Orlando Shooting: What Is Our World Coming to?

As you probably already know, earlier today a mass casualty shooting occurred in a club in Orlando. So far 50 people are confirmed dead and 53 injured. The shooter came from inside the club, Pulse- one of the biggest nightclubs in Orlando, and was shot dead by police. This is believed to be some sort of terrorist attack, most likely from ISIS, but it was not confirmed. Although, there is strong belief that the shooter (Omar Mateen) was anti-gay and did not agree with the LGBT community which explains his actions in Pulse, a gay club. His father has said that his son become very angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami recently. It has been described as the "worst US shooting in 25 years" on the BBC News website. The scene is horrific.

I have watched a couple of eye-witness videos and I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like. As a UK resident I am so very pleased and grateful to say that I have never been in a situation like this at all because guns are illegal in my country. There was one video of someone filming from their car as the police and Omar Mateen fired shots back and forth. The sound was deafeningly loud and probably even more so in real life. I can honestly say it sent chills down my spine. It is truly horrifying. One witness described it as a 'scene from a horror movie'.

It must be terrifying hearing those gun shots so early in the morning. As of now, police haven't confirmed that Omar Mateen was the only shooter present today. I'm sure everyone is anxiously waiting for more news on this.

This brings so much attention to the gun law in America. I think it is truly wrong to allow guns to be sold and bought in America because it causes so many problems and situations. Many innocent people have died because of this allowance. I understand that there may not be much that can be done about the law because it would be nearly impossible to control the trade of guns when so many people already have them. However, it doesn't mean that nothing can be done.

It also raised a lot of awareness for the LGBT community as a gay nightclub was involved. It saddens be so deeply that people still hate on this loving community who mean no harm. I am sure you have seen the hashtag on twitter #LoveIsLove and it is completely true. Love is love and there is no way of preventing that or changing that. It is what makes us who we are and without it we are no one. No matter who or what you love everyone deserves to be respected that they choose to express this. I know and have met many people who are gay or lesbian or bisexual and have come across a transgender. Do you know what I see when I look at them? A human being. Someone like me. They are no different to people I see everyday of my life. I can't even begin to think of why anybody would be against someone being a human being. It really frustrates me how people of this day and age can still think like this. I don't just mean sexual orientation but race, nationality, religion, looks, clothes, speech...the list is endless. Sometimes we don't realise it, but most people judge others daily. Even if you are behind a screen dragging someone on Twitter or posting a comment on someone's selfie on Instagram. It is the same thing as doing it in real life, face to face. That would probably be a completely different situation. I am not trying to be a hypocrite here because I admit I do this too. I do judge people's opinions and actions and gossip about it with my friends even though I mean no harm. Everyone is guilty of it in their lifetime. But taking it to the next level is what really angers me. Of course, the shooting situation is a very extreme level but it is still the same thing: attacking a group of people for being who they are.

Prejudice is a very broad  problem that is not easy to handle and control. But it isn't unstoppable.

I don't know about your school, but my school are very strongly for equality and they teach us a lot about respecting each other and even have a respect for all policy. Last year we had Ian McKellen (a.k.a Gandalf) come in and talk about being openly gay. He taught us a lot and told us a few experiences about being discriminated for who  he is. I think this is such an important thing to teach children in schools and allow them to open up their eyes and see how harsh the subject is and influence them to not follow the dark road down discrimination and hatred. Some people have no idea how much power children and teenagers and young adults can have over the world and the way we see it. Our generation is the future and we need to guide them properly. Together.

This nearly turned into a rant but I saved myself from letting my passionate anger roam widely into this post! I am absolutely disgusted by the events from today and I am really really hopeful that the world is not coming to destruction. It is awful to see events like this growing up and to see the real world and how it changes.
My heart is with those affected today and everyone from past and future attacks

All my love
Anna x

London Lumiere Festival 2016

On Saturday 16th January I travelled up to London to see some spectacular art at the four day event - Lumiere London. It was a free light festival in 30 locations across some of the capital's most iconic areas including Mayfair, King's Cross, Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square and Westminster. I visited King's Cross, Trafalgar, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly and St James's.

The first one I saw was in King's Cross. It is called IFO (Identified Flying Object) by Jacques Rival. It changed colours and was so vibrant it made really great photos. You can also go and stand inside the cage-like structure and there was a swing in the middle.

Next, we went to Trafalgar Square where a ring of lights and plastic was in a circle around the fountain. This piece was called Plastic Islands by Luzinterruptus. It was inspired by the ‘Eighth Continent’: the ‘Garbage Patch’ of marine litter that accumulates in the North Pacific Ocean. It represents the alarming rate that rubbish is swallowed by large areas of the Pacific Ocean and the lack of action to tackle this problem.




This photo wasn't taken by me

We then spent ages trying to look for Westminster Abbey. You'd think we would have been able to spot such a large building! We eventually got there and turned a corner to see a massive crowd staring up at this spectacular light display. This amazing show of colours was called The Light of The Spirit by Patrice Warrener.

 

 

We also went to St James's where we spotted these beautiful structures floating in mid air. These were called Les Voyageurs (The Travellers) by Cédric Le Borgne and we saw 8 of them but there may have been more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not least, we went to see the light show at Piccadilly. We turned a corner and saw these spectacular, lit up structures floating in the air. This piece was called Luminéoles by Porté par le vent.

 

I had such a great time in London, I really love going up there even though it is sometimes a hassle on the tube haha! I do hope they do this again next year and that it's even better! You don't have to pay for tickets or anything although I did see on the internet they had to close the four day festival early due to the crowds but I'm just praying this doesn't stop them from considering it next year because I would truly recommend going.

 

Here are some other photos I took in London.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed reading and sharing this memory and experience with me

 

All my love

Anna xx

 





2016 Resolutions??

I hope you had a great Christmas at that it was filled with lots of smiles and laughs. It's so sad that it all had to come to an end as does this year. 2015 went so quick! I didn't even have time to think of my new years resolutions and there's no time left now; another year is already on the way. Not that it would be much point though I hardly ever bother trying to fulfill my resolutions or think of any to begin with.

For 2016 I thought I'd do something different. Instead of lying to myself saying I'll do this I'll do that I'm just going to see how it goes and change little things along the way. It may not seem like it to me, but I know I am young and I have so much ahead of me. I'm starting to realise just how quickly time goes. So this year I'm not going to set myself resolutions. I am just going to enjoy myself.

These past 12 months have not been the happiest or the easiest. It seems that whenever I get a little bit of happiness and forget my worries it all comes flooding back in a matter of seconds. It's like I can never escape it... But I can change this, a little bit at a time. I don't need to escape my worries because it won't do me any good if I run away from every problem I face. All I need to do is solve it.

Now I've never stuck to a personal timetable: revision timetable, to-do list, it just doesn't help me and frustrated me. So new years resolutions are useless to me because I won't stick to it. Or I'll just forget it. So as I said, I'm just going to change things as it comes. If I worry about stuff in the future it sends me into a spiral of panic that most of the time involves me crying into my hands like tears will just send it away. So I don't want to make a fuss over something that I don't even have to deal with yet. Which will be hard considering all the pressure us teens have now about choosing a career path and working towards it. I think that whole idea is a waste of time. Most people aim for some sort of job, work their socks off to get the qualifications then realise it's not for them. Besides, of course I'm going to change career at some point.
1. I don't want to be stuck at the same place all my life.
2. A ladder is only so high and I have to stop climbing at some point (the career ladder if you don't understand)
and 3. We're always discovering new things and gaining new interests and aspirations. Although pressure like that does make me work hard especially towards my goals but it can get all a bit overwhelming at times and makes me want to quite everything. Which is not the attitude I want to be having right now.

So, that's what I want to work towards in 2016 - making my own decisions and changes little things as they come and stop worrying about the future and where I'll end up. And if that doesn't go to plan there is always help for those who need it. You just need to ask the right people.

Have a fantastic new year!!

All my love
Anna xx

Halloween is Here!

Well, almost.

 

I love Halloween. I don't just see it as one day, to me, October is Halloween month. I've always loved dressing up and not just on Halloween. For me that's one of the best parts. I have a Halloween party coming up soon but I haven't decided what I'm going to be yet. I'll probably just put in some fangs wear dark makeup and say I'm a vampire.

 

Vampires have always fascinated me. I don't know why but I just love all the gothicness and the bad side of vampires. Although I would never be or dress gothic myself unless it's Halloween. I love the vampire character Katherine Peirce from the TV show The Vampire Diaries. I just love how she is a totally sexy, badass woman and the actress Nina Dobrev plays her so well.

So anyway. This is just one of the reasons why I love Halloween. I get to fulfil my fantasy of being a Vampire for one night and it won't be weird!

 

Another reason is all the freaky decorations. Like Christmas, decorating the house and baking decorated cakes and biscuits is so exciting. Unfortunately the rest of my family aren't as enthusiastic about Halloween as I am. If it were my way I would go all out on the decorations and baked goods. I would have a massive Halloween party and watch as many Horror films as I could. Or as many as I could handle before I am traumatized!

 

But instead me and my friends always organise a Halloween party and sleepover at one of our houses. Which does mean I only get one night of dressing up and watching Horrors but I do get to do it with as great lovers of Halloween as myself.

 

This year I want to get more creative on the makeup side of things. I want to try out a few techniques but saying that it probably won't turn out that good! I was thinking if I'm going to be trying out different looks I might as well film it and edit it together to make some sort of Halloween video. I would like to do a baking video but it is slightly difficult with no one handly to help me film and I don't have a lot of free time at the moment so I thought this would be a nice idea

Make sure to stay up to date with my YouTube channel and watch out for that video! YouTube.com/IThePineappleShowI

 

All my love
Anna xx

My Little Loves - August Favourites

A few months ago I uploaded a post called My Little Loves. I thought it was time to update that with a monthly favourites since it is now September and I had quite a few favourites last month. 

Beauty

Eye Shadow

I got this palette for my birthday in March and I have been using it since but in August I've practically used it everyday. I love it so much and it's all the colours I normally use, subtle nude shades and also darker shades for a smokey eye. This eye shadow palette is from Revolution and is called Redemption Palette Iconic 3. As it was a present I don't know how much it was at the time but on Superdrug online it is £4. 

Lipstick

I also got this product a while ago but have been loving it this summer. It is a really summery colour; a bright shade of orangey-red with golden glitter so it shimmers in the sun. It really brightens up my face and just perfects my look. It also last quite a long time. This product is from Collection from their lasting colour lipstick range in the shade Passion Fruit. I don't think this is available any more as I haven't seen it in stores but it may be different where live. 

Accessories

Necklaces

I don't normally wear a lot of jewellery but this summer I have been trying to wear it a lot more. I found it easier to throw on a necklace to complete my outfit. I've never been one for bracelets or watches as they annoy me and I sometimes find them uncomfortable on my wrist. So I decided to opt for wearing more necklaces! I'm sorry I don't know where most of these are from as I normally get them as gifts for birthday and Christmas.

These two are Scottish toucans

This choker came as a set from

Topshop as for £5

Backpack 

I have been taking this everywhere with me. I used it so much on holiday when I went out and about (side note: I will be posting holiday pictures soon so make sure to look out for that!) and also back at home just as a casual bag. I absolutely love the design and it is very spacious inside. This bag was from Primark. 

Fashion

This is a recent by but I am IN LOVE already. This was from Primark for £7 but it was on sale, I think its original price was around £12. It's such a summery item and I've been wanting to buy one for ages and I just screamed when I saw it was reduced. Well when I say screamed I mean internally, I didn't want to make a scene in the store! I haven't worn it a lot because it is pretty recent but hopefully we will get some sunny days in September so I can wear it again.

That's all from me today. Hopefully I will be uploaded more YouTube videos soon I'm sorry it's been so long but my laptop is broken so I can't edit it.

All my love
Anna xx

Sleeping Under the Stars

Last night I had an amazing opportunity to sleep under the stars. Literally. We didn't use any tents but I had loads of layers and blankets I was toasty warm :)

I took a few pictures of the sun set it was so beautiful. I would have loved to get a picture of the stars because it was just so magical and there were so so many of them but you need a special camera for that (which I'm guessing is pretty expensive) otherwise you wouldn't be able to see them. 

I can't even describe what the feeling was like just lying under thousands of stars and being around such amazing people. If you ever get the chance to do something like this DO IT! 


Here are some photos from last night taken 
on my camera, an Olympus D-745 if you were interested.

 

I'm the 3rd one in from the right

My Little Loves

I always miss monthly favorites and by the time I get round do doing 'March Favorites' it's already the middle of April! So I thought why don't I just do it differently. I can still upload my monthly favorites but it doesn't necessarily have to be at the very end of each month. Obviously I'd have to have a different title for it because I can't call it 'March Favorites' when it's almost May! I think 'My Little Loves' is such a cute tittle don't you  think? This way I don't have to get stressed or worried about having to do it at a specific time. I can do it any day of the month, in fact, it doesn't even have to be monthly. Just, if I've had quite a few favorites one month then I can simply share them with you! 

Let's get on with it then shall we?

Beauty

Perfume

I have been loving these three cuties so much this month! I got them for my birthday at the beginning of March and I think it was love at first smell. They each have a different sent and each is DIVINE!! I am telling you! If you're looking for some new sprays get these! They came together in a cute little box so there's no need to buy them separately, well I don't actually know if you can buy them separately or not. I always have one of these in my bag wherever I'm going as they are quite small and very handy if I need to spruce up or anything. So if I ever do a 'What's In My Bag' video on my YouTube channel (do subscribe!) then I can assure you at least one of them will be in there.

Night Treatment

This Treatment has basically saved my life! Well not literally, I don't think a bottle can actually save lives. Anyway! It's really good for my skin as I have quite oily skin. I have no idea how much it is I'm sorry!! My mum got it for me but it's from The Body Shop so I'm guessing it would be around £9.00. You only need a little amount so it's very long lasting. If you always wake up in the morning with a dry face then you should definitely start using some sort of night treatment. You could use this kind of night treatment which is a sort of gel based liquid, or you could use a night cream. Or, if you come across anything else then please do tell me so I can check it out!

Accessories 

Sunglasses

These are my all-time favorite sunglasses I've ever bought! And I'm not exaggerating! These sunnies are from Primark and only cost me £2 because they were on sale, bargain! There's not really a lot you can say about sunglasses, I mean, they work fine and block out the sun, I love the design especially the white brim, and they just really suit me. It also came with a little bag to put them in which also works as a glasses cleaner. As the days are getting much sunnier as we fall into spring, I will definitely be using these more often! Also, I'd just like to point out that Gigi Hadid (a famous model) has the same design on her sunglasses so...I basically have the same sunglasses has her haha.

Gigi Hadid

Handbag

I've only recently bought this bag but I've already fallen in love with it. I had been meaning to get a new bag for quite a while because I've been using the same bag every time I went go for a long time. New Look would probably be the best place (for me) to go for bags if you don't want to buy expensive branded ones. I have to say it wasn't love at first site with this bag but once I'd used it I became obsessed! It has so much storage space and it's just the right size and the colour us gorgeous! I'm so picky about bags which is why it's taken me so long to find the perfect one. 

Fashion

Crop Top

I ordered this ages ago but now it FINALLY CAME!! I'm so happy! In case you couldn't tell from the writing it is Ariana Grande merchandise. If you don't know Ariana then you're probably wondering what she has in relation to some symbols but they are in fact Japanese emoticons and Ariana is obsessed with all things Japan. She's even started learning Japanese. So, anyway, now that I've explained what it means I should talk about the actual top. Recently I've been  loving crop tops and this one is obviously one of my favs! 

T-Shirt

Another recent buy I have been loving is this top from New Look. Yeah, I buy a lot of things from new look! You may know that most of the things I like and buy are black and white so I thought that this would be a nice change. It also has a great design for Spring/Summer. I love the fact that there isn't a massive variety of colours because that just doesn't suit me. It has big blue butterflies and a few small orange ones too and also a cute little zip.

That's all I have for this month let me know if you want me to mention anything else in these monthly favorites posts. I could mention my favorite bloggers and youtubers! 

All my love

Anna xx