Getting To Know Me Tag

Ello. 

My blog is around a year old now, so I thought I'd share some things about me in case you're interested. Also, work always goes crazy at Easter so I needed an easier post! It's like doing a MySpace Quiz! Expect more of these!

Make-up by the lovely Cat Mutter - spoonie using all vegan products!

1. What is your middle name?

Rebecca. Ca. Bar. Really Big Car.

2. What was favourite subject at school?

I liked History during my GCSEs because our teacher didn't let me fuck around. Maths was fun. Philosophy was alright and Ethics was brilliant. I don't know. It changed. 

3. What is your favourite drink?

Uh, tea. Duh.

4. What is your favourite song at the moment?

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham! YAAAAAS!

5. What would you choose as your last meal?

Pizza....?! Chocolate pizza? Oh hell, I don't know. Can I have several at once? Chilli, bolognese, every fucking thing my bowels kick off about, crumpets, tea, double chocolate fudge cake with extra chocolate, cheesecake, a Nando's veggie burger, more chocolate, ice-cream, chipsticks, chips, 

6. What is the last thing you bought?

Painkillers, ahaha.

7. Favourite book of all time?

All time?! Pride and Prejudice maybe? Oof. Mr. Darcy. Or Floss by Kim Lewis, Or Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. I don't know.

8. Favourite Colour?

Greeeeeeeeen <3

9. Do you have any pets?

Not right now. It's horrible. Dad has a Harvey, does he count?

10. Favourite Perfume?

Eden Perfumes No. 470 (dupe of  Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford). Oh my god. It's glorious. *drools*

11. Favourite Celebration?

Christmas... though Halloween is getting better and better.

12. What is your relationship status?

Taken, thank you.

13. What is your favourite country?

What?

14. Do you speak any other language?
Nope.

15. How many siblings do you have?

One brother, two step bother and a step sister.... so, 4.

16. What is your favourite shop?

Bravissimo?! The only shop that like, makes me happy with it's existence? .... Lush.

17. Favourite restaurant?
Any that feed me good food.

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18. When was the last time you cried?

Dunno.

19. Favourite Blog?

D:

20. Favourite Film?

The Original Star Wars Trilogy and The Lion King are on par.

21. Favourite TV shows?

Doctor Who, South Park, Archer, Bob's Burgers, Adventure Time, Pokemon... various others depending on the season. OMG Flesh and Bone!!

22. PC or Mac?

PC because I understand them. Mac because they're cooler and  more swish.

23. What phone do you have?
A laggy one.

24. How tall are you?

5'7". 

25. Can you cook?

Yes. I am the queen of food.


There, now you know things. How are you? What else would you like to know?

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Effective B12 & Iron Supplements

Being vegan (and chronically ill) I'm always looking out for good supplements of B12 so had to try out these Vertese Vegetarian and Vegan Beetroot, B12 & Iron Complex* capsules.

These are especially appealing to me because they claim to assist energy levels and reduce fatigue. Most extra vitamins don't really help chronic fatigue apart from B12 injections but I will always try new ones, just in case!

These capsules contain vitamins B2, B6 and B12 to help with fatigue by supporting a normal energy-yielding metabolism and a gentle form of iron to produce red blood cells. The vitamin C in it (which is sourced from cherries) also supports energy production. Sounds good! Plus these are made with beetroot, my one true love. I love that they are free from dairy, wheat, salt, yeast, added sugar, artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. Being tailored for vegan and vegetarian diets, the capsules are not made with gelatine and are approved by both the Vegetarian Society and Vegan Society. Ticking all the boxes!

Speaking of boxes, these come in trays in a box rather than a little pot. While this is more packaging, it might be because they don't keep well unless individually sealed - some vitamins melt if you put them in your pill organiser. So weird. I find popping them out of the foil each time really satisfying. Lord knows why. The pack of 30 sets you up for the month, 10 to a tray. Are they called trays?

The capsules themselves are a muted sandy colour and have a weak taste of cherry (or something similar) sweets! This was such a pleasant surprise - I always get pills stuck in my throat and some are VILE. They're super easy to swallow too.=


As for performance - I really think they work! While I was taking them, uhm... my stools changed in a way similar to when I was taking prescription iron supplements for anemia, only slightly though. Obviously without taking before and after blood tests I can't know for sure, but I think it might be a sign that the iron was absorbed. I had better post exertion recovery time during the month, too. I cannot put this down soley to these pills as chronic fatigue is complicated (and I'm also trying to figure out how much thyroxine I need), but it has been very noticeable. I do think these supplements have helped, or at least done their job unlike other vitamin pills which can go right through you. The change in my poo was very reassuring, haha. Aren't you happy you know that!?

Overall, I think these are a great complex for vegans and vegetarians (and everyone else!) looking for a B12 and/or iron supplement. They're easy to swallow and even taste good!  I'd highly recommend them if you need a boost in iron, B12, or energy. I believe these will definitely help if you suffer from normal fatigue, and might even make chronic fatigue more bearable! I will be using them when I need a boost and to break up my two bowls of fortified cereal a day routine - Bran Flakes can get pretty boring!

You can order them from NutriCentre here for £9.49 which I think is a great price for what you're getting.

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*DISCLAIMER: This post contains a PR sample but my views are 100% honest. (I'm a rubbish liar).

Amazing Dogs Adult Colouring Book

I've had adult colouring books for a good while now, but rarely turn to them unless I am really stressed at work. I really enjoy them and have been wondering why I haven't used them much - 'til now. Turns out the subject matter just wasn't me. I found this out upon receiving Tali Carmi's Amazing Dogs Adult Coloring Book*. Right away I wanted to colour all the beautiful doggies! Put a dog, TARDIS or lightsaber on something and I'll love it.

Something I love about this book is the paper used for the pages. Other books I've used call for something more absorbent than pencil crayons but don't quite take felt tips and can't keep markers on one page - they always go through to the next one or two. I don't really understand what I'm meant to use with these. I end up using fineliners and having to go over everything about 10 times (well, 2 at least, let me exaggerate and whinge!).

Having plain old, functional paper that just .. works, is great! I look forward to colouring, I can use pencils or felt tips in the book or take the pages out to use markers. The pages are single-sided which makes using felt tips and markers even better. So far though, I have been using colouring pencils. It's so much more therapeutic than fineliners! The blank pages are super handy for checking your colours and such.

The pictures really are beautiful and of course I went straight for my beloved border collie...

...but I couldn't figure out why it was called "herding dog". After a little research I don't think Tali's first language is English which explains the names of dog breeds is a bit dodgy. "Great danish" being a personal favourite, hahaha.

The range of breeds is great and there's a dog for everyone's tastes. Personally I was a bit sad that not all of my favourite breeds are there - but my taste is samey, and the selection in the book isn't, which is great.

I love how it's not too detailed because the more mainstream ones ones take so long to finish they start to feel more of a task than recreational. This also helps with the pencils as you don't have to sharpen them every 10 seconds.

Adult (and kid's ones, actually) are great. I use them to keep my main line of thought focused while the other thoughts have it out with each other. I can concentrate on staying in the lines and which colour to use whilst listening to, assessing and processing all the thoughts that are whirling round my brain. It helps me take a thought like "Chef hates me" and look for evidence proving it, and realising that there usually isn't any, and Chef is just stressed out and human.

Because I enjoy these much more I turn to them almost daily and it's a great way to calm down and almost meditate. I can see my mental health having a much easier time with books like this is my life.

You can purchase Amazing Dogs on Amazon here for only £3.99.

Now, I am off to try shading! Do you know of any awesome adult colouring books?

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*DISCLAIMER: This post contains a PR sample but my views are 100% honest. (I'm a rubbish liar).

I'm A Chugger! ...+ dogs.

Hola!

If you don't know already - I love dogs. Like, really love dogs.

 Especially this one

 I want to work with them and do as much as I can to improve the lives of our canine friends as much as possible with the life I have. Specifically, my goal is to become a dog behaviourist and trainer. This way I can help rehabilitate rescue dogs, help people understand their dogs and have a healthier, happier relationship with them, and do what I can to reverse the damage done by dominance theory.

Dogs in lectures = the BEST

Recently I completed Canine Psychology Part 1: Understanding the Modern Dog which was exactly what I have been looking for - a course about dogs that is up to date with science. We even got to tear apart Cesar Milan, shock/prong/choke collars and dominance theory! It was mainly covering stuff I already knew so I was a massive Hermione the whole time. I did learn that cream cheese calms dogs down! It was an awesome time and now I can do parts 2 & 3!

Parts 2 & 3 require £400 and me being able to drive. Aside from being too ill to work that much - my hours have been slashed, so saving money is a huge challenge. I have set up a Go Fund Me page for my close friends and relatives to chuck me a fiver here and there i they can afford it to help out. All the money from this will go to paying for the course and I will hopefully get enough money from work to pay for driving lessons (I had to spend the money I did save due to my hours descreasing).

If you happen to have a spare £1/$1 whatever, I'd really appreciate a small donation, but please don't feel like you have to donate. I thought I may as well put this on my blog while sharing my excitement about this whole thing. I'm on track to achieving my dream!

Are you taking any big steps in your life this year?
What's your favourite breed of dog?!

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How To Cure Hiccups

Hello there, sparkly people!

I know there's a billion different ways to cure hiccups that don't work. However, since I learnt about this donkey's years ago, it hasn't failed on anybody (and I work in a pub where everyone's always getting the hiccups!).

How to Cure Hiccups:

Stick your fingers in your ears and drink at least 10 sips on water.

If this doesn't work use your pinkies to close your nostrils, too, and repeat.

If that doesn't work then I don't know. Haven't experienced it yet! Obviously straws come in very handy with this method but if you're strawless, you can balance the cup the precariously on a side and hope for the best.

Do let me know if this does or doesn't work for you! It's so interesting!

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