Tag: Christmas

Life, oh life

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Getting in the way again. I have been a bad blogger over the last while. And I have no real excuse. I have been online, I just haven’t had anything to say.

Which is unusual, I’ll tell you that.

I am getting very frustrated with technology right now, whether it be website not loading, computer crashing or just not being able to get online. It has been a major pain, because I am trying to get myself motivated, and things are getting in the way, not making life any easier.

I am trying to lift myself up. Going to spend next weekend painting Christmas cards, as I need to get them ready. This is a trial. I want to see how the Christmas cards are received. If people like them, then I may look to selling them or something. I don’t know. I think it would be nice for people to get hand painted cards, and not store bought. I think the worst thing is the handicraft stuff. The make your own card stuff, that includes cut out pictures, with little foam sticky squares to stick things together.

It sounds terrible. I just think that if you are going to go to the effort to construct something, you may as well create the things from scratch. Yes, what you make may not be perfect, but it will be made  by you. And that love and satisfaction  that you get for yourself for making it all. It feels great.

I think my issue is, that the handicraft stuff reminds me of the things we used to be forced to do at Primary School, when the the teacher either couldn’t be bothered, or just wasn’t very artistic. Yes it was fun, but I used to always think I could do better myself, without the worksheets. I think that must be my problem with the things.

But then, if someone is expressing themselves creatively, who am I to berate what they like. I guess, if everyone did like the same thing, it would be a very boring life/

And That’s That

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

So after all the stress, and running around, Christmas is over for another year. Other than working extra for Sky, I spent Christmas day with family, and met up for a drink with some friends on boxing day. All in all, I really enjoyed the holiday, though I don’t think it really felt like Christmas. But I don’t know if that’s because Christmas as an adult is not the same as it was when you were a kid. I do think that’s probably because it was all about toys and Santa, and now its about family.

But, as usual, it is probably me overthinking, and nothing has really changed.

Anyways, I have access to my website’s cPanel again. This means I can update it all, and start redirecting things here for the time being. That is really awesome, as I feel that this blog and things, at least show me having some level as productivity. Mostly because, no matter what is happening in my life, I always have time to blog. Actually, it is something I make time for, and I am glad I do. It always helps me organise my thoughts, and sometimes vent a little. And to me, I feel that you can tell someone’s personality from how they write and explain things.

I mean, I think a lot of people lose the interest of business prospects because they don’t show personality in what they do. Like, I have seen an Australian girl I know’s website. Her work was awesome, but her site was a template and contained a blog written in text speak. The point of a blog, on a site, is to express yourself but to let readers know you. If you don’t show opinion, or you write badly, then I think that you are doing a dis-service to yourself and your work.

Again, I have rambled off on an irrelevant tangent. That is becoming habit on here. *LOL*

Merry Christmas

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

So everything has calmed down and the big meal has been devoured down to the last Brussel sprout. Dad is reading, Mum is watching Doctor Who, brother is sleeping and sister is playing with her new phone. To me, it is the most reflective part of the day, where I feel lucky to have crossed people’s mind enough that they send me a message of some sort.

It makes me feel like I am not as alone, as my thoughts lead me to believe I am. And this, isn’t a bad thing to feel. Christmas is about family, and being thankful for those who you are blessed to spend their your time around. No matter what this, now commercialised, holiday means these days, it’s roots are based in Christianity, and its various offshoots. Religion is where much of society used to get its morality from.

Now, I don’t like to believe in one God over another, I have no inclination to blindly follow one specific faith, but I can see what appeals to it.

Religion is something which gives people hope and helps them cope in life. If some words, a story, can help people better themselves and treat one another nicer, how can it be a bad thing? Where it becomes negative, when people use these stories as an excuse to treat others poorly. And honestly, no religion, not even Satanism, tells you to hate those who are different to you. People hate people, no book gets you to hate. People think if they can excuse what they do, then they can pretend they are good people.

I think that religion offers guidelines for people, and it shouldn’t be gospel, pardon the pun. I mean Noah and the Ark was one of my favourite stories as a kid, alongside The BFG. Both the stories show kindness, and are good for kids to read. Take on face value, there is no harm in stories and appreciating them, but using them as weapons is disgusting, and shows no understanding of what these religions actually stand for.

Whatever it is you celebrate, hoping all readers and their famillies have a good day. XOX

Falling into a pre-Christmas stupor.

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

The run-up to Christmas is always a dire time on television, unless you like soaps, reality TV and movies you have seen a dozen times. It feels like this year, they have thrown in about 50 TV ‘chefs’ into the mix, just for good measure. And, I look at the TV listings, and mentally tick off what is rubbish, rather than see anything I want to watch.

It says it all, that the highest watch programs in this country, are reality shows and soap operas. Both which are watched by people who include TV viewing as a hobby, and like the routine that it brings. Its like people put their brain into neutral and just watch the same-old stuff, over and over again. People are too lazy to even read a book, so we get the ‘kindle’. People want everything to fit into their ‘ultra-modern’ lifestyle, so they get rid of their CDs, DVDs and books, and their home loses all character. They believe that the ‘thing’ to do is to have it all on a computer.

I know, as a graphic designer, I should be championing the ‘digital age’, but I get my influence by flicking through the pages of my favourite book, or by reorganising my record collection. They are simple things that inspire me so much, but I couldn’t live without them. Looking through my itunes library doesn’t make me feel the same. It doesn’t feel like I can properly own something, if I can’t hold it and touch it. Maybe that’s me, and how I feel about things.

We have another 2 weeks of Christmas telly to go, and I want to throw my TV out the window already.

Thinkings of 20\12

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

When people ask me what type of girl I am, I never know exactly what to say to them. I mean I have the answer, where I say I love music and literature, but it always sounds a bit vague for someone to get an actual idea of what I’m like.

Well, today I found the perfect way to explain me and how crazy I am. I am the kind of girl who sees typographic wrapping paper, and gets more excited than a 3 year old after too many E numbers. Yes, I got all stupid in public over cheap wrapping paper. And it was really, really cheap, 3 rolls for £1, wrapping paper.

Anyways, I am not a big fan of shopping, and Christmas is the worst time of the year for me to be in a shopping centre. I am a short tempered, no-nonsense, in shops and out again, kind of shopper. And Christmas shoppers just ruin my routine of getting things done as quick as possible. So I get more aggravated, to the point I simply wish I hadn’t bothered.
In an odd moment of anger fuelled reflection, I went into the book shop and found myself reading the nativity story in the Good News Bible. The same bible I had when I went to church as a kid. Now, I am not a person who takes religion seriously, but I can see why people look at the bible to enlighten them. I mean, how has the simple story of the birth of a baby, transformed into people forcing themselves to go shopping? Its crazy.

I get people christmas presents, because I like the idea of giving people things that they’ll treasure and need. Its not about what’s biggest or most expensive, I like the idea of getting someone a gift they will use. Unfortunately, not everyone puts that much thought into things.

But then I look on something, like wrapping paper, that I think looks awesome, and know its just going to be thrown out when the presents are opened. It is rather annoying, but I guess that’s what happens when you give things to others. *shrugs*

So its that time of year again.

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Its fast approaching the end of November. The time of the month I was supposed to have a certain novel finished. In truth, I am in no way going to complete it in time. Though I am still going to write it. Just on my own time scale. The reasoning behind that is because I was forcing myself to write, and it was just turning to shit, and I felt like crying over it. So I left it.

So instead I have found myself focusing on CHRISTMAS. Yes, it is that time of year again.

This is something that I really shouldn’t be thinking of, as I end up just getting really moody about the whole thing. Why? Because the event which is supposed to be about family and togetherness, is about trying to buy presents that everyone will like. *le sigh*

It’s the time of year where people worsen their financial situation, just so that they can buy others gifts. People are too scared to say ‘no’. If you can’t afford to do Christmas, don’t do it, or make hand-made things. I mean one of the best presents I ever received, was a letter from a friend, and it was an account of some of his best memories of us. It meant so much to me and it’s still one of my most prized possessions. It cost him nothing to make that gift, and it means so much.

Over the years it seems that people have substituted effort with money when it comes to giving gifts to others. Why spend days making something, when you can go into a shop a few days before the BIG DAY. Uch, its relentless, and we are guilt tripped in to being this way. As if, it makes you a bad person if you don’t buy something for a decent amount of money. It doesn’t make you a bad person, and if people did stop buying each other massive presents, then it would mean that someone would be making less money, and in the current economy, no-one wants to increase someone’s suffering.

It would be a lot better, if the whole money thing was taken out of Christmas. If you want to get someone something for the holidays, you would have to make it with your own hands. And to know that someone cared about you enough to actually spend time making you something? That would make everyone feel good, and it would be something unique and special.

If only it was that easy. I gave bookmarks to some people last year, they were thrown to the side as if they were rubbish. People are way too spoiled and should appreciate all they get.

*Thinks* Rant over.

Really stoaked

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

I have a lot of painting coming up, all projects are my own and are for gifts for my friends. But I am so excited about it.

The only one I can talk about is Christmas cards. Sick of having to buy cards, or getting ‘handycraft’ cards, I decided that this year I am going to make handmade cards. It is going to be painted scenes, and festive colours mostly. Just something a little different.

It feels really personal if someone has done that. I also have a few winter photographs from last year I may use. Like of photos of the glen, like nice snowy pictures. Actually never been this excited about christmas cards, actually never been so excited about christmas so early. But I can’t help it.

I have been stuck in this almighty rut all summer, and now I have the motivation to do something, I can’t help but get excited. Whoooo!