#cardiff lifestyle blogger

[notabipolarbear]

Sooo I’ve spent a whole week on my own! My partner has been away skiing with his dad! I’m really proud with how I’ve been. I’ve had zero anxiety and have been to college, hockey and the shops. I’ve been cooking for myself and I’ve been cleaning too. Hockey was good fun though my body really didn’t want to be there. Ended up with a sore back and shin splints.... we got our team jerseys which look really cool 😊🐉 Cardiff dragons 🐉 I’ve lost weight too which is amazing I’m so happy I can’t wait to lose more weight! I’m feeling very happy today 😊 looking forward to my home cooked spring rolls and rice for dinner 😁😁😁

[lifeofacrazymum]

In a bid to not spend any money this month, I raided the freezer for some junk food instead of ordering a take away. @marksandspencer cauliflower bites @tescofood breaded chicken steak @coopuk crinkle chips with cheese 😋😋😋 #food #foodblogger #cardiffblogger #cardifffoodie #cardiff #valeofglamorgan #wales #blogger #foodie #ilovefood #foodstagram #lifestyle #lifestyleblogger #cardiffbloggers #LifeofaCrazyMum #yummy #over40 #over40blogger #40plusblogger #40plus #friday #friyay #FridayFeeling #weekend #weekendvibes https://www.instagram.com/p/CDUZgLeA2bi/?igshid=184l7erukyx53

[darylelockhart]

How celebrity non-experts and amateur opinion could change the way we acquire knowledge

by Ashley Morgan

GOOP founder Gwyneth Paltrow. Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock

When digital media entrepreneur Andrew Keen predicted in 2007 that the user generated focus of Web 2.0 would lead to a reduction of well researched and factual information – and in turn the rise of amateur opinion – he was clearly on to something.

Over a decade later, and Keen’s prognosis has, arguably, come true. The internet today is a source of seemingly endless amounts of easily digestible material. Countless people contribute to its “factual” information, and promote their own opinions as facts too. Through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, people – particularly celebrities – are also able to promote products and ideas in a much more immediate and visual way. And to frame or reinvent themselves as experts in completely different areas than the ones they gained fame in.

Amateur experts

While people have long modelled and promoted fashionable clothing, for example, a number of celebrities have taken this idea further in the past ten years. They have broken away from the activities that made them famous – acting, singing, or sport – and reinvented themselves as business people. They are now more than just promoters of certain products, nor those whose style should merely be copied. They are the “go to” for fashionable lifestyles.

That celebrities are moving into business is not such a surprise. Yet, the way in which they adopt expertise in matters on which they have no training is a new twist in the rise of the amateur. Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, is now a fashion designer, for example, and actress Gwyneth Paltrow is a lifestyle and “health” guru. When Beckham first launched her clothing line in 2008, fashion editors were ready to be sceptical, but influential magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue were impressed. Despite no apparent training in design – her initial “expertise” in this matter came from her personal interest in clothing and being photographed wearing fashionable clothes – Beckham recently celebrated a decade as a fashion designer.

Similarly, Paltrow’s “modern lifestyle brand” GOOP sells face creams and other products under the umbrella of health and beauty. These are endorsed by Paltrow herself, and contributing doctors help advocate the so-called medicinal aspects of some of her products. Despite the chorus of criticism against Paltrow and GOOP’s “psuedo-science”, the company is now reportedly worth US$250m.

Read more: Goop: a classicist's take on the 'power' of ancient remedies

Fame and facts

Using the internet as a tool to promote celebrity has also worked for erstwhile businessman Donald Trump. Despite never having held a position as state governor (the common route to political power and presidency), and having no political expertise, Trump was able to become US president. Not least his ascendance was due to a social media campaign that relied on reproducing his “plain talking” rather than political rhetoric.

These new experts don’t even have to be famous for another reason to demonstrate expertise. Ella Mills, for example, is a UK blogger who, through documenting her illness and experimenting with food, became a staunch advocate of “clean eating” (although she has since tried to distance herself from the term). This helped launch her “natural and honest” food brand, Deliciously Ella, without any experience as a dietitian.

Now anyone with a Twitter or Instagram account and an opinion can promote expertise, and celebrities can interact directly with fans, showing them how to emulate their own impressive lives.

While social media can be considered a force for good in education, the dominance of a point of view approach in this sphere – rather than true expertise – could have a negative impact on expert knowledge itself, and the idea that you spend time to train and gain qualifications in a chosen field before claiming expertise.

As more people turn to the internet and social media for information of all kinds, it might arguably be much harder to tell point of view from empirical and factual research, as they now both appear in the same place. A recent example of this is the wider proliferation of pseudoscience. Pseudoscience itself is based on amateur opinions, and the issue with this is that social media becomes the supreme platform for perpetuating it. It is very easy to find information that confirms a point of view rather than challenges it.

As social media has proved that people can be successful with no obvious qualifications or training, and point of view increasingly confirms people’s perspectives, scientific expertise might arguably be eroded. And as social media produces financial incentives through marketing opportunities, the power of these “experts” could gain strength, creating a whole new shift in the acquisition of knowledge. Keen originally predicted that rather than widening and diversifying knowledge, interactive media would inevitably lead to digital narcissism and an increasing narrowing of the self. While many people have benefited financially and in terms of social status, the quality of knowledge that has emerged from social media is increasingly narrow and difficult to gauge.

About The Author:

Ashley Morgan is a Researcher and Senior Lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 

[asweetescapeblog-blog]

Exactly a month ago today I flew to Cardiff to see Niall on his solo tour and I've just posted a blog about it if you'd like to check it out. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asweetescape.blog Twitter: https://twitter.com/asweetescape_

[lifeeofshannon]

A PRE POST GRAD MELTDOWN

A PRE POST GRAD MELTDOWN

University is coming to an end and I am no where near ready. The plans I made before going to uni are now invalid because of how much life has changed in three years. In a few days I hand in my final assignment, celebrate final show and effectively the  whole point behind the past three years is done. This whole university journey has been completely unexpected to what I originally thought was…

[sophiejaneblogs-blog]

Restaurant review: Anna-Loka, Cardiff

Anna-Loka is an all Vegan, and Wales’ first vegan, restaurant situated on Albany Road in Cardiff, about 10 minutes out of Cardiff City Centre. Anna-Loka offers everything from delicious Vegan breakfasts to tasty salads, curry, burgers, hot dogs and a range of both raw desserts and cakes. 

Pictured below is the Caribbean Curry, a recent introduction to the Spring menu, and combines a subtle spice with the delicious sweetness of pineapple and coconut, and is served with sweetcorn fritters that were absolutely amazing. The dish was beautifully presented and really did taste as good as it looks.

I’d been craving a really good veggie curry for a long time before going here on Thursday and this definitely hit the spot. 

Then for dessert, I had a slice of chocolate cake which was absolutely amazing, it was perfectly cooked and so chocolatey I couldn’t even tell it was vegan it just tasted exactly like a chocolate cake you’d get anywhere. 

As stated, the restaurant is situated on Albany Road, about 10 minutes from the city centre, it has a really cool, chilled out vibe and the decor is so aesthetically pleasing, the staff are also super friendly which I think can really make or break a restaurant experience, and it definitely made the experience here. 

I’d really recommend anyone in Cardiff on the hunt for a good vegan restaurant to check this place out. It provides a wide range of healthy, vegan and over 50% of the ingredients used are certified organic, and whether you’re in the mood for a salad bowl or an indulgent yet healthy burger, there’s an option on the menu that caters to all moods.  

[jacobnsteel84]

Instagram is supposed to be friendly. So why is it making people so miserable?

For a growing number of users and mental health experts, the positivity of Instagram is precisely the problem, with its relentless emphasis on promoting ‘perfect’ lifestyles. Should everyone just stop scrolling?

When 24-year-old fashion blogger Scarlett Dixon posted a picture of herself having breakfast, the internet turned nasty. “The best of days start with a smile and positive thoughts. And pancakes. And strawberries. And bottomless tea,” Dixon wrote on her scarlettlondon Instagram feed, under an image of her looking flawless on a freshly made bed flanked by heart-shaped helium balloons.

The sponsored post – for Listerine mouthwash, a bottle of which is visible on the side of the shot – was swiftly reposted on Twitter. “Fuck off this is anybody’s normal morning,” wrote Nathan from Cardiff. “Instagram is a ridiculous lie factory made to make us all feel inadequate.” His post, which has garnered more than 111,000 likes (22 times as many as Dixon’s original) and almost 25,000 retweets, prompted a wave of criticism, with the more printable comments ranging from “Fakelife!” and “Bunny-boiler” to “Let’s pop her balloons” and “Who keeps Listerine on their bedside table? Serial killers, that’s who.”

Continue reading... from Trading Tips https://ift.tt/2NKTdLH

[rpeterthomas]

Like most people I’ve been into cycling since I was a kid.

I remember opening my first mountain bike one Christmas. I couldn’t tell you anything about it apart from it being black with yellow tires.

I remember going for my first ride with my mum walking along side me and my brother. This is when a stranger stopped us to say my handlebars were on backwards.

What happened to that bike I have no idea. Like many of the bikes I had growing up, it most likely ended up a rusting hulk in the garden because we didn’t have the space to keep them inside.

Anyway, fast forward a about a decade and many bikes later. I’ve amassed a small fleet of custom bicycles that have occupied my spare time over the past 4 years.

The first one on the list would be my Duracell mountain bike. I got this as it was being given away as a promotional item. I don’t remember what exactly because I’ve owned the bike for at least 10 years in total now.

I used it a handful of times when I was 17, but living in a hilly valley town made it difficult to use and thus it was resigned to the garden until I moved to Cardiff in 2015.

As I’d moved to the city for university and work. I figured I’d need a mode of transport, Cardiff being a fairly flat city made the idea of cycling fun and easy. That’s when I decided to dig the Duracell bike out of retirement.

Needless to say, the bike was completely seized. I remember there being a puncture in the rear tire when I last used it, but being sat in the garden for all that time had taken its toll.

As I was unfamiliar with bike maintenance and repair (I had never even opened a puncture kit) I was unsure if the bike was worth saving or if I’d have to just buy a new bike, however having a limited budget at the time made looking for a new bike difficult.

So seeking some professional help, I went to my local Halfords store to see what they could do.

As it happens a friend of mine worked there and gave me the news that he could bring the bike back to life and have it in working condition for £55… Bearing in mind I had to carry this bike into the store because it was completely seized up.

Fast forward a week and here’s what I got back!

They had replaced the bottom bracket, brakes, brake levers, brake pads, inner tubes, brake cables and housing, gear lines and housing, front and rear derailleur arms and the rear cassette…

For all of you that are unfamiliar with bike anatomy, that’s basically everything that makes the bike move!

Of course. As happy as I was with the resurrection of the bike, I just couldn’t leave it in its stock setup. I had to make this mountain bike a useful city commuter that can take the urban and the mud. I started out by adding pannier racks and bags.

Ultimately the pannier bags above lasted about a week and the handlebar bag even less. They didn’t suit my needs, and keeping things on your bike while it’s locked up on the street just isn’t a great idea.

My modifications from this point had whole practical influences. I changed out the bars for a straight bar from Brick Lane Bikes and swapped out the horrid grip shift gears for some new combination Shimano EF41 quick shifters and brake levers. Finished off this some gold bar tape… Just because. This setup was then improved with the addition the Takeaway tray, another item from Brick Lane Bikes.

This setup helps me I’m the city because it makes the bike so narrow. I can filter through the heaviest traffic without worrying about accidentally scratching other vehicles, and the tray on the front has come in handy on so many occasions.

last items while moving out of old flat.

nor

carrying prints for exhibition

bluetooth amplifier in the summer

cages on back with backpack

Later additions came in the forms of a Pendleton satchel bag for my everyday use, and some metal carrying cages.

While in uni, using the duracell bike. I realised that sometimes I was taking out a really heavy bike built to carry things when all I really needed was something simple and lightweight to get me from A to B. So as a result of this I ended up buying a new bike from ebay.

Brand new this bike only cost me £160 including delivery.

A nice, simple, single speed bicycle with nothing unnecessary weighing me down… The only problem was, I hated the bars on it for some reason.

I already knew what I wanted, dropped racing bars and 2 position brake levers like I’d seen on vintage 10 speed bikes.

I found it a great bike and took its place as my main ride depending on if I knew I’d need to carry anything heavy or bulky.

When I had these 2 bikes up and running my commute to work was only around 500 meters or so, I made a point of living close to my workplace. In fact, some mornings it would take me longer to get the bike out of my flat than it would take to cycle to work.

However, in February 2017. My place of work changed location. Which meant that my 500m trip to work became a 7 mile round trip. Needless to say this was a massive step up in regards to my previous cycling endeavours.

The first few weeks were hell and I still couldn’t work out which bike would be better to commute with. A lighter bike with only one speed, or a heavier bike with the ability to adjust the gears… over time and with a lot of practice I was capable of cycling the route in a best time of 15:30 with either bike. I still believe I could have got that down to less than 10 minutes if it wasn’t for the 10 sets of traffic lights on the way. My health improved massively and my asthma almost completely disappeared. I was in the best physical shape I had ever been. My thighs muscles had even doubled in size!

As of this post I have started a third bike build for the sake of fun. This project bike was actually acquired as the same time as the duracell mountain bike and was in pretty much the same condition when I dragged it out of the garden at my family home.

I proceeded to strip off all the parts I didn’t want or were too damaged to use. This left with the frame and forks, wheel set, front crankset, pedals and rear cassette.

The plan is to get the bike up and running as a single speed cargo bicycle for now, with the intention to eventually get an 80cc engine kit and make it work as a cargo moped! I’ve only got as far as to get the wheels re-wrapped with City jets and I’ve also already started to cover the frame with stickers… Because it’s my project and I want to… other parts I’ve been looking at including this flat rat handlebar rack by Brick Lane Bikes

I know this post isn’t for the purist cyclists put there. Nor is it for the mountain bike crowd, or even the city commuter crowd. These bikes are built to my own, very weird specifications. They all serve a purpose that I need them to. And honestly I do it for the fun of building. There’s nothing more rewarding that looking at something you’ve created with pure glee and pride. Here’s to running these bikes for years to come!

Easy rider. Like most people I've been into cycling since I was a kid. I remember opening my first mountain bike one Christmas.

[jodieedmundsclientstudies-blog]

After the pop-up exhibition, I started trying to think of what I might want to do for my work experience. I’ve been devoting a lot of thought to what I want to do when I finish university as a career. I discovered that there I many things I enjoy and while illustration is one of them, I think that it is too specific for me. I also switched from my interior design course in my first year, which is another interest of mine. I would like to take a step back and use the things I have learnt throughout these courses and apply them to interior design, visual merchandising and any other design industries I find myself in. This is something I do naturally anyway, so I just need to find a job that lets me enjoy colour, space and shape within design. These realisations started me off thinking about where I might benefit from the most during my work experience. From previous research, I know that John Lewis is very student friendly and encouraging of students’ participation, so considering their visual merchandising sector is somewhere I would love to work, I thought there would be a good place to start applying to. I also researched into homeware and furniture stores in Cardiff that are more independently owned because I felt I might be more likely to be granted work experience there if I can directly speak to an owner. I also knew I wanted to write my dissertation about shop window and instore displays, so I thought that this would help to inform that. I came up with a list consisting of, ‘Home by Kirsty’, ‘Momentum’ and ‘Beti Biggs’ which are furniture design shops in Cardiff that I have seen before. I applied to a couple of these places but realised one of the issues I will come across is that I wanted to be involved in the changing of displays but throughout the time I was going to be applying, they had already set up ready for Christmas and nothing would be changing for a long time. I then researched more about the development of shop window displays and found out that they are designed months in advance, which meant I could try and get involved with that. I brainstormed some ideas and thought it would be fun to approach a shop and offer to illustrate a design for their shop window display, with them setting the deadline, hypothetical budget and essentially giving me a brief to follow so it would become a live brief. I thought this could also open up opportunities to stay on with them afterwards. I liked the idea of tailoring a live brief to myself and learning from the store what actually goes into designing a display. I would need to produce mood boards and find out which key pieces from the store they would want to be showcased and what theme they would want. I thought that I would be able to offer a service to smaller, independent stores that aren’t really utilising their window displays, which would give me more of a chance of getting them to agree to it.

 I also thought about contacting bloggers in the area. Since I want to run my own blog and read a lot of design blogs myself, I thought that getting to work alongside a blogger would be a great way to learn about it and also gain a contact through networking. I have previously worked with Holly Ah-Thion, the author of The Kitty Luxe (lifestyle blog) so I was intrigued by the idea of working with her on more than just a logo design and actually learning from her what goes into blogging. However, the issues with this was how I would actually work with her, since we were warned in class to not just shadow people. Since she runs her blog herself, I didn’t know if there would be anything I could actually do.

[lifeofacrazymum]

Ah... Decided to have a go at making my own little graphic to illustrate my plan to make social distancing slightly less isolating! I used a free clip art site to find some cute pics, and @piccollage to arrange it all. #life #lifegoals #socialdistancing #COVID_19 #lifestyleblogger #blogger #LifeofaCrazyMum #Cardiff #valeofglamorgan #wales #cardiffbloggers #lifestyle #LoveYourself https://www.instagram.com/p/B-E-m0Lgt6g/?igshid=1s7iqdq8owbv

[visitcardiff]

We are working with Cardiff travel & lifestyle blogger @pipsays to find 'Instagrammable plates of Cardiff' across the city. Pip recently visited @admiralstdavid and said "I had the most delicious Australasian food the other week at the new @admiralstdavid Restaurant @stdavidshotel the dishes are influenced by countries in the Asia-Pacigic region such as Australia, Thailand and Japan. The food was zesty and vibrant and also highly instagrammable! I really recommend a visit to this exciting & cotemporary restaurant in Cardiff" #Cardiff #Cardiffis #platedpics #foodie #cardiff #foodporn #food #colourpop #foodgawker #foodgram #OMGB #wales #cardiffblogger via Instagram http://ift.tt/2xO4ROq

[dienamicimage]

Future is looking mighty bright! • • • • Our brand new Cardiff Collection is now Live online! Handmade from metallic acetate and are our highest quality Blenders to date! • Shop the full collection online | Link in bio! Free Shipping! Use my Coupon code DIENAMIC20 at checkout for 20% Off #goodvibes #goodmorning #goodmorningig #vibes #blenderseyewear #moodygrams #mood #retail #fashion #fashionblogger #blogger #lifestyle #life #love #lifestyleblogger #shop #shopping #mensfashion #womensfashion #beautiful #amazing #shades #sunnies #sunglasses #cardiffcollection #photography #marketing #model #modeling #realgoodvibes @real_goodvibes @carssun @_derekdavis_

[hywelevansvlogger-blog]

Why Follow ME?

It seems fitting to make my first blog post all about who I am, what I do and why you should care!

So, here’s a few things I think you should know:

1.       My name is: Hywel Evans. Yes, it’s a Welsh name and for those wondering... it’s pronounced “How-el”

2.       I’m a 3rd year student of Electrical Engineering

3.       I’m a blogger/vlogger for the University of South Wales. (I document student life around Cardiff)

4.       I am a YouTube creator with a channel dedicated to my passion: Health, fitness, and nutrition – Hywel Evans Fitness.

As far as content goes, I will be sharing my journey through University, as well as experiences around the local area (Cardiff).

I will try my best to include my passion of fitness into my blogs/vlogs and other posts, showing how easy it can be to maintain a healthy lifestyle as a student!

Things to expect:

·         Student lifestyle vlogs/blogs!

·         Student activities/outings in the local area!

·         TOP TIPS for students (NEW & OLD)!

·         Student friendly (budget), healthy eating!

·         Maintaining a healthy lifestyle whilst at University!

Don’t forget to hit that follow button if you are looking forward to any upcoming content – Over the next academic year there will be lots of TOP TIPS for students! 

Hywel Evans

[rpeterthomas]

Self-improvement is a lifetime task. Every year millions of people make new years resolutions by signing up to the gym and starting a new diet, taking on too many things at once. This inevitably leads to failure through over extension, a byproduct of taking on too many new tasks.

Not all changes have to be big or drastic, sometimes something small can equal big change.

Changing your shopping habits is something so subtle and accessible that you’ll hardly notice a difference, and you’ll save some money along the way!

Single use plastic in particular is almost at a crisis level. In 2016 we produced 335 million metric tons of plastic, half of which which was exclusively for single use packaging. [1]

Ripple is among the first zero-waste stores in Cardiff. Allowing you as a consumer to purchase your everyday items such as pasta and washing powder without having to shell out for unnecessary single use packaging!

The store is stacked from floor to ceiling with all kinds of products. All in handy, well-marked containers that are easy to access. They stock all kinds of dried food, spices, cereals, grains, sweets, and household products. They also stock some zero-waste lifestyle products and clothing as well as some cosmetic supplies.

sdr

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The whole concept of zero-waste living can come across as being quite lofty and unattainable. But in fact it’s actually helped me be more organised when I shop and in my kitchen at home, and is nowhere near as expensive as I’d been led to believe.

The great thing about it is that you can use any container you own to purchase your products. For example I have an old bottle of Jack Daniels filled with Faith in Nature shampoo as well as an empty tin of Uppercut Deluxe that I stash raw chocolate raisins in for work.

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One of the most handy things I’ve bought is their all purpose cleaner. As with all of the other items in the store, you can fill your own container by weight. But being a cleaning product, you ideally want to keep the information written on the bottle for reference. So what they did was make bottle for it. On your first purchase the bottle and cleaner cost £5 which seems a little pricey. However if you bring the bottle back when it’s empty, a refill only costs you £2!

cof

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Ripple has really pulled it out of the hessian sack. Their store is stunning and very well stocked with pretty much everything you need to start and maintain your zero-waste journey. By changing my habits and phasing out single use packaging I’m saving myself money and more importantly. Reducing my reliance on single use plastic!

I’m making an effort to do better. Self-improvement is a lifetime task. Every year millions of people make new years resolutions by signing up to the gym and starting a new diet, taking on too many things at once.

[rpeterthomas]

Greazy Vegan

Remember going outside and buying food made by other people? yeah I miss it too. hopefully we’ll get back to that soon, but in the mean time I’m gonna write about the places I’m missing.

Arguably Cardiffs first vegan junk food spot, Greazy Vegan really hits the spot.

I can be found here a few times a month scuttling away with a bag filled with vegan Buffalo wings, one of their outstanding…