Like opening a fresh page in a journal ready to be filled, the first day of new lessons/lectures/seminars always bring the same excitement and daunting feeling that I've had since primary school. To put it mildly, I am excited about learning online magazines and how they are assembled and produced.
Magazines are such a big part of my everyday life I can scarcely imagine my life without them, but for some reason, it never really hit home that magazines are businesses too, not just glossy pages glued together by features and lists.
So it came as quite a surprise to me that although there are many magazine producing companies, there is life beyond Conde Nast and Hearst. Business magazines I'd only ever considered as advertising, and it shocked me to find out just how popular they really are.
What is interesting to one person is boring to another, and perhaps that is the reason why there is a niche in the market for just about everything. There are so many magazines waiting to be created, and that is why this opportunity for us as students is so incredible.
Generally, the sort of writing that interests me most embed themselves in circles such as fashion, health and travel, but my first initial thoughts on the creating process is trying to find a market where there is a gap that is waiting to be filled. Who has yet to find a magazine perfectly tailored to their interests and needs? When I have figured this out, it will be far easier I think to hone down some ideas that can work positively not only for marketing but also personal fulfilment.
This is a blog written by a first year Journalism student. My name is Anna-Karin Sager and this is my offloading place for all things creative and reflective.
Sunday, 28 September 2014
Tuesday, 23 September 2014
HONY: How it makes you rethink all that you have been told by the Media
If there's something I loathe, it's Facebook. Meaningless updates about trivial things like "look at my new haircut" and a huge display of relationship dramas nestled in between advertising that could not have been targeted more incorrectly. But recently, I changed my mind.
I discovered Humans of New York almost a year ago, and probably only liked the page because it was appearing popular in my network and never paid it much attention after that, until I was extremely bored one day and clicked on the link, and I have to say I probably spent at least two hours reading every. single. post.
For context, Humans of New York, now more commonly known as HONY, was created in 2010 by a photographer Brandon Stanton. He set out with a goal in mind to "make an exhaustive catalogue of New York City's inhabitants."
Soon after, HONY evolved to become a piece of journalistic brilliance made up entirely of a single portrait photograph, and a caption with a quote from the subject. Ingenious.
Though an incredibly simple concept, this organisation has blown up so massive, it's gathered a good 8 million followers on social media, including Facebook and Tumblr, in fact, the more snobby bloggers out there might be surprised to find out that the official blog for documenting this is actually Tumblr itself.
What is it about this that is so great, I hear you ask. Well, honestly, I think you need to read it to really understand the beauty in this but I will break it down as easily as I can. This blog is about people. And only people. People in their simplest, or most complicated form. It gives complete strangers a voice, a personality, favourite colours, and annoying siblings I didn't know existed. But the most incredible part of this story only began to happen a few months ago.
What was Humans of New York, is now, HONY on UN tour. For 50 days, Brandon will travel 10 countries across the globe and do what he does best. Photograph, and talk to the people there. So far his journey has consisted of Iraq, Jordan, Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ukraine, India and Vietnam. The final country hasn't been released yet.
The globalisation of this blog is not only clever, but it is incredibly brave. For a young American, he's making some serious risks by visiting war torn countries or worse still, places of past hatred for Americans and the western world alike. I cannot tell you how pleased I was to see posts from Vietnam appear, not only because I grew up there for a little while, but mostly because at least a few Americans have a distorted view on Vietnam. I find it fascinating that Brandon, an American, can sit down and talk to old men and listen to their stories from their side of the conflict, which happened on their soil, ruined their buildings and crushed their homes. Iraq, also, a place we are bombarded with propaganda about how dreadful it all is and the people are there, it's mind boggling being faced with a photograph of an elderly couple from Iraq captioned, "We just want to be together and not be afraid." HONY as humanised conflict, and as such, given a flip side to the mainstream media's accounts.
One of my favourite examples is a portrait of a man, and the caption: "After they beat me, I heard shots. And I walked to the shop next door, and found my neighbour dead on the floor. He was one of the nicest men in the town. Every day he would put out food for the cats. I would tell him: ‘You must stop feeding the cats, they are overrunning my shop.’ But he would never stop feeding them. He would tell me: ‘I have to feed them. Or they will die.’"
(Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan)"
So here are a few links, I urge you to check it out and remember, we are all people. We all break bones and have lost loves and friends we like to share pepsi with. Regardless of where we are from.
http://www.humansofnewyork.com/
https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork?fref=ts
and here is his twitter, too:
https://twitter.com/humansofny
I discovered Humans of New York almost a year ago, and probably only liked the page because it was appearing popular in my network and never paid it much attention after that, until I was extremely bored one day and clicked on the link, and I have to say I probably spent at least two hours reading every. single. post.
For context, Humans of New York, now more commonly known as HONY, was created in 2010 by a photographer Brandon Stanton. He set out with a goal in mind to "make an exhaustive catalogue of New York City's inhabitants."
Soon after, HONY evolved to become a piece of journalistic brilliance made up entirely of a single portrait photograph, and a caption with a quote from the subject. Ingenious.
Though an incredibly simple concept, this organisation has blown up so massive, it's gathered a good 8 million followers on social media, including Facebook and Tumblr, in fact, the more snobby bloggers out there might be surprised to find out that the official blog for documenting this is actually Tumblr itself.
What is it about this that is so great, I hear you ask. Well, honestly, I think you need to read it to really understand the beauty in this but I will break it down as easily as I can. This blog is about people. And only people. People in their simplest, or most complicated form. It gives complete strangers a voice, a personality, favourite colours, and annoying siblings I didn't know existed. But the most incredible part of this story only began to happen a few months ago.
What was Humans of New York, is now, HONY on UN tour. For 50 days, Brandon will travel 10 countries across the globe and do what he does best. Photograph, and talk to the people there. So far his journey has consisted of Iraq, Jordan, Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan, Ukraine, India and Vietnam. The final country hasn't been released yet.
The globalisation of this blog is not only clever, but it is incredibly brave. For a young American, he's making some serious risks by visiting war torn countries or worse still, places of past hatred for Americans and the western world alike. I cannot tell you how pleased I was to see posts from Vietnam appear, not only because I grew up there for a little while, but mostly because at least a few Americans have a distorted view on Vietnam. I find it fascinating that Brandon, an American, can sit down and talk to old men and listen to their stories from their side of the conflict, which happened on their soil, ruined their buildings and crushed their homes. Iraq, also, a place we are bombarded with propaganda about how dreadful it all is and the people are there, it's mind boggling being faced with a photograph of an elderly couple from Iraq captioned, "We just want to be together and not be afraid." HONY as humanised conflict, and as such, given a flip side to the mainstream media's accounts.
One of my favourite examples is a portrait of a man, and the caption: "After they beat me, I heard shots. And I walked to the shop next door, and found my neighbour dead on the floor. He was one of the nicest men in the town. Every day he would put out food for the cats. I would tell him: ‘You must stop feeding the cats, they are overrunning my shop.’ But he would never stop feeding them. He would tell me: ‘I have to feed them. Or they will die.’"
(Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan)"
So here are a few links, I urge you to check it out and remember, we are all people. We all break bones and have lost loves and friends we like to share pepsi with. Regardless of where we are from.
http://www.humansofnewyork.com/
https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork?fref=ts
and here is his twitter, too:
https://twitter.com/humansofny
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
So I was reminded today of something that I think about a lot, but in the last few months slowly started to forget. And what is that thing? Dailybooth.
For those of you who don't know, Dailybooth was the blog that got me into blogging, even though I'm not sure it counted as a blog. I'd describe it as a twitter with pictures, but it was so so so much more than that.
Dailybooth was a community. I was in the lucky few that managed to gather a few thousand followers during the years that I had my blog with them, and I have never felt so a part of things as I did when I "boothed".
Because, on the surface, all I did was a take a selfie and write a few pages ranting about my day or things that were on my mind or things I'd been doing or pretty much anything, but that is what made Dailybooth special to me. For me, Dailybooth gave me the opportunity to write a diary online that I could share with other people and they could feedback to me as they wished. Of course, I didn't interact with every one of my followers, but the vast majority of them I conversed with regularly. To this day in fact, two of my absolute best friends come from Dailybooth, and no, I've never met them, but without them, I've no idea where I'd be.
Dailybooth offered me a space away from my usual life and friends, somewhere to feel at home and somewhere to be appreciated. I make no secret of that all of my self esteem and self confidence was largely supplied by my lovely followers that made it their duty to keep up with me and tell me to keep writing because they loved my posts and my honesty.
In fact, I even met my boyfriend on Dailybooth. After a year of speaking we finally decided to meet and that was almost two years ago. My life as it is now would not be the same in any respect had it not been for that one website that I dedicated so many hours to updating.
For those of you who don't know, Dailybooth was the blog that got me into blogging, even though I'm not sure it counted as a blog. I'd describe it as a twitter with pictures, but it was so so so much more than that.
Dailybooth was a community. I was in the lucky few that managed to gather a few thousand followers during the years that I had my blog with them, and I have never felt so a part of things as I did when I "boothed".
Because, on the surface, all I did was a take a selfie and write a few pages ranting about my day or things that were on my mind or things I'd been doing or pretty much anything, but that is what made Dailybooth special to me. For me, Dailybooth gave me the opportunity to write a diary online that I could share with other people and they could feedback to me as they wished. Of course, I didn't interact with every one of my followers, but the vast majority of them I conversed with regularly. To this day in fact, two of my absolute best friends come from Dailybooth, and no, I've never met them, but without them, I've no idea where I'd be.
Dailybooth offered me a space away from my usual life and friends, somewhere to feel at home and somewhere to be appreciated. I make no secret of that all of my self esteem and self confidence was largely supplied by my lovely followers that made it their duty to keep up with me and tell me to keep writing because they loved my posts and my honesty.
In fact, I even met my boyfriend on Dailybooth. After a year of speaking we finally decided to meet and that was almost two years ago. My life as it is now would not be the same in any respect had it not been for that one website that I dedicated so many hours to updating.
Wednesday, 2 July 2014
How school uniforms enhance rape culture - an overview
So, there are definitely upsides to having a uniform. This is universally recognised, and believe me, I see these upsides but personally, they just don't cancel out the detrimental side. I attended a very conservative school, where it was a bigger sin to wear socks that weren't black or white than to not attend lessons, where we were banned from wearing ankle boots despite the school being located on top of a hill which was deadly when icy, and finally, where we, the girls of the school, were told showing shoulders, legs or worse was "distracting to male staff". So is this the fault of the students? Definitely not. The fault is definitely with your archaic attitudes and your over-sexualisation of normal body parts.
I think it's important to say that I haven't attended said school for over a year now. Things have undoubtedly changed, however, that doesn't mean the past should be forgotten. The reinforcement of the uniform was ,to put it mildly, vigorous. It was a regular occurence for our lessons to be interrupted for random uniform checks, where boys were virtually ignored and girls taken outside the classroom to stand in a line and teachers, male and female, would walk up the line pointing out things that were right or wrong, and if wrong, you were taken to one side and told to remove said article of clothing/make up/piercing etc.
"You aren't going to a nightclub, you're going to school." which is fair enough, were any of us dressed appropriately for a night out, however a pleated skirt and pump shoes are hardly the hottest trend for such places, and if they were, they probably wouldn't be worn all in navy blue. Besides the point, however, in a bid to get girls to stop wearing make up to school, my school actually removed all the mirrors from the girls changing rooms and toilets. To prohibit girls wearing skirts "too short" they changed them THREE times in my school career of seven years. More than once, I was threatened to be sent home if I had bare shoulders or no tights with a skirt. Fundamentally, their reasoning? Because "it harms the school's reputation, and your own." So I ask you, dear reader, why does it harm the school's reputation, if a body part of mine that have existed in our biological existence for millions of years? And more importantly, why does it damage mine? Because society says so. Who is society? Us. Who teaches society their values? Parents and teachers.
So we come to yet another problem. If girls are constantly being told they aren't good enough, by the opposite sex, their own sex, peers, the media, and what's more, by their teachers, how can we expect girls to feel about themselves? Not only is it simply impractical to wear black tights in 26 degree heat, but also entirely unnecessary. If girls were made to feel comfortable with their own bodies, without the fear that someone might god forbid find them unnattractive or unpleasant to look at, or on the contrary, sexually appealing when they are simply warm, a lot of time would have been saved that could be used to teach a valuable lesson of self-worth. There are some lessons that aren't meant to be on a timetable. And self worth is one of them.
But it is not the girls hearing this that are the greatest problem. The bigger problem, is that the boys who hear this adopt this mindset, and the idea that if a girl is showing her skin or "dressing inappropriately", that it is her fault and therefore he may treat her as he may wish. It implies that it is the girls responsibility that men do not look at her or treat her in a sexual manner.
With that said, something needs to be made abundantly clear: It is not trashy to bare your arms. It is not unnaceptable that people know you have legs and see them. It is not embarrassing for the school you attend if you admit and show the world that you have shoulders, and there is nothing wrong with them being there. It is wrong to teach girls and boys that their bodies are to be hidden away, that they are in some way shameful, that showing your body ill lead to you being taken advantage of in some way. If my body makes your male staff uncomfortable, it is not the fault of my body for being here, but rather the morals of your male staff if they can't look at a 16 year old they are supposed to be teaching and choose to see legs or shoulders or arms for what they actually are. Body parts.
I think it's important to say that I haven't attended said school for over a year now. Things have undoubtedly changed, however, that doesn't mean the past should be forgotten. The reinforcement of the uniform was ,to put it mildly, vigorous. It was a regular occurence for our lessons to be interrupted for random uniform checks, where boys were virtually ignored and girls taken outside the classroom to stand in a line and teachers, male and female, would walk up the line pointing out things that were right or wrong, and if wrong, you were taken to one side and told to remove said article of clothing/make up/piercing etc.
"You aren't going to a nightclub, you're going to school." which is fair enough, were any of us dressed appropriately for a night out, however a pleated skirt and pump shoes are hardly the hottest trend for such places, and if they were, they probably wouldn't be worn all in navy blue. Besides the point, however, in a bid to get girls to stop wearing make up to school, my school actually removed all the mirrors from the girls changing rooms and toilets. To prohibit girls wearing skirts "too short" they changed them THREE times in my school career of seven years. More than once, I was threatened to be sent home if I had bare shoulders or no tights with a skirt. Fundamentally, their reasoning? Because "it harms the school's reputation, and your own." So I ask you, dear reader, why does it harm the school's reputation, if a body part of mine that have existed in our biological existence for millions of years? And more importantly, why does it damage mine? Because society says so. Who is society? Us. Who teaches society their values? Parents and teachers.
So we come to yet another problem. If girls are constantly being told they aren't good enough, by the opposite sex, their own sex, peers, the media, and what's more, by their teachers, how can we expect girls to feel about themselves? Not only is it simply impractical to wear black tights in 26 degree heat, but also entirely unnecessary. If girls were made to feel comfortable with their own bodies, without the fear that someone might god forbid find them unnattractive or unpleasant to look at, or on the contrary, sexually appealing when they are simply warm, a lot of time would have been saved that could be used to teach a valuable lesson of self-worth. There are some lessons that aren't meant to be on a timetable. And self worth is one of them.
But it is not the girls hearing this that are the greatest problem. The bigger problem, is that the boys who hear this adopt this mindset, and the idea that if a girl is showing her skin or "dressing inappropriately", that it is her fault and therefore he may treat her as he may wish. It implies that it is the girls responsibility that men do not look at her or treat her in a sexual manner.
With that said, something needs to be made abundantly clear: It is not trashy to bare your arms. It is not unnaceptable that people know you have legs and see them. It is not embarrassing for the school you attend if you admit and show the world that you have shoulders, and there is nothing wrong with them being there. It is wrong to teach girls and boys that their bodies are to be hidden away, that they are in some way shameful, that showing your body ill lead to you being taken advantage of in some way. If my body makes your male staff uncomfortable, it is not the fault of my body for being here, but rather the morals of your male staff if they can't look at a 16 year old they are supposed to be teaching and choose to see legs or shoulders or arms for what they actually are. Body parts.
Friday, 20 June 2014
Some weird little phobias of mine
Okay, so arguably everyone has a "phobia", be it spiders, chewing gum or sharks, everyone has something that they can admit makes them a little bit scared. Here are some thing that really really freak me out:
1. Tall grass.
So I realise this is a little strange, but I spent my summers as a child in the archipelligo of Sweden. And up until a few years ago, there were less than 20 people on my entire road, and we're surrounded by woodland. Tall grass = tics, mosquitoes or worst of all, snakes.
2. As previously mentioned, I have a bit of a food phobia. I have been known to research menus in advance just to make sure there will definitely be something I like at a restaurant and yes, I am the irritating person who asks for with or without this or that. But one of the main ones is smelly food. If it smells, get it away from me, otherwise I will go into major panic and start wretching. That is not a joke. Note: Cheese and cucumber are two major ones in this. I have got better as I've got older, however.
3. Stemming on from this, mould. Especially mould on food. Do not let me see this. I can't even bring myself to Google a picture of it, I hate it that much.
1. Tall grass.
So I realise this is a little strange, but I spent my summers as a child in the archipelligo of Sweden. And up until a few years ago, there were less than 20 people on my entire road, and we're surrounded by woodland. Tall grass = tics, mosquitoes or worst of all, snakes.
2. As previously mentioned, I have a bit of a food phobia. I have been known to research menus in advance just to make sure there will definitely be something I like at a restaurant and yes, I am the irritating person who asks for with or without this or that. But one of the main ones is smelly food. If it smells, get it away from me, otherwise I will go into major panic and start wretching. That is not a joke. Note: Cheese and cucumber are two major ones in this. I have got better as I've got older, however.
3. Stemming on from this, mould. Especially mould on food. Do not let me see this. I can't even bring myself to Google a picture of it, I hate it that much.
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Lookbook
So today I was reminded of an old hobby I used to have. Now that I am officially training to be a journalist, I think it's just as well I share this on my blog.
I started Lookbook sometime in 2009. This was when I wanted to pursue a career in fashion journalism, and I thought starting a blog would get me out there. Some followers later, and I've slipped out of the habit. This is something I want to pick up again, now that deadlines are out of the way and I have time again, I really want to restart my passion for blogging before I had to do it for my degree.
Monday, 19 May 2014
We hear so much about how romance has entirely disappeared, chivalry is dead etc, but this is such an accurate reflection of how even though times will change, we're basically still the same, definitely still learning, and also that we can learn so much from those older than us. Also that I think Norwegians sound adorable.
Monday, 12 May 2014
University implements “blanket fort” to combat exam and deadline stress
FXU, Student Union for Falmouth and Exeter University, have
built a blanket fort to help students who are stressed the during exam and
deadline month of May.
The fort provides
students with a place to nap, take time out from study or just a place to get
some quiet away from the library.
Inside the fort, a “Do not panic” guide has been issued for
students who need help preparing for exams as well as do’s and don’ts in the
exam season. Students also have the opportunity to collect a snack pack
containing refreshments.
20 year old student, Jed Bullock, said: “We’re very
fortunate. Working in a relaxed environment is easier to revise in.”
The main focus of the FXU this year has been targeting
mental health issues in a bid to minimise stress and help students who suffer
from mental illnesses. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness
(NAMI), 1-in-4 people between the ages of 18 and 24 have a diagnosable mental
illness, the most common being depression and anxiety.
Friday, 9 May 2014
Meet the blogger
To start with the glaringly obvious, my name is Anna-Karin. I was not named after Anna Karenina. Karenin (a) is her surname.
I am 19 years old, and I study Journalism at Falmouth University.
I like to read books and play Sims 3. I prefer to build houses than play with actual families.
I love Lego and Harry Potter.
I am left handed.
I am the only person in my whole family that I know of to have green eyes, accidental mutation of my parents genes - sorry mum and dad.
I speak Swedish, German, Danish, Norwegian and I somehow secured a B at GCSE French.
If I hadn't gone into Journalism I probably would have done languages instead, it's probably my greatest strength.
I like foreign film and love putting the subtitles on.
I prefer ice cream to sweets.
I am allergic to mosquito bites.
I can hula hoop for over an hour.
I do yoga every day for at least half an hour in the morning and sometimes evenings too.
I know all the words to over 10 movies.
I listen to everything from Beatles' B sides to Drake. I like everything and nothing when it comes to music.
I have never eaten unmelted cheese or eggs.
I have been known to not wear any shoes all summer.
It really upsets me when people misuse their there and your and you're.
I was nicknamed "gangbang girl" at school because in PSHE some kids in my class read that Swedish people have the most threesomes in the world.
I have a real obsession with cats. My cat is called Prof. Meowington. (Legit. That is her name. No hate.)
I am a tumblr addict - http://trueatfirstlight.tumblr.com/
So now you know a bit more about me.
Things I wish they told me about University before I got there
I saw some student ambassadors showing around some potential students today and I was thinking to myself what I would want to know as a potential student for the upcoming year. So I have compiled a little list for anybody who hasn't been to Uni yet and is wondering what it's like, or, for those who have been who may agree or disagree as you please.
1. Despite paying 9,000 a year, you will never be quite sure where that money is going. Especially when you want to study, and the IT suite is full, the library is full, the coffee shop is full, the canteen is full and you're wondering why on earth you pay so much to eat your lunch on some stairs by an ant's nest.
2. Uni can be a very lonely place at times. When you ask some people how uni is going, they will gush about it until the world ends and how awesome their new friends are and the weird new experiences they've had. But I think I'm right in saying that the vast majority of people at one time or another has felt alone or secluded for whatever reason. It's important to make good new friends.
3. You will meet some absolutely ridiculous people. From people who can't tell you enough about their crazy weekend to people who are simply too good to associate themselves with you aside from their drug taking, there is every kind of person at Uni. But if you want some advice, if all someone can tell you about is how high they got last night and how much they like alternative bands, unless you're also into that kind of thing just let them ramble and pay no attention.
4. Following on from that point, before I came to Uni I had never really been exposed to drug culture. I grew up in a small town on the edge of a big city, and STILL I never really came into contact with drugs. But it seems at Uni, that's what everyone is up to - and it will always smell pretty funky around campus. Don't be afraid to say no, either. It gives you a bit of an edge - weirdly.
5. Some people have too much money, and others have none. I have no idea how Student Finance work out who gets what, but I will tell you the system is so flawed in my opinion it may as well not exist. When you are having your third bowl of plain pasta that week (and it's only Wednesday) try not to feel bitter when someone tells you about how they've just done an ASOS shop and they're getting Dominos. Again.
6. If you've just left school, leave the "teachers don't have favourite students" mentality behind. It will be glaringly obvious that lecturers definitely do have favourites in some cases. And try not to be annoyed if that person isn't you.
7.You don't appreciate normal every day things until you come to Uni. For instance, my accomodation only has plug-in internet. TV lisences will magically be the bane of your life. Nobody is there to do your washing up for you. You can't remember the last time you weren't hungry. Your bed feels like it's made of nails, and you've got a bad back again. It's all part of the experience.
8. Don't expect to do well without putting the effort in. If you don't turn up to lectures, miss deadlines, prefer to rock up late or not at all - don't be surprised when your lecturer gets offended and gives you a bad grade.
9. If you genuinely believe that "first year doesn't count" you're fairly delusional. Anybody who says this is a.) lazy or b.) naive. Or both. If you want your lecturers to think you're lazy and incapable, go ahead and waste time and money. Worth baring in mind that the lecturers you have in first year are more often than not the lecturers you have in second year - it's probably worth showing them the best you can do rather than the best you can do hungover and twenty minutes before the deadline.
10. This one only applies to Falmouth University, but you will miss your car, your parents car, ANY car... everything in Falmouth is on a hill. With steps. Steep steps. And when it's raining (which it quite often is) you will probably feel a little like Jordanna Bevan in Submarine:
1. Despite paying 9,000 a year, you will never be quite sure where that money is going. Especially when you want to study, and the IT suite is full, the library is full, the coffee shop is full, the canteen is full and you're wondering why on earth you pay so much to eat your lunch on some stairs by an ant's nest.
2. Uni can be a very lonely place at times. When you ask some people how uni is going, they will gush about it until the world ends and how awesome their new friends are and the weird new experiences they've had. But I think I'm right in saying that the vast majority of people at one time or another has felt alone or secluded for whatever reason. It's important to make good new friends.
3. You will meet some absolutely ridiculous people. From people who can't tell you enough about their crazy weekend to people who are simply too good to associate themselves with you aside from their drug taking, there is every kind of person at Uni. But if you want some advice, if all someone can tell you about is how high they got last night and how much they like alternative bands, unless you're also into that kind of thing just let them ramble and pay no attention.
4. Following on from that point, before I came to Uni I had never really been exposed to drug culture. I grew up in a small town on the edge of a big city, and STILL I never really came into contact with drugs. But it seems at Uni, that's what everyone is up to - and it will always smell pretty funky around campus. Don't be afraid to say no, either. It gives you a bit of an edge - weirdly.
5. Some people have too much money, and others have none. I have no idea how Student Finance work out who gets what, but I will tell you the system is so flawed in my opinion it may as well not exist. When you are having your third bowl of plain pasta that week (and it's only Wednesday) try not to feel bitter when someone tells you about how they've just done an ASOS shop and they're getting Dominos. Again.
6. If you've just left school, leave the "teachers don't have favourite students" mentality behind. It will be glaringly obvious that lecturers definitely do have favourites in some cases. And try not to be annoyed if that person isn't you.
7.You don't appreciate normal every day things until you come to Uni. For instance, my accomodation only has plug-in internet. TV lisences will magically be the bane of your life. Nobody is there to do your washing up for you. You can't remember the last time you weren't hungry. Your bed feels like it's made of nails, and you've got a bad back again. It's all part of the experience.
8. Don't expect to do well without putting the effort in. If you don't turn up to lectures, miss deadlines, prefer to rock up late or not at all - don't be surprised when your lecturer gets offended and gives you a bad grade.
10. This one only applies to Falmouth University, but you will miss your car, your parents car, ANY car... everything in Falmouth is on a hill. With steps. Steep steps. And when it's raining (which it quite often is) you will probably feel a little like Jordanna Bevan in Submarine:
What Journalism do I want to go into?
In short - I have no idea. I don't even know whether I'll end up a journalist after my degree. Not for a lack of want, but you don't know where you might end up, and I like to just kind of jump into things and hope I end up somewhere good. I have wanted to be a fashion journalist as long as I can remember, but in reality, it's a very competitive industry with no room for self doubt. Which isn't much of a problem, I'm fairly confident in my abilities as a student, I work hard and I aim to deliver the best that I can offer. But is it what I really want?
Which is when I came across this documentary. I love Swedish House Mafia. It saddens me greatly that I never got to experience sensation white just because I was under 18 before they disbanded. But this is exactly the kind of thing I would love to do. Documentaries, though I have no experience with them whatsoever, interest me massively. I love watching documentaries, and doing a documentary on something you're really interested in, like your favourite musicians, models, inspirational people, controversial topics, isn't that the dream?
Which is when I came across this documentary. I love Swedish House Mafia. It saddens me greatly that I never got to experience sensation white just because I was under 18 before they disbanded. But this is exactly the kind of thing I would love to do. Documentaries, though I have no experience with them whatsoever, interest me massively. I love watching documentaries, and doing a documentary on something you're really interested in, like your favourite musicians, models, inspirational people, controversial topics, isn't that the dream?
Feature Writing
I have been an avid reader of Vogue since I was fourteen. I've collected them since I turned 14, when my aunty subscribed me, and I have not yet stopped that subscription. My room is home to a stack of just over four years worth of Vogue magazines, as well as a couple collectors versions from the early 90s that I found in our loft that my mum had read and hidden away. And if there's one thing Vogue is full of (apart from advertising) it's features.
And so I was absolutely thrilled to find out we'd be doing feature writing this term. FINALLY a chance to express some creativity. Confined to the chains of news writing for the first term (Yes, I think of it in such brutal measures) I was so happy to finally be let off the reigns and extend my interests a little bit.
And that is what feature writing is to me. The interviewing process is so much more relaxed, it's a conversation that I have to pay close attention to. I am proud of the work I've produced this term, especially feature writing, I put 100 % into getting the perfect angle on my profile piece and really getting all I could out of the interview.
All I can say is, it's definitely more my thing than news writing was.
All I can say is, it's definitely more my thing than news writing was.
Thursday, 8 May 2014
Sub-Editing: the ins and outs of why compliments are not complements, but are they complimentary?
This term has focused on two things in my Writing For The Media module: feature writing, and Sub-Editing.
When we first started sub-editing, I was like:
aaaaaaaand then I learnt that basically everything I had been taught throughout my entire school career was basically bogus and entirely incorrect and there was in fact a whole other way that journalists use grammar in their writing. So then I was like:
And then it continued, and despite getting the hang of it quite quickly, I was forced to take a step back, listen properly, and then admit to myself:
When we first started sub-editing, I was like:
aaaaaaaand then I learnt that basically everything I had been taught throughout my entire school career was basically bogus and entirely incorrect and there was in fact a whole other way that journalists use grammar in their writing. So then I was like:
And then it continued, and despite getting the hang of it quite quickly, I was forced to take a step back, listen properly, and then admit to myself:
Monday, 5 May 2014
Vikings review
Another review, and I wasn't going to do another, but I simply HAVE to share this series with you. Whether you know anything about the Vikings or not, this is the most historically accurate and amazing television series I have seen since The Tudors. And yes, I loved that too.
So, the Vikings is a series written by Michael Hirst, a Canadian. Despite being filmed in Canada, I can confirm that they have done extremely well making the set and generally Scandinavian landscape look realistic. The only slip up I saw was the colour of the sea, the Baltic tends to be a little darker than the North sea but if you don't know, you wouldn't notice.
The Vikings, as you probably guessed, is about Vikings. It follows Ragnar Lothbrok on his journey to England for the first time, and a story unfolds as the clans begin to separate and fight amongst themselves back home in Scandinavia. The King of Wessex too is less than pleased about Ragnar's arrival, and even less pleased about Ragnar's love of pillaging villagers and destroying land. But it is so much more than just a few family feuds and battles.
The best thing about this series, as mentioned earlier, is the accuracy. I am so fed up of wishy washy rubbish television series becoming fads that people cling to as a conversation starter, and believe me I was reluctant to start watching this. But the actors do an amazing job of pulling off real Viking tradition, behaviour and even manner. As far as I am aware, only a very small portion of the actors are native Scandinavians, (not to name drop but Gustaf Skarsgård is in it) but they all pull it off SO well. The accents are impeccable, I was expecting something nearer to the guy in Woody Woodpecker who says "Sveedish Meatballs" all the time but I was pleasantly surprised.
This is gory, it's ruthless, and sometimes quite disgusting. But it has to be. The Vikings weren't fairies and they didn't hang about, and this depicts their lifestyle and journey to England exactly as it would have been. I was so impressed by this I have gushed about it to every friend that will listen to me, and now, dear followers, I will gush about it to you. WATCH IT.
The inner feminist in me absolutely loves how kick-ass the women in this are as well. They don't beat about the bush, and they don't attempt to combat the Swedes-love-sex myth, they embrace it. In fact, there's a comical bit where a young English duchess is commenting on how the Norseman love their sex and "treat their women right", which I found to be very amusing.
So, the Vikings is a series written by Michael Hirst, a Canadian. Despite being filmed in Canada, I can confirm that they have done extremely well making the set and generally Scandinavian landscape look realistic. The only slip up I saw was the colour of the sea, the Baltic tends to be a little darker than the North sea but if you don't know, you wouldn't notice.
The Vikings, as you probably guessed, is about Vikings. It follows Ragnar Lothbrok on his journey to England for the first time, and a story unfolds as the clans begin to separate and fight amongst themselves back home in Scandinavia. The King of Wessex too is less than pleased about Ragnar's arrival, and even less pleased about Ragnar's love of pillaging villagers and destroying land. But it is so much more than just a few family feuds and battles.
The best thing about this series, as mentioned earlier, is the accuracy. I am so fed up of wishy washy rubbish television series becoming fads that people cling to as a conversation starter, and believe me I was reluctant to start watching this. But the actors do an amazing job of pulling off real Viking tradition, behaviour and even manner. As far as I am aware, only a very small portion of the actors are native Scandinavians, (not to name drop but Gustaf Skarsgård is in it) but they all pull it off SO well. The accents are impeccable, I was expecting something nearer to the guy in Woody Woodpecker who says "Sveedish Meatballs" all the time but I was pleasantly surprised.
This is gory, it's ruthless, and sometimes quite disgusting. But it has to be. The Vikings weren't fairies and they didn't hang about, and this depicts their lifestyle and journey to England exactly as it would have been. I was so impressed by this I have gushed about it to every friend that will listen to me, and now, dear followers, I will gush about it to you. WATCH IT.
The inner feminist in me absolutely loves how kick-ass the women in this are as well. They don't beat about the bush, and they don't attempt to combat the Swedes-love-sex myth, they embrace it. In fact, there's a comical bit where a young English duchess is commenting on how the Norseman love their sex and "treat their women right", which I found to be very amusing.
Some Tumblr stuff that was useful and funny
I'm a proud internet addict. My main addiction is Tumblr, because I am not a typical whiny teenager of the '00s (note the sarcasm). But actually, I would just like to defend Tumblr for a minute, because despite the lack of punctuation, obsession with kittens and NSFW content, I have learnt so much from it. So when I came across this post, I had to share it. (http://ggeowizard.tumblr.com/post/75631561967 in case the link is broken)
Not only is this incredibly powerful, but it's so simple that it reminds you that we take the Google search engine for granted. Not only has this been a massive part of what I've been learning this term in terms of sub-editing (using keywords in headlines, etc) but what the search engine provides is a brief look into what people are searching for and the fact that there are answers to some of those questions/statements astounds me. But then again, it is the internet.
Not only is this incredibly powerful, but it's so simple that it reminds you that we take the Google search engine for granted. Not only has this been a massive part of what I've been learning this term in terms of sub-editing (using keywords in headlines, etc) but what the search engine provides is a brief look into what people are searching for and the fact that there are answers to some of those questions/statements astounds me. But then again, it is the internet.
To end on a lighter note, I also found this yesterday:
A bit of a satirical view on the rubbish headline and news today. I hope if I ever end up with a job describing whether I can see Rihanna's nipples or not I will write a headline as hilarious as these.
Sunday, 27 April 2014
Movie review: Her - Spike Jonze
I will admit it, when my boyfriend told me about this movie when it first came out in the cinema, I wasn't very impressed. Maybe it was the way he described it, or just my cynical nature coming through, but whatever it was, it was with great reluctance that I accompanied him to see it. And I couldn't have been more wrong.
Everything about this movie is impressive. Without exaggeration, I would watch this film a hundred times over and still probably not find anything to hate about it.
Her is a film directed and written by Spike Jonze, about a man named Theodore in the final stages of his divorce with his childhood sweetheart. Lonely, he turns to a new operating system (the film is futuristic) called OS1 for companionship, and his relationship with new found "friend" Samantha (Scarlett Johansson) increases and develops. Without giving you any spoilers, this film depicts perfectly how introverts on the internet feel about the friends and slightly more than friends they make.
Although filmed in Shanghai, the film is set in Los Angeles. The shots of this film are incredible, pale pastels set against startling brightness ocasionally makes for the most aesthetically pleasing cinematic experience I have had to date.
This movie contrasts the relationships we go through in life. Friends, family, co-workers, childhood sweethearts - and the question we are forced to ask ourselves for the first time since the explosion of technology, can you really love somebody you have never met?
Saturday, 26 April 2014
Some ramblings about Ukraine
So with all the mass hysteria that has been circulating recently thanks to Putin and Ukraine and god knows what else, I thought my blog was due a post on my own thoughts about the matter.
My parents met in Moscow in the 80s, my mother did a French and Russian degree, my father was based there for almost fifteen years... there was no way I'd ever escape Russia as a conversational topic. To make matters worse, my school decided to ruin my year 13 leisure time with Russian history from Alexander the 2nd until Khrushchev, and what a bundle of larks that was (Partially sarcastic, I did find it very interesting).
However, for those of you who feel somewhat confused or befuddled by the whole situation, I suggest you look at this:
This is a video explained by John Green in relatively simple terms what the problems are/were, and John Green may just be my favourite YouTuber by a slight margin.
When I arrived in Sweden with my dad, we got into a taxi and immediately my dad picked up on his Ukrainian accent. My inner journalist was bursting with questions and, after I overcame my shy tendancies, pretty much asked his life story. Originally from Kiev, married to a Russian-Ukrainian woman, he had so many stories and opinions on the matter to tell me. It was interesting hearing things first hand, and actually really sad to hear that his family were still back in Kiev, and needless to say, the poor man was very worried about them.
It just goes to show, it's worth getting to know strangers sometimes. Everyone has stories, you need only ask for them. And what a wonderful stroke of luck it was that I met him, because otherwise, this post might never have come into existence.
My parents met in Moscow in the 80s, my mother did a French and Russian degree, my father was based there for almost fifteen years... there was no way I'd ever escape Russia as a conversational topic. To make matters worse, my school decided to ruin my year 13 leisure time with Russian history from Alexander the 2nd until Khrushchev, and what a bundle of larks that was (Partially sarcastic, I did find it very interesting).
However, for those of you who feel somewhat confused or befuddled by the whole situation, I suggest you look at this:
This is a video explained by John Green in relatively simple terms what the problems are/were, and John Green may just be my favourite YouTuber by a slight margin.
When I arrived in Sweden with my dad, we got into a taxi and immediately my dad picked up on his Ukrainian accent. My inner journalist was bursting with questions and, after I overcame my shy tendancies, pretty much asked his life story. Originally from Kiev, married to a Russian-Ukrainian woman, he had so many stories and opinions on the matter to tell me. It was interesting hearing things first hand, and actually really sad to hear that his family were still back in Kiev, and needless to say, the poor man was very worried about them.
It just goes to show, it's worth getting to know strangers sometimes. Everyone has stories, you need only ask for them. And what a wonderful stroke of luck it was that I met him, because otherwise, this post might never have come into existence.
Friday, 25 April 2014
Some photographs
Hello again people of the internet! Firstly, a strange phenomenon has come to my attention that my blog has been viewed in fourteen countries across the glove! This is a.) very exciting and b.) a little bit scary but nonetheless, hello to you all wherever you may find yourself today.
So, after a series of not so pleasant events in my personal life, I somehow found myself in reasonable amount of despair in my bedroom back home when I saw in the corner of my eye, my hardrive from my first laptop. The nostalgia that burst through my veins was somewhat cancelled out by the sheer embarrassment of rereading my chat logs from MSN, some barely even readable due to the amount of emotiocon-ing and various other horrendous spelling mistakes but it was very very funny. However, what I would like to share with you today are in fact photographs.
I have always been a keen photographer. Upon recieving my first disposable camera at age seven, I have been obsessed by cameras - and that is not an exaggeration. I am fairly proud of my 4,103 photos on my phone that clog up my data usage, and my multiple SD cards full of random photographs I have taken over the years.
Anyway, here are a few of my favourites with some descritions beneath. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, it is now more clear to me than ever how lucky I am to have such beautiful places to call home in my life
So with these few examples, I can tell you that I am beyond excited to start my Photo Journalism module in September. (Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!)
So, after a series of not so pleasant events in my personal life, I somehow found myself in reasonable amount of despair in my bedroom back home when I saw in the corner of my eye, my hardrive from my first laptop. The nostalgia that burst through my veins was somewhat cancelled out by the sheer embarrassment of rereading my chat logs from MSN, some barely even readable due to the amount of emotiocon-ing and various other horrendous spelling mistakes but it was very very funny. However, what I would like to share with you today are in fact photographs.
I have always been a keen photographer. Upon recieving my first disposable camera at age seven, I have been obsessed by cameras - and that is not an exaggeration. I am fairly proud of my 4,103 photos on my phone that clog up my data usage, and my multiple SD cards full of random photographs I have taken over the years.
Anyway, here are a few of my favourites with some descritions beneath. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, it is now more clear to me than ever how lucky I am to have such beautiful places to call home in my life
 |
| This was taken on my birthday in 2012, and it's the lake in front of my house, on the opposite side to the one below. September Sweden is incredibly beautiful, and this captures for me exactly what an ideal autumn looks like. |
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This was taken on self timer in 2011 by me in my back garden in Stockholm, Sweden. The sky is looking particularly beautiful in this photograph, and I think this encapsulates the long Swedish summer days very well. |
 | |
| So before houses started springing up all over the place on my street in Sweden, it used to be very common to see these little furry garden destructors. And although they are a nuisance and my elderly neighbours have a personal vendetta against them for eating their azaleas, they really are cute in person. |
So with these few examples, I can tell you that I am beyond excited to start my Photo Journalism module in September. (Ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!)
Thursday, 27 March 2014
Recipe/Dinner inspiration, Wagamama inspired Teriyaki Chicken with Spring Onion and Sesame Seeds
Japanese food is easily one of my favourite kinds of food. Not only is
it very rich, simple and tasty, but I always feel really good after
eating it, mainly because of the multiple vitamins and omega 3 available
through the dishes. Therefore, I would like to share with you a recipe I
have that is nutritious and delicious, but won't have you endlessly
snacking or reaching for the junk food because you're still hungry.
You will need:
~ coconut oil
~ one chicken breast, sliced or diced
~ baby spinach
~ one spring onion
~ half a carrot, grated
~ rice, any kind will do )although obviously brown rice is a healthier option)
~ handful of sesame seeds
~ Wagamama teriyaki sauce, available at most supermarkets
1. Melt some coconut oil in a pan/wok (N.B you can use any oil you like, I use coconut oil because it adds a sweet flavour to the chicken and is packed with healthy fats and the health benefits of replacing regular olive oil with coconut are numerous), and brown the chicken until cooked. You will know chicken is cooked as the liquid will run clear from the meat when it is no longer raw.
2. Make rice the Thai way! Instead of boiling rice Western style, instead, wash the rice twice in the pan before cooking until the water is clear and not cloudy. Drain the water from the rice and refill the pan until it reaches the second finger joint above your fingernail. Put on full heat until it boils, and immediately put the heat down to the lowest available to you. Put a lid on it, and leave to steam for just over or under ten minutes depending on how much rice you are cooking.
2. Whilst you are waiting for the rice to steam, grate the carrot and chop up the spring onion finely. Wash the spinach leaves before you eat them, even if they are organic.
4. Finally, add the Teriyaki sauce to the chicken, along with a handful of sesame seeds and stir fry until the sauce is hot. Make a bed of rice, place your veggies around it and add the chicken and spring onion.
5. Bon appetit!
Hello there! Quick apology for the lack of posts recently but the joy
and frivolity of having Easter holidays has somewhat taken over my life
and after seeing numerous members of my friends family etc I finally
have some time to do my favourite past time (besides playing Sims 3 and
eating soup.) - blogging!
So really, a bit of a catch up post on the most recent happenings. I spent the weekend in Cheltenham with my boyfriend, where I was reunited with my favourite chain restaurant Nando's (I am a modern cliche template and after being in Cornwall where there are NO popular chain restaurants besides Pizza Express and Prezzo I was pretty delighted) and we went exploring a little bit. During my Cheltenham adventures, we stumbled accross a vintage book shop which was any bookworm's dream. It was a heaven for those who are book inclined and history inclined too, because when I was digging around in there we managed to find three stacks of National Geographic magazines that date back as far as the late '50s. This probably sounds somewhat mundane to you but let me shatter the illusion and tell you that I was absolutely beside myself with excitement. Amidst my rummaging I found lots of old advertising from the '60s, mainly Coca Cola adverts and Kelloggs and cameras (as shown below),
So really, a bit of a catch up post on the most recent happenings. I spent the weekend in Cheltenham with my boyfriend, where I was reunited with my favourite chain restaurant Nando's (I am a modern cliche template and after being in Cornwall where there are NO popular chain restaurants besides Pizza Express and Prezzo I was pretty delighted) and we went exploring a little bit. During my Cheltenham adventures, we stumbled accross a vintage book shop which was any bookworm's dream. It was a heaven for those who are book inclined and history inclined too, because when I was digging around in there we managed to find three stacks of National Geographic magazines that date back as far as the late '50s. This probably sounds somewhat mundane to you but let me shatter the illusion and tell you that I was absolutely beside myself with excitement. Amidst my rummaging I found lots of old advertising from the '60s, mainly Coca Cola adverts and Kelloggs and cameras (as shown below),
as well as finding the 1963 edition which was dedicated to J.F Kennedy's
funeral. Pardon the phrase, but it was history porn at its very best
(for those of you who don't know what it is, if you're a history
enthusiast you may wish to go to: http://www.reddit.com/r/HistoryPorn).
Not only that, but the finicky and fussy side of me was aesthetically
pleased to see bookshelves dedicated to Penguin books based on the
colour of their spines. Not as cool, of course, but still made for a good
picture.
And to end this post on my Cheltenham adventures, a quick stroll to the
park made for smiles the whole walk home as I came across the most
beautiful blossoming trees. SPRING IS HERE. I could not be more excited to
see more flowers bloom and with it, the arrival of summer.
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
On being dual nationality in England.
Hello bloggers and people of the internet... bit of a controversial topic today, but I want to cover it because it's something I have lived with my whole life, and something that I will live with as long as I live in this country. Most people reading this will probably think, "you're European, how bad can it be?" and this is not a pity post in any way, nor is it propaganda of any sort. I just want to share my experiences as a non Englishman in England in the west country, which obviously differs from other parts.
To add a bit of context to this post, I am a dual national of both England and Sweden. I was born in England, but have never felt like I belonged here. This is for a multiple of reasons, some personal and others I think a lot of people experience throughout their lives. But one of the main reasons for this is despite half of my heritage being English (my mother's family), it is almost impossible for me to do any kind of banking, signing up to anything, etc. My Student Finance University application was made immeasurably difficult due to my father's Swedish nationality. Where most people from my school simply had to get their parents to sign and help them through their application, I had to translate several documents of tax papers and prove my identity and home address (despite having lived here since I was four years old) twice as much as my fellow students.
To contribute to that problem, opening a bank account was equally if not more difficult. Having a Swedish passport has done me no favours in this country, not only does it receive a slight frown on arrival in the country but it is automatically dismissed by banks as valid id without THREE different documents for proof of address. I ask you, is that necessary for somebody who has lived here over 15 years, even having gone through the English education system? I don't think so.
But these are problems that have occurred in the later part of my life. I don't think I have met many people who haven't at least at one point asked me if I like Swedish meatballs or if I can say something to them in Swedish. This isn't much of a problem for me, I am incredibly proud of my heritage - on both sides - but this does grow to be very tiresome. Understandably, people are curious. They want to know things. But what DOES annoy me, and sadly this happens a lot, is when people are blatantly ignorant. A great deal of people I know couldn't even point out Sweden on a map yet manage to berate me on how high the suicide rate is there - which FYI is a myth, and has been proved wrong because of the differing legal opinions on what constitutes suicide but that's another story.
Another more comical "side effect" if you like of being Swedish is that the minute people know, they quite often start singing Abba. As if that's the best thing to come out of Sweden. But again, ignorantly, many people have no idea that a plethora of everyday things are in fact Swedish inventions, such as the seatbelt, Celsius, dynamite, TetraPak, and the list goes on...
So just to sum up, being a dual national is not always the most enjoyable experience in England. When you aren't being made fun of you're often trying hard to prove you aren't trying to blight England with your presence... but ultimately, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm very proud to be both English and Swedish, and identify more as a Swede - yes I can be reserved, like the cold and definitely like meatballs. But just as a side note, no my house is not made from Ikea items. I wish.
To add a bit of context to this post, I am a dual national of both England and Sweden. I was born in England, but have never felt like I belonged here. This is for a multiple of reasons, some personal and others I think a lot of people experience throughout their lives. But one of the main reasons for this is despite half of my heritage being English (my mother's family), it is almost impossible for me to do any kind of banking, signing up to anything, etc. My Student Finance University application was made immeasurably difficult due to my father's Swedish nationality. Where most people from my school simply had to get their parents to sign and help them through their application, I had to translate several documents of tax papers and prove my identity and home address (despite having lived here since I was four years old) twice as much as my fellow students.
To contribute to that problem, opening a bank account was equally if not more difficult. Having a Swedish passport has done me no favours in this country, not only does it receive a slight frown on arrival in the country but it is automatically dismissed by banks as valid id without THREE different documents for proof of address. I ask you, is that necessary for somebody who has lived here over 15 years, even having gone through the English education system? I don't think so.
But these are problems that have occurred in the later part of my life. I don't think I have met many people who haven't at least at one point asked me if I like Swedish meatballs or if I can say something to them in Swedish. This isn't much of a problem for me, I am incredibly proud of my heritage - on both sides - but this does grow to be very tiresome. Understandably, people are curious. They want to know things. But what DOES annoy me, and sadly this happens a lot, is when people are blatantly ignorant. A great deal of people I know couldn't even point out Sweden on a map yet manage to berate me on how high the suicide rate is there - which FYI is a myth, and has been proved wrong because of the differing legal opinions on what constitutes suicide but that's another story.
Another more comical "side effect" if you like of being Swedish is that the minute people know, they quite often start singing Abba. As if that's the best thing to come out of Sweden. But again, ignorantly, many people have no idea that a plethora of everyday things are in fact Swedish inventions, such as the seatbelt, Celsius, dynamite, TetraPak, and the list goes on...
So just to sum up, being a dual national is not always the most enjoyable experience in England. When you aren't being made fun of you're often trying hard to prove you aren't trying to blight England with your presence... but ultimately, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm very proud to be both English and Swedish, and identify more as a Swede - yes I can be reserved, like the cold and definitely like meatballs. But just as a side note, no my house is not made from Ikea items. I wish.
Saturday, 18 January 2014
Some ramblings to update
Happy New Year people of the internet! This is a bit of a rambling post but bare with me, it's a little bit of everything and more so hopefully after I've got the rambling and catch up post out of the way I can go back to posting slightly more interesting things.
So, firstly, New Years Resolutions. I have kept my three New Years Resolutions from last year as I feel I lost sight of them somewhat along with the crazy journey that occurred, and although they are not extremely complex I am already struggling.
1.) Be more organised - I have always been a very disorganized person. My room looks something along the lines of a bomb explosion scene in a bad action movie and I have no sense of writing things down. It's a habit I have had throughout my whole life, much to my parents disdain. (To make matters more humorous, my father is ex navy and I'm sure you can imagine how much he loves disorganisation.) The amount of report cards I had throughout my entire school career with "BE MORE ORGANISED" in block capitals is more than I'd like to mention... so I want to change that, at least a tiny bit, if only to make life a little easier for myself.
2.) Drink more water - I will confess, I go through stages of being very health conscious and I succeed for a few months and as soon as I see a bit of progress fall back to old habits. I want to conquer this one though, as there are just way too many benefits of drinking more water to waste time consuming sugary drinks when I may as well eat blocks of sugar (which again, incidentally is something I still do. Never leave sugar cubes lying around as I will eat them. Shameful I know.)
3.) Be on time - You could argue this comes under being more organised, but er...I'm always late. I could blame it on a lot of things but I confess it is usually due to laziness or the transport system of Britain. Both are in need of desperate alteration.
So there we have my New Years resolutions, and I will maybe update you all on how they are going if that is not too tedious a topic in the future. In further news, I've recently received two very good marks back from my lecturers at university, and of course my motivation has sky rocketed due to this. Nothing spurs me on more than success, I'm not someone to be motivated by failure. Needless to say, one cannot succeed all the time but when I do, it makes me adamant to succeed again.
So, firstly, New Years Resolutions. I have kept my three New Years Resolutions from last year as I feel I lost sight of them somewhat along with the crazy journey that occurred, and although they are not extremely complex I am already struggling.
1.) Be more organised - I have always been a very disorganized person. My room looks something along the lines of a bomb explosion scene in a bad action movie and I have no sense of writing things down. It's a habit I have had throughout my whole life, much to my parents disdain. (To make matters more humorous, my father is ex navy and I'm sure you can imagine how much he loves disorganisation.) The amount of report cards I had throughout my entire school career with "BE MORE ORGANISED" in block capitals is more than I'd like to mention... so I want to change that, at least a tiny bit, if only to make life a little easier for myself.
2.) Drink more water - I will confess, I go through stages of being very health conscious and I succeed for a few months and as soon as I see a bit of progress fall back to old habits. I want to conquer this one though, as there are just way too many benefits of drinking more water to waste time consuming sugary drinks when I may as well eat blocks of sugar (which again, incidentally is something I still do. Never leave sugar cubes lying around as I will eat them. Shameful I know.)
3.) Be on time - You could argue this comes under being more organised, but er...I'm always late. I could blame it on a lot of things but I confess it is usually due to laziness or the transport system of Britain. Both are in need of desperate alteration.
So there we have my New Years resolutions, and I will maybe update you all on how they are going if that is not too tedious a topic in the future. In further news, I've recently received two very good marks back from my lecturers at university, and of course my motivation has sky rocketed due to this. Nothing spurs me on more than success, I'm not someone to be motivated by failure. Needless to say, one cannot succeed all the time but when I do, it makes me adamant to succeed again.
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