saying that I don't like it.  I would rather watch a documentary - call me a nerd, but its a reality TV of sorts I guess.

Just off to avoid the spin-offs from each of the shows.

H

5 Things I love about ... Organising

This time, the '5 Things I love about' list was really really difficult to keep down to just 5 things as I could have gone on for much much more.

This time I am talking about Organising and so lets get organised and start:

1.  I love the order - it makes me feel calm.  When I feel overwhelmed, I like nothing than sorting and getting rid of things I don't need anymore, whether it's my desk or my wardrobe.  It all helps.

2.  I can find things when I want them - as everything has a place and so I roughly know where to find it again.  I know people who are not organised would say the same thing.  But whichever way you work as long as you stick to it, you can always find what you need.  When my desk is a mess, it takes me forever to find stuff.  Living in a room (as I houseshare) means I have to have a place for everything, or it won't fit in.

3.  I like lists - I like writing them, spending time thinking about what I need to do and then planning on how to do it.  I love lists of lists!  I always make sure I put something on my list that I have already done or am halfway through, as this then gives me the push to do more.

4.  It makes other people think I am always organised - sometimes I really am not!  I do usually go for the theory of tidy place, tidy mind.  But sometimes I really am not that organised - probably more than some people, but all the same, I can forget birthday's and buying presents like the next person.  I also don't have my DVD'S in film order or colour code my socks for example, although, maybe I should!

5.  I can buy stationary, boxes and tubs in preparation for all the organising!  Which is just an excuse for more shopping really.  I like stationary, I like all the colours and the notebooks for more lists.  Just basically stuff!

As I said, I could have gone on forever with this one and so it was really difficult keeping it down to 5 for this series.  Which utilised my organisation skills in itself!

What's your favourite thing about being organised, or not as the case may be?  Let me know in the comments below.

Off to organise the sock drawer perhaps! ha, ha.

H

5 Things I hate about ... Spa Hotels

Continuing on with my series, it's time for '5 Things I hate about' and this time it's all about Spa Hotels!

I know lots of people love them and I really don't mean to make anyone else hate them, it's just how I feel about them.  I'm just not a spa person.  I would much rather sit down in front of a movie with a cuppa, rather than with a lot of other people trying to relax.

So, this is how I feel about them:

1.  Forced relaxation - nothing makes me relax less than someone telling me to relax.  It's just that thing of relaxing is all about having some time and space to yourself, how are you meant to get that in a big space with lots of other people around trying to relax too.

2.  Massages - I don't want someone pummelling me or trying to soothe me.  Just get off, get off now! I just have never been into massages, maybe it's because I have bad back anyway and I just think they will make it worse or maybe it's because when I have had one I have found it so uncomfortable that there is just no relaxation there for me.

3.  Crazy 'Healthy' purging plans - who eats like that on a normal basis.  Eat well most of the time and then there is no need for the cabbage soup and raw food for one day a month!  Crazy diets are never good and after a nice calming day all you want is a brew and a cake surely!?  So why feel that you should deny yourself that.

4.  The expense - why is my relaxing time so expensive!  Surely to be relaxing it should not cost my month's wages.  Everything is expensive at Spa's, the treatments, the food and the drinks, it just makes me anxious rather than relaxed.

5.  Special oils or incense sticks - it all just makes me sneeze!  Give me 2 minutes with all that stuff and my nose will explode.  I can walk through a perfume department and I start sneezing and so being around this stuff all the time is never going to help!

So that's it, as I said these are all just my own views on Spa's, I am sure there are plenty of things to love about them.  Do you love or hate them?  Let me know in the comments below.

Time for a cuppa methinks

H

5 Things I love about ... Autumn

This month's 'Things I love about' is all about Autumn, just because it's one of my favourite times of year and it seems like it's a favourite for a-lot of people!  If my Instagram feed is anything to go by anyway.

So, I think I should get started and tell you what I love so much about it.

1.  Wearing scarves - I love scarves, I love being able to wrap up with one and in autumn we can wear thinner coats and big thick scarves or thicker coats with thinner scarves.  Which just means more choice, lovely.  That's always the excuse when I keep buying more scarves too, you need one for every occasion!

2.  The leaves turning brown - I love it when the leaves fall and they turn brown.  You also have to enjoy rustling your feet through them all in a big pile.  Who didn't love jumping in a big pile of leaves as a child and as I have grown up, I still love doing it.

3.  Hot drinks - I don't really drink hot drinks apart from in the autumn and winter.  I do love a good cuppa or hot chocolate - with a biscuit of course.  There is something really nice about settling down with blogging and a brew!  Keeps the mind working.

4.  Jumpers - who doesn't love snuggling in a jumper on the sofa.  Get the jeans on, jumper on and your good to go.  Again, a great excuse for buying more jumpers!  As if I need anymore excuses.

5.  Baking - I always feel like baking more in the colder months.  The heat of the oven keeps you warm too.  Plus it's just lovely trying new recipes and baking something nice for a friend or for work.

There are loads more that I could have done, but what's your favourite thing about Autumn?  Let me know in the comments below?

Love it

H

5 Things I hate about: Renting/Sharing

Following on from my love post a couple of weeks ago, I thought it only fair to go with some hates here.

Now I don't want to get all down on things, but occasionally there are just some things that really annoy us and so sometimes we just have to let it out, rather than keep it inside right?!

So, as we know, I live in a rented houseshare and there are points at which your landlord or housemates do things that you just wish they wouldn't.  I suppose when you live with a partner you have the same thing, but maybe you feel that you can tell them a little more - or nag as some may call it.  There are the housemates who steal your food or don't clean up after themselves or even the landlords who turn up unannounced, whatever it is, it's just not fun.

To keep a harmonious living environment when you houseshare, I have to keep my clean and tidy preferences concealed a little and not shout at them when I have just cleaned the kitchen and then they go make it just as messy as before - and breathe!  I know I can be a bit OCD about keeping things clean and tidy and so its a constant battle within myself to let things go - or just have inner rage! ha, ha, ha.

So, this seemed like a good list for my 'Things I hate about' post, here goes:

1.  Landlords - Just having to deal with some of the real pains out there just means homelife has extra hassles - no one needs that.  I have been very lucky really in my 12 years of renting that I have only had a few annoying landlords.  You know the ones where they want to know everything about your life, don't give your deposit back or just keep cropping up when you don't want them too.

2.  Not having your own space - This is to do with sharing too.  You have a room but it's difficult to really feel at home when you have to share all your stuff and keep your life in one room.  My room acts as craft room, blog space and bedroom. We have a lounge but sometimes you just want to relax on your own after a long day and so the bed becomes my sofa too.  I can't wait to have my own space to be able to leave out my craft bits without having to pack them away, just so that I can go to bed at night.

3.  Not being able to do what you want to the place.  You have to ask if you want to repaint, you don't want to ask everytime you want to put a picture up and who wants to have crap rental furniture.  Half my life is still at my folks because I have too much furniture and pictures for my houseshare.

4.  Getting woken up by your housemates - whether that's first thing in the morning on your day off or in the middle of the night - it's never fun.  I get really grumpy when I am kept awake or woken up which I am sure is like most people.  It's really annoying when it's your neighbours but even worse in your own house and not feeling like you can speak up so not to cause a fuss.

5.  Only having one shelf in the fridge/freezer.  There is so much I would put in there if I could but fridges are not made for sharers and so if it doesn't fit on the shelf it doesn't go in.  I would love to be one of those people who is able to plan meals for the week to make it cheaper and not have to get food for every couple of days rather than a big shop.

That's it for now, I am sure there are way more than 5 things, but I thought I would keep it simple.  There are many other great things about housesharing too and it does show people's strength of character.  One day I will get my own place and I am sure I will miss the interaction and sharing the bills, but I won't miss the things above!

Anyone got anything they would like to add?  I am sure there have been more than a few funny housesharing stories out there - which annoy you at the time, but make great stories to share.  Add it to the comments below and we can share the fun.

Live it

H

P.S.  No housemates were harmed in the making of this post, or even the last 12 years!  so far ....

5 Things I love about: Being Pale

I thought we could all do with a few more lists in our life and what better way to find out a bit more about me, than through my loves and hates.  Each month I will be bringing you a few loves and hates that I hope you will find funny and interesting rather than annoying. But please do feel free to comment below and let me know your thoughts as well as if you have a few extras to add onto the list.

I thought we should start with something that took me a long time to love, but once there it's amazing - Being Pale.  As you can see there are so many reasons to love being pale and more importantly I think, is that it makes me who I am.  

1.  I don't get tan lines - probably because I don't tan bet hey. I do however get freckle lines, so a little group of freckles crop up around the strap marks, no so obvious though I guess.

2.  My freckles - I have learnt to love them over the years.  I have them everywhere, especially all over my face, but they make my face less pale and although in the 90's when I wanted that real pale skin look, I do love the fact that I don't look like a ghost.

3.  I always get the shady spot - everyone else wants the sun so I am always guaranteed the shade.  I will always give over a sunny space so that I can read a book in the shade on holiday or in the park.  I burn so easily and then just go back to white again, so there really is no point in sitting in the sun, when I can have just as much fun in the shade.  Plus I avoid any sore burnt bits for the remainder of the holiday.

4.  People think I am younger than I am - my skin seems to like being pale and so I keep looking young even as I grow older. Bonus.  I think my fringe helps with this one too, but because I don't sit in the sun, my skin seems to enjoy it and I always get told I look alot younger than I am.  My genes probably help here too as my parents don't look there age either.

5.  I make everyone else look tanned - as I am so pale, anyone who stands next to me instantly looks tanned.  I am like the white t-shirt you want to wear when you come back from holiday, stand next to me and even the most faded tan will come alive!

Are there any fellow pale people out there, what do you love or hate about it.  One thing I hate about being pale is being told to put a bit of fake tan on if I don't tan naturally.  It would just look weird!

No fake Tan allowed on this H.