Tuesday 17 November 2015

The Fear


I think we tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves to find the one or someone. It kind of sucks. We try and find people we want to spend a lifetime with; but in all honest, I don’t even know what I want to eat for dinner tonight and I can’t decide between Bob’s Burgers or QI. How do I know what I want for the rest of my life?

People keep saying “you'll just know” but, I really don’t think that’s the case. Especially, these people who are either serial daters, or those who think they’re going to marry their childhood sweetheart. How do you know tomorrow that you wont get bored of his incessant babbling about the Man Utd match, or the way he shakes his knees when he’s sitting at the table for dinner? How could you possibly know that all the things that are sweet and congenial right now won’t be the most displeasing traits he possesses in just a matter of years?



What is truly frightening is giving yourself to someone. Giving all of you to someone for them to just leave you. Making all these memories, going to all these places, doing all these firsts with someone you can’t imagine yourself functioning adequately without, then in no time at all, they decide to leave you. What then? How do you recover from that? Surely, all those things would haunt you. Every time you go to those places how do you prevent all those, once so happy, memories surfacing? For me, it’s genuinely incomprehensible. I'm pretty sure it’s a large part of why being so involved with someone is a daunting concept for me.

I can’t imagine creating something supposedly magical with someone could later cause me to turn all those rose-tinted memories to black ash. How is it okay that something at one point in time could cause you to be the happiest person in the world, to then later cause you nothing but overwhelming pain?

It’s not that I don’t want someone to create amazing memories with; believe me I do, I just can not imagine that person knowing me and being the reason for my smile whilst simultaneously being the sole reason for my tears. How can you walk away from the person who knows you better than you know yourself?

I get why people do it. You grow. You change. You aren’t those teenagers who fell in loved when you were 15 anymore. You’ve both changed. Your goals aren’t compatible. You want different things. The list of reasons is never ending. It must be so devastating. It is possible to die of a broken heart. It is possible to break a heart string.


That’s what I’m really afraid of. No, not the dying. That, as Peter Pan stated “would be an awfully big adventure” but, the fact someone I LOVE could be the reason for my sadness. And from what I can see, heartbreak sounds like one of the deepest kind of sad. I don’t think I'm ready to surrender to the possibility.

Remember, I've never been in a relationship, so what do I know?!


Until next time, remember I've said it so it must be true....



Chantelle7

Friday 13 November 2015

Diamonds really are a girls best friend...


Okay, please don't hurt me? History is not my area of strength. I love it. But I study law, so be kind please? 

Ever heard of the Kohinoor? Probably not. Neither had I really, until recently. 

Well, it’s a diamond. Not just a diamond, but a big one, worth £100 million. So, some might say it’s a bit of a big deal.



The word “Kohinoor” means “Mountain of Light” which is actually really pretty. But, according to historical documents it might not have been called this forever. Let me tell you the story of the diamond as I understand it:

The diamond is potentially 5000 years old, it was actually called the Syamantaka jewel as written in the Sanskrit scripts. It was said to have been mined in the Kollur mine in India during the 13th century. Apparently, the diamond was put in the eye of the Hindu goddess in the temple during the Kakatiya dynasty. There were invasions, a lot of people were killed and the diamond changed hands to the Khilji dynasty.

This isn’t just simply a diamond, apparently it’s cursed! (This story gets better and better right?) So, in 1306 the diamond was said to be cursed and the curse states that “He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity.” (Personally, I think they decided it looked better on women, or a woman put the curve on the diamond because she though it would look pretty on women, magpie-syndrome?)

Of course, over time the diamond moved through the Raja’s successors, eventually falling into the hands of Babur who is the man accredited to establishing the Mughal Empire in 1526. Being such a proud man he named it “the Diamond of Babur” (modest, I know). Time went on and Shah Jahan, the man who ordered the construction of the Taj Mahal (because if you're the king, why not?) placed this massive rock on the infamous peacock throne. His son, clearly not his biggest fan, imprisoned him; and later went on to lose the stone and the throne as it was taken to Persia by Persian King Nadir Shah. He was the man who named it the Kahinoor in 1793 (it kinda stuck).



Shah was assassinated (not so surprising really, maybe it really is cursed) and the stone ended up going from the Emir of Afghanistan and into the hands of Ahmad Shah Durrani. He took it to the Maharaja Ranit Singh who took it in exchange to help Durrani claim back the Afghanistan throne. The Maharaja died in 1839. After the First Sikh War, where at the Battle of Sobraon the British defeated the Sikhs and marched to Lahore without further battles; the Treat of Lahore was signed in 1846. The treaty was signed by the 7-year-old Maharaja Duleep Singh, who was later anglicised when he was exiled to England. The Treaty of Lahore, and the subsequent Treaties of Amritsar and Bhyroval, all set out India’s reparations to the English.

So, as part of the terms of the treaty the diamond was given to the British, as well as and and money and the usual reparations (you know how it goes). The stone was given to Queen Victoria in a super elaborate event in Hyde park in 1850. Prince Albert was disappointed by it’s “dull” appearance and sent the 186 carat diamond to be cut. It was cut and ended up as its current size, just under 106 carats (a 49% reduction!). The Kohinoor was actually put into a tiara for the Queen a little later, a tiara with 2000 other diamonds and is from here on considered a crown jewel. It’s currently housed in the Tower of London along with the other crown jewels.



But the story isn’t just that of the diamond. It has to be realised this isn’t the first time the diamond has been requested to be given back to the original owners. In 1947, when India gained independence once again, they asked for the Kohinoor to be returned. This was denied and they followed up with a second request in 1953, the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. Again denied, Pakistan later joined in to assert its right to have the diamond back. Again, the British keep denying the diamond being given back to its homeland, for fear of opening floodgates for other requests.

India’s colonisation meant that there was a great gain for both cultures. There was a lot shared. At the same time, it could be said India did not gain as much as it gave. When the British came to India they gained armies, land, money, spices, language and there was a fair amount of fighting done within India. India asking for it back as part of cultural heritage does make sense. The diamond originates from India, and was passed through the hands of Indian rulers throughout so many periods of time. It came into the hands of the British, and as much historical association as it does have with Britain; it has undoubtedly distinct historical significance within India and the story of India’s history.

Much like Germany, with the anger towards the Treaty of Versailles, the Treaty of Lahore does stipulate particularly harsh terms. Also, to be agreed upon with the country’s ruler being so young, it seems a particularly harsh treaty. India allowed the British to come to their country, which had been successfully ruled by Indians, for them to then come and colonise the country. To not only take land, armies and money but to also demand a diamond said to be worth “the value of one day's food for all the people in the world" is a large demand.

I think both sides of the argument as to whether the diamond should be given back is so interesting. What do you think? Who has a right to state a claim? Where would you put it? Who would you give it to?

Oh, the Kohinoor also has a sister diamond called the Daria-i-Noor (which means "Sea of Light") which also came from the peacock throne. It's apparently part of a diamond which was much larger but got split into two. 



The other part of it is called the Noor-ul-Ain (which means "Light of the eye") these two are both part of the Iranian Crown Jewels. 



India had some serious bling back in the day. No wonder they'd like some of it back. 

Remember, respect everyone's views, there is no wrong or right really, and let's be honest we'd all give the diamond to ourselves because hello...£100 million? YES PLEASE....

Until next time....


Chantelle7



Wednesday 11 November 2015

The Victoria Fashion Show 2015


It’s one of fashions most loved times of the year…. THE VICTORIA’S SECRET FASHION SHOW 2015!


For every lover of lingerie, everyone who enjoys seeing beautiful specimens of the human planet dressed in the prettiest pieces run the walk walk then it’s soon time to get your fashion fix on CBS. It was also he 20th anniversary of the event which took place in New York last night, so be hyped for some magical moments.

If you missed the event, and I'm not entirely sure how that’s possible, here’s a quick breakdown:

We said hello one again to our much loved angel line up….



Well, of course, first up we have the fabulous fifteen official angels:
First up, the original five:




Adriana Lima stunned as usual. The Brazilian mother of two is flawless. Her Instagram shows her “training like an angel”. Adriana will always be one of my favourite people on the planet, but check out her Instagram to see a tiny glimpse into her life; she even looks FLAWLESS after a hard gym sesh. (Not that I know what that’s like, but still!)



Alessandra Ambrosio



Behatio Prinsloo - this amazing woman always seems to have an I N C R E D I B L E time. The model, married to Adam Levine later posted a photo of flowers given to her by Levine. AWWWWW!


Candice Swanepoel - one of the most recgnised faces on the runway. 



Lily Aldridge wore the special bra. It’s called the Firework Fantasy bra and costs a stunning £1.3 million. Its totally bejewelled and super fun! *swoon*



Followed by the newly announced top ten:

Elsa Hosk posted cheeky instagram pictures before the show to give her fans a little glimpse of her assetts and showcase what she was bringing to the show



Jac Jagaciak

Jasmine Stookes shared a backstage snap with Romee.



Kate Grigorieva

Lais Ribeiro wore the prettiest pink butterfly wings. Sharing a photo calling them "the most AMAZING wings." I think I'm inclined to agree. 



Martha Hunt

Romee Strijd

Sara Sampaio

Stella Maxwell this Brit also shared cute pre-show snaps with her Instagram followers. 


Taylor Hill one of my favourite angles. She's so cute. (GIRL CRUSHHHHH) (Feat. Sara Sampaio)



Finally, we had a range of familiar and pretty perfect faces:

Yumi Lambert

Joan Smalls, this familiar face looked dazzling in EVERY outfit she wore.



Shanina Shaik

Sui He

Bridget Malcom

Leila Nda

Megan Puleri

Sanne Vloet

Valery Kaufman

Vita Sidorkina

Josephine Skriver

Lily Donaldson

Devon Windsor, can she be my american girl? WOW!



Magdalena Frackowiak

Maria Borges

Maud Welzen

Ming Xi sahred a cute pouty photo with SelGo



Rachel Hibert

Pauline Hoarau

Barbara Fialho

Cindy Bruna

Constance Jablonski

Jacquelyn Jablonski

Daniela Braga

Gracie Cavalho

Izabel Goulart cute pics in her VSFS 2015 robe



And, of course the young and highly anticipated models of the moment: 

Kendall Jenner, with both her parents there to support her K I L L E D it on the runway.


Gigi Hadid, again supported by her family, looked as though she was born with angel wings.  




The musical line up SMASHED it! Performances by Selena Gomez, The Weeknd and Ellie Goulding. 


Although Bad Gal RiRi was meant to preform she pulled out last week due to album commitments and therefore Ellie Goulding was added to the line up. Although the British singer stated she was “not replacing her”, instead she was simply an “additional performer.”

As a fan of the luxury brand, and having previously worked there, I love the fashion show! It's amazing, but by using younger and widely know celebrity profile models such as; Kendall, Gigi and having performances from Selena, I really do feel this year the show will, without a doubt, have a younger demographic. So, as much as I love watching these beautiful women strut their stuff down the catwalk it takes a LOT of hard work to become an angel and it should not necessarily be something children aspire to be, rather something kids enjoy watching and can appreciate. Body image is such an important thing for young people, and with social media blowing up with images of "the perfect body" "must have lifestyles" we should be aware of the images we give to the world; the images we put out. 

So, girls and boy, I encourage you to check out the E P I C show, but be sensible, these women aren't effortless, aspire to be like the best bits of them, and make sure you ALWAYS put your health and well-being first. 

Remember, we can all be angels....or at least we can all buy the robes from this years show!


Until next time, remember I've said it so it must be true....


Chantelle7