Monday, 11 October 2010
People.
I came back from a meeting today about the student newspaper at my university - The Boar. It made me SO excited about it. I'm going to write for them, and yes, it will be awesome. The people there seem brilliant fun, and it made me genuinley happy, I walked out of there with a smile on my face.
I don't know why the news and current affairs is so appealing to me... but I love it. I love reading the paper, I love watching the news, debates, anything and everything that gets people talking. People are brilliant, quite underestimated.
Politics affects everyone, whether you like it or not... The books I've just started reading for my course say just that - politics is people talking. I love that image. I love talking. I love the pyschology of it all - how we think, why we think it, what we're all doing here in the first place.
There is not a single thing I don't want to talk about, in the sense that everything, even controversial issues, hold interesting and valued opinions, which really, means we should talk about them more.
Maybe that's why I talk so quickly - I have so much to say, and so little time to say it in. I like listening to people too, don't get me wrong, if it was all my opinion it would be very dull. Other people, other opinions and thoughts make it interesting, make it vibrant, passionate, colourful. If we all loved the same things, the world would be a terrible place to live.
I want to get out there and write about it, talk about it, meet people, make things better. To help. That's got to be a good thing.
I don't know why the news and current affairs is so appealing to me... but I love it. I love reading the paper, I love watching the news, debates, anything and everything that gets people talking. People are brilliant, quite underestimated.
Politics affects everyone, whether you like it or not... The books I've just started reading for my course say just that - politics is people talking. I love that image. I love talking. I love the pyschology of it all - how we think, why we think it, what we're all doing here in the first place.
There is not a single thing I don't want to talk about, in the sense that everything, even controversial issues, hold interesting and valued opinions, which really, means we should talk about them more.
Maybe that's why I talk so quickly - I have so much to say, and so little time to say it in. I like listening to people too, don't get me wrong, if it was all my opinion it would be very dull. Other people, other opinions and thoughts make it interesting, make it vibrant, passionate, colourful. If we all loved the same things, the world would be a terrible place to live.
I want to get out there and write about it, talk about it, meet people, make things better. To help. That's got to be a good thing.
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
Parking.
Parking
Parking in the centre MK near where I live is an absolute nightmare. Unless you work on a Sunday, starting at 10 and finishing at 6, which is perfect, as there is no one around.
Either way, if I’m working a 10 hour shift (which I usually am) or going shopping for a few hours, then I HAVE to get the free parking. Located about a 5 – 10 minute walk from the centre itself is the nearest free parking, but it can be up to 15 minutes.
It’s that, or I pay £10 for a space right next to the centre, or a pound an hour on the red zone just outside the centre. Alternatively, there’s the 25p an hour zone, in between the two places. The purple zone. But when I’m earning about £50 a day, I do not want to be forking out a tenner for the parking. It’s ridiculous. Paying anything for parking seems such a waste, even when it isn’t much.
I don’t work a lot, but when I do, I pay for the petrol to get there (about £4 and something last time I checked, it’s probably more with the petrol increases) and the things I buy at work, food I get at work, anything I buy in the centre, or if I go to the cinema… it all adds up. I only usually work one day a week, and hopefully more when I get back from holiday, so I just don’t have that kind of money to spend on parking.
Parking at hospitals is the same. Why on earth would you charge someone when they are visiting someone who is seriously ill, hurt or dying? It’s unjustified, its immoral, it’s wrong. We shouldn’t do it. At the end of the day, a few hours at the shopping centre, it’s okay to charge for. But really, hospitals should not charge to park, especially when you don’t know how long you’re going to be there. In addition to that, if you’re at an NHS hospital, and not private, then clearly they don’t have all the money in the world to be using on parking. It’s not important.
What does the money go on anyway? Where does it get spent? If it’s in the hospital; don’t they get enough from the government, which goes into paying management positions where it should be spent on facilities anyway? Or does it go to the council, where it should be paying for recycling and cubbish collection, but instead goes on something else useless. Okay, I don’t know this for sure, and yes, of course I’m making this up.
But why should I pay for parking? I’m going to the shopping centre to buy things, and eat things, and watch your films. What more do you want from me? If I’m going to visit someone who’s ill, why should I pay more just to pick them up, or take them to an appointment, or possibly say my final goodbye to you? Someone argue with me, because I can’t see the benefit of parking without knowing where it goes.
I’m on holiday in Canada at the moment, and the Westin hotels are a prime example of expensive parking, which just goes to the big owners of the business. $15 for vale parking? There is a free car park literally 100 metres across the road for the Blue Mountain Resort. Why on earth would I pay to use your car park? I’m glad we didn’t.
Capitalist society car parking. Where does the money go?
I guess I’ll have to stick to my Sunday shift. Lots of choice of parking spaces at 9am!
I love this picture.... <3
Parking in the centre MK near where I live is an absolute nightmare. Unless you work on a Sunday, starting at 10 and finishing at 6, which is perfect, as there is no one around.
Either way, if I’m working a 10 hour shift (which I usually am) or going shopping for a few hours, then I HAVE to get the free parking. Located about a 5 – 10 minute walk from the centre itself is the nearest free parking, but it can be up to 15 minutes.
It’s that, or I pay £10 for a space right next to the centre, or a pound an hour on the red zone just outside the centre. Alternatively, there’s the 25p an hour zone, in between the two places. The purple zone. But when I’m earning about £50 a day, I do not want to be forking out a tenner for the parking. It’s ridiculous. Paying anything for parking seems such a waste, even when it isn’t much.
I don’t work a lot, but when I do, I pay for the petrol to get there (about £4 and something last time I checked, it’s probably more with the petrol increases) and the things I buy at work, food I get at work, anything I buy in the centre, or if I go to the cinema… it all adds up. I only usually work one day a week, and hopefully more when I get back from holiday, so I just don’t have that kind of money to spend on parking.
Parking at hospitals is the same. Why on earth would you charge someone when they are visiting someone who is seriously ill, hurt or dying? It’s unjustified, its immoral, it’s wrong. We shouldn’t do it. At the end of the day, a few hours at the shopping centre, it’s okay to charge for. But really, hospitals should not charge to park, especially when you don’t know how long you’re going to be there. In addition to that, if you’re at an NHS hospital, and not private, then clearly they don’t have all the money in the world to be using on parking. It’s not important.
What does the money go on anyway? Where does it get spent? If it’s in the hospital; don’t they get enough from the government, which goes into paying management positions where it should be spent on facilities anyway? Or does it go to the council, where it should be paying for recycling and cubbish collection, but instead goes on something else useless. Okay, I don’t know this for sure, and yes, of course I’m making this up.
But why should I pay for parking? I’m going to the shopping centre to buy things, and eat things, and watch your films. What more do you want from me? If I’m going to visit someone who’s ill, why should I pay more just to pick them up, or take them to an appointment, or possibly say my final goodbye to you? Someone argue with me, because I can’t see the benefit of parking without knowing where it goes.
I’m on holiday in Canada at the moment, and the Westin hotels are a prime example of expensive parking, which just goes to the big owners of the business. $15 for vale parking? There is a free car park literally 100 metres across the road for the Blue Mountain Resort. Why on earth would I pay to use your car park? I’m glad we didn’t.
Capitalist society car parking. Where does the money go?
I guess I’ll have to stick to my Sunday shift. Lots of choice of parking spaces at 9am!
I love this picture.... <3
Beavers, Bears and.... Jeeps.
I recently took part in a beaver and bear watch in the forest near Lake Sarcombie in Canada.
We first met our not-so-trusty jeep, which we named Bert. The splitting image of a jeep from Jurrassic Park - old, decrepid, falling to bits, difficult to get in and out of. Sounds like fun right? Well, when you need to drive 4km into the depths of a forest on a dusty track where you can’t go past 2nd gear… slight problem.
We had to go up one hill three times and do a massive run up because we couldn’t get enough speed. Imagine a rollercoaster, except one you’re driving, which isn’t safe, and you’re following another jeep, with seats that are broken, warning lights that keep flashing on, open sides and not too safe seatbelts. Pretty terrifying. Then we got used to it, and it was more like an out of control ride.
The first stop was at the beavers; Charlie, Ergo, Charlene, Charlotte. They were quite shy, but came closer when the guide we were with offered them food, they even came up onto the bank, or swam around the lake area (they had split it off by creating a 3 metre high by 10 metre long dam) and nommed on the leaves that he fed them. They were lovely, we went to have a look at their house, and walked around the river, and the guide told us all about them.
After another death ride in the jeep, we stopped off to view the black bear in the heart of the forest. There was a small viewing house we all sat in, everyone clicking their cameras frantically. It was pretty exciting, but the bear was quite far away, and we didn’t get a great view. We watched him paw food out of the massive tub (it looked like corn) which is given to them everyday by the hotel. A fox also crept into view, but thought better of it when he saw the bear and pottered off. A couple of squirrels also flitted around, stealing some corn, nomming around too. Cute.
Overall it was a really good experience, seeing some animals I probably never will see again. If anyone gets the chance to go roaming around the forests of Canada, check out for bear and beaver tours. And make sure you pick the most fallen apart jeep if you ever get to drive one. It’s definitley the most fun.
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Thunder and Lightning
I’m currently in my hotel room in Ottawa in the middle of a thunderstorm. It’s actually very exciting, lightening is flashing in the darkening sky every minute or two. It’s a pale purple/white colour and flecks across the city, lighting up the entire sky.
The thunder comes a few seconds later, along with the rain, which is gushing down, but can’t be seen from the window. It grumbles and cracks, like a grumpy noise a child makes when it doesn’t get its own way, combined with a cough of an old man. A mixture of old and new.
I’m on the eleventh floor, which gives a spectacular view of the city. Parliament building is around one side, and numerous buildings – towering skyscrapers alongside hotels, shopping centres, parking multi-storey buildings and apartment blocks, with tiny lights from windows all the way up and down, which guide the shapes, in colours of yellow, white, green, blue and red. Shining like stars, flickering like candles from a few metres away. All lit up by a single burst of flat light.
The thunder has stopped now. The light is the only thing that remains, and I can’t hear any rain whatsoever. It’s like a faulty light, that flickers on and off randomly, but can’t seem to ever decide whether it wants to be on or off. It’s weird that it’s quiet. It’s weird that there’s no rain I can hear, and nothing I see outside either, except the lightning.
People say thunderstorms are scary, I think they’re exciting. I wish there was some rain though, that would make it better. And someone to go outside and get sopping wet with.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Oreos
They're so good. I mean, you just have one, and you can't stop, you have to have another one
and another one
and then a few more.
Very morish. Just like pringles - once you pop, you just can't stop.
Also, they're really versatile, and you can put them in anything. Eat them alone, put them in cake, in cookies, milkshakes, ice cream, whatever way you like.
I've just bought 4 packs of 550g Oreos from a supermarket in Canada. Only $3.50 each, reduced from $5, what a bargain!
Another great thing abour Oreos, is that you can get them in different sizes. Regular, or the small mini packets my friend always has in his lunch box. Just as good in mini versions!
Alternatively, the way you eat Oreos is also fun. You can much them like a cracker, put them in your mouth in one go, bite it like a biscuit, tear the top off and scrape off the filling, lick the filling off... it's almost like a cream egg - how do you eat yours? :)
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