Going through a patch where I find it difficult to think of new ideas of things to talk about. I think I put a lot of mental pressure on myself with articles lately, and now I've had a major cold I feel a bit wiped out. You know how it is, when you feel a bit ill and it's hard enough trying to figure out if you want lunch or not.
Need to keep reading, it's a major stimulus for new ideas, I think. Oh some good news though, I got a first for my blog assignment, so thanks to anyone who read it! Not that that helped... it's the thought that counts yano?
Got my dad and brother coming for dinner on Monday night, lunch with an old friend on Sunday so it's set to be a nice weekend. Milly's off to her boyfriend's for the weekend and Francesca has her mumma down so I think I may have a lot of time to try and sort my head out...
...or just watch a lot of 4od.
Friday 30 January 2015
Thursday 22 January 2015
Motivation
Week 2, it's 2:15 and I've not yet had a shower, dressed properly or got any work done. Need to finish my book still and desperately trying to find ideas of articles to write for Blasting News. It always seems tempting to fob everything off just to watch that chick flick I've been 'meaning to watch'. So so lazy.
I miss that drive I had when I got home from South America. I was so ready for everything. I wanted, and still do, everything I can get from life. Sometimes I worry things look better on paper than they do in real life. Saying 'I've sent out loads of applications' means I was in bed in my pajamas doing anything but writing my essays.
Haven't been tempted by any of the societies, still been meaning to dance. Still need to exercise more. Still need to wash my sheets.
But I occasionally get these mad flashes where loads gets done, and the more I've been reeping the benefits of the incredible social options you have living in halls - enjoying spending time with new people as a mix with those I'm comfortable with - and absolutely adoring that those I've become closer too are starting to trust me with their problems and stories. As am I, I just don't have any problems beyond - my floor needs a hoover, that are worth discussing as of yet.
I always tell people when they're sad that they should go running because you get so many endorphins from it, so the first step for me should be exercise. In my defence, I've been to the gym twice since I've been back. That's a lot more than I used to go... all of last term I went three times?
COME ON POPS.
I miss that drive I had when I got home from South America. I was so ready for everything. I wanted, and still do, everything I can get from life. Sometimes I worry things look better on paper than they do in real life. Saying 'I've sent out loads of applications' means I was in bed in my pajamas doing anything but writing my essays.
Haven't been tempted by any of the societies, still been meaning to dance. Still need to exercise more. Still need to wash my sheets.
But I occasionally get these mad flashes where loads gets done, and the more I've been reeping the benefits of the incredible social options you have living in halls - enjoying spending time with new people as a mix with those I'm comfortable with - and absolutely adoring that those I've become closer too are starting to trust me with their problems and stories. As am I, I just don't have any problems beyond - my floor needs a hoover, that are worth discussing as of yet.
I always tell people when they're sad that they should go running because you get so many endorphins from it, so the first step for me should be exercise. In my defence, I've been to the gym twice since I've been back. That's a lot more than I used to go... all of last term I went three times?
COME ON POPS.
Tuesday 20 January 2015
Second Book
I'm almost done with my third book now and I realised I didn't mention the second. I won't bore you with a review every week but I'll combine this with my life now, as it were.
So I just read 'Breakfast of Champions', which was a present from brother Joz at Christmas. I should point out there that he's my brother and not a priest. Yes I could have gone back and edited that sentence but it's easier to go forwards.
I've just sent off a first draft of an article for The Tab which is very exciting. I've asked for some work over summer, I'm getting paid marginally by Blasting News. I'm an overdraft bum, with many CVs handed out and not a lot back. I'm considering doing one of those medical thingies, where they pay you a horrendously high amount of money to swallow some pills for a week. I may become paralysed but at least I'm ground floor at St Patricks.
Anyway, the book. Was harder to get into. My brothers always give me literature that challenges me and I find it difficult, obviously. But I did get into this one. The writer was in the story, discussing how they, the characters were his creation and he could manipulate what was happening first hand. A very odd storyline, but nonetheless exciting.
Now I'm on to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I am enjoying the plummet into words. I also found out the other day that Salisbury was named by the Celts... many exciting things happening here.
The other night I went out out with friends, and halfway through the night I thought to myself - 'you're mad' and ran home crying because I thought I was. I've concluded in consciousness that I am in fact fine, and was reacting to something someone had just said to me. But it was pretty weird at the time.
That's all.
So I just read 'Breakfast of Champions', which was a present from brother Joz at Christmas. I should point out there that he's my brother and not a priest. Yes I could have gone back and edited that sentence but it's easier to go forwards.
I've just sent off a first draft of an article for The Tab which is very exciting. I've asked for some work over summer, I'm getting paid marginally by Blasting News. I'm an overdraft bum, with many CVs handed out and not a lot back. I'm considering doing one of those medical thingies, where they pay you a horrendously high amount of money to swallow some pills for a week. I may become paralysed but at least I'm ground floor at St Patricks.
Anyway, the book. Was harder to get into. My brothers always give me literature that challenges me and I find it difficult, obviously. But I did get into this one. The writer was in the story, discussing how they, the characters were his creation and he could manipulate what was happening first hand. A very odd storyline, but nonetheless exciting.
Now I'm on to Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I am enjoying the plummet into words. I also found out the other day that Salisbury was named by the Celts... many exciting things happening here.
The other night I went out out with friends, and halfway through the night I thought to myself - 'you're mad' and ran home crying because I thought I was. I've concluded in consciousness that I am in fact fine, and was reacting to something someone had just said to me. But it was pretty weird at the time.
That's all.
Friday 9 January 2015
BENEFITS: UK NATIONALS VS IMMIGRANTS
Our benefits system has been forced into the light and shown its ugly head. The first time it caught my eye, was in the show Benefits Street, run by Channel 4 and aired in January of 2014. Some of the people on the show were really in a difficult position and deserved the money they were receiving. However, a few of them made me absolutely furious.
There was one particular episode where a woman was chatting to a single mother. The single mother was saying how hard she’d been trying to get a part time job that meant she was around for her kids. This other woman was laughing at her and saying what was the point, she could just go on benefits and the government pay you to do nothing.
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| Mark and Becky, a shot from the series Benefit Street by Channel 4. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/why-channel-4s-benefits-street-misrepresents-uk-welfare-unemployment-1431345 |
I found it hugely aggravating. And it occurred to me just the other day, that we are penalising the wrong group of people. Many unpleasant citizens of this country blame foreigners for stealing jobs, my thought is this: shouldn’t we be getting rid of the people who contribute nothing to our society, not necessarily foreigners.
It seems to me, there should be a revision of everyone on benefits in the country, somehow. There should then be call outs to meet those people who have cases where they could debatably be working. After these are reviewed and a number of people are identified as being fully able to find work, perhaps they should be given 12 months to find work and get off benefits, or the money stops completely.
That might sound harsh, but the fact is that if our economy really is struggling, maybe just being born and bred British isn’t enough of a reason to stay. We should all be contributing, as much as we can. In the same way we'd support our family financially, our economy should be treated the same.
Ian Birrell, a columnist for the Guardian spoke up about the number of foreign immigrants who are claiming benefits, in contrast to UK figures:
“As at February 2011, 16.6% of working age UK nationals were claiming a DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) working age benefit compared to 6.6% of working age non-UK nationals.”
By more than double, UK residents are more likely to be on benefits. Yet recently, I’ve seen quite a few articles on media sites about how outraged people were, when an Asian Islamic family were able to move into a large council property. There’s been many like that, targeting people based on religion and origin and not thinking of the bigger picture. It also begs to wonder whether papers like The Daily Mail and The Sun which often display closet racism should be called out and forced to stop. It’s easy to inspire hatred to grow at a certain bunch of people.
Last November, Cameron was under a lot of pressure to try and cap the number of migrants moving over to the UK, from 240,000 to around 100,000 a year. He submitted his plans eventually to the EU: that in order to enter the UK the immigrants must have a solid job offer. This is likely to be refused by the EU, as one of their main principals is for people to be free to move where they like.
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| http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/11209234/Immi gration-from-outside-Europe-cost-120-billion.html |
Someone else I spoke to a while ago had an interesting suggestion: give everyone on benefits £10,000 each. Half of them will probably waste it buying televisions and games etc., meaning you get a big shot into the economy, and the other will probably save it and use it to better their lives, and may even get them off benefits. It sounds like a crazy idea, but it might be worth it.
Perhaps, instead of benefit receivers getting money, you give them something undesirable like food coupons and a small amount of money for luxuries. Or, when you sign up for benefits the government pay your rent and a set food plan is delivered and paid for per month, the benefit receivers don't choose the ingredients, unless they have allergies etc. Perhaps it’s a vicious and un humanitarian in approach, but something painful like that might just be the cure to a culture of couch sitters, it would also force people to be healthy. No offence to anyone who does work incredibly hard - these are just ideas I wanted to express.
Food for thought though, eh?
Word count: 746 words
REFERENCES
WEBSITES
Anon. 2014: Benefits Street. Retrieved from:
Anon. 2012: Are migrants less likely than UK Nationals to claim benefits? Retrived from:
Watt, N. 2015: European commission set to reject David Cameron’s migration demands. Retrieved from:
Tuesday 6 January 2015
Best New Years Resolution EVAH
Every year I come up with the general: lose weight, tone, chuck pants with holes in, buy a new bra without mum's money, learn to make a quiche, continue to be perfect etc etc new years resolutions. But this year I've picked a wonderful one alongside those, obviously, that I think will be super good. No over exaggeration there, although I think if you're my age and normal you're about to be disappointed and just think I'm lame...
Look away non English students - I'm going to read a book a week, for 52 weeks.
My Italian friend Francesca was saying about when her sister spent ages reading lots of English books and her writing and reading improved loads, which is exactly the same when it's your first language. The more I read, the better I'll write and hey! That's handy because guess what my degree is! And guess what I want to do in life! I don't really know what I want actually...
...Woah. Not opening that door.
You may just be going - Aha! What a fool that Poppy girl is. Such high aims for life and such little talent. Well who'll be laughing when this time next year I'm on a six figure salary and married to Rob Sheehan!!
SO HA!
Just completed my first book anyway, (reading it not writing it), by Caitlin Moran - How To Be a Woman. It was good, all be it with what starts out as a quick haha! I'm a feminist and we should all relax about it! Does sort of turn into a bit of a ferocious attack at some points. I'm right in the nitty gritty of learning about her first period and BAM. She says to me: Do you have a vagina? and I think to myself, yes, yes I'm sure about that one. Then she asks: Do you want to be in charge of it? and I wonder to myself who on earth else would be in charge of it. What a ridiculous idea. It's attached to me, it goes where I do. And I have a lock on my door at university and a granny curtain that stops perverts looking in. Silly Moran.
But besides the silliness it really is a funny book. She's taught me that 'foof' is a great name for your downstairs place and tells me about how great bras are and yay! I'm a woman. All that kind of thing. Perhaps it's because it's aimed at her age group, that her cynicism and sarcasm about ageing is lost on me. I find it often more terrifying and bewildering that at some point I may turn into a middle aged woman: either one who wants to burn her knickers at the government's front door, or worse, my mother. Her descriptions about sagging and child birth do nothing but scare the living daylights out of me.
But haha! It was funny. And there's an amusing story about some maracas. Worth it for that.
Goodnight all!!
Goodnight Rob!!!
Look away non English students - I'm going to read a book a week, for 52 weeks.
My Italian friend Francesca was saying about when her sister spent ages reading lots of English books and her writing and reading improved loads, which is exactly the same when it's your first language. The more I read, the better I'll write and hey! That's handy because guess what my degree is! And guess what I want to do in life! I don't really know what I want actually...
...Woah. Not opening that door.
You may just be going - Aha! What a fool that Poppy girl is. Such high aims for life and such little talent. Well who'll be laughing when this time next year I'm on a six figure salary and married to Rob Sheehan!!
SO HA!
Just completed my first book anyway, (reading it not writing it), by Caitlin Moran - How To Be a Woman. It was good, all be it with what starts out as a quick haha! I'm a feminist and we should all relax about it! Does sort of turn into a bit of a ferocious attack at some points. I'm right in the nitty gritty of learning about her first period and BAM. She says to me: Do you have a vagina? and I think to myself, yes, yes I'm sure about that one. Then she asks: Do you want to be in charge of it? and I wonder to myself who on earth else would be in charge of it. What a ridiculous idea. It's attached to me, it goes where I do. And I have a lock on my door at university and a granny curtain that stops perverts looking in. Silly Moran.
But besides the silliness it really is a funny book. She's taught me that 'foof' is a great name for your downstairs place and tells me about how great bras are and yay! I'm a woman. All that kind of thing. Perhaps it's because it's aimed at her age group, that her cynicism and sarcasm about ageing is lost on me. I find it often more terrifying and bewildering that at some point I may turn into a middle aged woman: either one who wants to burn her knickers at the government's front door, or worse, my mother. Her descriptions about sagging and child birth do nothing but scare the living daylights out of me.
But haha! It was funny. And there's an amusing story about some maracas. Worth it for that.
Goodnight all!!
Goodnight Rob!!!
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