Clothes :: stains, environment and waste

I've been rather lazy regarding my blog, I apologise and will try to update it more regularly. I find when I'm not in a routine that I get lazy and now I start a job tomorrow I will have more structure in my life.

So in my latest video I show you just how dirty my t-shirt got whilst I was away travelling and explain why it happened.

I would wash my clothes every night by hand, with soap, but some stains just will never come out and I think that's very possible with the clothes I wore in South East Asia.

Also, I believe that the more you wear something and the more worn it becomes, the more unlikely it is to scrub up new. 

This has got me questioning everything I ever thought about clothes though. When should you throw something in the bin? When should you decide it's unwearable? We have so much waste in the World already and I really want to stop being so wasteful, but if you look at that top I would be judged in the street for being "dirty" even though this had been washed and ironed!

I have so much to contemplate regarding clothes that I could easily spend the next few weeks researching and debating these issues regarding the environment, social and economic impacts. 

What would you do?

Jennifer x

Brighton Holiday

I went to Brighton last week with my dad and his partner Julie. I went to see my friend Fran as she was hosting a cycling meetup over the South Downs (a video will be up in a few days) and also because I have never been to Brighton before!

Wow! Brighton is gorgeous. There's so many different styles of architecture in such a small area that I felt like I was in every era in one second! 

We were so fortunate that the sun was beaming on our first day. As it was Julie's birthday I spent the day with her family walking along the promenade and to the Pier. It was gorgeous and we spent a long time walking. We stopped for lunch in an Italian restaurant (I used to love Italian food and when I saw Mark's calzone I was jealous!) but I brought fruit with me and enjoyed it very much.

Later on they had a BBQ at the beach and I took the remaining salad with me, plus some avocados I had just bought at Aldi!

I fell in love with Brighton and if you check out my footage you will see why!

Stay tuned over the next couple of days for more of my adventure in this wonderful vegan friendly city.

Much love

Jennifer x

B12 issues

Hey Everyone!

I hope you've been keeping well and managing to stay up to date with my YouTube videos. Since being home I've made a lot of juices and banana ice cream. I also got a well needed B12 shot and I have been feeling much better since.

I think it makes all the difference if you have a B12 deficiency. I was feeling very tired and lazy in Thailand and as much as I think part of that was the heat, I knew that it was a B12 issue. I was going to supplement when I was away, but I didn't like the thought of injecting myself, nor did I like the story of a girl who had a horrific injection at the hospital and pills, well I never take those anyway so I waited until my return.

It is not just a vegan issue though, if you feel tired and out of energy even when eating a balanced diet (even if you think you get B12 from meat...) you should definitely be checked out for a B12 deficiency because it is a very common problem with the modern world, given how much our farming practices have changed.

Well I am not exactly an expert on B12 so I will not tell you anything scientific about it, but here are a few websites you may find useful and informative. A general Google can be beneficial too!

Vegan Society

Active-B12

Bupa

Make sure your health comes top of your priorities. I could do with taking my own advice here!

Enjoy the video below :)

Peace, love and hugs

Jennifer x

First day in England

Hello everyone!

I have been settling into home life and trying to go slow so I don't end up sick like I did last year. So far so good. I've been taking it easy even though I just want to sort through my possessions and go crazy getting rid of things.

I've had more appreciation for England this year, from sitting in the garden soaking in the sun rays and feeling the cool breeze brush my skin, to admiring the wild flowers and spending time with family.

I am trying to incorporate green juices into my daily diet because I didn't have many during the last 3-4 months. I'm currently loving what I'm drinking and surprisingly I'm not really missing durian or the other tropical fruits of South East Asia (although I do still have a nam dok mai mango left to eat, which I'll be adding to a salad later!)

I hope you'll follow me on my journey in England, pretty soon I'll be getting a job, but the weather here should perk up a lot more and I want to go on some adventures with Barney.

Enjoy my first Vlog since returning. I will try my best to get them up regularly :) now I am using a PC it should be a lot easier for me to edit and upload.

Peace and love

Jennifer x

Thailand Vlog 28 :: closing chapter

I am now at home in England and I have put together the final footage from my trip in Thailand. It is the end of a chapter for me and I am feeling positive about moving on from this adventure.

I hope you've enjoyed seeing and reading about my journey and if you have not done so already I hope you can take the time to watch and/or read my posts.

Peace xo

Thailand Blog :: Last day

I wanted to post something yesterday but now I've slept I have forgotten what it was, so I am going to go with something I'm thinking now. 

Today is my final day in Thailand. I've tried to adjust my body clock already by sleeping late and getting up late, but this has only caused more tiredness so far and my digestion/bodily functions don't feel optimal. Let's hope it's worked though because tonight I won't be sleeping till 3-4am! 

Yesterday I had a good day souvenir shopping. I don't usually buy much because at the end of the day it's usually just tack in someone else's house, but I wanted to get something seeing as I've been away for 6 months and I like shopping. I'm happy with my purchases. Perhaps I'll show you what I got when my family have received their items! 

I also visited Rasayana too. This morning I've woken up with that familiar weird breath, sight headache and stimulant hangover. I think I'd much prefer to just binge on mangoes. However, I think I'm still going to order food to take on the plane! I definitely want spring rolls and a banoffee pie. 

Spring rolls

Veggie sandwich 

Raw cacao moose tart

My plan was to buy a blender to take home, but I decided against it when I went to the shop and picked it up in the box. I'm pretty sure it was around 5kg with packaging and I am not confident that I'd be able to carry everything through Manchester airport (they have these stupid single file exit tunnels and everytime I'm there with my bike I have to push or pull it like a train and it's carriages). I also think it would take me over the 30kg limit, especially with my bike too. The last time I flew the bike box weighed roughly 25kg.

What I want to do today is to get some fruit that's still unripe to take home with me, mainly mangoes and maybe some namwa bananas. I'll definitely miss these flavours. 

I don't have any other wishes, so I may hang out in the park and catch some sun. 

It actually feels like a long time since I've been home. Sometimes I say things like "I cannot believe how quickly it's gone", but actually these 6 months have been really long! For example, it feel like such a long time ago that I was in Bali! It's almost as if it was a dream not a reality! I hope that from now on I'm present in every moment experiencing life to the full. 

I hope that you too live life in the present and are fully aware of what you have right now, because that's all that matters. 

Closing a chapter

I cannot believe how fast time went by since my last post. I got caught up in the excitement of free fruit at the festival that I forgot everything I had been doing.

Yin yoga went out the window as did meditation and in hindsight I think I could have been a better friend to the one who had taken ill and was in hospital.

Yesterday Chanthaburi was still buzzing with sugar junkies but today everyone left and it's been so quiet, but it's such a welcome relief. I really enjoyed being around people, but looking back at the last week I can honestly say I am glad to be returning home and not making the trip to Chiang Mai.

If there's one thing I've learned on my trip it's that I am very much still a loner, although I do appreciate having certain people in my life to talk to and be with. As with everything I must find balance.

I cried today because tomorrow I will leave Chanthaburi and head to Bangkok in preparation for my flight in 4 days, but I'll be leaving behind 2 amazing people who I met here last year. Mikkel and Mads have had a big impact on my life and it dawned on me that I've become attached to them, which is why I will find it difficult to say goodbye.

Out of everyone I've met on my travels, they're the most genuine, kind, caring, down to Earth, humble, grateful and intelligent people (I mean no offence to anyone else, you all are special to me, but these brothers are more so!). I enjoy being with them because they have a calming presence and I feel so comfortable in my own skin, I can be myself and I don't fear judgement from them.

However, I must break the attachment in order to grow as a spiritual being because it's the ego that has created it. I think I must grieve in order to continue moving forward. Deep down I know the work I do on myself will be worth it, but I often hesitate for fear of the unknown. I cover up my issues with obsessions, so I have never truly faced myself before.

When I return home I will close one chapter of my life and will open a new one, I hope that I can face myself and resolve the underlying issues once and for all.