Tom Bosh Skinner On The Question Time Panel Attracts A Younger Audience

I would probably never have watched this if it was not for Tom Skinner

Theo Panda

2026-03-28T08:56:30.8570000 2026-03-28T09:05:09.3570000

I watched Questionaire Time the BBC’s political panel show hosted by Fiona Bruce, this week from Clacton On Sea Nigel Farage leader of the Reform party’s local constituency.

I’ve watched before but not regularly at all. I like Tom for the work he does for young people’s mental health and decided to check out this particular discussion because I had caught a headline leading me to believe the celebrity and business person Tom “Bosh” Skinner, of The Apprentice, Strictly Come Dancing and Barbecuing with J.D. Vance fame had caused a ruckus on the panel.

First off, there was absolutely no ruckus, in fact quite the opposite, Tom Skinner, and I am not particularly a fan, just seen him on You Tube a few times, so not here to big him up, was the only person on the panel actually applauded by the audience. And the consensus of the other guests was actually the time has come for less back stabbing and blaming and more working together for the greater good. The man who shall not be named M.P. for Clacton being outed for the opposite behaviour and being very chummy with big tech, aside from that he wasn’t mentioned at all.

The other guests on the panel, included Labour M.P. Justice Minister Jake Richards, conservative M.P. And ex security minister Tom Tugendhat and Liberal Democrat M.P. Layla Moran.

The questions asked that formulated and structured the discussion centred around The ruling in the US finding Google and Meta liable to the tune of 6M for making their platforms addictive on purpose. The extended time it was taking for HMS Dragon to reach Cyprus and the state of the UK defence capabilities.

The lack of jobs for young people, the rising numbers of unemployed young people, and the state of their mental health.

Crippling taxes for small businesses and their inability to hire people. UK growth in the toilet since Jan 2026, the Iran war. Mental Health services, years spend waiting for referrals, no support for parents with kids out of education.

Rising gas and energy prices. No money for a Friday night pint let alone a holiday. And people with disabilities there to protest about their mobility payments being axed, unable to get around.

It was an audience, a representative cross section declared by the BBC’s Fiona Bruce at the beginning of the show who just seemed completely broken.

After a lot of time was spent discussing the harmful effects of social media, discovering 1/3 of young people get their news from TikTok and then Tom Tugendhat, eloquently pointing out that TikTok is curated by the Chinese communist party and asked for a show of hands who would be unhappy to read a newspaper edited by them. We saw hands raised in solidarity against this type of psychological infiltration.

I thought the very last comment made by a lady about us all losing respect for ourselves, our colleagues, the medical profession, the police, each other was very poignant and summed up the whole depressing discussion.

One man in the audience talked about polarised politicians, the left the right, Tom Skinner added how much he had been insulted online and how it’s taken even further, trolls describing people as Gammon or Snowflakes, terms I’d never even heard off and I am Gen Z.

He sensibly said most people no longer care which side politicians are on, they all get clumped into the same boat, all arguing and blaming one another. Prime Ministers Questions was brought up as running joke, something Tom Tugendhat completely agreed with before saying words you never hear a politician say, to gasps in the audience about no spending on defence “We (the conservatives) got it wrong.”

The public just want common sense solutions right in the centre the man said to audience applause.

I don’t vote, now in my twenties I have never voted and many would say you cannot complain then if you don’t exercise your right to vote but I cannot vote until I see a candidate I believe in and want to back.

On the show, Tom Skinner came across as a decent, hard working bloke, who films himself having breakfast in Spitalfields every day at 4am before he starts work and posts that on social media, why not. Good luck to him. I’ve watched him a few times. He’s always positive. He wants a pint with his friends on a Friday and does a mental health walk every Sunday which anyone is free to join. I know he’s taken a beating in the press but who ever his friends are, like he said, he has friends who don’t all have the same political views but it doesn’t stop them having a drink together and a laugh.

It was an hour of TV I don’t wish to repeat anytime soon but it did make me think about what we are all enduring at the hands of our leaders, not just political but business too at home and overseas and it’s time for us all to stop looking to blame someone else and start taking some personal responsibility for our actions not just online, where we seem to think we have the right to behave atrociously or are mindlessly scrolling being totally unproductive but also in real life.

After reading yesterday about the dangers of fake reviews online as a young person (who does enjoy social media) I enjoy taking time out writing and sharing my real views here on Poopsnoop, doing something positive and constructive, my way of fighting back in some small way for I fear if the rot sets in any deeper we’ll never recover.

Poke House My New Favourite Healthy Salad Fast Food Joint London

Build Your Own Bowl for £12.45 at Poke House St Johns Wood NW8

Theo Panda

2026-02-25T12:28:42.2500000 2026-02-26T14:44:07.2600000

There’s a new lunch and dinner to go place in St John’s Wood I go to a lot these days.

It’s more expensive than I’d usually spend on lunch still on a student shoe string budget but for me it’s worth it.

There aren’t many places than combine rice with salad in their bowls but it seems to work. My favourite is the ceasar salad which comes with or without chicken or avocado. I like to substitute on mine, sometimes olives, sometimes edamame, sometimes green chills, the presentation always so fresh and colourful. Gives it a lift.

The dressings are better than supermarket quality, the bacon bits are plant, say what, yep, VEGAN for anyone who likes bacon but doesn’t want a piglet on their conscience. Loads of Parmesan shavings and some crunch from croutons and pumpkin seeds too.

All the packaging is from recycled materials and made in the UK so that’s a thumbs up too, from the bags to the recycled bowls the salad is served in.

Check it out, it’s one of the best places to get a generous serving of super healthy fresh food. Young vibes too, if you want to eat in they play pretty good music in there too.

The Fortune Hotel is a family affair in our house

It's a game show set on a Carribean island a bit like the Traitors with a £250K prize pot

Theo Panda

2025-08-24T12:32:31.7930000 2025-08-25T09:17:38.7570000

Fortune Hotel

Hosted by Stephen Mangan

It’s a TV reality game show that has split our house. My mother is a fan. She saved up 4 or 5 episodes so she could binge watch on Saturday undisturbed except my older sister and her partner came by unexpectedly, I’ve been home from uni over the summer and my younger brother who normally spends his whole life in his room was actually around too. My dad wasn’t really interested, he kept coming in and out saying is this still on, or hasn’t it finished yet, my sister and her partner were watching and checked out how you apply for next years season saying it was a great way to get a free holiday in the Caribbean, incidentally applications are being accepted from December, 2025.

My younger brother kept asking a lot of questions so he was watching but was finding it difficult to follow the action which is not hard to be fair. My mother was glued to the screen telling everyone to be quiet. The reason she said she had saved up the episodes because of the annoying cliffhanger endings, being unable to wait until the following week and also being unable to remember the path of the money suitcase, the premise of the whole show.

Which is, 11 teams of two, couples which comprise of partners, relatives, friends, husbands and wives take part in two daily challenges in the idyllic setting of the Fortune Hotel in Grenada, a Caribbean paradise island.

They all have a suitcase, some are safe suitcases with no money in them, one has an early checkout card and one holds the money, £200K. The game began with £250K in the suitcase but the holder of the fortune suitcase for the first five nights is allowed to remove £10K which has left Fred and Min with £30K banked already. Each couple has one objective, to figure out who is holding the fortune suitcase and when they enjoy a night cap in the Lady Luck Bar at the end of the day, after two completed challenges and they each get the opportunity to swap or hold onto their suitcase the couple left holding the early checkout suitcase have to leave the game.

The audience know all the time who has the money and who has the early checkout but depending on the swapping order established in the challenges there in lies the jeopardy, and of course the lies the couples tell each other throughout the course of each episode.

As the money moves around the group more and more people become aware of where the money is and so it becomes a game of strategy and alliances, formed and broken to ensure any one individual couples survival.

It’s actually quite ruthless when you watch couples blatantly lie and throw their supposed “friends” to the wolves in order to secure their own position in the game.

My mother has described it as “It’s a knockout on a desert island” if that means anything to anyone.

I did quite enjoy the marathon we watched yesterday in which we saw Jacob and Marc and Fred and Min face off against each other when the other five remaining couples had to choose which one to save and Jacob and Marc’s pals Max and Max sent them packing.

* Marilyn (Maz) and Maxine (Max) (eliminated)

* Chelsey and Briony (eliminated)

* Atholl and John (eliminated)

* Jake and Mike (eliminated)

* Allan and Jacob (eliminated)

* Guv and Gurks (eliminated)

* James and Yasmin (eliminated)

The remaining four couples after Nella and Tope passed the early checkout card to the couple Max and Max with whom they had formed an alliance are;

* Nella and Tope

* Sue and Jeremy

* Fred and Min

* Martina and Briony

It’s a game of cat and mouse for sure where luck seems to play a much bigger part in the couples survival than skill, although there was a challenge to in one episode we watched last night where the couples had to say whether certain objects would sink or float when thrown into a swimming pool. I thought it was an ingenious task that definitely had us all flummoxed. Who knew a full Diet Coke would float but a full regular coke would sink, to do with all the sugar apparently and a watermelon and a bowling ball would float, I swear and yet a grape would sink.

The challenges are a combination of stupid things that happen inside the hotel like the sink float challenge and then day trip challenges which take on a more treasure island, searching for clues and building towers on the beach like approach, that’s the It’s a knockout” part I am reliably informed.

Definitely a show for all ages, like I said my mother is Fortune Hotel mad, my sister’s applying to be a contestant and it got my brother to emerge from his room, which is a notable event. Only my father couldn’t sit through the whole marathon.

The show is available on ITVX and the next episodes air Wednesday 27th Aug, and Thursday 28th Aug on ITV at 9.00pm.

Apple USB iPhone cables It doesn’t matter if you spend or not

Theo Panda

2025-06-09T16:07:55.5130000 2025-06-10T09:24:55.2270000

I am sick of buying USB cables that don’t work after a week. I am sick of my friends and my mother especially nagging me to charge my phone. And I am sick of buying cables, some cheap granted but I’ve even invested in a couple from the Apple Store at £20 each and it doesn’t make any difference. After a few weeks use they always bloody stop connecting.

I bought two recently the brand was FIFO Original that said lifetime warranty, guaranteed for 20 years in my local convenience store, I paid about £10 each and hopeful as I was by the “lifetime warranty” on the packaging, it didn’t mean anything, absolute bolony, within a few weeks, a couple of months tops the cables weren’t connecting in my car or to a power point charger I keep charged for school.

It’s the most frustrating thing, it’s like being a smoker addicted to needing a new cable every few weeks.

The joke for me, the name USB lightening cable where the only speed like lightening is how quickly these things bust.

What is the policy on the £19 1m usb lightening cable from Apple? How long is it supposed to last and what happens if you try and return as faulty after only a few months use.

I haven’t tried returning, I’ve just bought cheaper instead however these have been no better.

If anyone has any suggestions how they have navigated the perpetual cycle of ineffective USB iPhone lightening cables or if anyone has found a brand making something that actually works for longer than a few weeks/months please please pop a comment.

I honestly think these tech manufacturers churning these thing out in China know we just have to keep buying so there’s no real incentive to make something that will last.

I’d be prepared to pay more than £19 Apple if you told us we’d get to use a working cable for at least 24 months. Would that be unrealistic, too much to ask. Why do we have to put up with USB cables that are just quite frankly rubbish.

When I think about how many discarded USB lightening cables there are I bet end to end they’d circumnavigate the planet and probably more than once.

On the Apple website no mention about how long we can expect the cable to last or what to do if it stops connecting in a matter of months.

I’ve done a bit of research online and the suggested route is a Native Union Belt Cable Duo USB-C to Lightning and USB-C Cable at about £45. This requires a different charging plug socket at an additional £10-£15 apparently the charge time is faster and the cables don’t bust immediately. If I swap over to this different connector, not sure what the solution is in the car, all the USB connectors that attach to the lighter socket become obsolete.

Long and short of it. Charging cables, just another thing we expect to buy and expect to break. Complete madness if you ask me. Gotta go I need to charge my ……….

Wok To Work big portions fresh made healthy food

Theo Panda

2025-05-27T09:50:49.5770000 2025-05-27T10:31:18.1330000

Our uni campus is on Regent St, London and there are loads of places to grab food around here but nowhere quite so good as Wok To Walk just off Oxford St and opposite Ikea.

Wok to Walk is basically an Asian open kitchen making flame-tossed fresh food, to order in a matter of minutes. Fire. Metal and kapow Magic. They are the “woksmiths”

The beauty of this place is they customise whatever you like, you design your own dish and it’s made fresh to order from scratch and then you can sit down outside on a nice day and enjoy lunch and the people watching in London’s busiest shopping area.

It’s basically Chinese fast food except super healthy specialising in vegan vegetarian but meat lovers don’t worry, everything’s starts with veggie although they’ll happily add meat if you want it.

The food is so delicious most of us don’t feel the need. Wok to walk is the best place for meat eaters to go veggie and not even miss it.

Chinese slash Asian Street Food the type of quick hot a little bit spicy super tasty food you’d find in Hong Kong.

It’s a chain although not like a chain. The emphasis is on fresh healthy food of a very high quality. So you can choose the base (rice, noodles, or vegetables), protein, vegetables, and sauce, a much healthier meal on the go based on individual preferences. I love it.

The cost

Wok to walk started in Amsterdam in 2004 when founders decided to open a street food type restaurant after a trip to Asia and now they have over 100 locations around the world.

Next time you are passing stop by and sit down. You won’t be disappointed.

There aren’t many places left in London you can get a delicious lunch, you can get the regular box for £6.49. Most places you have to spend at least £10.00 on a meal or sandwich to go and you don’t get anywhere near as much food. The four piece spring roll for £3.50 is the super budget option when I’m truly broke.

Wok to walk are very happy to cater your event or party too and deliver the food right to you.

It’s chain so check out where they are. I know there is one in Leeds my mate’s at Leeds Uni and we go there when I visit.

Momo Kombucha Healthy Medicine On The Go 275ml dosage

Does Elderflower Kombucha taste better?

Theo Panda

2025-05-01T09:13:07.8030000 2025-05-12T16:14:55.6870000

The Elderflower kombucha from Momo does taste better than others I've tried. The health benefits of Kombucha are clear however it can be tricky to get down. Do you order anything because it’s good for you over taste?

I’m a bit like this with Kombucha, I’ll have one if I am feeling a bit run down or under the weather or if I’ve been staying up late and feeling the strain.

The first time I even saw the word was on a sweatshirt my girlfriend was wearing. It said shopping list, sparking water, kale, lip gloss, diet soda and at the bottom “Kombucha” I asked her what it meant, she said she didn’t know.

We looked it up to discover it’s fermented tea with some pretty crazy good health claims. So we started substituting a Kombucha here and there sort of as a medicinal choice now and again, there’s no getting away from the fact Kombucha is an acquired taste:

Like a friend of mine once said he was an aquired taste and if you didn’t like him you should acquire some taste, this is sort of how I have tackled my relationship with Kombucha, I like it but cannot drink a whole bottle;

That is until now. MoMo Kombucha is the best I’ve tasted.

So what does it taste of. Well sort of fizzy, a bit sour and like the earth and I know I am not selling it here.

It’s not like having a Fanta. Although the MoMA Kombucha is the closest I’ve had to a soda experience.

The elderflower MoMo kombucha is refreshing and light and for anyone who has tried Kombucha and decided the health benefits don’t outway the experience I’d recommend having another go.

They have a few different flavours, it was a toss up between Elderflowers and blood orange kombucha. online you’ll pay £48.00 for 12 bottles, £4 a bottle which yikes I know is top dollar. The good thing though sold individually I only had to pay a 30p premium at £4.30

It’s unfiltered, really good for you, and this one tastes good, organic kombucha. Naturally effervescent fermented tea with elderflower. The elderflower flavour you can really taste. It’s brewed and bottled in small batches in London, supporting UK made and Momo Kombucha brewery are also a B corp drinks brand.

Big thumbs up for this one, available from their shop in Covent Garden. I bought mine at Gail’s Bakery.

Yuzu Lemonade from Leon

Theo Panda

2025-04-16T14:58:33.6870000 2025-04-16T15:26:09.6170000

Healthy fast food places are popping up all over London and the Leon chain, opened in 2004 is now as familiar to Londoners as Pret A Manger sandwich chain or Wasaibi Japanese sushi chain.

I think of Leon as the healthy chicken shop. For the days when you fancy KFC or Nando’s but instead you go grilled.

It’s a Mediterranean place where the meat is locally sourced and served with a good portion of greens in a healthy bowl or salad and the menu changes season to season to take advantage of fresh produce in season.

I like the firecracker chicken bowl that delivers 26g of protein for £8.99 or the chicken Caesar salad which gives you a whopping 30g of protein for £6.99.

The firecracker chicken bowl is spicy, it definitely gives eastern/curry spicy vibes, smoky paprika marinated chicken, middle eastern spiced roasted veggies, greens, grains, a seven-seed mix, and Leon’s signature spicy Firecracker Dressing.

When you enter the shop it smells like a Lebanese or Turkish restaurant, the rich scents of Cardamon and Tumeric ever apparent.

The food is good and NOT expensive compared to other fast food chains. Why as students we like it. And easy to order via Just Eat or Deliveroo app.

The one treat they do make which isn’t cheap at £2.50 for a tiny bottle is the Yuzu Lemonade which is a mixture of lemons and yuzu juice. It’s a unique flavour combination I cannot get enough of and sadly I haven’t seen available anywhere else.

Yuzu fruit is a citrus fruit that combines the bitterness of lemons, the tartness of grapefruit and the sweetness of a mandarin orange with some say a hint of honeysuckle.

Try it for yourself. I think you’ll agree with me.

University Of Westminster and World Mental Health Day 13th March 2025

Welcomes neuro divergent students

Theo Panda

2025-03-12T09:36:24.3100000 2025-03-29T09:56:59.4700000

What’s happening on campus at University of Westminster tomorrow to celebrate and embrace World Mental Health Day, March 13th, 2025.

Depending on who you ask University of Westminster is quite easy to get into, rejecting only 10% of applicants and students from overseas needing a grade point average of 2.5-2.7 out of four.

It’s a private university establish in 1875 with average annual fees about £45K so more prestige I’d say than academic excellence, I chose it for the Architecture reputation and the schools long association with RIBA, Royal Institute of Architects.

I am also neuro divergent so the approach to students with “issues” or different needs, was very important to me when choosing where to study.

What’s going on;

Aside from a load of fun activities, check the link there are also a bunch of training opportunities for anyone interested in a career in mental health support roles or just working in themselves, Green Dot Training, Look After your Mate is a workshop taking place on Wednesday 12th March and credits are available for Westminster Employability Award.

There is also a mindfulness taster session happening, loads of sports activities and UWSU activities too so loads going on to meet new people and learn new skills.

Students moan about student loans, how expensive university is but for me how progressive and forward thinking the establishment is goes a really long way for me and the work and effort that has gone into World Mental Health Day at the University of Westminster I am really proud to be a part of.

Come on down and check out what we’ve got going on.

Open arms, open door policy. Most events are free.

EASY JET

Theo Panda

2025-02-11T08:13:27.3170000 2025-02-12T11:15:50.3130000

Congratulations Easy Jet. I just flew from Belfast international airport to the Canaries one way for under 50 euros.

If you want to check your bag that’s extra. If you want a seat assignment that’s extra. If you want early check in that’s extra.

Saying that I didn’t need any of those things.

The food and drink options are limited onboard and hot food is available if you again order ahead of time for an extra charge.

The beauty of Easy Jet is everything is priced individually so you can opt for none of the convenience for a cheaper price which works for me.

We did leave on time and we arrived on time. Absolutely no complaints.

The one thing there was an unusual amount of messaging about antisocial behaviour over the loud speaker and instructions how to behave in general, not drinking too much being the main thing.

There was no trouble on my flight. It was at 10.35am though. The excessive messaging did make me think should I expect a punch up.

I’ve never been to Belfast before. Easy Jet offer one flight per day. The people on my flight were all perfectly normal and well behaved.

And when we arrived the process off, immigration was extremely quick. I didn’t have a checked bag though.

Keir Starmer man of mystery

Theo Panda

2025-01-30T11:48:24.6970000 2025-02-01T08:08:12.2700000

What the hell is happening? I struggle to take anyone seriously who would hire someone who presents as poorly as Rachael Reeves for his top post, second in command, chancellor of the exchequer with house. I got disillusioned uni tutors with more convincing economic strategy and what do I know.

Rachael Reeves rolled out to talk growth, growth, growth, whilst unveiling to super controversial high budget long term project to put a third runway at Heathrow airport when passenger numbers are declining, holiday makers aren’t going anywhere, business travel hit an all time high 20 years ago and the only people it looks are set to benefit are foreign investors (no surprise we don’t know who, my money is in the Saudi’s) and Heathrow Airport investors set to make a killing.

And that’s the Labour Party. Even the tories didn’t have the front to approve the project that will see 700 people lose their homes and thousands of residents already complaining of noise pollution and poor air quality will be negatively impacted.

Looking like the poor suffering at the expense of the rich once again, Sir Keir.

Sure every airline wants a convenient stop to land, refuel and take off again for a price, dumping their dirt, not their spending passengers.

If you watch American TV it’s become a standing joke people have been to London and NEVER left the airport. Sorry Keir this doesn’t help the British economy. This policy to expand Heathrow airport for jobs and opportunity codswallop is a complete rouse.

Why not invest in the north and create jobs and infrastructure where it is desperately needed to serve the UK public?

Rachael Reeves talked like she was reading off a script, like she is talking in a foreign language she actually cannot comprehend, learned. I feel like what she is saying, there’s a complete disconnect on her end. She’s too prepared, anxious which for me, my instinct means, untrustworthy, I am not convinced she’s convinced. Or she could just be a terrible orator.

Either way she talked about spades in the ground by the end of this parliament, but what if Labour don’t get a second term? Will it be another HS2 loads of talking, loads of money to go no where.

The top guy, Dale Vince founder of Green energy provider in the UK, Ecotricity, was way more passionate and convincing when it came to ways to actually get things moving and helping the British public feel better off.

Who do you believe?

Two days later AstraZeneca, the big pharmaceutical company known as one of the Covid vaccine producers announced pulling 450 Million of UK investment from their plant site on Merseyside and blamed the Labour government for its state funding cuts.

Paramount Hotel NYC

Theo Panda

2025-01-03T10:01:23.3070000 2025-01-03T10:15:26.4400000

I cannot say enough about this weirdly wonderful hotel right in the heart of Time Square.

My girlfriend and I were looking for a stylish hotel on a budget centrally located we could explore all the sights for 4 days in New York over the holiday period and boy were we looked after.

When you arrive it’s like an art hotel, kind of deco in style and the lobby is a sort of multilevel library always busy with interesting looking people, definitely a younger crowd.

The room was tiny, hey we were in on a budget. It didn’t matter to us. It was very stylish, beautifully decorated, again deco style, young modern fresh and we had everything we needed.

We did struggle a bit getting to the room. The corridors are very dark and narrow, we joked about the hotel saving electricity why the rooms were a good deal and opening the door in the pitch black was a challenge. Hey it’s the only thing we could comment on.

Didn’t eat breakfast in the hotel. The location right in Times Square meant there were loads of breakfast joints to pick from right outside the hotel door.

We did go the very stylish cocktail bar adjacent to the hotel for some exceptional people watching and eye watering priced drinks.

Absolutely loved everything about this hotel and have been telling everyone about our stay since returning.

If you can compromise on the size of the room to get everything else, mainly incredible location I cannot recommend the Paramount Hotel highly enough.

Definitely a younger crowd; mainly under 40 professionals. Not the type of place for young kids or babies.

Parla Toothpaste Tabs

Theo Panda

2024-12-19T15:13:48.4500000 2024-12-19T15:28:05.6430000

I feel bad about this company. Parla toothpaste tabs are a company doing everything right. They are a B corporation to begin with, check mark for me.

I heard about Parla, what they were trying to do to deal with the problem of discarded toothpaste tubes, such an environmental problem globally I bought in.

I am a student and don’t have much money so investing in Parla at £15 for a pot of tabs instead of 3 quid for a tube of toothpaste was a big ask.

I have to confess I’ve had the jar of tabs a while now and find myself in the habit of using my room mates old fashioned toothpaste tube instead of my tabs.

The process of chewing up a minty tab before you brush is not hard or unpleasant it’s just different from a small squirt on the brush of blue gel in a tube. Is why is it I am not using my tabs I ask myself.

I agree with all the reasons I should change to tabs and yet I steal/borrow from someone else instead.

Has anyone else managed to swap over to toothpaste tabs?

Plastic free containers, made in the UK, what’s not to love? You get 62 tabs in a jar, one months supply brushing twice a day so definitely more expensive.

It’s changing the habit that is proving the most challenging for me.

The Peace Poppy

Theo Panda

2024-11-02T12:21:17.8430000 2024-11-02T12:39:34.6300000

OMG people are so ignorant. Do one thing different like wear a white poppy instead of a red one and be prepared to get killed.

Figuratively speaking.

I am only here ranting because I heard some army guy on the news today trying to trash the white poppy and effectively all he could say in the end is have your white poppy for peace any day except November 11th and let us keep our red poppy for war on that day please.

It’s tradition. If like all the other under 25s around me you could just go think about how what you are saying doesn’t make any sense.

The white poppy is not new it’s been around for almost 100 years. It’s the symbol of remberance for people who think war is wrong and a really bad thing.

My mum got me one when I was a kid maybe 8 or 9 and since then I’ve actually never seen one for sale on the streets in London like the red ones, I support the British Legion and the work they do helping rebuilding injured soldiers lives, but choose to wear the white poppy instead.

I wanted to say when a few of us at uni went out wearing the white poppies we got hassled so badly we had to take them off.

When I saw the news segment and read the 247 comments, I had to write this.

Lord Richard Dannatt, a retired senior British army officer and member of the House of Lords on GB news comdemned sales of the white poppy as “cynical” and accused the PPU of attempting to hijack the more traditional remembrance celebration.

Let’s just carry on killing each other shall we?

Brunch At The Bluebird

Theo Panda

2024-10-19T09:36:26.5100000 2024-10-19T11:36:35.3300000

I have a soft spot for the Bluebird.

My parents used to take me when I was a kid and you can walk from my house on Smith St so whenever we had friends stay over the weekend brunch at the bluebird is a bit of a tradition.

The Bluebird is as much part of the Chelsea scene as the art studios, the firestation or the town hall.

Casual and relaxed on the patio in the mornings, lively and fun, live music in the evenings. Very very mixed crowd. Old and young. Shishi and bad hair and baseball caps.

You get every type of person which is why I like it.

The food is simple, good, healthy, big portions and for Chelsea not super expensive. Another reason to go.

Not snobby. Just cool - that’s the Bluebird. It’s got character, been around a long time and knows who she/he/they is.

Lava Cafe Kensington

Theo Panda

2024-10-13T15:01:27.8770000 2024-10-14T13:24:32.2670000

Right place wrong time. I’ve been to this place once before at night and it was a great vibe.

We stumbled into this place by chance. There was an accident at Gloucester Road tube station, the tube was closed and so my friend and I had some time to kill before we could get a lift back to Chelsea or get back on the tube. We decided to just find somewhere to sit down have a drink; something to eat and kill a bit of time.

It was almost lunchtime and the cafe was pretty quiet. A couple of tables taken on the patio that was it.

We waited and waited but there didn’t seem to be anyone serving so we just sat down inside. After about 10 minutes a man appeared with a menu. Not super friendly either when we asked about student discount.

It’s probably more of a nighttime place, which is maybe why it seemed a bit odd at lunchtime, and I have to say when we used the toilet it was a bit dirty in the day light. We saw a couple of workman breakfasts come out the kitchen so we decided to opt for fruit smoothies and coffee instead. Cheaper and less risky we thought.

They did have a marketing picture with 6 different fruit smoothies, the kind of thing you see in a holiday resort but when we asked if we could swap the fruit around they said everything was pre prepared ahead so that would not be possible.

We should have given a wide birth and probably would have done had we not been stranded for a couple of hours.

The smoothies were £6 each. They tasted like watered down apple juice, sort of frothy and icy, not a fruit smoothie. As if you’d put apple juice with a few bitter frozen berries in the blender. We didn’t change our mind about food so cannot add anything about that.

The best thing about this cafe is the location in the heart of Kensington and the terrace for shisha and people watching.

Biork Deodorant Stick

Theo Panda

2024-09-28T11:40:50.6070000 2024-09-28T12:47:39.2630000

Not to be confused with Bjork the singer.

This a funny one I had to share. My mother came home with this a few years ago now, it’s an eco deodorant. Yes she was trying to tell me something.

I don’t really know what it’s made from or how it works. I don’t know where she got it from. I use it every day, I play basketball at uni and I don’t smell.

All I do is dip this in water or a cup of tea depending on what’s closest, rub it in my armpits and that’s it.

It’s never got any smaller so I guess it must last forever.

Bjork™ Mineral Deo by EnergyBalance™ has offered me a sustainable and long-lasting solution which is brilliant. It did cost a bit more to buy, I’ve seen it online between £12 and £15 (it’s a lot for anti perspirant, I’m a student) but way way cheaper over time and way better for the environment.

The only downside is you have probably never heard of it, until now that is.

Jealous Life Sweets

Theo Panda

2024-09-24T10:44:51.9200000 2024-09-24T10:57:05.1200000

We started buying these sweets a few years ago now in a deli in Mayfair then that closed. Then we found them in Selfridges. I think you can still buy them there.

They are available on Amazon if you don’t mind their dodgy ethics and a friend of mine just brought a load to Boardmasters festival and we were reminded once again how amazing these plant based sweets actually are.

My favourite of all the wiggly worms and gummy bears are tropical wonder which for vegan I can promise you taste absolutely magnificent just like the fruit salad gummy’s of old my Nan who is also a fan assures me.

Good luck finding them and I recommend buying in bulk.

Buyer at Waitrose or Marks and Spencer if you are reading this, way better option than Candy Kittens and Percy Pigs you currently stock.

Trinity Hospice Shop Fulham Road

Theo Panda

2024-07-11T15:02:35.6570000 2024-07-11T15:22:56.6800000

Even though I graduated a few years ago I still don’t have money for clothes. My Mums friends are always saying the charity shops are full of guys like me under 30. Most of them are not very good, but this one is in a league of its own, much more like a normal shop.

And a good selection for men.

Why I go to the Hospice shop in Fulham for a lot of my stuff. You can always find much better shirts, Pinks, Jeeves and Hawkes, Ralph Lauren second hand which I prefer to H and M Zara and Primark where my mates go.

I’ve been to few different ones around London no where near as good as the one on the Fulham Road.

The address is 785 Fulham Road SW6 5HD and it’s a 5-10 minute walk from Fulham Broadway tube. Or there is street parking on the side streets around there.

I had to go to a graduation ball a couple of years ago, I got a DJ it was Armani or Hugo Boss a really expensive one for £75 which actually worked out cheaper than hiring for one night and my brother has borrowed it for his prom too.

There is another one on the Kings Road at the New Kings Road end , it’s a homeless charity shop, charity shopping isn’t like normal shopping when you get into it, somewhere I actually met a girl I ended up having a coffee with at the Bluebird down the road. The Octavia Foundation shop on the Kings Road Chelsea is no where near like the Trinity Hospice more like a junk shop but I’ve found Hacketts and Hermes, brands I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to buy. Check it out. ♻️♻️

Instagram

The Dark Side

Theo Panda

2017-05-03T12:33:52.3100000 2017-05-03T13:14:55.5670000

I started using Instagram about 4 years ago as I am quite a keen amateur photographer and thought it would be a fun way for me to grow a network for my start up business and make some new connections.

I started by reading a few blogs about how to make the most from an account on Instagram and then off I went. I work pretty hard on my content posting great images (I think) good variety and I post everyday, I spend about 30 minutes a day liking other feeds and leaving positive comments on posts I genuinely like.

For the first couple of years everything was great, it was slow to build a following but over time I connected with some nice people genuine people all over the world. Then the spam started. I was getting comments from feeds with only 10-50 posts telling me I could grow my following by following this link and that, by downloading this app and that. I did go for it once but of course nothing happened except I had apps on my phone I didn't want. Not sure what the purpose for getting people to click these links is, and there may be something more sinister behind some. I now follow the rule "If something seems too good to be true it is." Also if someone has a scheme to get you loads of followers but doesn't have any themselves, (and there are a lot like this surprisingly) it's a dead giveaway.

The next thing was the comments that say, "great content (or something similar) cannot wait to see more" my response now "Don't you need to be following if you want to see more?" Yep you guessed it complete BS.

Then there are all the people generously offering to post about my products if I send them out to them for free, great work if you can get it. Now I know the top bloggers have influence but when these people are no longer posting about things they genuinely like and are just scoring free stuff from everyone how can their followers trust and believe them? I smell more BS here.

In the last year or so I have been plagued by swathes of followers, who whether you follow them back or not immediately unfollow. The point, I suppose to end up looking like they have loads of followers whilst hardly following anyone back, get a life it doesn't make you popular, it makes you ANTI SOCIAL.

And then Facebook took over and changed all the algorithms so they control what you see and what you don't on your feed so you might be following a good friend and never actually see their posts unless you remember to go to their feed directly. I guess my point is some people (the chosen few) get their feeds seen all the time and the rest of us don't even get shown to our actual followers which kinda sucks.

Something else I haven't quite figured out yet is what I call "sub feeds" they look like an individual with usually less than 1000 followers and they connect/comment but when you look at their feed it's a dead end, no link in bio or further information in the profile, just links to other feeds in posts usually for a much more prolific feed with loads of followers. Not sure why these massive instagrammers need these strings of other accounts as promotional outlets or warriors as it's so obvious to anyone with a brain they are not real.

For the last year my following had not increased at all, (even though I post daily, post comments every day for real and try to respond to everyone who comments on my feed) it vascillates between 980 and 1030 followers, I gain and lose on average between 10-15 per day but they are not real accounts, just what I call "look at me" feeds that don't wish to be social just want something from me. FAKE ASS LOSERS.

I guess like anything when an application gets so big and popular it always goes downhill as people try to exploit it.

I have tried advertising also on the platform and this for me was a complete waste of money too, with a very poor return on investment.

I am not closing my account because I do need a social media presense but I have distanced myself from the Instagram app. I no longer enjoy using it in the same way. I was naive when I started on Instagram thinking it was the fun tool I needed to connect with genuine like minded people for business and pleasure but instead too many fake accounts controlled by big business or big brother with a hidden money making agenda, so a treadmill I no longer want to be on or participate in driving as for me it's the road to nowhere. Think of it like a multi level marketing pyramid, if you are at the top of the pyramid you make all the money, but if you are at the bottom of the pyramid along with everyone else you do all the work and get nothing in return by comparison. JUST SAYING INSTA. Truth hurts.

If you are looking for a great tool to keep a photo journal for yourself in isolation then Instagram is perfect for this public or private but expect anything more than this unless you are famous in your own right and you will likely be extremely disappointed.