Monthly Obsessions of 2012

January: Zooey Deschanel

February: Zooey Deschanel

March: Tom Hardy

April: James Franco

May: Tom Hiddleston

The Woman In Black (2012) Review

Tags

British Cinema, Cinema, Cinematic Experience, Conventions, Daniel Radcliffe, Film, Harry Potter, Horror, Psychological, The Woman in Black

This is the first review of the first film on “My 15 must-see movies of 2012″ post. If you’ve read the post you would know that I was very much exciting to see this, and had praised the trailers for the way it looked. It is dark and full of sheer gothic elements which adds to the horror of what the story entails.

I must say I rarely get scared in cinema, as long as I have an arm to hold and pull I don’t feel the subject in discussion is after me. Don’t get me wrong some films have made me jump a little; Shutter Island (2010) and The Fourth Kind (2009) two films that sanctioned me to alarm my brain to leap in my seat. Perhaps, you could call them psychological horror films, a genre which is best suited to take away any conventions of a typical horror which relies on the interpretation of the audiences mind rather than eyes. Besides, who needs blood and gore to make a good horror film? I usually avoid watching horror films, mainly for the reason that most recent horror films are all about blood and guts which doesn’t appeal to me. I see it as unnecessary fright and the experience isn’t worth a large screen. The Woman in Black, however, was worth all the excitement, the fright and the large cinema screen.

Although not a true adaptation of a novel by Susan Hill of the same title (1983) nor it is a remake of the 1989 film adaptation. It is simply a very good interpretation and a well-executed version of the novel. The film began setting the narrative straight to the point with an eerie soundtrack to match the eerie actions of three young characters. The cinematography shows that it is a carefully sculpted well driven horror story, from the music to the art direction. The scenery is so well designed creating an atmosphere in which we becomes absorbed and this is how it has the fright factor. The film easily creates a world so realistic yet so illusory facilitating the audience a connection with the protagonist.

The protagonist Arthur Kipps played by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter series) has successfully made that connection with the audience like myself and sat through a journey of discovery. I couldn’t but wonder if this connection came from him playing Harry Potter, which I have always been a huge fan of since reading Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone in 1997. Of course there are going to be some similarities between these two characters/films:
a) The protagonist is played by the same person
b) We’ve seen him play the same character in one of the highest grossing film series since 2001
c) Both films have the same underlying films: supernatural, good versus evil, dark gothic scenes

I think it is unfair to say that he is playing the same character when they are put in similar situations in which they are required to help/solve a paranormal enigma. I feel Radcliffe has portrayed Arthur Kipps well enough to provide an emotional attachment from the audience.

The film ended with a huge applause from spectators which is rare, in fact the only time this has ever occurred in cinema in my recent visits was for the last 3 Potter films. Which leads me to my next point; target audience. To my surprise the film is classified as a 12A and the film is truly disturbing. The audience I sat in were screaming in terror and grown men were heard squealing in the dark. The Woman in Black is the scariest film I’ve sat through in the cinema and with an audience I was in, it was the most terrifying cinematic experience I’ve had since Jurassic Park (1993) at the age of 6.

The Woman in Black (2012) and Jurassic Park (1993): Scariest Cinema Moments - 19 years gap

Put it this way, I got home and sat with the lights on for an hour before frightfully going to bed. Serves me right wanting to go to a late showing of one of the most anticipating psychological horror films. The Woman in Black is a great start to my list of films to watch. Roll on 2012 with all the awesome cinematic experience you can give me. (maybe!)

The Greg Taylor of the Animal Kingdom

Tags

Animal, Cute, Glasses, Greg Taylor

This is Greg Taylor. <3

A World of Obesity and the Healthy Minority

Tags

Bernard Matthews, Child Obesity, Factors of Obesity, Family Sociology, Five A Day, Healthy Eating, Jaime Oliver, Obesity, Society, Sociology

I apologise in advance and that I do not mean to offend anyone. 

It seems that I still have a problem with Bernard Matthews products and those similar.

I read a news article today in The Metro on Bernard Matthew’s Turkey Drummers containing a sewing needle. Truthfully, that wasn’t the shocking part, the mother had placed Turkey Drummers on the plate of a 1 year old child. Hopefully, this isn’t what the child eats daily. Now I know to some people, this is probably not a big deal and perhaps it is not my place to say as I have no children of my own, but I’m talking statistics.

Child obesity is still on its rise and parents are still not doing much to help their own children. For years there have been campaigns to stop unhealthy eating amongst young people, Jaime Oliver’s campaign took it to an extent that he has changed school dinners and even worked on schools in America.

I understand that junk food or easy cook food are much cheaper than fresh fruit and vegetable. In addition, stock needs to be maintained throughout the week which means that shopping needs to be done a few times a week. I have no problem eating healthy, in fact I prefer cooking from scratch even after a long day at work. This brings me to my next argument.

I read an article a while back on how UK Women are more prone to suffer from Obesity. I couldn’t help but notice the comments from the public, one stating that “No-one has time to cook properly or eat properly, so you gain weight” (BBC News: 2011). I’m sorry, can someone explain how long it takes to dice some vegetables and steam a fish? About 30 minutes. Like I said, even after a long day at work I still manage to cook for two or more if I have guest over and have the time to get some marking or lesson planning done. Fair enough, it is not every night I will have an adventurous meal, but simple food can be eaten healthy. There is always ingredients of salads in my kitchen to go with anything.

I’m not saying eating salad with anything will make it healthy, Caesar Salads aren’t the healthiest of the salads but there are ways to cook healthy. A health grill! The amount of fat that escapes fish fingers, sausages, chicken… is astonishing. It makes eating such foods acceptable for a day.

School dinners as I remember consisted of a plate of chips and pizza with chocolate pudding, fortunately for me, I always took lunch to school. Imagine being fed school dinners every day then going home and having the same again, where is the room for fruit? Statistics have already shown that high percentage of people do not get their 5 a day, again this could be due to the price of the Fresh Fruit vs Processed Food.

Don’t get me wrong it is not always the parents fault. Peer pressure is too another factor in child obesity, as I remember, the after school trips to the chippy in which I stood back and waited for dinner when I got home. If it is not the nearby chip shop, it will the a nearby newsagent in which young people will spend pocket money on crisps and sweets. Why is it that I was so different to other young people?

Personally, I think it’s because my mother is an amazing cook, however, I do not think that is the only factor. Of course, I had been fed fish fingers, chips, all things that are classed as bad foods as a child but that was once a week. Friday became a “Junk Food Day”, at the end of the week my mother allowed my father to enter the kitchen and prepare food with boiled broccoli on the side. Dinner was always a family event and a big event at that. We always ate together and discuss our day and shared stories. Perhaps, many families don’t have that, I guess it is all about lifestyle of individuals in a family but it really doesn’t have to be. As long as one parent is sat with the children, that is classed as a family dinner. Children need to be protected against obesity for their potential children. I do believe that due to my upbringing I have such strong views on eating together and I’m so determined to let this happened. Everyone knows I dislike meals on the sofa and whenever possible, meals are always eaten at the dining table.

Enough appraisal to my parents, I’m not saying that I come from a family with the best parents, I recall a cousin asking me what was on the plate, I replied “It’s a courgette” he replied, “What is a courgette?”. Most young people grow up not knowing what some vegetables are, and there is a risk that without knowing, they will never consider cooking with. If children take an interest in where foods comes from, they are being educated and understand the true extent of cooking at home.

How many of these can you name?

I think that parents needs to observe their children’s eating habits to improve their outlook on food. Junk food is healthy to an extent but since child obesity is on the rise, that is proof that nothing is being done to deal with this issue. More lessons and guest speakers at school needs to occur on healthy eating, and practical sessions dealing with healthy foods with parents present should at least be considered.

Sources

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15901351

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/888446-mum-finds-needle-in-turkey-drummer-bernard-matthews-suspect-sabotage

Ok… the one I forgot about.

Tags

Cats, Studio Ghibli, The Cat Kingdom, The Cat Returns, Weird

The other day I posted a blog about the 6 weird things I do, however, somehow I forgot to mention my obsession with cats.

In my bag I carry cat biscuits in event that I see one and happen to engage in a lovely conversation. Often I have stood in public communicating with the feline species to then be approached by other cats.

I think cats are amazing and I would leave behind the human world to slowly become a cat in The Cat Kingdom (The Cat Returns 2002)

6 Things That Make Me: Just Shoubs

Tags

BBT, Flirting, New Girl, OCD, Pet Names, Self Esteem, Singing, Soft Skin, strange attitude

Increasingly over the past few months I have been told that I’m quite strange and that I do the weirdest things. Things I thought were normal actions to pass the time or day are actually quite peculiar in the eyes of many. Here are the stop 6 things that have notably become weird.

Number 1: OBSESSED WITH SOFT SKIN
I like soft skin, if I discover anyone to possessed this quality I would occasionally poke or touch their skin, preferably their arm or face if they’re a close friend or relative. My other half gets the bulk of this “strange” attitude to the point that I rub my face on his when he is clean shaven which only last a few days. Have you seen Ponyo (2008)? Remember the scene in which Ponyo approaches a family on Saskae’s boat and Ponyo leaves by face hugging the baby’s face? That… Happens…! Weird? Too pyhsical? Yes, I can see that… but you shouldn’t have soft skin!

Number 2: I DON’T UNDERSTAND FLIRTING
Unfortunately, this gets me in trouble. People will flirt and I don’t back away or tell them to stop because I never realise it. Subtle flirting that is. I will talk away with anyone and not realise their intentions until it’s too late and I’ve somehow given the impression I want the same. The talk about making a choice between them and my fiance pops up out of the blue and I think “WTF?”. Maybe, it is a self esteem issue and I don’t expect anyone to feel like that, or maybe I’m just plain stupid when it comes to the opposite sex. Maybe I am too nice and my niceness comes across as interested, or maybe banter sometimes comes across as flirting. Either way, this is stupid. However, I did jokingly state that to avoid an awkward situation, I will stop telling people that I enjoy video games and have Marvel/DC debates. Most of these situations do begin or eventually end with “You’re amazing, you’re a geeky female”. Errr, okay.

Number 3: PET NAMES
Close friends and families become victims of pet names. However, they all get labelled BEAN, why? There are different kinds of beans in the world and fascinates me, they are cute and small. I am certainly not saying that these people are small and cute, but I think it’s nice. A recent discussion with friends about the “bean” label has encouraged others to do the same and have become part of banter “What kind of Bean are you? You’re a Butt Bean!” – It doesn’t even make sense. Greg gets the worst of this and where do I start? He is Bean, Peeks, Pika, Baby, Beana, Bo, Bo Face, Bean Head, Peeky and the list goes on! There are inventive ways to show love and this is my way, I think it’s love when someone can deal with that 4.5 years straight.

Number 4: SINGING DURING CONVERSATIONS
This started way before the TV show “New Girl”, and now I have Zooey Deschanel to back me up… it is cute and adorable! I sometimes combine this with number 3 and sing people’s pet names and changing lyrics to songs to their names and their attributes and personality. I guess it can be annoying and so I try not to do it so much, it is controllable when I’m at work, however, when I am fully relaxed… it’s tough, I burst into a song like crazy musical about people’s physical traits or my emotions towards them.

Number 5: DANCE (or Prance as some like to describe)
In the comfort of my own home I will dance around if I am full of energy. Sometimes, if the music is good in a shop, in a film or TV show I will dance away. I often dance to The Big Bang Theory theme, I’ll get up out of my seat and jump about and move my arms up and down. Kind of strange when I’ve got guests around. This is something I’ve done throughout my childhood and I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of it. It must have something to do with my constant need of moving around and my natural source of hyperactivity, at least it is keeping me active.

Number 6: OCD
Yes it is true, we all have some form of OCD behaviour running through our lives but when people pick up on it the think it’s strange. Perhaps it is my reaction to the movement by someone else when I’ve perfectly aligned paper and office equipment on my desk or someone has changed the way my desk looks. Why else would I not use the staff room shared computer? To keep my job! I’ve calmed down since it was noted and although it grates me when my documents and such have been moved, I let it go. I’ll just spend two seconds killing them in my head instead.

My 15 must-see movies of 2012

Tags

Abraham Lincoln, An unexpected Journey, Battle Royale, Brave, Daniel Radcliffe, Dark Shadows, Frankenweenie, Johnny Depp, Les Miserables, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, ParaNorman, Rock of Ages, Snow White and the Huntsman, Studio Ghibli, The Amazing Spiderman, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit, The Hunger Games, The Secret World of Arriety, Vampire Hunter, Woman in Black

(in order of release)

1. The Woman in Black – released February 3
Director: James Watkins
Stars:Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer and Ciarán Hinds

The new adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel The Woman in Black comes to our screen early 2012 has already gathered many potential spectators. Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter had left an impressionable mark on his capabilties in Britsh Cinema since 2001 who plays a young Lawyer who discovers a ghost’s grusome legacy. It is said that the film follows conventions of a gothic horror, and the trailers shows exactly that with it’s uses of shadows and gothic dwellings. I am very much excited for this film for its style and of course it reminds me of reading this in English.

2. The Secret World of Arriety – February 13
Directors: Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Gary Rydstrom
Writers: Mary Norton (novel), Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)
Stars: Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler and Will Arnett (English Dubbed)

Studio Ghibli presents an adaptation of Mary Norton’s The Borrowers. Titled as the main character about a family four inches tall who live in the home of a real sized family. “Borrowing” items and food from the giants they survive hiding away until Arriety is discovered and their existence is no longer a secret.

3.  The Hunger Games - 23 March

Director: Gary Ross
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth

My first reaction was “this sounds like a Battle Royale rip-off, can’t Hollywood produce anything original”. However, since I’m not one to fully judge a film on first look, I found myself in a pit of research. Yes, both narrative follows teenagers who are forced to kill fight for survival but I sense that is all the similarities. The Hunger Games is part 1 of 3 novels, set in the future situated in a country of Panem that has been divided into 12 districts. Every year, two young people are selected to battle it out for survival on live television. I liked the underlying message of Battle Royale and I’m willing to accept that The Hunger Games is something else.

4. The Avengers - May 4
Director: Joss Whedon
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson

It will finally be here! Since Iron Man and the Incredible Hulk, the references to The Avengers movie has had me super excited. I have avoid a lot of trailers as I usually do with big films of the year. With further film release of Marvel comics heroes such as Thor and Captain America it’s a tie in with them all, as Loki (from Thor) as the villain and new and undeveloped characters from the single hero films. I’ve been teased and I’d be so disappointed if this doesn’t live up to what I am expecting. I couldn’t deal with another Spiderman 3 moment. Nevertheless, see for yourself… this looks awesome!

5. Dark Shadows – May 11
Director: Tim Burton
Stars: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green

Tim Burton brings us a film based on the television series. Dark Shadows is a gothic-horror tale about the life of vampire Barnabas Collins and his conflict with various monsters, witches, werewolves and ghosts. Starring Johnny Depp, who has previously worked with Burton in the past making this their 8th collaboration as Barnabas Collins.

6. Snow White and the Huntsman - June 1
Director: Rupert Sanders
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Ian McShane

I love dark and Gothic adaptations of fairytales and this is no different. Stunning visuals and mystical elements draws me to Snow White and the Huntsman. Only downside, Kristen Stewart. Panic Room showed how much potential she has but then starred in quite some average films. Perhaps, The Twlight Saga is the best thing in your eyes, but they is no character development for her, she is the same person throughout. I hope she steps up on her ability and excels as Snow White. Either way, this looks like my kind of film and I will now put my judgement aside and look forward to this as a spectator rather than a critic… for now.

7. Rock of Ages - June 1
Director: Adam Shankman
Stars: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin

Rock of Ages, a film adaptation of a Broadway musical could be my feel good movie and musical (Note that Les Miserables is out in December) of the year. I love musicals, what makes this one promising… It’s about rock music! Two things I love in the world: Films and rock music. How exciting!

8. Brave - June 22

Brave tells a story of a young princess who relishes for an adventure to prove her bravery. From Disney Pixar bring us a tale of perhaps what we all may want in life. I’m not saying we all want to fight dragons but, we all want to escape our everyday life for a slight change. I think Brave embarks on that, and already I have a connection with the protagonist Merida voiced by Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald.

9. The Amazing Spiderman - July 6
Director: Marc Webb
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans

Where do I start about my excitement for The Amazing Spiderman? Although, as stated earlier, I was disappointed about Spiderman 3, I am fully avoiding trailers (only seen one) and reading about it. I will go with an expectation that this version of a Spidey film is from the beginning. However, I still can’t help getting butterflies as I write this. Spiderman is my favourite super hero of all time so it is natural for me to be this excited. I haven’t seen this trailer (I don’t think) but I am truly sorry, if  you rick rolled or anything equally annoying – though do tell me so I can change it.

10. The Dark Knight Rises - July 20
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman

With the release of the video games, The Dark Knight Rises brings a box of excitement to my life. The first two of Nolan’s Batman have excelled in demonstrating who Batman and his enemies should be. The Dark Knight Rises is set 8 years after The Dark Knight following the cracks in Gotham City into a city of increased crime and darkness. With Bane as the enemy, elements of terrorism and a city’s struggle to protect their innocent, how will it end?

11. ParaNorman – August 17
Directors: Chris Butler, Sam Fell
Stars: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Anna Kendrick and Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Another film in this list with connotations of a Gothic environment. This reminds me of Coraline and I adore that film. I love films that embark on childhood nightmares and fears as a child because I think that we somewhat still have them. Films like this reminds us of that, and that at a young age, the problems we face are so different to children. ParaNorman tells a story of a young boy who can see and communicate with the dead who then becomes a hero to save his town.  It’s release so close to my birthday so that shall be fun!

12. Frankenweenie - October 5
Director: Tim Burton
Stars: Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Short

An animated version of Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie from 1984 reflects on a child’s love for his pet dog Sparky. In a way, it is a nicer version of Pet Cemetary and Frankenstein for children. I want to see this for curiosity, it is a carbon copy for the 1984 version or is there more.

No trailer available at the moment.

13. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Stars: Benjamin Walker, Rufus Sewell, Dominic Cooper

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is based on a 2010 novel by Seth Graeme-Smith who also wrote Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Co-produced by Tim Burton, I can already tell this is going to have a Gothic convention, and the poster says it all. This is going to be one to watch, it is about vampires, figures we haven’t seen in the cinema for a while (Twilight doesn’t count). It is a weird taken on as Abraham Lincoln fighting against vampires to avenge his mother’s death in the hands of the blood thirty creatures.

14. Les Miserables - December 7
Director: Tom Hooper
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway

14. Les Miserable is based on a stage musical. This is one show I’ve wanted to watch on stage, however, for some reason, I just haven’t had the chance. I know, a film and a play is not the same, and I’m not saying that this will replace the fact I haven’t yet seen it on stage. Les Miserables is about Jean Valjean who is released from prison and breaks his parole to start a new life for himself. It is set in early 19th-century France, however, I have no clue how this is going to look, there are no trailers and no pictures. I’m looking forward to how this will visualise, until then, I just wait.

15. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - December 14
Director: Peter Jackson
Stars: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage

Although, we have no more Harry Potter film adaptation, my life is not over yet. We have another instalment from J.R.R Tolkien, and this is going to be epic. Put into two parts, telling the story of Bilbo Baggins as a prelude to the three Lord of the Rings we already had on our screens. Just take a look at the trailer: if you haven’t already… enough said.

With The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey being the last film of 2012 I want to watch in the cinema, I can already tell that it will be a great end to 2012.

So that is it, my 15 films I want to see in 2012. Of course, there will be more, we shall see.

Where is your “sub” culture?

Tags

Chav, Indie, Media, Music, Representation, Stereotypes, Subculture, Teenager, Youth Culture, youth subculture

I’ve come to an age where no one cares what you are and you suddenly become disconnected to the youth subculture in today’s society. You’d think it’s a great thing to escape the surroundings where people need to belong to a group according to your dress sense and taste in music, but I can’t. As a college lecturer I get dragged into understanding the new subcultures evolving from the old youth groups which I could identify and understand.

Since I was 16 I was always labelled in society by friends, family and even people my age who I’ve never met. What’s more, it was always so easy to know who I was amongst crowds. By using the term “The little asian goth girl” or “Small asian emo” people knew who I was and in some cases, wanted to know who I was. Perhaps it was that as a Britsh Indian, I wasn’t so mainstream nor did I have the same interests as a “typical British Indian” girl would, instead, I became part of a freak show. Comments from those with the same background went from “I can’t believe you don’t like RnB” to “I can’t believe you’re studying media, theatre and art”. Whether it was frowned upon and I was seen as a rebel by peers and parents or I was a freak of nature to some, my answer was always “Believe it, because I just am”.

This lead me to believe that everyone is automatically assigned to a subculture in accordance to your race and gender. Why was it so important that I behaved in a certain way to suit the needs of youth culture when it was far more important to do what was best for my future? I was always labelled and by some told what I should be like. At the age of 17 a relative who was a few years older than me had set a bet that by the time I am 21, I will “grow out” of my rock phase and recognise RnB as a “wicked” genre of music. By “wicked” he meant “awesome”. To this day I cannot fully apprieciate chart music, let alone RnB unless of course I am intoxicated and have somehow memorised the lyrics during the conversation between my brother and I about how chart music is s**t.

Music sets the scene for subcultures, always have done and always will. Music tells young people how they must dress and what they have to like. Music is, in my opinion, what drives young people forward through their teenage years to their early 20s. Was it a social norm for these youngsters to need a subculture when they could just be themselves? Personally, I don’t think you can escape it.

I wonder if youth today have the same issues or concerns when it comes to the need of belonging. I never wanted to belong to a group type but I witnessed people in my teens years asking if something was gothic, emo or scene enough. To me, being myself was always important and I listened to the music that I enjoyed, watched the TV shows I felt connected to, and dressed the way I was comfortable. I like wearing black as I think it looks good on me and therefore I was branded a goth. Later skinny jeans were fashionable, I wore them because I could, not because I wanted to be emo. As for my converse, I wore them at the age for 12, before they somehow branded someone an emo. This is then becomes an act of stereotyping individuals. By stereotyping a particular group or sub culture, we immediately put them as one person and expect them all to be the same. It is then difficult to accept them as one individuals.

Stereotypes are like representation in which the system of representation links two classifications of the concept of these notions. Are we put into stereotyped group so that the society can control us, identify us, and maybe even distinguish our behaviour? Does it make a difference to social control? It could seem that it is true that stereotypes helps us all identify different people, but it has many disadvantages. Stereotypes often bring out negative ideas of people before even getting to know them. Think about how we see the social group known as “chavs”. The stereotyped image of a “chav” are very negative in society and even the media, as they are normally seen as troublemakers and “folk devils” (Cohen: 1972) a term used by Stan Cohen to describe youth surrounded by negative opinion.

Again, the stereotypes of the new “Indie” kid is not so positive either. Although, it is quite a popular subculture at the moment, or so I’ve seen there is slight confusion as to how “indie” they are. Is it the music? Not necessarily. Most new Indie kids are identified by Dub Step, a genre of music that has branched from dance and drum and bass, while sporting over sized cardigans (similar to what your grandparents would wear), fake black rimmed glasses and book about being indie. They all pretty much look like twins. Compared to what indie is about, these days it is not the same.

I for one, am guilty of judging such individuals, they come from a different world to me and I don’t particularly understand their actions, taste in music or clothes. However, who am I to judge when I hated being labelled as a particular subculture and being told who I should be. Yes, I have just judged these young people and I have become part of that age group where no one really cares about what they are. However,  it all makes perfect sense; you can’t possibly prevent society from branding young people. Perhaps, these youngsters can’t escape the stereotypes whilst people like myself are labelling them. It has become part of a natural social norm to do so and as much we don’t want to, having opinions on subculture is inevitable. We judge because we don’t understand them.

I feel old.

How to survive without the internet.

Tags

check email, Food Network, Gears of war, gold subscription, Google, GOW, How to survive the internet, kittens, Net, sudden realisation, Xbox live, xbox live arcade

I never really understood how much I use the internet daily until, of course, I was without. I changed my network provider and it was difficult to leave the old company because they simply wouldn’t allow it and therefore the provider switch took longer than it should have.

I came home from work and sat at my desk, turned on the computer and couldn’t log on to the internet. Immediately I was a annoyed. To think that I had planned to spend the whole evening planning ahead and working from work’s remote desktop. Not a chance. To calm myself, I decided to not worry about work, and instead just relax, I was already ahead of marking and planning lesson why not take the night off and play…

Gears of War with some friends on Xbox Live. No problem I would have bought myself a gold subscription for the month and killed some locust like I promised. NO!!!

What else couldn’t I do? Here goes…
* Watch videos of cute little kittens
* Find picture of cute little kittens
* Talk on social network
* Online shopping
* Online banking
* Blog about how disgusted I am to be so dependent on the internet
* Check email (although later realised I still have my phone)
* Download a new Xbox live arcade game
* Browse the internet (I became a little terrified in case a debate arose and I may have to check Google)
ALL SORTS!

This is what I did instead.
* Watched 5 hours of Food Network
* Looked out of the window
* Ate
* Looked at the internet router every so often
* Realised how white my walls are
* Pull faces in the mirror
* Considered tidying up
* Went to bed early

After a sudden realisation I thought to myself… Let’s not use the internet so much. So I ended up not working throughout my Xmas break and avoided the internet. Wow, I really need to set my balance equally and effectively.

2011: A Review Part 2

Tags

2011, Career, Family, Greatest Women, Life, Tiger Bread, Work and Play

Continued from Part 1 posted the other day. Enjoy!

6. Career changes people for the worst: to an extent

A college Media lecturer is the first real job I’ve ever had, 2010 saw me say goodbye to a job in retail at the age of 24. My life had changed for the better, however, upon reflection my attitude has become a highly “Sith” like which has given me the ability to;

• Feel no remorse for those who want to drag me down with negativity: It’s their problem!
• No second chances for those who made the wrong assumption: They’ll only do it again.
• Moving up in the world with fear of falling down: Don’t make me go back to retail!
• Getting what I want no matter who else wants it: Being nice allows people to walk over you.
• Losing respect for those I am suppose to respect (Family “Elders”): Read Playground Activity section in PART 1.
• Scare because I care: Students won’t learn if you’re always going provide a safety net for them.

All these negative traits become fully visible after I begin career as a college Media Lecturer. Does it come with the job? Or does it naturally come with any career? This can be my next discovery, all these questions I am using to blame a career move, or perhaps it comes with my age making me less tolerant to childish behaviour.

7. Tiger bread

This year I discovered Tiger bread and WOW! Why I have never discovered this before I do not know?

Not only it is the tastiest bread in the world, it goes with everything. Sandwiches, brie toasties, lamb masala soup, crisps, EVERYTHING! Have I made myself clear enough? It’s a luxury bread hence why I don’t eat it all the time.

The tastiest bread served with the tastiest lamb dish (cooked by mother of course)

8. There is a such thing as “work and then play”

Of course there is. With the release of the Gears of War beta early this year and the release of the game two weeks into my first real job, I have found that I am so much more organised than thought. Although this has been my busiest year of my life; I lost a stone in weight, I achieved a career through hardcore essay writing and 8 tedious observation preparation, identified people worth knowing, I worked two jobs and worked though my 6 weeks summer break! Phew! What did I achieve? A nice walk into a job, a body comfortable to live in, a PGCE, reached 10,000 gamerscore, a home built dream computer, a Download 2011 Festival ticket, a loving family and a peaceful outlook on life.

I have unfortunately not done so well during my Christmas break this year, I still have tons of marking to do, lesson planning, put on 3 lbs in weight and still haven’t actually relaxed much as I had hoped.

Exactly how my Christmas break had begun minus the snow!

Here’s to 2012 but before I close I need to say a few extra words…

9. The 7 greatest women in my life – What women should be.

I have noticed that there has been a lot of talk as to why I get on with the male species better than female. It is true, I do but I’m not going into detail why, instead I’m talking about the 7 greatest women in my life and why they are. In other words, why are they perfect and why do I love them so much.

Mummy – Amazing. Even after 25 years of my imperfection my mother is always the first to put me in line and then comfort me in my mistakes. She has truly guided me this year in becoming the person I am today. My mother is the sister I never had, she understands my dry humor and gives it back just as good. Her hugs are warm, her smile brings me happiness and her words give me comfort. Strong enough to forgive and smart enough to forget and move on. My mother is who all women should aspire to be.

Helen Andreas – Honest. That is the key to friendship. No matter how wrong I am, for the past 5 years she has told me and made me realise the person I want to be. I’ve always believed that a best friend/maid of honor needs to be brutally honest and vocally opinonated, don’t get me wrong she does come with a lovely caring nature who wants to stay away from drama: the outlook women should have.

Heather Bishop – Adorable. We have this connection called the Pika Connection. No one else can see the colourful lines between our bodies but ourselves. When we are next to each other, a giant Poke ball surrounds us and protects us with love and happiness.  This is what every cool people should have: A Pika connection. However, in an language you can understand, she is nerdy, friendly, kooky and sweet. She is who women who are secretly jealous of.

Savita and Soni Massi – Understanding. My aunties who I have not seen for 5 years or so. Constantly on the phone to my mum to be there for her and even though they are miles away they still send warmth to my family home. If they were in the UK, I would be a lot more satisfied with the family I know and perhaps would think that there was more than two types of women. They are the prime examples of what aunties should be like.

Emma Fielder – Cool. She is pretty much a definition of cool. Who else am I going to have gamer console wars with whilst comparing the hottest video game characters to back up our arguement? Only Emma Fielder.  We do the most random things including planning adventures and watch Youtube videos of kittens for hours. She is who women shouldn’t be afraid to be.

Angela Waller – Beautiful. I’ve met her at University last year, and we’ve been through essay stress, observation stress, career stress, all kinds of stress. We have battle scars but with love and the thoughts of another lifetime we both live in harmony gets us through dark times. I like her face and she likes mine. It all sound very romantic and it is in the most beautiful way. The romantic friend we all need.

* Please note: this list could go on forever, you are perfect but perhaps I haven’t known you long enough and this year is the beginning of our friendship.

That is all from 2011! Hope you have all enjoyed your 2011 and have learnt some valuable life lessons as we all should always be learning something and there is no end to knowledge. Peace out and leave 2011 with a blast.

 

* Please note: this list could go on forever, you are perfect but perhaps I haven’t known you long enough and this year is the beginning of our friendship.