Bintang!!

Bintang Arts is a small crafty business I have recently started up since coming home from travels. Mostly inspired by trotting around the globe and a love of making things. I have an etsy page and also a facebook and twitter page so please check them out. And last week, secured my first deal to get a few products into a shop! A real life, actual shop! Super excited. They only wanted a few things to start off, and its a small local shop- but it's still a shop!!! eeeeek! please take a look...
www.facebook.com/ArtsBintang
www.twitter.com/Bintangarts
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/bintangarts

Endorphins

Endorphins. Aren't they tremendous little things. Sort of like a natural answer to drugs- well I have never taken said drugs so that's purely a guess! Anyway, what about endorphins? Well, last week I was feeling a little bit lethargic. A mixture of early mornings, (I am not used to that yet) mixed with lots of learning and I think just being inside an office all day makes for one sleepy, tired DDM. So, Tuesday, I thought I would go for a run. I used to go running quite a few times a week, but galavanting around the world disrupted this routine a little;) As soon as I set off, with a soundtrack from Bastille, I just felt a million times better! It was like I had eaten 5 mars bars and 10 bottles of lucozade all at once! Incredible. Not only did I feel much more energised but also so much happier. Not that I wasn't happy before, as I was but this was the endorphins kicking in. I think a few of the kids playing footie in the park thought I had escaped from the local asylum- running madly around the park with a ridiculous grin across my face. Continuing on from my magical run (I would like to point out I only managed a mile or so before black spots were appearing in my vision so I thought, enough endorphins for today, its best to stop now- black spots- not a good sign ha ha!!) I have been walking to and from work every day. This is one of my most favourite things ever. It's not a particularly scenic walk, and sometimes a little chilly, but getting out in the fresh air and not being stuck on a stuffy tube or bus or the likes makes me feel so truly blessed every day. I am very appreciative of the fact that it really is a bit of a luxury to live so close to the office as many have a tiresome commute daily. And sometimes, just sometimes you get to see a beautiful sunrise- like today. It was gloriously orange, and only stayed like that for two or three minutes before the sky went blue - so I was lucky!

Glorious Crawley

You think I am being sarcastic and the weird thing is, I'm actually not!! Apart from the person sat in their car outside my window at 22.45 blaring out Lily Allen I have no fault with Crawley so far. Okay, okay its not the most scenic of places and a little over concreted but apart from that I have been impressed so far. Last week, we had induction in a hotel so I didn't really get much chance to explore Crawley or get settled in the flat. So at the weekend, John and I set off to see what it had to offer. Now after the summer I was prepared for exploring and being a little disappointed- as you learn to deal with all sorts when travelling. But we were pleasantly surprised at what we found. There is a Tesco within a ten minute walk, and a giant Sainsburys too. About ten minutes in the other direction is the town centre which has a rather large mall and all the shops you normally find on a high street. Just around the corner is a retail park with a big cinema, gym, bowling alley, and loads of restaurants, Frankie and Benny's and the sorts. Work is approximately 20 minutes walk, and that's with my dawdling and little legs. And the creme de la creme, opposite work is another retail park with an Argos, Next, Pc world, Pets at Home and... HOBBYCRAFT! I am doomed. Although, I have only been in twice so far and both times spent less than a fiver! So I am doing well already :)

As well as all the amenities you could need around Crawley, it is only 23 minutes to Brighton on the train so we are off there this weekend to have a mooch around. 33 minutes to Clapham so I can also go and visit friends. We came across some fantastic asian and middle eastern supermarket. They actually had the stuff to make Nasi Goreng (Indonesian rice dish) as well as  Pad Thai so that made us very happy! And unlike some of the larger supermarkets that have the more unusual 'world foods' it wasn't ridiculously expensive so that's good too. The final but exceptional shop we found on our 'Crawley tour' was a shop called 'Revive'. It turned out to be a little vintage/ second hand type shop. They had tons of material scraps and you could fill a bag for just £2! I also found an old tin just full of mixed buttons, also only £2! Incredible. They had some very nice old chairs which were very cheap so I might go back this weekend for them and try a technique on them I have been meaning to try... watch this space! Another little breakthrough was the lady gave me a number to speak to the lady in charge there and there's a possibility I could have some of my stock in the shop- I must call her tomorrow, but that would be excellent!

So, yes, so far, Crawley has not disappointed. Those who gave it a bad name when I said I was moving here, it's not that bad! What it lacks in beauty (!) it makes up for in urban character and convenience, which as a newly graduated now working person I love.