Sailing

I love sailing. There's something that I adore about going at high speeds and having the wind rush through my hair. A sense of freedom, perhaps. I would imagine one would get the same feeling when on a motorbike, then again I wouldn't know anything about that. My father would rather me capsize than scrape half of my face off. Reasonable, I guess.
I have recently come back from a sailing holiday in Kos, Greece. My parents and I travelled with Mark Warner, which we previously voyaged with for our last sailing holiday two years before and with whom we have been impressed by.* Over the course of four days, I was continuously assessed whilst being taught my RYA Level 2.
Admittedly, the thought of being 'continuously assessed' does sound daunting. In actual fact, one doesn't even realise that you're being tested and before you know it, five days later you're collecting your certificate.


NB when sailing:

Capsizing;

• Don't be scared of capsizing. This is when the boat is overturned in the water and its crew (aka you) fall in.
• If you do capsize, let go of the side. You're going to get wet, so just face defeat. Also, if you hold onto the opposite side of your boat when it's capsized, you're likely to pill it entirely under. This is called 'turtling' and yes, I am speaking from personal experience. It caused such a kerfuffle that I felt like everyone hated me for the rest of the holiday.

Gybing:

• This is when a sailboat turns the stern of the boat up through the wind. Basically, just remember to duck down whenever this happens as if the maneuver is not controlled, the boom can swing across and either do some serious damage to your skull, or make the boat capsize. 

Stay with your boat:

• If you have the misfortune of capsizing, stay with your boat. A RIB is likely to come and check if you're okay, but their advice would probably be to 'swim back to your pico and put pressure on the dagger board until it rights itself'. One of their last resorts will be to hoist you up into their RIB and drive you over to your boat, but it is so damn hard to get into one without looking like a flipper-less seal so you should probably choose to stay with your boat. This is especially essential if the RIB driver is attractive - it's not a great turn on for them if they have to drag you up by your buoyancy aid as you splutter a mixture of sea water and saliva over them. 

*If you would like me to write an article on them, please comment below. 

Zumba

In Year 10, I used to attend a weekly Zumba class with my friend Yasmina*. God only knows where we found the motivation from, but somehow we pulled through. We also took advantage of the other gym facilities (in order to get our money's worth). It's surprising how we had enough energy, let alone will power for 45 mins of hip shaking. Anyway, push came to shove and six months later we both gave up due to our (at the time) daunting exams.
Today I attended my first Zumba class in two years. Surprisingly, I quickly got into it and left Mum struggling at the back of the class. I think I got back into it for three key reasons. Firstly, I knew the songs and hence could gauge when a move was going to change due to the nuances of the song. Secondly, despite not showing my full potential at parties, I do have something close to a sense of rhythm. And thirdly, Zumba's a bit like riding a bike. Once you know how to, you never really forget. You know there's going to be some clapping, some arm waving, and of course, the booty shaking.

What Grinds My Gears:

 -If you don't know the moves, please don't stand at the front. It distracts other people. It also puts other people's safety in danger when you walk in the opposite direction to everyone else and bump into us.
 -If you know you're going to sweat, please invest in some deodorant. Your sweat patches aren't very nice for you, nor for my nostrils.
 -If I hear Hero // Enrique Iglesias used one more time for a cool down, I'll flip.

Do you have anything which annoys you when attending Zumba, or any other fitness class?

* All names in this blog are fake in order to ensure the privacy of my friends and conceal their identities. However, the characters are all real people and the events actually happened.

Image source: x

REVIEW: Flirt

I always thought Flirt was a transvestite bar. Not that there's anything wrong with being one - I actually have two cross-dressing friends who are absolutely lovely - but I thought I'd look a little out of place if I went to a bar full of them. Nevertheless, a group of friends lead me to Flirt, located in Bournemouth's Triangle, and it has already become one of the few places in Bournemouth that I'd recommend.

The atmosphere is very laid back and relaxed. The décor reflects this, having some comfortable sofas placed to our right as we entered, as well as some more seating areas within the café. The customer service was also excellent, with two smiling employees who were very welcoming (as well as attractive!)

Now, I don't know about you, but I'm always intimidated when faced with the vast array of options to choose from in a bar/restaurant/café, especially when I've never been there before. The young girl thus recommended me the most expensive drink - as they are trained to do - Bubble Tea.

I've been infatuated with the thought of Bubble Tea since watching Chonny's Vlogs on Youtube. Firstly, it's super kawaii. Secondly, is there a need for any other reason? It's Bubble Tea. If you have no idea of what I'm talking about, you're missing out (says the girl who's tried it once). Pearl Milk Tea, more commonly known as Bubble Tea, is a drink which was invented in the 1980s in Taichung in East Asia. It can be either tea, fruit, or milk based and is mixed with tapioca balls (which resemble 'bubbles').

I chose mango juice with strawberry bubbles. Admittedly, I was slightly shocked when the first bubble popped into my mouth. Do I bite it? Do I suck on it? Do I spit it back into my drink? (Gross, I know, sorry). I think the best way to handle the situation, it it can be called that, is to just brace yourself and bite into it. There's a sudden explosion of strawberry/mango/whatever-you-have-chosen juice into your mouth and you'll make an appropriate exclamation to go with it "Oh my gosh!", "What just happened?!", "You have to try this!" "Cameron isn't a true Villa fan he's doing it to get the public to like him!"... Sorry, but you get the picture; you're very excited and you'll either be gathering all the bubbles up to do it again or forcing your friends to try it too.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed my experience at Flirt, as well as my first Bubble Tea. I'd highly recommend it to anyone, whether it be for a group outing like I did or to snuggle up to your cute date (to/,) just go to Flirt.

REVIEW: La Tasca

Choosing La Tasca wasn't a hard choice. My Spanish A-Level class were looking for a local Spanish restaurant, we typed it into Google, and chose the first thing that came up. Simple.
It is situated in Bournemouth town centre, on the outskirts of the main square and right next to Tesco Express (so, if the tapas don't fill you up, you always have the chance to grab a meal deal). Parking isn't ideal, but if one follows the road up past the church, there are usally some places next to all the industrial works.

The décor really creates an Hispanic atmosphere and encourages the customers to imageine that they have been transported to a local bar, perhaps in the backstreet of Galicia on some humid, Friday night. There is a rustic feel to the place and the posters layering the walls add an interesting conversation starter. I believe that the employees are latino, as the waiters who served us had a slight accent. One also didn't understand when Lauren* asked for a milder source, he simply took it all off (probably cutting the cost in half too whilst keeping the price the same, sneaky bugger).

As I have found out in the past year after studying Economics and Business Studies, the recommended "have three tapas for each person" was merely to make us buy more. I went for Rustic Garlic Bread (Andalucia, £2.45), Calamares (Andalucia, £4.65) and Pollo Marbella (Malaga, gluten-free, £4.95). For an average price of £4, it was cheap and good value, yet prices may quickly increase if drinks are ordered as well.




*All names in this blog are fake in order to ensure the privacy of my friends and conceal their identities. However, the characters are all real people and the events actually happened