The YouTube Sexual Assault Scandal

Hello my lovelies!

What I really wanted to do today was post a happy post because of the great day I was having. Instead, I have just spent the last three hours reading every piece of information available about the recent sexual assault accusations within the YouTube community, and quite honestly, I couldn’t just leave it no matter how hard I tried.

I myself, am a part of the YouTube community, and I keep up to date with my favourite YouTubers. So I did notice when a few weeks ago, everyone suddenly started discussing consent – most of the videos being very, very good and educational – however, I was completely unaware of the situation at the time, so I didn’t think too much of it. Education is just something YouTube does.

I am now finding myself feeling infuriated, upset, empathetic towards the victims, and if I’m being honest – downright betrayed. Firstly, I want to point out that as much as I wish they weren’t, the allegations towards the famous YouTubers that I am referring to, are completely true – the accused have admitted to them. However, if any new names come up, be careful. I have already seen fake posts regarding Tyler Oakley, Dan Howell and Phil Lester, which have luckily been taken down by the “joking” authors.

As someone who liked and supported these people’s work, I feel betrayed. I looked up to them, I trusted their information, and I supported their content. And while all of this has no effect on the quality of their music, or whatever it is that they did, I can no longer support them because I don’t respect most of them as human beings. Some of the situations that are being discussed – while they remain a shitty thing to do –  are not that serious. Others, are beyond sickening. And worst of all, most of these people have admitted to doing wrong, yet have issued no apologies – and these are incidentally the people that I no longer respect (not saying that an apology would fix anything, but c’mon.)

On the other hand, while many people are handling this perfectly, others still don’t seem to get it. I have seen much too many comments saying “he should be applauded for owning up to it…” EXCUSE ME? That’s not something they either earned, nor are entitled to, and it’s sure as hell not something you’d say for a stranger – so why is it different for someone with an internet following?

But at the end of the day, I’m glad people are finally talking about this; I’m so proud of everyone who came forward with their stories – anonymously or not; and I think this is also a great lesson to the viewers of any YouTuber. 

It’s so easy to watch them grow on YouTube and assume you know everything about their life; trust them; admire them. But you have to remember that what you see, is what they let you see; you see 5 minutes of their week, but you have no idea what they do with the other 10,075 minutes that they don’t share with you. This in no way means that you can’t trust any of them, or that they will all betray your trust, but you do have to remember that you don’t know them. Not from 5 or 10 minutes a week. And you sure as hell should not idolise them because of what you see in their videos. Yes, most of them are good people – but they’re not superhuman. And once they do something to fall off the pedestal you put them on, and continue falling below the standard, you cannot keep making excuses for them. They’re normal people who are very good at what they do. Treat them as such.

Anyway, I’m sorry for such a raw post. I honestly can’t structure or word this in a sophisticated manner, but it was too big a deal for me to let slip. If any of you are interested, but have no idea what’s going on in regard to what I have just spoken about, you really need to read and watch everything to get the full picture, but this is a good start: right here. If you’re a regular at YouTube, I highly suggest you have a look. 

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Let’s Talk About Tumblr

You’ve probably all heard of Tumblr and in fact, I’m sure many of you have given it a go. Here’s a brief description of this website: it is a beautiful, creative and inspiring black hole that will suck you in and steal your soul. I think that about sums it up.

With millions of users and almost two hundred million blogs, I think it’s safe to say that it is widely known and loved. To those who do not use Tumblr, it may seem like a useless site who’s only purpose is to allow you to see a photo you like on someone else’s blog and put it on your own. But it’s more than that: it’s a source of entertainment; a place where you can find people with the same interests or problems, and feel like you belong; and my personal favourite – a place of news and new knowledge. 

While school is an important rite of passage and I definitely do not consider it a waste of time, I always wished we were taught things that we needed in our every day lives, or discussed more important issues in detail. So I can safely say that what I learn on Tumblr is much more useful and relevant than what I learned in school. 

Tumblr is full of useful tips, explanations and debates about important topics like human rights, racism, sexism, feminism, etc., etc., and also news – which many of us would not be aware of otherwise. 

It’s perfect, right? Well no, not quite. This is what happens far too often: someone posts something factually incorrect (purposely or not) and people take it for a fact without even verifying the information. Someone will then come along to correct the original information, but that may not get around to all of the originally reblogged posts which will just keep circulating. Oh, and that person who’s correcting the post? Yeah, they will probably get attacked for it.

And God forbid you have an opinion that is different to the majority’s – they’ll eat you alive! Complain that you’re having a bad day and your problems will be made invalid because “other people have it worse than you.” And if you’re a skinny, straight, white girl or boy, then don’t you even dare to complain about anything because your life is perfect and you have it easy in life!

For such an understanding and welcoming community, Tumblr can sure as hell be judgemental and superficial.

And despite all of this, I still use it and love it because I know how to use it. You need to learn to identify battles worth fighting for because not everyone will listen to reason and be willing to change their views. Sometimes you need to let it go (trying not to burst into a song here!) And sometimes, your biggest dilemma is deciding whether or not to reblog something that is absolutely perfect but has a spelling mistake.

What do you guys think about Tumblr?

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Dealing With People Finding Your Stuff on the Internet

Yo Chums!

People finding your content on the internet is a scary concept to get your head around under the best of circumstances, never mind when you’re already worried about whether your content is good enough! For many, this concept is so overwhelming that they become dissuaded before they’ve even begun. However, every content creator has to deal with this sooner or later regardless of whether they run a blog, a YouTube channel, a fanfic page, or anything else.

Of course the majority of us put up our content for other people to see and enjoy, but our idea of the audience tends to have an important clause – “people” is a term which does not include those we know. Sorry. Go away and forget you found our content; never speak of it.

The beauty of sharing your content on the internet is being able to show off your talents, say what’s on your mind, or share your stories – all without being judged (and any judgement or negativity that comes from strangers online, stays online.) Meanwhile, judgement coming from people you know leaks out into the real world and the news spreads like wildfire – especially if you go to school.

So it’s completely understandable why people freak out about the possibility of being found out by people they know, which often results in taking down their content once someone has mentioned it, or worse yet, never even starting to create nor share what they want.

I, personally, had a particularly tough time with this – in fact, I still do. There was a period of time a while ago when many people I know started finding my blog. It was not yet at the stage where I was completely happy with it and therefore willing to share it with my friends, so it was stressful to say the least. Even now, once in a while someone will tell me they’ve stumbled upon my content and I can’t help but panic a little.

But look at me: I survived.

I know how scary it can be – especially if you’re in high school and fear being mocked or bullied – and I can’t tell you to forget about it and do it anyway. But there’s always ways of dealing with it. Do you have friends who support you? Do you know anyone who is also interested in making videos or writing blog posts? Because once you find at least one person who supports you or shares your passion, you will find yourself more relaxed and happy doing what you do.

My own friends have been nothing but supportive – reading every single one of my posts; following my Facebook page; sometimes even threatening me asking when the next post will come out, or what it will be about, when I don’t post for a while.

Bottom line is – don’t give up on your dreams because you’re scared of what people will think. At least not without giving it a damn good try.

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I ♥ UK

Hello Chummies!

I fell in love with the UK the very fist day I moved there – this was over 8 years ago. I don’t know whether I loved it for the country that it was or for the improvement over life in Lithuania that it offered, but either way, I loved it.

However, over the last couple of years living in Scotland, I developed clinical depression due to the constant dullness, lack of sunlight, and rain. So as you can imagine, moving to Spain for a year where every day is greeted with sunshine has had a vast improvement on my health, and seemed to challenge my unconditional love for Scotland. Don’t get me wrong – there is nothing fundamentally wrong with Scotland, or UK in general, but when you have constant depression, you don’t really appreciate the good things about a place, which almost makes them irrelevant. 

So I’ve noticed that whenever anyone says anything bad about Spain in reference to UK, I take it personally and will defend it at any cost – which usually means highlighting everything that is wrong with UK. What’s worse, I seem to have managed to convince myself that things are worse than they actually are.

So here’s everything good, and beautiful about UK; things I miss, and things I am looking forward to enjoying again when I return to the UK!

• The greenery – Scotland has absolutely beautiful scenery and everything seems to be surrounded by green. Meanwhile, Spain can’t seem to decide whether it wants to be green or desert-like, so it goes for both, which doesn’t really work for me. 
• Old-fashioned buildings with history – I understand that this isn’t to everyone’s taste, but it’s something very typical of Scotland. Once you live there, you do get used to it and it stops being a big deal, but right now, I miss it.
• The food – while Spanish food is without a doubt cheaper and healthier, I do miss the food available in Scotland. I miss having a large selection of frozen foods, my beloved Scotch pies, gravy, and proper chip shops. Yum.
• Good ol’ queues – sure, the British tend to queue even when it’s unnecessary, but at least there’s order and everyone know’s what’s going on.
• More civilised male population – who are by no means angels, but goodness me, at least they don’t lose their minds and drop everything every time a blonde walks by!
• Lush – this may seem like a random thing to miss, but oh my goodness, I need it. And yes, Spain has lush – I know! But A – I’ve not seen an actual Lush shop around here, and B – I don’t even have a bathtub here! I miss having my little collection of  amazing bath bombs and bubble bars, ready to use on rough days or when I want to pamper myself. 
• Better selection of products – especially when it comes to my favourite brands! I cannot tell you how difficult it is (or in many cases literally impossible) to find the products which I use religiously. It honestly makes me feel like Spain is 100 years behind the times.
• Basic medicine in supermarkets – it really is the little things! It’s just so convenient to pick up some paracetamol or aspirin while doing your food shopping, rather than having to make a separate trip to the pharmacy. 
• Worldwide shipping – getting pretty tired of this “We ship worldwide. Oh but no, not to Spain, don’t be silly” business. Britain just seems to be the one place that everybody ships to!

At the end of the day, there’s plenty good in the UK and no matter what I may say, or how many bad qualities I may highlight, I love it. And honestly, the only reason I am not planning on spending the rest of my life there is due to the awful weather and the impact it has on my health, and in effect, the quality of my life.

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Getting It Off My Chest

Taking full advantage of the new direction my blog has taken, I thought I’d be selfish today and pour all my problems into one short blog post.

My general outlook on life has always been hanging by a thin thread in between realism and pessimism, which is not something that everyone understands, and I hope they never have to. I have my moments of absolute optimism on beautiful, sunny days when everything is lit up by the rays of sun; or when I see kids playing in the park or simply running around in the streets, because their optimism and general conviction in life is the most infectious thing in the world. But none of that lasts long because life always has a way to screw things up. Worse than that, people have a way to screw things up, too.

It has now been around 48 hours since I last slept – I am now running purely on caffeine and the occasional panic attack – so all in all, great time to be writing! My life is currently filled with people who I thought I could trust, and it turned out that I can’t; broken promises; family members lying in hospital, having barely avoided death; and general disappointment in my life. And above all, literally no one to turn to. 

And despite all of the serious problems I’m facing, I literally only have one question running in my mind – am I asking too much of people? Is it too much to expect that people will keep the promises they make, or do things without you having to ask every time? Does that only exist in movies?

Lastly, I’m sorry for such a negative post. I love sharing positive, inspirational or funny stories and ideas with you more than anything, but life isn’t always great and negative posts will appear – but not too often, I promise! 

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The More, the Merrier!

Hello Chummies!

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has noticed that my posts quite often end up being far and wide apart, and I’ve never really considered why. I presumed it might be due to lack of creativity, or my perfectionist mind preventing me from posting anything that I hadn’t fully thought through, but as it turns out, that’s not the case. 

I’ve recently realised that the reason for my long absences is simply that I put too much pressure on myself in regards to my blog, and it’s sucking the fun out of it. My blog posts have to be long, and they have to have great pictures, and they have to be perfect. But that’s not why I started this blog! I started this blog so I would have a creative outlet; a place to gather my thoughts, feelings, and ideas; and last but not least – a place to grow and improve – which is impossible if I limit myself by only posting one kind of content, when there is so much out there to try out!

Therefore, I want to start posting more. I now have a great new camera that is just a pleasure to use, and I hope that it will inspire me to do new things. I guess that some of my posts may just be full of photos that I like and am proud of, while others will be short posts to keep you going in between the big ones. And ideally, I’d like to also start collab posts at some point – but that’s slightly into the future.

For now, I hope you’re all doing well ♥

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