Is this viral Kony thing real?

There is so much controversy around this subject. The you tube video made to play on human empathy to get all those views and shares. I can completely understand if this were all true, if these criminal actions were really happening. But how can this all be true if there is so much reason to believe it's not too, and we haven't heard about it before now if Kony was meant to be a role of power over 20 years ago why wouldn't there be more charities trying to raise this awareness?

Yes, the you tube video looks so real, and pulls at all our heart strings, but after hearing just some of the people talk about this, and actually put some effect into looking this all up and researching it, it makes it seem even more of a hoax. I know I have hardly researched it as keenly as some people out there, or have any first hand experience of Uganda, and I would love to believe that someone used their fame like this to really put all this forward. And make a difference. But if it were real why would they have so many people questioning it?

Listen to her points she makes - a girl I found who seemed to give many valid points on this argument, but there are so many others like her that have posted objections and raised quite worrying questions on this case.

I mean has anyone even thought about the campaign and how they want young people to protest? They want us to go into the streets at night and cover cities with posters. When I heard about this at first I really wanted to go and post these around- make a difference and do something I could be proud of. But this act of covering private property is a felony. "Poster blanketing" is illegal. I know that some protests are illegal, I'm not naive about how some protests raise awareness, but in such a large scale to the target audience of teenagers that don't know any better how can this be a charity? Leading young teens to have warnings or criminal records (or at least some sort of fine), aren't they making young people's lives worse than making them better? I mean I just got the answer from Yahoo, but it sounds clear cut and right. The link.

So I'm all for human rights, and protesting against what you believe. But if you really want to make the world a better place think about the provenance of the charity and if it is really trustworthy.

Ellie. 

15 best pick up lines.

I don't normal comment on the whole relationships scene, but I just though that these were something that really made me laugh and think about all those guys who must have sat there for hours trying to figure out new ways in which tom impress girls, all which fail.

The good old classical "pick up lines".

I just wanted to share some of them and see if any of them would even make it worth while to carry on talking to the guy or even laugh at (and no, not laughing with you, more at you). So just enjoy, and think of all the cringing moments a guy has actually tried this on with some girl in a bar...
(Just for the giggles.)


Is that a ladder in your tights or a stairway to heaven?

I'm glad I've got my library card, because I'm checking you out.

Did you just fart? Because you just blew me away.

Was that an Earthquake? or you just rockin' my world?

Are you a magnet? Because I can't help being attracted to you.

Why don't you come over here and sit on my lap, and we can talk about the first thing that pops up.

If you were a booger I would pick you first.

If I could arrange the alphabet I would put U and I together.

Can I take a picture of you so I can show Santa what I want for Christmas?

Can I borrow your number? I lost mine.

I hope there's a fireman around, because you're smokin'.

Hey, I just realised this, you look like my next girlfriend.

Are you an interior decorator? Because when you came in the room you made it beautiful.

Apart from being sexy what else do you do for a living?

Do you have a plaster? Because I hurt my knee falling for you.



Well, that put a smile to my face reading these!

Ellie.

Art beyond a photo.

So most of you have seen my artwork, but all of it has been some what conventional and predictable- a couple of sketches and some photos. But I wanted to show that your creativity doesn't limit you by your media, and that it doesn't even have to be a picture, or artwork. But something that is meaningful to you that can expresses how you feel. I think I should put some abstract pieces on here at some point, but I'm not sure how many people will actually understand what I have created or what it means to me. So it may be too personal to truly interpret any ways! But it's something I would like to see your reaction on.

But enough with the boring introduction and organising my blog out for normal people to understand why I have done everything. And on with what I wanted to create differently today!
I wanted to create something that wasn't a picture, and it should hopefully tie up with a recent post on "A picture can speak a thousand words"- But don't worry it's not going to be a thousand words... Hopefully.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, 

Why am I doing this to myself?

Yeah, I forget about the consequences

and now and then I get insecure,

More the pain,

I'm so ashamed.

I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while,

I don't care what they say.

Someone told me I should take caution.

But today is where your book begins, 

The rest is still unwritten.

I guess this is more a of a tribute to all those artists who don't just write about girls and parties. But to those artists that inspire the good in us, to be something really inspiring and influential. I hope you can recognise most lines and artists mentioned.

Ellie. 

A picture can speak a thousand words.

"A picture can speak a thousand words"- probably everyone has heard this saying at one point in their life, but can a picture really capture everything that is to be said in a thousand words just by that millisecond of taking that photo?

What about the fact that "actions speak more than words" doesn't that mean that actions mean more than that picture holding 1000 words? How can simple actions be more than those well thought out words trying to express everything to someone else?
But maybe these are just opinions on what people prefer more- actions, words or just a millisecond slice of it- And really depends on the situation.

Personally little actions do speak more than words for me, think about a time when someone has really made you smile. Was it because they were writing a long essay to you, or just because they made you feel safe with something simple as a smile towards you? I think body language can speak more than words, if someone is saying sorry but not looking in your eyes you wouldn't believe that they are truly sorry, and in that aspect I think body language can make either the perfect moment or break it completely. Showing that the words of pictures have to be followed by the good intentions of the actions, so without the action in the first place there wouldn't be that same feeling and love within those loving words or picture.

I love standing back and watching those perfect moments unfold, just like in the romantic films you see.
Where the guy is always the caring gentleman, the woman is always vulnerable but strong willed- and together they make it through everything.

That kind of love doesn't need those long essays, or constant reminders of how much they mean to each other. They are just reminded by the fact they feel safe knowing that they are there together, and those little actions of constant selflessness for the other person just shows how they feel. I think every girl has the same feeling- wanting their guy to be their knight in shining armour.

Sorry for the soppy post today, I think I needed it against all my rather cynical posts!

Ellie.

Stress.

Most people have nightmares about not being able to run away from someone or something. Or the feeling of falling waking you up. Or being sat in an exam not having an clue why you are even there.

Those sleepless nights where your brain keeps ticking away and you can't get any real sleep because you are so focused on what you need to do, and what you should of already done better. 

I don't know whether it's my brain telling me I need to be better, do better, push myself to who I can really be, or my brain just not being able to let me rest, and stop thinking about everything. But whatever sleepless nights are because of it doesn't help the amount of stress that everyone goes through. Sleep deprivation on top of the stress isn't helping, so why do we have it as a human instinct? 

I think most people agree that sleep is their own way of having "me time", so why is it that when you really need that "me time" you never seem to get any? It really does confuse me, how does this design in evolution help anything? 

My usual ways of de-stressing is eating lots of ice cream, or anything that puts a smile on my face. But I just don't feel up for making myself feel lazy and sick by eating too much! Other than that I go shopping, or do my work but neither seem to have the same satisfaction as they did before, I guess the sleep deprivation has had me on edge for quite a while. 

I know so many people who have stressful points in their lives, where they just want to sit in a dark room for hours just shutting the world out. The feeling of regret as you wake up in the morning after a completely sleep less night, but you can't do anything but smile and hope that no one notices the fact that you have yawned more then 10 times in the last half an hour. 

I guess it just shows strength in character not to run away from all the obstacles thrown at you, but to face them and try you hardest every single time.

I know I don't usually do personal posts, but I thought I would do something that I felt for at the moment. I just wanted to show that everyone has the same emotions thrown at them one way or another, but the way we deal with them as individuals and as a community makes us who we are. 

Ellie.

Somethings can be more than you think.

When you think of the designing world is it the simplistic reality of normal everyday things? Or something so creative you never would of imagined let alone seen it created?

For me it's always been such a mystery to how something that can be so simplistic can be created into something so beautiful. You probably think I'm being some what over dramatic, about this whole topic, but it's something I have always been interested in and has really inspired me. All this time I have been trying to make others think when I haven't really shown you what my inspiration is and what has always influenced me. So I think it's about time!

So I don't really do personal posts that often, but just this once you will get an insight into the person behind all these posts! If you haven't already wondered already!

I didn't really know how to make other people understand how beautiful some design work is to me, there are so many sites, pictures to choose from- and then all within different genres I had no idea where to start. So I thought about what things I love to see the most and almost did it in chronological order, I will explain why the higher up ones are most important to me.

I just love shoes, I am sorry, what do you expect from a girl? But I love this print- it's retro and yet has that contrast of the really modern heel shape. It's just so unique, and fun!

I really love this because everyone has a piece of jewellery, that normal shape that anyone could make up. But this plays on the individuality of nature and shape contrasts. The very smooth curves and bolder sharper shapes make it eye catching.

I really love this because my other pictures are based on just one element, while this plays with your imagination and perception of what you would expect a room to be like. If someone told you without the picture that there is a light room with only whit furniture, you probably wouldn't imagine this. I just wanted to show how far you can stretch your imagination and still be able to create it.

I think this one is most important to me because it lets you have your own sense of design and style within how you choose to colour or leave completely blank. A designer that gives you guidelines to your own canvas. I also like this design because it's something everyone sees everyday-wallpaper, but you can look at it in a different light this way. It makes you think twice about what every objects can be.

Opportunities- the gate way to your future.

Opportunities. As you grow up you must of heard this word so many times: to make the best of what you have; to follow a path of chance. But this association with this word makes it seem like such a huge task; that you actually have to try so hard just to get a chance or opportunity that others may have on a silver platter.

I know that's something that really gets to me, people who have all the chances in the world handed to them, just because they have some sort of title they didn't work for, some sort of connection with those people, some sort of way of paying themselves into what ever they want. I know this is only a small minority of people, but I don't know whether to be jealous or sorry for them. They have what others always wished for- a chance. But what does that chance mean if they didn't fight for it? If they didn't prove themselves like the rest of us, how does that give you any feeling of satisfaction? I know for me the working hard to get there means so much, bot just be doing something fulfilling but I know if I have any self doubt in what I'm doing I know that I should be there, I have earned it myself to be in that position.

As a complete contrast I never understand those people who don't push themselves, don't challenge themselves to be who they want to be. I couldn't be one of those "happy go lucky" people, I don't know anyone is. They just wait for chances to come to them, rather than grabbing and making opportunities for themselves.

I know myself I would find it impossible to wait, and hope. It makes you stand out against the crowd, be someone you would choose to give that opportunity if you were in the position to giving that chance out to others.

Although this is a bit of a clichéd topic, just imagine where you would be without all the chances that have been given to you, and all the work you put in to getting where you want to be. I don't think any human would be where they are today without the opportunities they have been given.

So choose a path, but don't be afraid to stray from the path and follow your own feet.

Ellie.

Disappointment.

I'm not usually one of those people that openly show their feelings to everyone, but something that I will always be open about with others is my disappointment. I don't know why, it's a feeling that makes you regret, and make you challenge how you originally thought about that topic or person.

For me it comes in many forms, whether it is what a person has done or what I have done personally. But what ever the reason it leaves you feeling bitter, and slightly useless. What ever you put yourself forward to do, you put enough effort in for feel that sense of disappointment at the end if you didn't do as well as you expected. You must have felt connected and hopeful about it enough to be upset about it enough to feel like you should of done better.

Or maybe it was that hope of something better, maybe it is like the picture I put along with this- the anticipation of something to arrive, or open. And it's nothing like what you hoped for, that sigh of disappointment. That sigh of what you hoped. That sigh of regret.

So what is disappointment? Regret? Or what happens when you become over ambitious? Or false hope?

I know that I hate feeling being insecure about something, that false hope, that false sense of security. But disappointment is that feeling, just after everything happened. And there is no undo button.

So is disappointment more regret or just not expecting the outcome?

Ellie.

Miracles or false hope?

Why do we even have the word "miracles"? I think it just sets up us to think that they exist, that they exist on a regular basis, that they exist enough for every human being to see one or be part of a miracle at one point in their lives.

So just by having this word exist does it make you feel like it's going to be something you will see? And even if this word does exist what would you classify as a "miracle"? What's the difference between a miracle or just being lucky? So be honest, do you think that there are some things that could be classed as a miracle?

I know that all miracles aren't going to be like the parting of the sea, the feeding of the 5,000, David and Goliath. I am not religious, but reading/hearing these miracles, doesn't it just make you wonder and compare what sort of "miracles we see today?

So can we really class something really lucky as a "miracle" if we compare what others have told us? How do we really believe in such a thing as miracles if we never see them ourselves?

So the word may be misleading but maybe it gives hope to those who have nothing else to hope for. But doesn't that just mean that they have a false sense of security? They have given themselves false hope?


Ellie.

(Sorry for the literal picture! The effects you can do on Photoshop are just mind blowing sometimes!)

No such thing as a random act of kindness.

What is a random act of kindness?

Is it something you do to show people that being selfless is the way forward?
Or is it because you want to feel good because you have helped someone?

This may sound like something really contradicting, but once I thought about it I don't think there is a "random act of kindness". Yes, you may do something nice/helpful for someone without them asking; just because you can. Just because you want them to smile. Just because you want to show them how much you care.

But then you want something back; you want that recognition, you want that gratitude that comes with something helpful.You want that good feeling that comes with making someone happy. Even if that feeling comes from something so selfless putting someone else first. You do if for the underlying feeling, that random act of kindness can never be completely random. Because in doing so you get the feeling of happiness and satisifaction that you care and can help someone. You get something in return to being selfless.

Not only does purely for themselves, that's why they call it a random act of kindness, but you always get something back in return. Whether it is the good underlying feeling, the recognition of being a good person, the feeling of doing something right, or maybe you are a believer of karma?

I do admit this seems a little bit out there, but really think about how many times you would say you have done a random act of kindness and not felt like one day this will all come back to you in a good way.

So my question is, is there ever a situation you feel that gives you 100% random act of kindness? With no chance of returning the favour?

Ellie.

But as the picture says: No act of kindness, no matter how small is wasted. - Aesop.