Tag: Writing

Thought of the Day: Just another capitalist mule

Posted on by Han_A

Don’t you feel the fatigue of always been targeted my adverts?

Buy this! Try that! 30 Day Free Trial! Two for the Price of one!

There’s so many of them and often I’m glazed over, in an indifferent state. But equally, there are times when I’m just trying to simply gather my thoughts and then I look over, perhaps whilst standing at the train station, and BAM I spot an advert. Intrusive, bold and pushy. Selling me something shiny and trying to convince me I can’t live without it. It’s like we can’t be left alone for a split second.

I open my emails, filled with ads and newsletters aggressively trying to sell something you likely don’t need or can’t afford. Same with TV. Same now with many streaming sites, as they embrace advertising in order to offer cheaper tiers of membership. And don’t get me started on podcasts – even on Spotify Premium they’re now rife. There’s literally no refuge. Unless you fork out the money that is, and who has the time for that.

Often, the ads are irrelevant and not of interest. And even if it is I’m often sceptical thinking that the product or offer being pushed out has some small print designed to catch me out. It’s why I barely ever sign up for free trials because I fear suddenly being caught in a web, trying to escape a service I don’t even like, use or intend to use long-term (think meal prep kits, exercise classes and streaming subscriptions). As you’ll know, based on experiences with customer services, if I can avoid having to fight customer services on the phone, then I will.

Instagram is where I can easily fall prey, so I have to be extra vigilant. Advertisements gently slip onto your timeline in the form of glossy, carefully manufactured content from influencers. Sometimes they’re so good you don’t even realise they’re an ad, especially if you’re not in the habit of properly reading post captions. Even the other day I saw an influencer advertising a spa getaway somewhere in the UK. I’m a sucker for a weekend getaway and a hot tub (a killer combo, if you ask me) so I perked up. I instantly went to her page and started looking through the hotel page. I closed it immediately after seeing the price per night because it was ridiculously expensive. Very annoying but I’m sure my bank account was thankful for my moment of wisdom.

How do you feel about adverts? Have you fallen for any against your better judgment that you can look back on at laugh at now?

*Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash

Let 2025 commence!

Posted on by Han_A

Happy New Year everyone!

Here’s to more exciting moments.

Feelings of breath taking delight

Moments that make you laugh till you feel light, like you’re flying.

Moments that make you smile till all the muscles in your face start to quiver.

Moments that make the passing of time feel like a burden

Moments that make the beauty of life clear – even if it’s a revelation as a brief as a solar eclipse.

For new visitors to my blog – welcome! Apologies to my followers since I’ve admittedly been a bit absent from my site. Partly due to time constraints over the last few months. But also due to a weird writer’s block that likes to hold me hostage every now and then. My brain hasn’t been entirely devoid of ideas! However, the ideas are fleeting so I need to start writing them down very quickly! In my mind already, I’ve probably written a thousand posts. But according to my digital footprint I well…haven’t.

Hopefully this year I can let my bloggish thoughts *hold space* and convert them into article goodness for you to read. I’m aiming for one article a week, so watch this space. Do let me know if you would like to read anything in particular. I’ve noticed, for example, that my Netflix TV series reviews tend to do quite well, so I’ll try and write some more of those for you throughout the year!

For The Love of Blogging

Posted on by Han_A

I’ve really come to love blogging. My first post was nearly nine years ago now (shout out to that post) – my style has definitely changed as I’ve matured, evaluated my passions and thought more about the content I prefer to work on. I would describe it kind of like the process of breaking into a new pair of shoes; it starts of uneasy but overtime (depending on the shoes) you wear them all the time, the initial struggle becoming only a distant memory

I have so many blog posts in my drafts; ones that I have started having a giant lightbulb of an idea but never seen through to the end (sadly.) I often wonder what would have become of each incomplete article if I had persevered in my writing. But, at the end of the day the blog post topics that are the easiest to write (i.e. the writing just flows) are the ones I know are meant to be and the ones I will most likely post.

Blog writing is something that has a therapeutic effect. Some people knit or exercise, I will often write a post – sometimes it’s the only way to organise my thoughts or rather expel a negative feeling that has been recently consuming me. One post that comes to mind is this one (and this one) since I remember going through a tough time when writing it; one benefit was that it gave me a newfound appreciation for my blog – this outlet I have to freely express my thoughts.

I remember a friend of mine expressed wanting to start a blog and asked for advice since she didn’t know which direction she wanted to take. I’m honestly no expert but realistically, I would say, goals in life change and therefore so will your blog. For instance, with mine I started it as an eager, ambitious teenager hoping to break into the world of journalism (it wouldn’t be wrong to say I sold myself a lot of dreams!) Now? I guess my blog has taken on a life of its own! I’ve tried to keep my posts, relatable and real; the best way to describe them would be as public notes to myself.

I often lie in limbo between writing when I feel and forcing myself out of discipline to write more frequently. However, I’m wary of the latter option because I don’t want something I love, like writing, to turn into a chore. At the moment it remains a leisurely activity – I don’t proofread my things too heavily or fret over the content and structure as I did for university assignments. This year, I am challenging myself with my content – hoping to get more creative with my posts and write more frequently. Additionally, I want to explore the bloggersphere more and follow more amazing bloggers – something at the moment I am (admittedly) not great at! If that’s you let me know; please comment with what you blog about and one of your best posts that your recommend I read 😊