Dear medical professionals...

It seems free healthcare comes at the price of psychological trauma and bullying.

You may be scratching your head right now, thinking 'What is she on about?'

Well, there are many incidents I could refer to: from being prescribed medication that almost killed me, to receiving racism for being Greek, to being judged for my appearance, to not being taken seriously as a patient, etc. etc. etc.

Today, however, I'm going to refer to one specific issue that has been coming up over and over again.

Fatshaming.

So...

Dear medical professionals,
This is an open letter to all of you, to stop. Stop immediately. Stop fatshaming your patients.
Your job is to help people, not to judge them and be rude to them.
You're -supposedly- educated people, who try to help people be healthy, yet you attack their mental health ferociously, by fatshaming them.
Yes, being fat can be unhealthy. We know. So stop.
Nevertheless, there are many people who are fat and are healthy. And live long happy lives.
You have no way of knowing if someone is healthy just by looking at their weight.
There are many thin people who are extremely unhealthy.
But you should already know that.
You are not allowed to have biases. You are not allowed to be discriminatory. You are not allowed to fatshame.
Do you hear me?
Due to the nature of your job, you have to be aware of your wording and demeanor at all times.
Because your rudeness and assumptions can affect someone's life for ever.
So you don't get to be mean. You simply do not have that right.
You are in a position of power and you know it. But with power, comes great responsibility.
Patients are vulnerable, and they are in your hands. So you do not get to crush them whilst in there.
You ought to be polite and professional at all times.
And if you can't, change professions. For you exploiting your patients' vulnerability consists malpractice. And that makes you a criminal.

Kind Regards,
A patient who won't tolerate your ignorance anymore

Various Incense Sticks Review

I have been thinking about writing a review on various incense sticks I have gotten myself in the past eight months, since my incense stick love was revived and I started experimenting with aromatherapy.

So here it is: A review of all the incense sticks I have purchased in the past eight months.
Every individual review will comprise of an image, a couple of sentences on the scent of the sticks, and a rating.

In the end of this blog entry you will find my final thoughts and my top 5 favourite incense sticks from the ones reviewed.

Enjoy! x

Reviews:

~Stamford~

Stamford: Angel Dust 

This one is one of those scents that I don't mind once in a while, but it's way too intense to use it often. It's supposed to have a lily scent.



Rating: 6/10

Stamford: Sandalwood

At some point I was obsessed with this scent! It has a wood, earthy feeling to it, so if you don't like that maybe Sandalwood is not for you. I personally love it when I want to meditate and relax.


Rating: 9/10

Stamford: Demon's Lust 

I absolutely adore these! The scent is described as green oriental and I do find it has this sensual undertone that tingles your senses. Great if you have a special someone over and you want to set the mood. Bare in mind there is an earthy scent to it.


Rating: 8.5/10 

Stamford: Vampire's Kiss

I find this scent extremely sensual, even more so than Demon's Lust. But it's also quite refreshing at the same time. It's described as a musky scent comprising of a variety of perfumery raw materials (as all Stamford incense do).



Rating: 9.5/10 

Stamford: Fairy's Mist 

This is a refreshing yet gentle scent of white rose. I do enjoy burning those incense sticks after a long day at work.



Rating: 8/10







Stamford: Witches' Curse

I have used them for sometime without realising their scent was Aloe Vera -which is my new obsession. I usually use these when I'm really pissed off at someone and negative energy lingers in my room. Such a powerful, yet calming scent.

Rating: 9.5/10

Stamford: Unicorn's Grace

Another Aloe Vera scent. This one has lower energy and in my opinion has a floral undertone to it. For some reason I have related it to Angel's Dust.


Rating: 8/10






Stamford: Pixie's Dance 

These have become one of my favourite incense sticks! They have a vanilla scent -which I am in love with. I am a vanilla scent girl though, so no surprise there. Good for when you need a calming moment, or to just change the energy in your room.


Rating: 10/10

Stamford: Mermaid's Love 

Another past obsession of mine! When I first burned those, I couldn't get enough of them! Another white rose in the Stamford collection, only this one has a sensual yet fresh undertone to it.



Rating: 9.5/10 

Stamford: Werewolf's Bite 

Frankincense and Myrrh. I was a bit hesitant with these incense sticks, but they grew in me with time. An interesting combination of power and calmness. I believe they could be used with spells or to enhance one's spiritual dreams.


Rating: 8.5/10

Stamford: Angel's Touch 

Even though I'm generally not a fan of floral incense sticks, these ones are lovely. They have a sweet powdery floral aroma. Perfect for changing the energy of your room, and burning them could be a good way to start or end your day.


Rating: 6.5/10

Stamford: Water Dragon

White musk. It is not often that I find incense sticks that unbearable, but I am contemplating throwing these away. I just cannot seem to find their scent attractive at any time or situation.

Rating: 1/10

Stamford: Fairy Dreams 

As I've mentioned before, I'm a vanilla scent girl. This is one of my old time favourites. The sweet vanilla scent of those incense sticks is perfect for dreaming, relaxing and taking a bath. I usually burn them right before I go to sleep. (This scent reminds me Pagan Magic by a different company -it came in purple packaging).

Rating: 10/10 

Stamford: Dragon's Blood

Dragon's Blood. I am not too bothered by this scent, but I am not in love either. I do enjoy burning these when the energy in the room feels dull.

Rating: 7/10 

Stamford: White Sage

I was always curious about white sage, as I had heard and read a lot about it. At some point I was obsessed with these incense sticks! I use them to block negative energy from my space, cleanse the space and my energy. I have to admit if you use them too much, you do get a bit tired of the scent.

Rating: 9.5/10

Stamford: Vanilla 

I don't like to repeat myself, but yeah, as you've noticed I am fond of vanilla scents. I usually burn these sticks when I want to relax or change the overall aroma in my room.


Rating: 9/10

Stamford: Pagan Magic

I actually thought this was the same Pagan Magic that came in a purple box and I had discovered years ago, but unfortunately, this is a very different scent. One I cannot stand. Apparently these specific incense sticks have an aphrodesia musk aroma.

Rating: 1/10 

Stamford: Prosperity 

Another sandalwood scent from Stamford. I burn these incense sticks when I'm not feeling very lucky or when I want to feel the energy flow in my room change. Not as heavy as the Sandalwood incense sticks, they have some fresh undertones to them.

Rating: 8/10

Stamford: Dragon's Fire 

Roses. A gentle and discreet fragrance which fills the room with a pleasant vibe. As all Stamford incense sticks that come in a black box and red lettering it has a sensual, mystical undertone to it.

Rating: 9/10

Stamford: Egyptian Musk

Musky, earthy and with a hint of something ancient and sacred. These incense sticks are some of my favourites to burn when I want to meditate and relax.

Rating: 9/10

~Tulasi~

Tulasi: Jasmine 

Way too strong for me.

Rating: 5/10

Tulasi: Sage 

Quite a strong scent of sage, this one is not as soft and smooth as White Sage by Stamford. Still, you can use it to cleanse a space.

Rating: 6/10 

Tulasi: Lemongrass

I had never smelled lemongrass incense sticks before. Way too earthy and uncomfortable for me. They literally smell like burnt grass.

Rating: 1/10 

Tulasi: Lotus 

I do enjoy this scent, but as it is extremely strong, I don't burn Lotus incense sticks that often.



Rating: 6.5/10 

Tulasi: Sensuality 

Patchouli, nutmeg and ylang ylang. This strong yet sensual combination of scents is great for an erotic session with your partner(s), a sensual massage or meditation. As it is so intense, I cannot burn those incense sticks too often.


Rating: 7.5/10 

Tulasi: Moon 

I am not sure what scent these incense sticks have, but it is not floral and it is not sensual. I can't really describe it. I have burned them in the past during the night, as the scent does feel right during that time.

Rating: 6/10 

Tulasi: Night Queen

I am not a fan of floral scents usually, unless they are soft and/or sensual. And this incense sticks are exactly that. Again, like the Moon ones, I do find them more enticing during the night. Especially before I go to bed.

Rating: 8.5/10 

Tulasi: Meditation 

Vanilla, sandalwood and chamomile. An extremely strong blend that is perfect for meditation. I personally do not burn these incense sticks often due to the aroma.

Rating: 7/10

Tulasi: Sandalwood

Another earthy incense. This is very strong and woody. Way too strong for my tastes.

Rating 4.5/10

~Various Brands~

As this post is too long already, here I will mention epigrammatically a few other incense sticks I did not enjoy due to their extremely strong scents.

Hem: I tried their Amber incense sticks which I did not like at all as they had a strong wooden/earthy scent, and their Almond ones, which I don't mind as they smell like almond, but wouldn't buy again. 

SAC: I tried Pine which did actually smell like burnt pine (or like a forest on fire) and Night Queen (not to be confused with Tulasi's one) which had an extremely heavy floral scent (to the point of causing me a migraine). Didn't enjoy either.

Sital: I tried Violet, which has a perfume-esque scent to it -if that makes sense. Very strong violet/floral scent, which I personally cannot stand for too long.

Lastly, I was trying to find a good vanilla incense stick -apart from Stamford's- and I decided to try GR's Royal Vanilla and Flute's Vanilla. The first one smelled nice before you burned it, but was way too strong as it was burning. The latter had a very bizarre and unpleasant vanilla scent, almost as if it had something else in it as well. Unfortunately, they didn't work for me.

I have also tried a few Chinese brands, but the letters are in Chinese, so I cannot find them in English.

Final thoughts and favourites

It seems that the font colour and box colour in Stamford incense sticks isn't a coincidence. My understanding is that the ones that come in a black box are more aetherial, sensual and kind of gothic if you'd like, whereas the ones that come in a white box are more floral and intense.
I personally enjoy the ones that come in a black box a lot more as I am not fond of extremely floral scents.
Moreover, I feel the ones that come in a black box and have red lettering are more on the sensual side, and usually, these are some of my favourite incense sticks.

Even though I do like some incense sticks by Tulasi and other brands, I do feel Stamford is the one I am more attracted to.

My top 5 at the moment:

1. Sandalwood
2. Vampire's Kiss 
3. Fairy Dreams 
4. Witches' Curse 
5. Pixie's Dance

Lastly, I would suggest trying the 'mini-collection' versions like the Mythical Collection by Stamford.

This way you can try various scents before you commit to buying the larger versions (the mini ones have 8 or 5 incense sticks each usually). 

Sources and suppliers

I wasn't able to find an official retailer website for the incense brands that were mentioned, but I am including a list with suppliers and also pages where I found the information about the scent details of each entry.

• Ebay supplier
• Scent details and information (amazon retailer)
• Scent details and retailer
• Google (for images) 
• Scent details and retailer
• Scent details and retailer 

Conclusion 

I hope you found this list useful. Remember, this is my personal opinion. Other people may have a completely different reaction towards these scents. 

I have actually buyed everything on this list with my own money, a.k.a I'm not sponsored.

I will keep updating the list with every new scent I purchase.

Peace

Funny fat girls

I see a lot of fellow fat ladies thinking they have to be funny; they have to perform all the time to blend in. And so they force themselves to do so. It seems there is this notion that since we're fat, our only option to be attractive in any way is to be funny. Nope. You don't have to feel the need to 'perform' and be 'funny' because of your weight. You are a valuable, and sexy and attractive person regardless.

There is no need to feed into a stereotype "she's not hot, but she's funny." You can be fat and hot, and if you're funny that's great as well, but you don't have to force yourself to make jokes and entertain people. And for the love of me, you don't have to make fat jokes aimed at yourself to show people you're funny; to prove you can 'fit in.' I've seen many times fat gals making fun of themselves, to the point where I wanted to cry at all the mean things there were saying. You don't have to make fun of yourselves to be cool. You don't have to use horrible and traumatising language aimed at yourself to be accepted. And if the people around you make you feel like you have to do those things, then you need to kick those people out of your life. Lastly, please, don't let movies be your example about how you should dress and behave as a fat person. Media's portrayal of fat people is inaccurate and harmful. They play into toxic cliches and stereotypes that either ostracise fat people or don't give them space to be themselves to exist in society.

Pregnant People

I read responses to this: bma-warns-against-using-expectant-mothers-for-pregnant-women-as-it-may-offend-intersex-men

(calling pregnant persons 'pregnant persons' instead of expecting mothers, as many trans males, agender, gender neutral, gender fluid or intersex persons can get pregnant)

A lot of women were angry, saying they want to be called 'expecting mothers,' that they waited their whole lives to be mothers, that this takes away from their motherhood and many went as far as to make transphobic comments.

I personally have no interest in having children, being a mother etc.
However, as a person who identifies as a woman, I have one thing to tell them:
If you're so insecure about your femininity and motherhood, that you get offended by being called a 'person,' then that's on you.
Stop reflecting your insecurities and fragile femininity on others.

Anyway, you could request your nurses, midwives, doctor etc. to call you an expecting mom if you want.
So, chill the fuck out and let other people with female reproductive organs have their space and be respected as well.

Accept that not only women can get pregnant and give birth. There are many people who don't identify as female and have female reproductive organs. And you have no fucking right to dismiss them because you want 'motherhood exclusivity.'