Bucket Lists.

Recently I have been thinking more and more about the future, what I'm going to do, going to be, What will be when I die and one thing that rather scares me is not doing anything with my life. Not being able to say 'I've done this' or 'I am that'. Now I know for a fact that I am far from the only one that feels this, especially as you get older, which is where the lovely 'Bucket List' comes into it all.
A bucket list if you haven't guessed is a list of things you want to do and achieve before you die. The be all and end all of to do lists.

There is a bit of a debate about Bucket Lists and whether or not you should make one. The con's mainly are that you may not finish your list and feel awful about it when the time come and that's counter productive because you want to feel fulfilled and happy when you die. Also it can be a bit depressing thinking about dying and can put you off even thinking about these kind of things, but ask yourself
'Would I be happy dying today knowing what I have achieved and done in my lifetime?' I wouldn't and there are a million and one things I want to do before die.
Which leads us onto the 'pro' side of the list. I think a Bucket List will push you to do amazing things, live life to the full and really challenge yourself. You could learn a lot and leave this world happy and in the knowledge that you have done what you wanted or even left this world a slightly better place.

My advice would be, if you write a Bucket List you have some level of commitment, you have to really want to do what you write and push yourself to do them or else you will let yourself down.
Another piece of advice would be to tell friends and family, get them involved too if you wish. It might push you towards doing everything and leave you with amazingly happy memories of times with them.
So personally I think Bucket Lists are amazing and everyone should have some sort of a list. you can have anything at all on the list, anything you have ever thought would be cool or dreamed of doing.

Whilst researching Bucket Lists I came across another blog of an amazing 17 year old girl who unfortunately died of cancer. She had a bucket list and documented every memory on the blog, it truly is lovely and inspirational. Her sister and family now carry on the blog and the list, raising money for the charity 'Alice's Escapes' which allows terminally ill children to have amazing adventures and experiences.
Alice's Bucket List is really inspirational because it is helping others, she has made this earth a little better and made many other children and families happier.

So grab a pen and paper and start writing. Try not to regret anything you haven't done and strive for the next thing! Also try and add something to your list that would help someone else. Put a smile on their face.
Hopefully you will achieve some amazing fetes and embark on fantastic adventures, so when you finally come to actually kicking the metaphorical bucket, you're happy in the knowledge you had a brilliant life.

(feel free to tell me what's on your list!)

k.

For Inspiration...
Alices blog :http://alicepyne.blogspot.co.uk/
Millies fundraising page :https://www.justgiving.com/millypyne

Here's a little insight into my list...

• Swim with dolphins.
• Bungee Jump.
• Cuddle a REAL koala.
• Go on holiday (somewhere outside the uk).
• Go on a hot air balloon.
• Cook a roast dinner from scratch.

and many, many, MANY more! x

30 Days of Squatting? Challenge Accepted!

Recently I have been bored on my computer so I have inevitably fallen into the hype of looking at things such as 'lol cats' and funny pictures. Whilst amusing, this activity is also rather soul crushing but amidst my pointless searching I came across a picture entitled 'The 30 day squat challenge' I didn't think much of it at first and went on to look at funny pictures of pugs doing handstands but it kept cropping up again and again, so without any other choice(and because I was curious) I found myself clicking on the picture.
Basically you are challenged to do roughly a month of squats, starting at 50 and working your way up to 250 in one day!
Challenge Accepted!

Naively, I thought '250 would be easy' I am currently on my 5th day and already my legs are killing me! I have worked up to 70 squats a day and already the difference is amazing! But you really do need to persevere,  its very easy to give up in this challenge!
Online people are raving about this. The soreness will pass and at the end the results will be well worth it apparently!
 Me and my friend are doing the challenge but decided to take it up a level! As well as the squats, we plan to match the amount done daily with sit-ups/crunches and all in one go, where as some people I have seen are spreading it out throughout the day!
So I will keep doing this challenge and update on my day 30, if you are doing it yourself let me know how its going! And for everyone else, I challenge you to do this! You won't be able to walk properly to begin with but it really is an interesting challenge!

k.

Skin! Look after it and it will look after you!

Skin! Something we all have and would have a lot of trouble going about our daily business without it (or even surviving without it for that matter) but a lot of the time most of us don't even think about it and definitely don't look after it! I'm writing this because I have been trying to improve my skin lately and make it look better but it lead me to question how to do this and why! So I thought I would share my findings with you!

Our skin works hard to look after us! It keeps us warm and cool, protects us against the weather (or if your in Britain, mainly just the rain), fights of infections for us so we don't get ill, allows us to feel with millions of nerves in it and much more! It is one of our biggest and complex organs yet we seem to forget about it and mistreat but why should we? You wouldn't treat your heart or your brain like that!
Now for something that may put you off your food but I thought I'd share anyway because it's rather fascinating! we shed about 40,000 every hour! That's almost a million a day! It constantly regenerates and pushes the old, dead, skin cells out leaving you with healthy, fresh and new skin! why thank you skin! The disgusting part is that the skin cells lay around your house and everywhere you go collecting and ending up as dust! Which is an amazing reason to keep your house clean, so you don't have billions of little dead, 'you' bits hanging around!
So here is how to do it and get some awesome looking and feeling skin!

• Eat healthy. What you put into your body can be reflected on the outside. The general consensus is if you are healthy your skin is healthy!
• A very obvious one is to protect yourself from the sun. Sun damage can cause an array of problems such as cancer and can make you age a lot quicker.
• Water is especially important and I can definitely preach this point! If you are dehydrated your skin can look older and tired, something none of us would want so make sure to drink plenty of the right things, especially if drinking alcohol. 
• Sleep.
• Wash of your makeup at night! It can block your pores and damage your skin and then re-wash your face in the morning before reapplying to make sure everything is fresh and clean, it also helps avoid infections although be careful when washing! Strong soaps or over washing can get rid of the skin's natural oils that protect your skin and keep it healthy!
• Face masks can help the appearance of skin, they are quite cheap and come with a host of benefits such as banishing blackheads, cleansing, toning and much more (plus they are quite fun if I do say so myself!)
• Skip a day of makeup. whenever you can, try and not wear makeup that day, even if its just around the house, it allows you skin to breath and promotes it to heal itself, get rid of more dead skin cells and make you look healthy and radiant!
• Moisturize! A lot of the time our skin can lack moisture, especially because of our surroundings and environments  so moisturizers can top up what our skin needs! It's better to get a natural moisturiser, one with less chemicals so your face can breath a lot more. I recommend 'Dream Cream' from Lush, it is amazing and I swear by it! If you want to find out more about it, keep an eye on the blog I will be posting a review on the stuff!
• Try and relax. Stress causes effects on your skin such as dehydration, wrinkles and lines, spots, patchy-ness, redness and a lot more! So chill out and your skin will stay clear and lovely!
• Drink green tea. Personally I think the stuff is disgusting but always try and get a cup of it in when I remember! The tea has anti-inflammatory properties which helps reduce puffy skin and redness!
• Vitamins. If you can try and regularly take vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin D complex and vitamin C, it will give your skin and your body everything it is lacking so it can keep protecting you and doing its job properly.

So there are a few tips to get you going, it is quite simple but highly important to look after your skin. If you have any other tips or anything let me know! It would be interesting to find out more about this, it's something you have your whole life and as you get older especially you have to take care of yourself and skin is a priority we sometimes overlook.

k.

Cambion, Mind for Murder and Anal Bead at Tiverton Tomato Bar

When: Saturday 30th March

Where: Tomato Bar Tiverton

Who: Anal Bead, Mind for Murder and Cambion.

Who knew such a small venue in the midst of Tiverton high street could provide the backdrop of such a high energy evening? As soon as I arrived at the Tomato Bar there was already quite a lot of buzz and excitement with people everywhere, chilling out surprisingly to the sound of 'Sikth' blasting over the speakers.

Anal Bead

As the rest of the crowd started to ascend on the bar the first band took the stage. There's not a lot of words to describe Anal Bead. They really are a marmite band, you either love them or hate them, and fortunately Tiverton love them! As you can guess from their name, Anal Bead is a comedy metal band that take pride in not taking themselves seriously, so far so that they don't even play the instrument they originally learnt to play! The front man/guitarist is actually a drummer, the drummer is actually a guitarist...you get my point but all this aside they make for one hell of an evening of entertainment! Starting with their infamous song 'Any holes a goal' they had the whole crowd laughing and singing along (other songs include titles such as 'Mayonnaise salute' and the ever popular 'we like boobies'.) At one point the front man 'Frank Dennis performed a song on the shoulders of someone in the audience, although I don't think he was expecting that!

Anal Bead are a funny band that really get the show going with their simplistic sounds, likened to that of 'Lawnmower Deth'. The best way to sum up Anal Bead though was actually posted on the event page for the gig. "Anal Bead are without a doubt Tiverton's best shit band!"

Mind for Murder

Next to play were 'Mind for Murder.' Not a band I had ever heard of before but definitely one to watch out for now! One thing that strikes me about this band was their very effective old school style. Rather than playing fast, chaotic riffs and overly complicated beats they stuck with the once and always great style, reminiscent of bands such as 'Soil and Pantera' and to really drive the point home they even wowed us all with a cover of metal giants 'Crowbar - High Rate Extinction'. The vocals also caught everyone's attention with singer Lewis throwing some new and interesting techniques into the mix to liven things up! 

This band is very connected and work well together, they can listen to each other and respond well to create strong, blasting rhythms and catchy and memorable songs that get everyone moving.

This Bristol based band really deserves everyone's support and I would definitely suggest to everyone to go catch them live if you can!

After a short break with everyone running to the bar, the small room was quickly filled back up again with people desperate to get to the front, even lining the stairs awaiting the return of Cambion.

Cambion

Straight into the set, no messing around and they opened up with 'Death March' a song from their previous E.P 'Last Rites'. With a seamless flow they worked through the first E.P showing of their melodic and technical style that had anyone who could move head banging. A crowd favourite was definitely 'Salem' which had the whole crowd singing along with frontman Elliott. The thing that impresses me the most with this band is the stage presence each of them have. Unfortunately you do see some bands who have great music but let their performances down with lack of stage presence but not this band. Even the Drummer was head banging and wind milling in time with the rest of them whilst blasting out some amazingly technical beats. There sound definitely has a djent edge to it, you don't often see around these parts and you can see how bands such as 'Meshuggah and Animals as Leaders' influence their sound, yet they manage to pull off their own style. 

Finishing the set they played through their latest E.P 'Virus'. What I loved most about Virus was how atmospheric it is, you really get a sense of a story when they are playing. Just like their previous songs, Virus is technical and melodic but you can instantly hear the malevolence in all the songs, it's especially honed in 'Virus part 3' Death'. Although each song follows on from the last you really do get a variety of sounds and Levels from 'Part 1' throwing you in at the deep end to 'Part 5' almost restoring your faith in humanity (Listen to the song/words and you will understand) Clean vocals intermixed with the aggressive screaming and they have perfected the art of conveying emotions beautifully.

Brutal beats, face melting riffs, amazing live sound and all around metal, you can't really ask much more from this Devonshire band yet they strive to give you more.

k.
 Check them out!

Cambion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHdFcjtPXEI

Mind for Murder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lvxp3DeL0g

Anal Bead: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anl-Bead/165274350714?v=app_178091127385&app_data=eyJjb250ZW50LnRyYWNrIjoiMTc0NjIzNDkyMzI1NTExMTY4In0%3D

Be a yummy Muffin Without the Top!

Spare Tyre, love handles? Muffin tops? And no, i'm not talking about your favorite treat. A lot of us have them but it doesn't mean we actually want them and actually they are quite simple to get rid of! So you can be a yummy muffin without the top! For those of you lucky or ignorant people who don't know what the muffin top is, its the overhanging fleshy bit that spills out over your waistband to put it bluntly! They are mainly fat but the muscles surrounding it attaches to it to giving you those undesired little muffin tops!You must remember when working out you can't always just focus on one area and expect to see results there, you have to do a rounded workout, you will lose body fat and reduce area's in size quicker that way but that doesn't mean there aren't some useful tips to help.
Summer is fast approaching with clingy dresses and small tops the staple diet in our warm wardrobes so here are some amazing tips to banish those muffin tops for the summer!

• Eat citrus fruit such as lemons, oranges, grapefruit or tangerines. According to FatFreeKitchen.com, these fruits are rich in vitamin C, which helps the body speed up the ability to burn fat by diluting the fat.
• Eat banana's! Banana's have potassium, one banana gives you roughly 25% of your recommended daily amount. Potassium is important because it helps boost and improve your metabolism so you can bur calories and fat. Also potassium helps regulate your water balance so you wont have to worry so much about water weight!
• The Plank and side plank are fabulous exercises that tone up all the muscles there, so when the fat is stripped away you are left a toned and tight mid section!
• Drink green tea! a nice green brew will boost your metabolism and give you energy so you feel hydrated and renewed. No excuse not to exercise now.
• Drink lots of water. A tip we all know but don't seem to do as much as we should!
• Exercise! Cardio is important it will shrink you all around your body and generally tone you up. The best exercise I find for loosing the love handles is jogging. Try and push your self by doing a long slow jog, keeping your heart rate elevated constantly for more than half and hour and try and use long strides that will keep your hips moving.
• Avoid processed foods (take aways, ready meals) these contain amazingly high amounts of fat and salt which makes you retain water and just generally makes you pile on the pounds, especially in area's where you are most susceptible to weight gain quickly (i.e muffin tops)

There are millions of tips and tricks so get started with these ones and see what works for you! You can be A yummy muffin, without the muffin top!

k.

Peplum Trousers, a Leg too Far?

Peplum. Not just an amusing word I assure you. The Peplum has swept our planet this year and pushed itself to the forefront of fashion in such a small space of time. But what is a Peplum? Basically it is a short over skirt that is attached to usually skirts, jackets or dresses. It's sleek and sophisticated and makes the waist appear thinner giving you a fuller hourglass figure, a favourite with most celebrities but bought into the spot light a lot by none other than Kim Kardashian.

Kim Kardashian - Peplum Skirt

The Peplum was first brought to our attention as a dress. At first I thought this was a wacky, useless design that wouldn't catch on but the more I saw it, the more I started to think it was really flattering and encouraged people to look curvy and embrace their curves instead of trying to hide them! Peplum dresses are the perfect casual chic dress but can easily be worn as the perfect office dress, party dress, night out on the town dress and so much more! I rather liked the Peplum by this point and its popularity was sky rocketing, so inevitably along came the Peplum skirt. With its throw back connotations of the classic pencil skirt, the Peplum skirt was still up there in the fashion stakes. It's still sophisticated and structured yet had more of a laid back (and depending on what you paired it with) a girly look to it. It could go with an array of outfits, a staple in any closet.

Peplum - Trousers

But then they took the Peplum a step to far (or should I say a leg too far, rather literally!) and Peplum trousers were born, and in my opinion should be destroyed. Peplum's are good and trousers have always been a plus in humanities books but the two should really not be mixed together. The idea of the peplum is to flatter the shape, the skirt or dress tapers in at the waist and knee's for an ultra-feminine shape that covers the hips and lower stomach where any lumps and bumps may be, scoring top trumps on the amazing things to wear list. Whereas Peplum trousers are rarely flattering, this is because it draws a lot of attention to your thigh area which is smoothed over on a skirt or dress, it's a lot going on in such a small area and it subtracts all the femininity. It's like its missing the point of itself!
So overall, I am a fan of the Peplum if it's worn correctly. It can be a fashionable statement piece that complements your shape but my advice to most people would be to stay away from the Peplum trousers. They don't really do anyone any favours, if you're going to go Peplum, go for a skirt, dress or even top for that feminine, sleek look!

k.

DriveChain and Zoltar Speaks at TCAT

When: 23rd March
Where: TCAT Tiverton
Who: Drive Chain + Zoltar Speaks.


The Venue, a warm, amazingly lit hall with a large stage worthy of any big band. A huge drum kit sat on a high rise surrounded by white Gothic-esq, Victorian lamp posts. The scene was well and truly set for the highly anticipated return of DriveChain. But the biggest surprise of all? We were in Tiverton high school's school hall and the lead singer of this Heavy metal band taught English here for 4 years and the bassist was a student! This really was their Home ground show.
And first up to bat was Zoltar Speaks, a Minehead based, female fronted melodic rock band, boasting their high energy shows and they did not disappoint.  From the word go Zoltar Speaks engaged the crowd, instantly wowing. Their heavy melodic, almost funk sound went down well with everyone head banging and dancing. They played a mixture of old and new songs showing of the full range of their talent but what really stood out was when they played the track from there new video release titled 'Last man standing'.
All of them pushed it and played their hearts out to this song, very impressive with the front row stood in awe. The drummer and the bassists played what seemed to be a well rehearsed  carefully placed marriage of skill and ability to create a sturdy foundation on which the guitars built there chunky yet melodic phrases. All tied together, you had a catchy and powerful sound that any metal lover would bang their heads to. The lead singer, Louise, fully commanded the audience's attention, making full use of the stage and showing of her powerful vocals with one innocent bystander commenting that it was "mind blowingly good"

During the changeover I caught up with an excited Zoltar, all buzzing from the performance they just gave. Lead singer Louise told me, almost literally bouncing from the walls, "I love the Venue, definitely the best venue we've played in a long time and the crowd was amazing! It's been a while since we last gigged and the crowd just accepted us amazingly!" With Drummer Ben adding "We really appreciate everything, the venue is amazing and the crowd was really welcoming especially compared to the Minehead crowds"
When asked what they were up to for the rest of the year, they kept it close to their chests with guitarist Ollie stating "We definitely have lots in the pipe-line, the video's just come out, loads of PR is getting done, keep watching!" And I agree! This band is absolutely one to watch in the future, they have so much energy and showmanship they really opened up the gig, getting ready for the main event.

Now for those of you who don't know, DriveChain is a 4 Piece Metal band that disbanded 2 years ago, their influence still lingered around the local southwest music scene though, with many bands looking up to and learning from them, hoping to fill their shoes whilst they were gone. But no longer it seems.
Ascending the stage they leapt straight into their set, with the song 'First to this Fire' as if they had never left before. Instantly it was seamless even with their new, female bassist, Chrissy Slevin, who was not only performing live for the first time with the well-known rockers but was running the whole gig, being the promoter!
One of the highlight songs was 'Salvation' which took all fans back to the old days and had everyone singing along. One thing I really like about this band is their sound is raw and basic. It takes you back to the classic, simple, no fuss metal days of bands such as 'American Head Charge' and 'Drowning Pool'. Impressive really in this day and age with everyone striving for a new sound. They make old school cool. Yet they still have an edge, keeping current and fresh. Fair enough they haven't got a highly technical edge but they are still thoroughly melodic and strong, with clear and seamless vocals, backed by memorable, fast paced guitars. A well oiled-machine grinding out those pounding rhythms.
I caught up with lead singer Matt after the show who told me that it was really good to be back here, especially in the place that he once taught. "It's good but strange, I walked through these doors every day for 4 years and then just stopped." On Stage he gushed to the crowd about how amazing the crowd were, adding after, "Tiverton is the place to gig, even better than Exeter!" And it's true, the crowd at this gig welcomed them back like heroes, singing along and moshing best they could. So it looks like the infamous Drive Chain are back for good, when asked about what's different now to how it was, Matt replied;
"There's not as much pressure anymore, it's much more relaxed, it's not like I'm turning up to the third practice in one week and thinking 'I have to look at your face again!'

As the crowd fell out the hall at the end of the gig, overall the consensus was that everyone had pretty outstanding night, the first of its kind in Tiverton's own TCAT, and not the last with hopefully a regular metal night to be hosted in the venue. Its community run, so all of the profits go back into the venue to improve the facilities and to get more decent entertainment in! So definitely keep your eyes peeled for more face melting metal coming Tiverton's way!

k.

Go check the Bands out!

Drive Chain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOZ6ZcCp-DM

Zoltar Speaks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiTC8j84bmM