Ginger: It affects us all.

Hi, this blog post was suggested by my best friend - Ashleigh, who (tragically) suffers from having...


...Ginger hair. 

Now, I'm not making light of this condition. She's had to suffer from a lot of during her life. The taunts of abuse from passers-by, the indication that she must remain indoors for fear of rapid skin burning... and most horrifically... the assumption that she HAS NO SOUL.

This is offensive... 

In fact, according to this website, even the term "ginger" is offensive. I, myself, find ginger people... AWESOME. Hence why I've allowed my best friend to tag along with me all these years... :P In fact, I remember in primary school, wanting to be ginger - they interest me.

Claims that she is "strawberry blonde," (made by her herself of course...), date back to year 7 of secondary school (and were met with looks of confusion... and disbelief). In fact, I'm almost certain she started the Strawberry Blonde vs. Ginger debate... 

How can we expect red-heads to be strong,
when they have Li-Lo for a role model...?!

Ever since then, her life has been plagued by fear... but is she really to blame? Of course not. She was Born This Way.. o.O (That's strange... I can't help but feel like I've heard that expression before...). In fact, I love her despite her hair colour. That's how good a friend I am. 

OK, in all seriousness, I do think the near-constant abuse she receives is a bit much. And this blog post's tone is mostly mocking her. But gingerism is very much alive in our society, and it seems to be one of the few remaining semi-accepted prejudices (i.e. ones that people still think they can get away with, because they're not being "seriously" prejudice... I'm sure they view racism in a completely different manner).

I mean, there was that story about a ginger family who had been "driven out of their home..." Is it all just harmless fun? Is it really right to mock someone for something they can't control, and if you were in the same position, would you want it to happen to you?

Despite this, my best friend takes the abuse with a smile on her face (probably because she knows she'd end up crying if she didn't...). And, in case you didn't realise, I myself am one of the perpetrators of the aforementioned taunting. It's a case of my own ignorance more than anything...  


Rounding up, I'd like to pay a tribute to my best friend for being so awesome. This post is more about highlighting how strong my friend is, as opposed to highlighting her hair colour (if you'll pardon the pun...) Putting up with half the stuff she does would bring most people down to an emotional wreck.

She is solid, and I aspire to be her... (sans the ginger hair though... I'm happy being brunette :D) I love her.

"Born this way yeahhhh..."

"Stop pimping our kids?" Shut up.

Today's entry was suggested by a recent fan of my blog :)

This post centres around the topic of the youth of today, something I comment on alot... it's just me showing my age... really, (20 - in case you were wondering...). More specifically, their ever-increasing perceived "sexualization" that faces them.

She is annoying.
(Anna Richardson... the girl I'm indifferent towards...)

I believe however, that this is simply media scaremongering. It's parental discretion that should govern what their kids wear, how they act, and where they are. Like this silly the "The Sex Education" show... hosted by the homicidal-inducing Anna Richardson. Her claims that the youth of today are being over-exposed (literally and figuratively) to the horrors of SEX.

I'm not gonna lie, (and in doing so, I'm about to be very frank), but kids today seem to know far more about sex than they should. It may not be completely accurate knowledge, but they are more aware about sex than I was at their age (geez... now I really feel old...).

One of Anna Richardson's arguments is that clothes shops are selling/marketing inappropriate clothes to children; one specific example being padded bras for 6-year olds. Now... I don't know about you... but I don't know of any 6-year olds (granted I actually don't know any 6-year olds...) who are going clothes shopping alone... that's a bad enough example of parenting as it is. But which parents are buying these children padded bras?! (regardless if they're on sale in the first place or not...) I think these parents are the ones who should be scolded... but Anna Richardson has other ideas - instead targeting these chain shops with her own specific brand of vigilante "for the people" justice. I assumed that most things that go on sale to the general public get panel-tested and market-researched thoroughly... so someone, somewhere thought these bras were a good idea. Our beloved host clearly knows more than them though.

"THIS is an apple... and I am a bitch."

I didn't know Anna Richardson was a shrewd business woman, as well as an annoying TV presenter... 

Pop music - I love it.

My taste in music has been called into question on a number of occasions. So for all the "haters" out there... this one's for you.

(Pah! I don't really use the word "haters..." I just figured I'd act all independent and sassy for a change... ¬¬) *clicks fingers*

This is me.

This is completely irrelevant... I just thought it was funny. 

People often assume that, because of my degree choice (Music - in case you didn't already know from my previous two music-related blog posts...- three if you count when I briefly mentioned it in this post) that either a) I have somewhat "superior" opinion of music and will only like eclectic music of "artistic integrity," - which translates to generally mean anything that hasn't appeared in the top 40. Or b) that my taste is limited to classical music.

I can safely assure you, my musical tastes fall into neither category. I like pop music. The cheesier the better. But... having said that, my musical taste isn't limited to pop music specifically. I judge music, not just by genre, but by it's playability (i.e. how easy it would be to cover on piano - check out my Youtube channel - or not... whatever), and by how "interesting" I find the chords. If a song uses the same four chords throughout... it begins to bore me. In fact, it's fair to say that I'd appreciate the musical ingenuity of a Cascada song as much as a Killers song, provided they both have an interesting musical basis. It's not a case of: "oh wow... you listen to *insert token "pop artist" here* ?! How lame!" I'm not thinking about the artists in terms of their perceived cultural standing. I'm not concerned either with whether you deem them to be any less an "artist," than "real musicians" (i.e. those "band" bands that feature live instruments... :O), when both their music, ultimately, consists of the same chords, repeated ad infinitum. 


Regrettably, there are very few artists these days that are doing anything in terms of "forward-thinking" music. No one artist in the current charts are doing anything more "musically intriguing" to me than another (not, at least, in terms of their musical structure). 

LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!
She may be bald... but her musics not bad. 

I think people nowadays are too quick to make assumptions on artists by what they read about concerning their personal lives. Why should Britney Spears shaving her head make her any less of an artist? (bald people are artists too y'know...)



So the next time you might shudder in fear at the thought of me listening to a Britney Spears song - just remember - It's not a case of whether or not I like Britney Spears... for whatever reason (I personally think she's a danger to herself and everyone around her...[ I kid, of course... ] ), it's more a case of liking her music than anything else. 


(by the way, if you happened to have stumbled upon my Youtube channel, be wary of the fact I WILL be uploading new videos in the summer... You have been warned... o.O)

"Blame it on the alcohol..."

Hi kids! I'm here today to tell you of the absolute HORRORS of alcohol, and it's effect on the youth of today. 

First off - some statistics. Did you know that drinking alcohol on a regular basis lowers your IQ by a rate of about 5% per unit of alcohol? Or that it increases the likelihood of getting pregnant by a THIRD...?! Or that a person can have fun at a factor of x60% when heavily intoxicated...?



Of course you didn't know that. Because it's a complete farce. And it demonstrates my point. People are too quick to blame alcohol for... well a multitude of things - be they sins or otherwise. Time for a little roleplay now class - how many times have you heard (first hand, or from a second or third party) something along these lines:

Case #1        
"Ahhh... Last night was just... sooooo MESSY. Pretty sure I almost died, or *insert suggestive themes here*. Was a good night though."
"Were you drunk?" 

This is me, sans the beer. I'm SUCH a mess... 

"Bah! Of course! Do you think I'd do anything like that sober?!" 

Now what was wrong with that scenario? (aside from the fact that no one really says "bah" in real life...) Alcohol is used as the primary scapegoat for peoples actions, granting them a certain level of "drunken immunity," glorifying the acts that would usually be vilified if performed during the day. 

I know this is starting to sound "preacher-ish," but I can assure you - I do drink. On occasion, I do get "messy," (as my friends jest at me for...), and yes, I'd probably end up doing the same thing as the perpetrator from Case #1. But I would never solely blame my actions on alcoholic influence. Alcohol doesn't make someone do something. Nor do I believe that a persons true personality can only "shine" when they're drunk. Surely it's a case of them just being a really boring sober person? 

This baby is both hungover and adorable.
 Tut tut, underage drinking at an all-time high

I'm not saying either that alcohol is to blame for the downward spiral of society. Of course, people have to be of a certain maturity to be able to drink nowadays (and I'm not naive enough to assume that under-age drinking doesn't happen... I've seen the news!). I just don't think it's particularly mature of people to blame acts of complete stupidity on alcohol. Ironically, those people are... stupid.

This lady is stupid. Or drunk...? Hmm...
hard to tell, she might be a combination of the two. 

(OK, can someone please confirm if I actually used "irony" in the correct way...? I've never known... D: ) 

Acceptance.

Acceptance: the fifth and final stage of grief. I believe however, that it can apply to more than just death.

I like to think as a person, I'm relatively emotionally stable. I don't like to make an unnecessarily big deal out of situations that don't call for it... (reading that back, I can think of a couple of people who would disagree... xD)

In fact, recently I've developed a theory; that life is just an endless stream of events that fall into one of two categories:

1. Things that occur that you have no control over, and therefore cannot change/prevent.
2.     "       "       "      "     "       "   control over, and therefore have the power to change/prevent.

How we learn to deal with the things we cannot change is through acceptance. For example, I've accepted the fact that I'm not gonna get any taller... (not without that drastic "leg-lengthening" surgery... o.O), because it's something I know I can't change. I guess certain other things are harder to accept then others - things that you feel you can change, but others might disagree. However, I feel it's not the appropriate time to comment on such things.

Is it then possible to still be upset about the things you've already accepted as an impossibility?

When my parents got divorced, I had no choice but to accept it. There was no time for me to get emotional, or desperately try to fix the broken pieces of my home life. It happened, and that was it. For me to get upset over something that I can't change seems ridiculous, and disproves my theory. But it did upset me. Is it the realization of your own disempowerment? The fact that, you as a person, are helpless to change things that upset you? It's hard to say for certain, but regardless, I was never too upset at the dissolution of my parents marriage... (thankfully, meaning this blog post doesn't seem like I'm wallowing in self-pity and shameless sympathy scrounging... :| ) I guess you could say that I skipped the first four stages and swept the majority of my emotions under the carpet without ever dealing with them... that can't be healthy...  

What happens to the aspects of yourself that you're having trouble accepting? Things that you try on a daily basis to change, but wake up every day with an even deeper level of self-loathing? (wow... that was a really serious sentence... defo gonna try and hold back on those... :| ) Do those people just give up? Do they take the easy way out and just run away?

Would they be one of the stupid ones and take their own life, because living with something they perceive as "impossible to accept," too hard to bare?

If you don't truly start accepting yourself, how can you ever learn to accept others?
(OK, pretty sure that's like... right out of a movie...).

I'm going to admit, I have in the past suffered from this problem. I've tried, on a number of occasions, to change and/or hide something about myself - my sexuality. In fact, I've only recently accepted it as a part of my life that won't change. I'm not exactly ready to shout it in the street yet though... (and I'll be honest, seeing it written down on this blog, knowing the whole world can see, is enough to give me a mild panic attack... D: ), but getting to this stage has taken me a good ten years. I still find it hard to even say the "G" word... (but that's mostly because of how people have warped it's meaning to have negative connotations... :| )

The fact that I am no longer burdened by this issue means I'm that much more unhelpful to those that are. It's easy enough for me to sit here, talking about how I've accepted every facet of my life, but what good would it do you? If someone were to read this, who were in my position 5 years ago, would it be any benefit to them? Would it make them even more scared then they are...? Or would it give them... I dunno, hope or even comfort... To know that someone out there has felt like they feel right now? And that acceptance is only the final stage?


And when it comes down to it, isn't it what everyone strives for? To be accepted. 

Another funny cat picture to take the edge off the serious tones from todays blog...
 this cat hasn't accepted the fact that his owner is obviously some sort of nudist.

(sorry for another serious blog post... trust me, I'm as uncomfortable writing them as you are reading them... some things just need to be blogged... :D this was definitely the hardest blog I've done so far...) 

Talent - It's not for everyone.

Is this the face of talent...?
Chances are - no. 

Yep... you guessed it. This blog post is going to be somewhat self-absorbed, and centres around the ideals of "talent." More specifically, why some people possess extraordinary talent(s), and others don't. 

I myself, without wanting to sound too egotistical, possess a talent: being able to play the piano. This is something that I like to think I can do more proficiently than most everyday people (i.e. those everyday people that haven't been having piano lessons for 7 years...). I haven't been "lucky" in the sense that I was born with this talent. I have never considered myself prodigious in any way. I didn't sit at a piano one day and start pumping out concerto's like the great composers of Western history. I had to ask for piano lessons... and that was only the first step. To say that I put effort into my practice of music is an understatement. I would stray from the guidance of my teacher, and teach myself a few pages ahead every week, pursuing my own set goals. It even got to the point when I would stop following instruction altogether, and manage to blag my way through my lessons week after week, based on my sight-reading skills alone. My progress was relatively fast, and (again) without wanting to sound egotistical, was told on a number of occasions how impressive my abilities were.

But I digress... It is my belief that I achieved none of this through talent. It was a combination of my own determination and hard work (and a certain amount of "blagging" apparently...)

People aren't born with gifts these days. It doesn't happen. I don't believe either that it has anything to do with genetics. For example, my grandmother plays piano, but my father does not. Does this mean that the "musical gene" skipped a generation? Or simply that my father didn't have the same opportunities to learn an instrument as my grandmother...? I know which is more likely.

Talent is something that you have to work for - to strive for. I have no doubt in my mind that there is not one single person who - providing they have all their fingers intact - given the opportunity, would make an excellent pianist.

Moving on, the talents that other people possess (and appropriately, ones I lack) are a great source of envy to me. My two best friends, both accomplished artists, find the fact that I can barely even hold a pencil correctly a great source of amusement, not to mention the fact that my artistic skills are SHOCKING. It's at this point that I tend to forget my talents in music. I barely recognize the skills I already have and can only see the ones I lack.

Does this make me any less of a musician? To know that I can't put pencil to paper and create beautiful artworks, or that I can't juggle more than two things at once... or even that I can't do press-ups with one finger?! (OK, I'll be honest - I wouldn't want that talent... it grosses me out...)

What I'm trying to say is, don't downplay your talents. If it's something you're specifically proficient in, then embrace it and make the most of it. Because not everyone will have the same opportunities as you.


And that's my thought for the day... :D 

Superpowers. I want one.

See now - why does she get to be a superhero?
She has so much... derp. 

I've never been a particularly ambitious person. In fact, far from pursuing a career in music, my career plans stretch to the soaring heights of office middle-management... (which kind of works as an antithesis to my next paragraph... I spend half my life contradicting myself it seems... :| )

From an early age, (and even now to a certain extent) I've always wanted one thing - superpowers. It might sound sad, and almost definitely sounds delusional, but I can't help it; fictitious people with superpowers are just that much cooler than regular people. I can largely attribute this desire from watching Saturday morning cartoons and the like - X-men, Superman, Batman (who I personally felt was more of a cop-out superhero - he just happens to be really rich...).

I have several obstacles standing in my way of achieving this ambition - aside from the fact that they don't actually exist. If X-men is anything to go by - and I'll admit it, I source 100% of my pre-existing knowledge of superpowers from X-men - a persons "powers" would manifest themselves during puberty. Something I'm not ashamed to say has already been and gone for me... (puberty - not superpowers... o.O). As saddening as this is, I may have to accept the fact that it's just not gonna happen for me. But that doesn't mean I can't continue fantasizing.

I was asking my friends last night which superpower they'd want given the opportunity (call it research, if you will). One responded with "intangibility," i.e. to become intangible and walk through solid objects. The other responded with: "to be able to transport... places." I think she meant instant teleportation of sorts, as opposed to being able to move entire locations at will (but then again, you can never be certain with her...). It made me think about the abilities I'd like to possess. I wouldn't be annoying and say "to have all powers," cause people who do that are stupid. Instead, I'd probably prefer to just let nature give me a power that it sees fit... although, knowing my luck I'd be one of the few completely useless superheroes... like Squirrel-Girl - with the power to speak to squirrels, or more insightfully, Cassandra (from Greek mythology). Sure - being able to predict the future's great, but useless when no one believes you... D:

Rounding up, I still haven't completely gotten over the fact that my life - in relation to comics, cartoons and films based on various superhero universe(s) - is both mundane and powerless. On some level in fact, it's probable that my ambition to pursue a future in office middle-management means that, whilst walking down the busy streets of London, in my suit and tie, and I hear a cry for help from a woman in distress who's purse has been snatched by a mugger, my superhero instincts will kick in. 


Although, I'd probably end up running into a nearby alleyway or a conveniently placed telephone box and start changing my clothes... o.O 

Now if only this was a reality, and not just a creative prank....

The World Ends With You

I know where my loyalties lie... 

Hmm... This whole "Rapture" business seems to have not come to fruition. But I can't say I'm surprised, even though, at the time of writing this - 12:46pm - the apocalypse is meant to occur at 6:00pm in your respective time zones... a quick google search revealed. (I must admit, rather than think "apocalypse" when hearing the word "rapture," my mind instantly went to Bioshock... sigh video games... :D)

But I don't want to turn into a crazy-religious-nutjob-preacher-guy. Hence this blog is related to the theme of "endings."

There were many options I could've chosen for a "cool-sounding," or "artsy" blog-post title for today - "All good things come to an end," springs to mind. But the title is a video game (I'm obsessed o.O). Without giving too much away, the game starts with your death, and centres around the trials and tribulations you endure to reclaim your life. I'm not going to pretend like I can make sense out of the title, (or infer it to an unintentional meaning) because chances are it's a direct translation from the Japanese original, "It's a Wonderful World." But I would interpret its meaning is one of perception. If you believe that the world is over, then it ends with you. Only you can say when your world ends. 

But alas, I'm not here to get into philosophical debates either... I feel like I'm going off topic again. 

On the subject of endings, my first year of uni is almost over. I was discussing this topic last night with a friend, who shall be codenamed... erm... "Sebalicious" (an indecipherable codename, if I do say so myself...). This year has gone by too quickly. I know it sounds so cliché and everyone told me this would be how it would feel in the run-up to the end, but I didn't heed their warnings. Without realizing it, I'm literally a week away from finishing. My last exam will be over, then it's smooth sailing until summer... ahh the blissful ideals of a summer vacation - I can't think of anything better than spending copious periods of time indoors with my friends playing Xbox... 8-|

I'm not going to do a "review" of the year; that would be pointless. There were good, and bad times... mostly good. Do I regret certain choices I made throughout the year? I guess. Would I do it again if I could? Probably. Would things change if I did that...? Impossible to tell.

One things is certain though... regardless if you believe the world ends today at 6:00pm, or if you feel like you can take control of your own life, it's important to remember one thing...

This is me, in cat form, playing video games.
What? You're telling me that wasn't obvious?! 

Video games are fun. 

"Who?!" "For the last time - The SAX-ophonics..." "Ohhh...-_- "

Hi :)

This blog post features one of my new favouritist musical inspirations - The Saxophonics :) Please support them in their endeavours by following the link above... details of their forthcoming events are on their Facebook page. As much as I would like to dedicate this blog post entirely to them, I don't think it would necessarily apply to many people living outside the region of Hull/Humberside. Meh... 

See - this person is having fun with recorders! Why wasn't I like that?

Instead, I shall talk about my relation to music in general.

During primary school, having been forced to learn the recorder, I had a distinct dislike for music. It confused and frustrated me. I couldn't understand how people around me were translating dots on a page into coherent sound. Needless to say, it never stayed with me; my recorder days were over, and - as I thought at the time - my association with music full stop.

However, upon entering secondary school (where my form tutor was, conveniently, the head of music) my thoughts on the subject began to change. Going to form-time everyday, seeing the posters on basic musical ideas may have drifted into my subconscious - that does sound a tad like indoctrination... has my whole musical career thus far been a farce?!

Of course not... that's a ridiculous notion.

What really affirmed my change of mind,however, was seeing a member of my form play solo piano for one of those end -of-year dealios. It wasn't so much the impressive piano playing that piqued my interest (not least of all because I don't really remember the piece they played...) it was more the fact that for a few minutes or so, the whole room was focussed on one individual - concentrating fully on the things they had to say through their music.

I started piano lessons in year 8, got my grade 8 in 2009 and now study music at university. And the rest, as they say, is history. To say that I was inspired by music isn't entirely accurate. It would be more appropriate to say that I was envious of the unique and interesting skills others seem to have already possessed from an early age, and I felt it was my prerogative to "catch up" to them.

That's as good a reason as any to do a degree in music right...? :|

Also - the Saxophonics. SUPPORT THE ARTS! That is all. 

Issues of Trust

This is a picture to supposedly symbolize "trust" - even though they're
clearly holding a baby's hand. I don't trust babies... They can't even support
their own heads some of them... let alone emotionally support another person. 

This blog update centres around the issues and implications of trust.

I, as a person, am very trusting. To the point where most people would assume it causes a hindrance to my everyday life. I don't think it's an entirely bad thing to be as trusting a person as me. I like to think I would give a mass-murderer the benefit of the doubt if he argued his case well enough... wait - that doesn't sound right. What I mean is, I wouldn't necessarily right him off as a person based on his actions - there's nothing to be gained from doing that. It would be far more useful to understand the reasons why he acted that way in the first place. 

(Note: I do not, nor have I ever condoned mass-murder or any murderous-related acts. Nor have I ever partaken in said events, be they directly or indirectly. Remember kids - MURDER IS WRONG) 

I'm not saying that I'm naive in any sense. I'm not at the point where I would happily give up my shoes to a tramp because I trust him enough to sell them to pay for food, (or more appropriately, to ward off the rats from biting his toes o.O). Let's face it - he's far more likely to sell them to buy drugs :|


(Note: I must once again stress that I do not, nor have I ever partaken in the use, and/or misuse of drugs... I'm sure you get the picture by now, but I'll reiterate regardless: DRUGS ARE WRONG) 

When it comes to meeting new people, I have no option but to trust them. It's in my nature. I see no reason in my head to believe that they would have any incentive to do me harm. Sure - they could be a mass-murderer. They might be a creepy cyber-stalker. They could even potentially be the next Hitler (God forbid...) But why would you put a negative spin on things? Why face everything with pessimism? Who's to say that your trust might just prevent them from becoming that terrible person in the first place?

If trust (as a conceptual interpersonal "force" so to speak) didn't exist, where would the human race be today? We would all be figurative "lone wolves," as opposed to a "wolf pack." (Wow, actually don't know where I pulled that analogy from - I think I secretly want to be in a wolf pack...) The human race moving as random particles, never colliding (OK chemistry now? Seriously?), never trusting each other to accomplish things that are greater than the sum of their parts. (the analogies stop now - I swear... -_-) 

Another seemingly unrelated cat picture. Although to be honest,
I probably wouldn't trust these cats. They look pretty G. 

I just think that trust is a rare thing these days - and to be able to find someone you can trust unequivocally is even rarer. To be able to find just one person that you can put yourself in a position of complete vulnerability, and trust them not to destroy you... I believe that is true trust. 




Cheese... :D 

UK gaming... life isn't all fun and games...

This is an example of how young children are adversely affected by
video games. She's clearly been playing too much GTA.
 NEXT TIME CHECK THE AGE RATING! 

Being a gamer in the UK is comparable to erm... a really bad analogy. Yeah, I guess that works... (*phew*) ^^;

The basic run-down of the sitch is this - the gaming market, has made many leaps and bounds in recent years, from graphical and technological advancements, to the main-streaming of 3D technology (3DS) and full-motion body image capturing (Microsoft Kinect).
The UK games market in particular has also shown steady growth and popularization, in particular it's successes with the so-called "casual-gamer" (it's success in this sector can largely be attributed to the Wii and Kinect systems) - a categorical term given to gamers who do not necessarily invest as much time into video games as the more archetypal "hardcore" gamer, and would much rather play fun "party-esque" mini-game collections with their friends than extensive story-heavy FPS games for example. 


Being a gamer in the UK has several disadvantages though. Developers and publishers of games would often forgo the UK completely when it comes to regional distribution. I don't have the facilities (or enthusiasm) to make a flow diagram of sorts, but It would look somewhat like this:

North American Developed games - Released in North America (guaranteed) - Released in Japan (dependant on genre) - Released in Europe (Likely) 
Japanese developed games - Released in Japan (guaranteed) - Released in North America (Likely) - Released in Europe? (never certain... D:)

Even when a video games' European release is a certainty, the price we have to pay in delays (down to something called "localization..." o.O) is beyond a joke.

Take this most recent example. A game called "Tales of Graces" has been out in Japan since Dec. 09. A game whose EU appearance has only recently been confirmed for a release here (yayyy). There came a point after the second email (first by me, the second by my friend - I don't just randomly go around emailing game publishers on a regular basis... -_-) that was sent to a representative of Namco's that a thought occurred to me: "Should this really be the case? Should I really have to be asking for something that the rest of the world seems to acquire by default."

UK gamers do seem to have drawn the short straw (at least in geographical terms...) I don't want to turn this into some sort of rant... but my point still stands. ToG being released here is the glistening ray of hope in an otherwise bleak forecast for the UK gaming market...

OK, it's not that bad - I guess I just have too much passion... :| 

Work ethic. I have none.

This blog post centres around the idea of this so called "work ethic," - and my complete absence of one. 

Sloth's - they are both creepy AND lazy,
hence they illustrate my point quite well. 

I have one approach to school-work/homework (just anything that relies on me actually having to do something productive...) I call it the "ostrich method." Burying my head in the metaphorical sand of Youtube, Facebook, Blogger, Xbox etc. Pretty much whatever is close to hand that provides a lasting distraction from having to think too hard about... boring stuff... 

I'd rather not think about it at all if possible... I tend to cut people off at the mere mention of a deadline. To say that I procrastinate is an understatement. If procrastination were an Olympic sport... well, I might not win the gold, but that would (ironically) be purely down to lack of effort. Unless... that was how they would decide the winner...? By who puts in the least amount of effort? Hmm... I guess it doesn't matter either way. Procrastination won't catch on. And it's not making it's way to the Olympics any time soon.

(Wow, I even get distracted from writing this blog. I'm just a terrible person D: )

I do envy people who can do work in a reasonable time... or better yet those that seem to start work straight away. Then they're able to enjoy guilt-free fun, instead of my half-hearted attempt at procrastination.

I don't see this changing any time soon either. I like to think that I'm "challenging" myself by setting a new record with each piece of work; "how close can I get to the deadline before I actually start..." When, in actuality, I'm just making things worse for myself in the long run. There's a Facebook group that likens the act of procrastination with another heinous act (one done my the male sex)... but it somehow doesn't seem right to utter such filth on the blogosphere. 

I aspire to this (sans the beer... beer tastes like eggs...
and not the good kind...) 

One day I'll experience the joys of having fun with no pangs of guilt at the thought of looming deadlines at the back of my mind. For now though I can't help it; procrastination is just so damn fun. 

"Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful..."

This post centres around the topics of conceit, confidence and convincing (pah, that last one doesn't quite "fit," but go with it :D) 


When it comes to confidence, I fall short - quite literally. My height has never been the sole contributing factor to my lack of confidence. But I have always at least been shy/socially awkward for as long as I can remember. and meeting new people for the first time is a personal nightmare for me. However, recently, I'm starting to realize the solution to this lack of confidence - and it relies somewhat on my other "keywords;" conceit and convincing oneself... (I feel like a teacher now... :/ ) 


 

I heard the song "Pretty Girl Rock" by Keri Hilson for the first time yesterday. As a musician, my friends know me for not really paying special attention to lyrics of songs, and therefore can only analyse their meaning on a musical level. However, this songs lyrics caught my attention. They tell of a girl with unparalleled levels of confidence and immodesty, telling others to not hate her for being beautiful. At first, I was in disbelief that someone could be so conceited... then I thought about it some more. I applauded and admired her ability to display an act of arrogance and hope to not get publicly slammed. To realise that with confidence comes a certain level of conceit. 


If that's true, then how would you differentiate between the two? Can someone be confident without coming across conceited? 


The above video is example loosely based on my approach to my conundrum, and the theory goes something like this - if you act confident you can/will become confident. It may not work for all people, but it did for me (at least short-term). If you are a shy person, ingratiate yourself in a group of people with similar interests - start topics of conversation that you know you can talk about. Changing your views and perceptions on certain situations changes your reaction to them. 


Convince yourself of that and people will start to view you differently, which in turn changes your view of yourself.

I know this is starting to sound like terrible advice, and it seems like I'm asking people to change themselves, but that's not my aim. Confidence is what you make it, and if you can act with a certain level of confidence,(without treading over the line to conceitedness) it can only be a good thing. Of course... I'm no sociologist, but this is just my experience and view on things.

Confidence: it's easy if you try.

(I promise to never use another word starting with "con" again... o.O) 

"What's that I hear you say - a blog post about materialism?! Ground-breaking stuff!"

OK, as per the title, this blog post is centred around materialism and the retail sector in general and my experiences with it (I felt the need to comment after having been shopping today - something I do too much of recently...)


"In 2009, UK retail sales were over £285billion and are growing, despite the economic downturn in 2007. During 2010, the industry created an extra 12,750 full-time jobs, a 2.1% increase on the previous year." (source: http://www.prospects.ac.uk/industries_retail_overview.htm) 

See look: These people are clearly having fun shopping. What's the harm in it... ?!
(aside from them not wearing many clothes... o.O) 

For me personally, (from early childhood) shopping had been both a stressful and boring experience. Being dragged around shopping centres by embarrassing parents was seen as an essential Saturday ordeal. So when did things change for me? When did I start worrying about colour combinations of ties/shirts/trousers so much? 

This is all well and good, but it doesn't have
anything to do with... anything.

Probably sometime after I got my first part-time job. Earning money meant I could buy my own clothes, without the aforementioned "dragging." I was able to express myself through my clothes as an extension of my - as yet unformed - pre-adolescent personality.

Exacerbating this facet of my new life came university - a time of change and reformation. A chance to indulge myself in even more costly "expressions of personality." Thankfully, student loans come in handy... I have reached the point where I ask myself: "How many ties is too many ties?!" The answer is most definitely 5 (my current total), ranging from white, light grey, grey, dark grey, and black (I know you didn't ask, I'm spreading this news as a warning, not as a form of bragging).

I don't really know what I'm trying to say really... I think without realising it, I did a massive U-turn. I don't remember if the point of this post was for or against shopping. All I'm thinking about is trying on my new clothes... D:

yayy... ¬¬

(also - cats) 

Introductory Blog Entry.

Ok, so I won't be boring you with all the insignificant details about my life, because a) I don't envisage for one moment anyone cares too much, and b) If I start to talk about myself too much I won't be able to stop - sometimes I'm just that self-absorbed.

Basically, the purposes of writing this blog are threefold - one: I intensely dislike my handwriting, which makes keeping a handwritten diary illogical. Two: I believe that my musings (be they general or specific) have a certain level of validity (did I mention before I was self-absorbed...? :| ) Three: I like writing creatively, and will create several sub-pages and alternate blogs for my different ventures.

Why didn't I start with an entry explaining this as my first entry I (don't) hear you ask?! Well, given that yesterday was Friday the 13th (creepy voice: spooky!) and there was only to be one occurring this year, I felt it appropriate to start on a topic of relevance, and couldn't really post an introductory entry beforehand.

So yeah, I blog. 

Fear.

Fear: a negative emotion induced by a perceived external threat.

Today is Friday the 13th of May 2011. A day viewed by many as a source of paranoia, anxiety and/or fear. Phobias come in many varieties, from the common arachnophobia - fear of spiders, to the hilarious (but completely understandable - these things are scary as) zemmiphobia - the fear of the great mole rat. There's even a phobia concerning this very day: friggatriskaidekaphobia - the fear of Friday the 13th. 

How people deal and cope with fears differs from person to person. How can one person, for instance, happily touch a tarantula but be defeated at the thought of touching cotton wool? I believe that fear manifests itself as a symptom of hormonal imbalance; One person may be more genetically inclined to develop phobias than others.

However, I don't know anywhere near enough about psycho-biology to comment on that. 

What I do know is that there are people out there who are scared. Scared of things that other people may belittle, or scared to show their emotions to others, or even too scared to admit that they have these fears in the first place. And what happens to those people that are scared of themselves? To look in the mirror everyday and hate the person staring back at them because they find certain aspects of themselves too hard to accept. 

I'm not suggesting that this type of fear is easily overcome. What I would like to say is, however you deal (or, as the case may be, not deal) with fear, it's important to not let it rule your life, or indeed, stop it from letting you become - in the immortal words of the great Jessie J - who you are... even though I've probably heard several other people say that... :|

Yep, I defo just crossed the threshold into ULTIMATE cheese :)

(also - are the cool kids still saying "defo" these days?!)