Exploring Dublin
If you have seen my posts on Instagram, you will know that I travelled to Dublin last week, primarily to see Lana Del Rey. Yes. It was as good as I expected!
My friend Robyn and I travelled to Dublin last Thursday evening, but the concert wasn't until Saturday.
On Friday, we just walked around Dublin and did touristy things. We walked around the shops on Grafton Street, visited Trinity College, sat in St. Stephen's park then had dinner at Zizzi, followed by a drink at Bad Bobs in Temple Bar.
Be warned, the Centre of Dublin is quite an expensive place to visit, especially for drinks. We didn't take that much money to use for tourist activities but if we did I definitely would have visited the Leprechaun Museum and would have gone on an open top tour bus.
Seeing Lana Del Rey Live
Gates to the concert opened at 4pm but they let us in at 3:30pm. It was in Malahide Castle & Gardens which was stunning and not like any other concert I'd been to before.
After arriving at the stage, second row from the front at 3:30pm, we soon realised that nothing was starting on the stage until 6:30pm. We didn't leave for food, drinks or anything because we had such a good spot and as people piled in behind us, we wouldn't have got back to our spot.
After waiting for around 3 hours, the first support artist, Kojaque performed. He brought Luka Palm and Kean Kavanagh from Soft Boy Records on stage with him. There were rumours around the audience that Lana Del Rey asked them to join her performing that night literally two days before the event. If you haven't heard of these guys, which I hadn't until they performed, then go check them out!
The second support artist was called Tamino, who I also hadn't heard of prior to the concert. He had an amazing voice but his songs weren't really for me.
Lana Del Rey didn't come on stage until 9pm but she was definitely worth the wait. As we were near the front, we were surrounded by superfans who had travelled from all over Europe and the rest of the world to see her. She started with Born To Die and then went on to sing newer songs and old songs too. She sung her cover of Doin' Time for the first time that night. There were swings and palm trees giving it a California summer vibe.
The whole thing was amazing and Lana's voice was even better in person. Seeing as how Lana Del Rey hardly ever comes to the UK I had never seen her in concert before and have wanted to see her for around 7 years, it was a dream come true.
One downside though, is that so many people were shoving and becoming quite selfish with wanting to get to the front. As a result, lots of people started arguing and shouting at each other. I just concentrated on not falling over and tried to ignore all of that as I'd waited so long for this I wasn't going to let anything get in the way.
She walked off the stage down to the front of the audience, it was madness. I was about 5 metres from her! A lot of people got selfies with her and autographs, unfortunately I didn't but I was just grateful to attend one of her shows.
Make sure to check out my personal and blog Instagram accounts to see videos of the concert and more photos of my trip to Dublin.
Personal Insta: @_laurenken
Blog Insta: @wooloftheking1
Until next time x
This post is just going to be a bit of a life update. At the beginning of this month I turned 20. If I'm honest, with my common sense I am shocked I've made it this far.
I'm going to use this time to talk about my mum's sausage rolls. A bit random I know, it's because I asked her to make sausage rolls for me instead of a cake as they are to die for! I won't even say how many I ate because it was just unholy. I don't know whether I should be proud or deeply ashamed of myself.
I'm going to use this time to talk about my mum's sausage rolls. A bit random I know, it's because I asked her to make sausage rolls for me instead of a cake as they are to die for! I won't even say how many I ate because it was just unholy. I don't know whether I should be proud or deeply ashamed of myself.
The day before my birthday Joe and I stayed in a very nice hotel in Bath called Z Hotel as there was a very good deal on Booking.com. This hotel does complimentary cheese and wine from 5pm - 8pm in their lobby. Perfect. Obviously, I was all over that. Incidentally, they started playing Lana Del Rey when we were eating our cheese, it's like they knew it was my birthday.
As if I hadn't had enough celebrations, I had invited all of my friends at uni for a night out. Before that, our pre drinks consisted of a pass the parcel with amazing prizes, made by Kitty. We also played pin the tail on the donkey, should have had some jelly and ice cream then it would have been a proper kids party. Following the pres, we went to the Lost Paradise in Bournemouth.
We then went to the Cosy Club in Bath for food and a cherry bake well cocktail, one of my favourites. After that, we went to Be At One and Turtle Bay for more cocktails. The next day, my actual birthday, we went shopping in Bath, which is one of my favourite places to shop. Then we drove back to Bournemouth, where we played minigolf at Mr Mulligans, then had our evening meal at Zizzi.
If you head to my new blog Instagram page, @wooloftheking, you will be able to see more photos of the food and drinks I had over my birthday.
As if I hadn't had enough celebrations, I had invited all of my friends at uni for a night out. Before that, our pre drinks consisted of a pass the parcel with amazing prizes, made by Kitty. We also played pin the tail on the donkey, should have had some jelly and ice cream then it would have been a proper kids party. Following the pres, we went to the Lost Paradise in Bournemouth.
I asked on Instagram and Twitter for people's experiences with different types of contraception and I got more responses than expected. The amount of responses I got shows me that it is something a lot of people, mainly women do want to talk about as it affects people so differently and these affects can often be quite negative.
Here are some examples of the responses I received from women currently using contraception, I won't be using names:
"The implant gave me a month long period."
"Mood swings on the first pill now I have changed I feel fine."
"Rigevidon made me feel really down and angry."
"The pill made me put on sooo much weight and became so spotty until I came off it."
"The pill made me feel depressed."
"The pill made me feel like I was so down and alone, I also gained weight, skin was horrible."
"The injection f*cked me up, I got super depressed. I stopped doing things and stopped going into college. Never again"
"I've had a bad experience on so many pills including Yasmin, Microgynon, Cerelle. Problems included weight gain, nausea, the worst skin and pain. I hate the pill."
"The pill is amazing for me but I had the worst mental health and doctors wouldn't take me off it because it was 'too soon', they told me to give it a chance."
The main purpose of this post is to make people think about how important it is to find the right contraception for you or your partner because there are so many horrible side affects as you can see from the responses above.
Firstly, I need to emphasise that everyone is affected differently by different forms of contraception and by no means should anyone be scared off it by this post. I am just trying to educate people on possible side affects so that people make sure they get what is right for them. There are so many different types of contraception that I didn't even know about. Researching this has been a learning curve for me too.
I didn't really have sex education at my school after the age of 12, and then it was about periods and stuff rather than being safe with sex. When we did learn about it at school we just learnt about condoms which are obviously a good form of contraception as they also protect against STI's but they are not the only form of contraception out there.
If you are like me and the thought of an injection, implant or coil really cringes you out then there are lots of different types of pills that do different things to your hormones and have different amounts of hormones in them.
Due to the amount of negative responses about contraception side affects, it seems to me like women have to go through a trial and error process before they find a good contraceptive that suits them. In my opinion, doctors should be doing more to make sure pills and other contraceptives aren't harming people.
In my experience, they gave me 3 months worth of pills to start with before checking my blood pressure again and prescribing me another 3 months worth of pills at the end. Now, they give me 6 months worth at a time and will only give me a pill check every 12 months where they will check my blood pressure again. They have never once asked me about my mental health and the pill and other contraceptives have seemed to have affected the mental health of a number of women.
One of the responses above, refers to the implant and mental health. She said she had told the doctors she didn't want the implant anymore as she knew it affected her mental health in a negative way. The doctors thought it was too soon, seemingly ignoring her request and disregarding the severity of the effect it was having on her mental health.
People using words such as "depression" when it comes to contraception just goes to show the severity of the effect it can have on mental health. In extreme cases, it could possibly make girls and women feel suicidal. If there is a chance that this could happen, isn't asking how your mental health is in on a pill check the least doctors could do? I am not saying no doctors ask, I am just basing this on my own experience and those of my followers.
It is also important that men understand the possible side affects women could be facing just to sleep with them. It's important to spot differences in women's mental health and attitudes in case they are being affected by contraception. It's also important to support them through the decisions they make about contraception as these decisions often concern men too.
My advice would be make sure you research contraception before you decide what would be best for you. If you do hear bad things about certain types, remember that it might not be the same for you as all types of contraception affects people differently. It is all about what suits you. Finally, don't put sex before your mental health.
"The implant gave me a month long period."
"Mood swings on the first pill now I have changed I feel fine."
"Rigevidon made me feel really down and angry."
"The pill made me put on sooo much weight and became so spotty until I came off it."
"The pill made me feel depressed."
"The pill made me feel like I was so down and alone, I also gained weight, skin was horrible."
"The injection f*cked me up, I got super depressed. I stopped doing things and stopped going into college. Never again"
"I've had a bad experience on so many pills including Yasmin, Microgynon, Cerelle. Problems included weight gain, nausea, the worst skin and pain. I hate the pill."
"The pill is amazing for me but I had the worst mental health and doctors wouldn't take me off it because it was 'too soon', they told me to give it a chance."
The main purpose of this post is to make people think about how important it is to find the right contraception for you or your partner because there are so many horrible side affects as you can see from the responses above.
Firstly, I need to emphasise that everyone is affected differently by different forms of contraception and by no means should anyone be scared off it by this post. I am just trying to educate people on possible side affects so that people make sure they get what is right for them. There are so many different types of contraception that I didn't even know about. Researching this has been a learning curve for me too.
I didn't really have sex education at my school after the age of 12, and then it was about periods and stuff rather than being safe with sex. When we did learn about it at school we just learnt about condoms which are obviously a good form of contraception as they also protect against STI's but they are not the only form of contraception out there.
If you are like me and the thought of an injection, implant or coil really cringes you out then there are lots of different types of pills that do different things to your hormones and have different amounts of hormones in them.
Due to the amount of negative responses about contraception side affects, it seems to me like women have to go through a trial and error process before they find a good contraceptive that suits them. In my opinion, doctors should be doing more to make sure pills and other contraceptives aren't harming people.
In my experience, they gave me 3 months worth of pills to start with before checking my blood pressure again and prescribing me another 3 months worth of pills at the end. Now, they give me 6 months worth at a time and will only give me a pill check every 12 months where they will check my blood pressure again. They have never once asked me about my mental health and the pill and other contraceptives have seemed to have affected the mental health of a number of women.
One of the responses above, refers to the implant and mental health. She said she had told the doctors she didn't want the implant anymore as she knew it affected her mental health in a negative way. The doctors thought it was too soon, seemingly ignoring her request and disregarding the severity of the effect it was having on her mental health.
People using words such as "depression" when it comes to contraception just goes to show the severity of the effect it can have on mental health. In extreme cases, it could possibly make girls and women feel suicidal. If there is a chance that this could happen, isn't asking how your mental health is in on a pill check the least doctors could do? I am not saying no doctors ask, I am just basing this on my own experience and those of my followers.
It is also important that men understand the possible side affects women could be facing just to sleep with them. It's important to spot differences in women's mental health and attitudes in case they are being affected by contraception. It's also important to support them through the decisions they make about contraception as these decisions often concern men too.
My advice would be make sure you research contraception before you decide what would be best for you. If you do hear bad things about certain types, remember that it might not be the same for you as all types of contraception affects people differently. It is all about what suits you. Finally, don't put sex before your mental health.
This month is Women's History Month and Friday is International Women's Day. To celebrate this day I will be sharing with you some of the most iconic, influential women to me. As a woman who studies gender inequality, this day holds significance for me. These women are in no particular order.
1. Jo Kenny (my mum). The most iconic woman by far, who always enjoys life while drinking a glass of prosecco or G&T. She cooks the best lasagne and roast dinners. She also managed to still be an amazing mum by herself when my dad had to go away with work (My dad is also iconic and fab).
2. Frida Kahlo. A Mexican artist, well-known for her self-portraits and exploring questions of gender, postcolonialism, class and race in her art.
3. Emmeline Pankhurst. She led the suffragette movement for the women's right to vote and she played a big role of winning the vote for women in the UK.
4. Emily Davison. A suffragette who fought for women's right to vote in the UK. She went on hunger strike seven times and was force fed on forty-nine occasions. She was also arrested over ten times for her dedication to winning the vote for women.
5. Dolly Parton. Her song 9 to 5 for the movie 9 to 5 (1980) exposes the inequality women have faced in the workplace being secretaries, while only men have had power.
6. Jameela Jamil. A British actress and activist. She promotes body positivity for women on social media. She has started the I Weigh movement on Instagram for body positivity.
7. Michelle Obama. As first lady of America, she was, and still is a role model for women. She has also worked as an advocate for poverty awareness, education and nutrition.
8. Cher. She has been an icon for females during her six decade career.
9. Reese Witherspoon. Not only did she play the iconic Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, a game changer for teenage girl movies, but she also won Glamour's woman of the year award in 2015. Her "What do we do now?" speech also changed the game for women in acting.
10. Beyoncé. One of the most influential female music artists for women to date.
11. Ariana Grande. God is a woman, and it is Ariana Grande. After everything that has happened to her in the last few years with the Manchester Attack and Mac Miller, she is still putting out chart-topping music and still continues to be one of the most influential women.
12. Malala Yousafzai. An activist from Pakistan. The Taliban stopped girls from going to school and after fighting against this she was shot in the side of the head. After a miraculous recovery, and telling her story, she is now studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the university of Oxford, UK.
13. Rosa Parks. In the 1950s in America, it was a rule that seats on buses would be given up for white people if the bus was full. Rosa Parks, a black woman, refused to give up her seat. Well-behaved women are not the ones who make history.
14. Audrey Hepburn. An actress who used her platform to become a humanitarian.
15. Katherine G Johnson. Her mathematical calculations of orbital mechanics allowed the first subsequent US manned spaceflights. You have probably heard of Neil Armstrong instead, the first man on the moon.
16. Sandra Bullock. American actress and philanthropist.
17. Jane Fonda. An American actress, also an activist for feminism and she campaigned against the Vietnamese War.
18. Kehlani. Despite attempting suicide, she continues to make music and promotes being a strong woman.
19. Adwoa Aboah. Activist and model who founded GURLS TALK, a website, Instagram page, and podcast for women. At the moment, she is campaigning against period poverty which is a huge problem in the world today. Some women across the world cannot afford their necessary sanitary products.
20. Marie Curie. She changed the world by founding radioactive science and launched effective cures for cancer. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and first female professor at the University of Paris.
1. Jo Kenny (my mum). The most iconic woman by far, who always enjoys life while drinking a glass of prosecco or G&T. She cooks the best lasagne and roast dinners. She also managed to still be an amazing mum by herself when my dad had to go away with work (My dad is also iconic and fab).
2. Frida Kahlo. A Mexican artist, well-known for her self-portraits and exploring questions of gender, postcolonialism, class and race in her art.
3. Emmeline Pankhurst. She led the suffragette movement for the women's right to vote and she played a big role of winning the vote for women in the UK.
4. Emily Davison. A suffragette who fought for women's right to vote in the UK. She went on hunger strike seven times and was force fed on forty-nine occasions. She was also arrested over ten times for her dedication to winning the vote for women.
5. Dolly Parton. Her song 9 to 5 for the movie 9 to 5 (1980) exposes the inequality women have faced in the workplace being secretaries, while only men have had power.
6. Jameela Jamil. A British actress and activist. She promotes body positivity for women on social media. She has started the I Weigh movement on Instagram for body positivity.
8. Cher. She has been an icon for females during her six decade career.
9. Reese Witherspoon. Not only did she play the iconic Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, a game changer for teenage girl movies, but she also won Glamour's woman of the year award in 2015. Her "What do we do now?" speech also changed the game for women in acting.
10. Beyoncé. One of the most influential female music artists for women to date.
11. Ariana Grande. God is a woman, and it is Ariana Grande. After everything that has happened to her in the last few years with the Manchester Attack and Mac Miller, she is still putting out chart-topping music and still continues to be one of the most influential women.
12. Malala Yousafzai. An activist from Pakistan. The Taliban stopped girls from going to school and after fighting against this she was shot in the side of the head. After a miraculous recovery, and telling her story, she is now studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the university of Oxford, UK.
13. Rosa Parks. In the 1950s in America, it was a rule that seats on buses would be given up for white people if the bus was full. Rosa Parks, a black woman, refused to give up her seat. Well-behaved women are not the ones who make history.14. Audrey Hepburn. An actress who used her platform to become a humanitarian.
15. Katherine G Johnson. Her mathematical calculations of orbital mechanics allowed the first subsequent US manned spaceflights. You have probably heard of Neil Armstrong instead, the first man on the moon.
16. Sandra Bullock. American actress and philanthropist.
17. Jane Fonda. An American actress, also an activist for feminism and she campaigned against the Vietnamese War.
18. Kehlani. Despite attempting suicide, she continues to make music and promotes being a strong woman.
19. Adwoa Aboah. Activist and model who founded GURLS TALK, a website, Instagram page, and podcast for women. At the moment, she is campaigning against period poverty which is a huge problem in the world today. Some women across the world cannot afford their necessary sanitary products.
20. Marie Curie. She changed the world by founding radioactive science and launched effective cures for cancer. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and first female professor at the University of Paris.
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