Germanwings Flight 9525: Thoughts from a Flight Attendant

So I have been hesitant whether to publish this blog post or not. I am aware that the topic is controversial and potentially sensitive for some and the last thing I want to do is offend anyone. Despite this I have been thinking about the Germanwings plane crash since the 24th of March and I felt the need to share my opinions, as a flight attendant, with you all. Declaimer – Although we will never know exactly what occurred that day, the following post is based on information I have gathered from numerous news articles. All the opinions are my own.

The last few years have been deeply saddening for the world of aviation. Since I first applied to become an airhostess there have been a number of high-profile plane crashes and incidents that shook the world. It began on the 8^th of March 2014 with the Malaysia Airline Flight 370 that disappeared over the waters off Southeast Asia. To this day the whereabouts of the aircraft and the 239 people on board is unknown and with this there is huge speculation and a number of theories about what occurred that day. Following this incident another Malaysia Airline Flight, MH17, was shot down over Ukraine in July and an AirAsia flight crashed into the Java Sea after trying to avoid weather. These incidents were just few that have occurred since this time last year.

More recently, Germanwings Flight 9525 has made headline news after Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz intentionally crashed the aircraft into the French Alps. I wont go into great detail about what supposedly happened on the aircraft as it is all over the news and investigations are still being carried out. Instead I want to share my thoughts about the tragic event.

I first heard about the crash when I received a text message from my boyfriend after I had finished working an early shift. As a flight attendant hearing the news that a commercial aircraft has had a fatal crash makes my heart sink. The following day at work, after a pre-flight briefing, the crew and I were discussing what might have happened on Flight 9525. Decompression was mentioned which would have meant, due to a lack of oxygen, the pilots could have become unconscious causing the crash. This would have explained the loss of communication between French radar and the aircraft. The idea of pilot suicide did cross my mind but the thought of a pilot making the conscious decision to murder all passengers and crew on board is much more heart breaking than a technical fault or accident that could not have been predicted, in my opinion. As a member of cabin crew, I have full faith in all of the pilots I work with and trust them completely with my life. It is saddening to know that the crew members aboard the flight that day must have felt the same way – including the Captain who left the flight deck, trusting Lubitz to be in charge.

As the days go on, more information about the incident is being revealed in the news. Reports have emerged suggesting Lubitz may have been suffering from mental health problems and officials say Lubitz had been hiding an illness from his employer. Authorities said investigators found antidepressants and torn-up medical leave notes, including for the day of the crash, in the co-pilots apartment. Germanwings said it never received a sick-note from Lubitz. This makes me hope for change. In light of this incident I would like to see medical professionals personally contacting airlines if a member of crew comes to them and are deemed unfit to fly (especially if the reason is due to mental illness or depression). If the company had been contacted by the medical practice, the awful events that lead to the death of 150 people may have been prevented. I am in no means blaming the doctors Lubitz saw prior to the event. They were only following procedure and they could not have predicted what was going to happen.

When I first heard that the Captain was locked out of the flight deck by the co-pilot, I was shocked to discover that Germanwings did not require at least two people to be in the cockpit at all times. Since the incident other companies including EasyJet and RyanAir have changed their procedures, as they too did not have this rule in place. The sad truth is that we learn from our mistakes. Unfortunately, security and safety procedures change in aviation when an accident has occurred and authorities do the best they can to prevent this happening again in the future. Take 9/11 for example – since that day back in 2001 aviation changed forever. It was that incident that saw reinforced flight deck doors on every aircraft, US Federal Air Marshals onboard some flights and secondary barriers for flight deck doors on long haul flights – These are just 3 changes but there were many more, all of which make flying much safer.

I could write about aircraft accidents and incidents for hours but I would like to finish this blog post on a more positive note. Although I have mostly mentioned Andreas Lubitz, I would like to share my thoughts on the Captain and Cabin Crew that day. Reports say the Captain, Patrick Sondenheimer, was heard trying to break his way back into the flight deck to save everyone on board. He was a married man, father of 2 young children and it has been said he moved to the airline Germanwings in order to be closer to his family. According to CNN recordings from the black box are heard of Sondenheimer pleading with the co-pilot “open the damn door!” The recording also includes the sounds of loud metallic bangs that sound like someone is trying to knock down the cockpit door. As details emerge, Patrick Sondemheimer has been praised all over social media for his bravery and people have hailed him as a hero. As a flight attendant I could only imagine what the crew must have been going through in those last few moments – perhaps calming passengers and helping Sondemheimer’s attempt to open the flight deck door. I have the upmost respect for everyone who tried to save that aircraft. 

My heart and condolences go out to the family and friends of the victims on Flight 9525. May the 150 people on board rest in peace.

Cook With Me: Soup Diet & Recipe

The soup diet was initially used in hospitals for patients that need to lose weight quickly before an operation. I have not used this diet myself but my dad uses it when he wants to lose weight for a holiday or to kick start his weight loss before improving his diet and increasing exercise. 

Disclaimer - I am not a nutritionist. I am aware this diet is high in fibre and low-fat therefore it is not for long term weight loss. It is however ideal for short term, quick weight loss. The soup can also be enjoyed as a part of a normal diet - I eat the soup for lunch or a small bowl as a quick snack.

There are many variations of this soup and you can add any additional vegetables or remove any ingredients that you like. This is just the recipe that my family follow if we are making this soup. The diet below is a 7 day plan and what you are allowed to eat each day. The only drink you are allowed is water (unless stated otherwise). I would however recommend adding some complex carbohydrates (e.g. pasta, bread) if you are exercising during the week to give yourself some energy. 

Ingredients

·  Tinned chopped tomatoes (with garlic - optional) x2

·  Celery

·  Spring onion

·  Chopped carrots

·  Beef steak tomato x2

·  Red pepper

·  Green pepper

·  Yellow pepper

·  Green beans/sugar snap peas

·  Knorrs packet vegetable soup

·  Knorrs beef stock cubes/stock pots x2

· Knorrs chicken stock cubes/stock pots x2 (Substitute chicken and been stock for vegetable stock if you prefer or if you are vegetarian)

Method

 TO START get all of your ingredients and equipment ready. The equipment you will need: a sharp knife and chopping board, a jug, a large saucepan with a lid and a fork.

I forgot to add the tinned tomatoes to the picture... Doh!

 VEGETABLES chop all of the veggies and add them to the saucepan. If you want chunky soup, chop the vegetables into large chunks (this is how I make the soup. I find the chunkier the soup, the more filling it is). If you prefer to have smooth soup, blend the vegetables together in a blender.

 SOUP boil the kettle and add the dry Knorrs packeted vegetable soup into a jug. Pour over roughly 550ml of boiling water and mix well. Add the Knorrs stock pots to the mixture and stir until fully melted. Pour this into the saucepan with the vegetables.

 BASE & COOK add the two tins of tomatoes to the soup and mix well. Cook on a low heat with a lid. Mix and check the soup regularly to ensure the bottom does not burn and it is cooked evenly. Don't worry if the vegetables are not covered in liquid - the vegetables will release water when they are cooked and the soup with become runnier. Cook until the veggies are not raw (personally I like to have a bit of crunch but if you want your soup softer, cook until the carrots are completely soft).

ENJOY to serve, use a ladle to dish the soup into bowls. Enjoy with croutons or bread (NOT if you are following the diet though, sorry!)

The 7 Day Diet Plan

DAY 1 

Soup & Fruit (besides bananas). You can eat as much soup and fruit as you like. You can drink cranberry juice, unsweetened tea and water on this day.

DAY 2 

Soup & Vegetables only. Whether they are raw, cooked or steamed you can eat as many vegetables as you like. You can also treat yourself to one baked potato.

DAY 3 

Soup, Fruit & Vegetables (no baked potatoes). This is a combination of the first 2 days so enjoy those veggies and fruit snacks.

DAY 4 

Soup, Bananas & Skimmed Milk - Drink as much skimmed milk as you like and you can also eat up to 8 bananas and as much soup as you need. This day should lessen your cravings for sugar.

DAY 5 

Soup, Beef & Tomatoes - You can have between 10 and 20 ounces of beef and up to 6 tomatoes.

DAY 6 

Soup, Beef 7 Vegetables - you can eat as much soup, beef and vegetables (besides potato) this day. Preferably 2-3 steaks and green leafy vegetables like cabbage.

DAY 7 

Soup Brown Rice & Vegetables - again you can eat as much of these as you like. Make sure you eat soup at least once this day.

DAY 8+ 

It is not recommended for long term weight loss. It can be incorporated into a healthy diet and used to kick start your weight loss journey.

Thank you for reading and I hope this helps you to lose weight if that is what you're looking for or just make some DELICIOUS soup. Remember in order to lose weight safely only follow this diet plan for a short amount of time the incorporate soup into a healthy diet as you progress.

Bye for now x

AS Art - Makeup

~  The face is a canvas, makeup is my paint ~

Since discovering the world of YouTube at around 14 years old I have always had a keen interest in makeup. I love the way makeup can totally transform someone both physically and mentally. As well as making people look different, makeup also has the power to change peoples mindset like the way it has the ability to make someone feel more confident about themselves.

Last year I studied art as an AS Level at school. During the year I experimented with many makeup techniques and looks and I thought it would be fun to share just a few of these with you.

Half Skull Mask

I studied Art as an AS subject last year and our coursework topic was 'Construction'. For this I decided to explore the construction of the human form. In art I tried to think out-of-the-box in order to stand out. Therefore, as well as painting on canvas' and sketching, I decided to use my makeup knowledge to create an art piece that will stand out to the examiners. I used black and white body paint along with various eyeshadows to show what lies beneath.

As well as a final print of the image I also displayed how I achieved this look with a video. As this video was played in the expedition I have not added any music, so if you're keen to watch it pop on your favourite song in the background!

Sugar Skulls

Continuing with the theme of skulls, I studied an artist called Kelly Durette (google her art work, it is incredible). Her work inspired me to paint myself as a Sugar Skull. I experimented with different colours and makeup products and initially I achieved the first image. Although I loved the makeup, I wanted to recreate the makeup with all aspects of the photograph taken into consideration - the hair, makeup, background and outfit.That is when I achieved the final images below.

Bloody Scar

As well as playing around with makeup and body paint, I took my turn at Special FX makeup. I wont go into detail about how I created this scar on my friends arm but it involved liquid latex, tissue, fake blood and a lot of patience.

After I peeled the gory mess off

Bird Transformation

In the second half of the year we were able to choose our exam topic from a list. I selected 'Animals, Birds and Plants'. The majority of my exam art work consisted of photographs but obviously I couldn't miss a makeup transformation opportunity! I decided to make some beaks out of card and transform myself into a bird. Again I used the images below as final prints and I also filmed myself applying the makeup (once again there is no music as it was displayed at the exhibition). As this was my first attempt there are things I would have liked to change but as it was an exam piece, we were limited on the amount of time we could use. Never the less I was happy with the final result and achieved an A grade at the end of the year.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the makeup looks I created for Art last year!
Thanks for reading.

Bye for now x

Cook With Me: Family Steak Night

A bit of a different blog post today. I decided to cook fillet steak for the family and I thought I would record it. I love to cook and experiment with new flavours but it is rare that I am able to prepare a meal like this. This is because I work shifts, so sometimes I wont finish work until 8:30pm and I also play volleyball 3-4 nights a week.

Below I will add the ingredients I used, the method to make it and a video to follow along with if you want to cook this meal (or an element of this meal).

Ingredients (serves 4*)

Beef:

• 1 fillet of steak (of your desired size) per person
• 8 sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme

Sweet potatoes:

• 1 large sweet potato
• Semolina
• Paprika powder

Red-skinned potatoes:

• 400g red-skinned potatoes
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary
• 1 bulb of garlic

Carrots:

• 500g baby carrots
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 heaped table spoon of caster sugar
• 1 knob of butter

Cheats gravy:

• 4 tablespoons of Bisto Gravy granules
• A glug of red wine
• 1 Knorrs beef stock pot
• Half a red onion

Seasonings:

• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper

To serve with:

• Half a pan fried red onion
• Pan fried mushrooms
• Béarnaise sauce
• English mustard
• A bottle of red wine

*My family eat rather large portions, so if you do not eat much it may be best to reduce the quantity.

Methodology:

TO START get all your ingredients and equipment ready. Preheat the oven to 220°C/470°F/gas mark 7. Fill and boil a kettle.

SWEET POTATOES Wash the sweet potato. Chop the two ends off the unpeeled sweet potato and begin to chop into fries. Place the fries into a baking tray, laying them flat. Season with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika powder and a generous amount on semolina to increase crispiness. Shake vigorously to cover each potato fry with seasoning. Place into the oven and cook for roughly 40 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. Ensure you keep checking the sweet potato fries throughout.

POTATOES Wash the red-skinned potatoes, leaving the skin on. Chop into even chunks, roughly 2-3cm, and throw them into a saucepan. Cover with boiling water and season with salt. Boil for roughly 10 minutes, or just until cooked.

BEEF Pick and finely chop the rosemary (and thyme leaves if using fresh ingredients). Turn the heat up under an empty frying pan. Lay a sheet of greaseproof paper and drizzle with olive oil. Dress the greaseproof paper with the herbs, salt and pepper. Roll each fillet back and forth on the paper until fully coated with herbs.Add the meat to the hot frying pan. (you will have to add each fillet at different times depending on how each person would like their steak cooked. Obviously Well-done will be cooking for the longest and Rare for the least amount of time.Turn the heat down to ensure an even cook throughout. Turn the steak every minute or so to prevent uneven cooking or burning. Remember to seal all ends.

CARROTS Pour the carrots into an empty saucepan and cover with boiling water. Add thyme, a couple of bay leaves, a heaped tablespoon of caster sugar, a pinch of salt and a splash of olive oil. Cook with a lid until tender.

POTATOES Check the potatoes are fully cooked, then drain them. Add them to a large frying pan with olive oil, rosemary and a pinch of salt & pepper.

EXTRAS At this time, add any extras to your meal. Chop some red onion to pan fry. Fried mushrooms and beefsteak tomatoes also go well with a good fillet steak.

CHEATS GRAVY Finely chop half a red onion and add to the empty frying pan where the steaks were cooked. This pan should still have all of the flavours and juices from the beef fillets - this will add extra flavour to the gravey. Add 4 tablespoons of Bisto Gravy Granules into a jug. Slowly add water until the consistency is how thick or thin you like gravy. Add a Knorrs beef stock pot and mix well. If you like, you can add a glug of red wine. Pour the mixture into the frying pan with the onion and simmer.

TO SERVE How you dish up your meal is completely up to you. Personally I dished out each plate (mainly to save more dishes to wash up!) Drain the carrots and toss with butter. Dish the squashed potatoes, fillets and extras out onto the plates. Place the sweet potato fries in the middle of the table for family sharing. Serve with your drink of choice - the dish goes well with red wine. My personal favourite - Gallo Family Summer Red (and its only £5.99 per bottle, bargain!)

I gained a lot of inspiration for this dish from Jamie Oliver and his Roast Beef 30 minute meal. I adapted the ingredients and methodology to create a new meal for our family steak night. I hope you have enjoyed cooking with me!

Thank you for reading my blog post, see you next time

Bye for now x

Gym Bag/Volleyball Kit Essentials

Whenever I leave to go to the gym or volleyball I always feel as if I'm forgetting something - and half of the time I am. This blog post is going to be all about my essentials I take to the gym or to a volleyball session. I figure even if no one reads this post at least I can use it as a check-list to make sure I have everything before I go!

These bags are based on the occasion that I would be heading straight to the gym or volleyball from work or if I were already out (hence the actual clothing I would wear during the work out). Obviously if I were going straight from home I would just wear my workout gear there.

Gym Bag Essentials

Gym card & money - Pretty self explanatory. If you need a membership card to gain access to the gym, best not forget that. If your gym requires money to rent lockers make sure you always have change on you. It's not worth risking leaving your things out for anyone to take - so make use of the lockers.

Sports bra - if you're a lady please please please wear a sports bra when you work out. You need to protect your puppies and keep them supported! The sports bras I use are from Shock Absorber. These sports bras give the ultimate support, even when I play volleyball (which involves a lot of diving and jumping). They also come in a range of colours and I currently own the white and black ones. I would highly recommend this sports bra for ladies who require a bit more support.

Shock Absorber sports bra

Work out gear - When I work out I like to wear lycra leggings and a loose vest top or shirt. I tend to always wear dry fit clothing as they are the most comfortable when I sweat and allow for a wide range of movements.

Sweat towel - although this may not be an essential for everyone, I NEED to take a sweat towel with me when I work out. Besides, if you aren't dripping in sweat, are you really working hard enough?

Socks and Trainers - I wear ASICS trainers to the gym. I love having a pop of colour coming from my shoes. I have always worn ASICS trainers for as long as I remember. These trainers are very light weight and really comfortable. The mesh around the toes makes them super breathable and allows everyone to see my matching florescent socks - what more could you ask for?

Water bottle - I always take a water bottle to the gym with me. It is really important to keep hydrated and I'd much prefer to take a sip out of my water bottle while I'm on the go than stop and to find an available water fountain.

Gadgets (phone and headphones) - again this may not be essential for everyone but to really get into the workout I love to listen to loud, upbeat music. The music I have is stored on my iPhone so I just take that to the gym with me and I use my Beats by Dre Solo Headphones to listen. I much prefer headphones to earphones. I find earphones tend to fall out of my ears and the sound quality isn't as good.

Layers - It is important to keep warm when you leave the gym so take some layers with you (especially in the colder seasons). I usually take a pair of tracksuit joggers and a hoodie.

Extras - If you need any medication, obviously take that with you. I'm asthmatic and I could not go the gym without my inhaler. Although I may not use it, I know if I don't have it with me I will panic and not push myself as hard as I could. Also if you are planning to shower at the gym please take some body wash, shampoo, conditioner and deodorant. I always go home straight from the gym so I don't need to take these with me.

Volleyball Bag Essentials

A lot of the essentials in my gym bag are also needed in my volleyball bag including a sweat towel, layers, a sports bra, any extras (inhaler) & a water bottle. There are also a few changes that are specific to volleyball.

Volleyball Kit - Like my work out clothes, most of my volleyball wear is dry fit and lycra. I always wear a pair of lycra shorts when I am playing volleyball and usually a t-shirt. If I'm playing a match I would wear my numbered team shirt.

Trainers and Socks - When playing volleyball I wear a different pair of ASICS. I have had these shoes for years and I will need to replace them soon. As you can see they are wearing out a bit. The reason why I wear these trainers is that they are a bit sturdier than my others and provide a bit more support to my ankles which is important when playing volleyball. I also where higher ankle socks - these too provide more support than the socks I wear to the gym.

Knee Pads - Last but definitely not least, knee pads. Men tend not to wear knee pads as often as women as they are able to dive for the ball onto their chests. For obvious reasons women can't do that so we tend to slide onto our knees first to take the brunt of the dive. That is why we need knee pads to protect our knees from the hard court. Although that doesn't stop the bruises!!

Thank you for taking the time to read my gym/volleyball bag essentials. Let me know if you have any extra essentials. I hope you have a fabulous day.

Bye for now x

50 Facts About Me

I have seen a few bloggers and YouTubers share 50 facts about themselves and I think it would be fun to jump on the band wagon. I have plenty of blog ideas at the moment but I am finding it difficult to express these thoughts and put them into words so I've decided to upload this post in the meantime.

1. My full name is Tyler Thorne. That is all. But a lot of people just call me Ty
2. I feel deprived of a middle name (but I am also grateful that I don't have an awful middle name that I hate, so thanks Mum and Dad... I think)
3. When I was younger I used to make up middle names for myself that included Rose and Bunny - sorry but WHAT? haha
4. I used to hate that my name was predominately used for males until I met another girl called Tyler in McDonalds when I was about 9 and I came to terms with it
5. I now love stereotypical boys names for girls i.e. Dylan, Drew and Riley
6. I am currently 19 years old
7. I was born on the 5th of December 1995
8. It was snowing the day I was born (which is unusual for Guernsey)
9. I live on a small Island called Guernsey, which is in-between England and France
10. I was born in Guernsey but grew up 8 and a half years of my life in Perth, Australia
11. I moved to Perth when I was 2 years old
12. I have a pet cat called Sydney
13. I would LOVE to have a pet dog
14. But I am allergic to fur so I would have to have a hypoallergenic breed 
15. I am an air hostess/cabin crew member/air stewardess (what ever you prefer)
16. I absolutely love my job, the people I work with and the fact I am constantly learning when I am at work
17. I would say I am creative and I love making videos and editing, just for fun
18. I love taking photographs (and have recently just bought a new Canon G7X for photos and film)
19. I enjoy taking long walks along the beach (okay this is starting to sound like a dating profile)
20. I have an older brother who is 21 years old, called Zak
21. I love watching movies and my favourite would have to be Burlesque
22. But my favourite genre is actually Action
23. My favourite author is James Patterson
24. I watch YouTube videos everyday (sad I know)
25. I one day wish to travel the world with someone I love
26. I have been fortunate enough to travel a lot in my 19 years visiting countries including Canada, USA and Australia
27. I enjoy cooking - particularly Jamie Oliver meals from his cook books
28. But I don't like cleaning up after I've cooked
29. The sunshine makes me happy
30. I LOVE fillet steak - yum yum
31. I think I have an addiction to blueberry muffins (if you're in Guernsey seriously try the yoghurt blast blueberry muffin from Alliance. You. are. welcome.)
32. I like my eggs poached - there is nothing quite as satisfying as poaching an egg then popping its centre to see the bright yellow yolk poring out over some toast
33. My parents are my best friends
34. I am very family-oriented and I love spending time with my grandparents, cousins, aunties and uncles
35. When I was about 9 I won the Western Australian 100m hurdles at the State Championships - random fact, I know but I thought I'd just throw it in there
36. I play volleyball for Guernsey and we are currently training for the inter-insulars in April and the Island Games in June
37. I learnt to play indoor beach volleyball in Australia when I was around 8 years old
38. I think Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares USA is hilarious (Go and watch the episode called Michon's on 4OD "NASTAY")
39. I have a face full of freckles that I usually don't even notice until someone mentions them
40. I feel confident without wearing makeup but I tend to put makeup on because it's fun to apply and experiment with new looks
41. My favourite TV program is One Born Every Minute
42. I have both skied and snowboarded. Although I am not particularly great at either, I do prefer snowboarding - I find it more challenging and exciting
43. If I find something I really want I end up convincing myself that I NEED it. I do research more expensive items before I purchase them though
44. I have a great group of friends and boyfriend who I adore
45. I love the smell of petrol
46. I like having painted nails but I hate the process of painting them
47. I'm sh*t scared of spiders
48. I have asthma
49. I have so many thoughts and ideas that I struggle to put into words. I am working on that
50. I am clearly new to this whole blogging thing and I am most definitely not a writer 

Writing 50 facts about myself was actually much harder than I first thought. I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a bit better. 

Thanks for reading

Bye for now x