We did, indeed, do it right...

Thrilling wasn’t it?

Though unthinkable a mere four weeks earlier, this was an outcome that was only ever dreamt of and never expected.

A nation of doubters sat perched, awaiting their opportunity to pounce – it never came. Although sparse to begin with, the medals eventually began to flow – and flow they most certainly did.

The transformation was complete; from apprehension and doubt to pride and content in the space of three short weeks.

As the flame grew in stature, so did the status of the games and the expectations of the world. But instead of folding like a flimsy tower of cards, London stood strong and simply embraced this once in a lifetime experience.

Three weeks in which a nation was inspired. Three weeks in which a nation came together. Three weeks in which heroes were those chasing dreams, not money or headlines.

To inspire a generation was the aim and although a long-term project, the foundations have been firmly fixed.

Olympic fever is sure to linger for a number of months, but when it does eventually fade, we will be left with a generation of athletes motivated and inspired to emulate the heroes of this marvellous event.

All this is a sign that Britain’s doubt was severely misplaced. Handed the responsibility of the greatest show on earth, we delivered the greatest show on earth, without the slightest scratch to taint its reputation.

But this must only be the beginning. Funding must continue, participation must increase and the legacy of London 2012 must burn with the flame that started it all.

But participation MUST be competitive. Gone are the days of ‘the taking part’ being the only thing that counts - winning is so important. Children must learn to lose before they can prevail and they must understand that any victory must be worked for. This isn’t only a lesson in sport, but a lesson in life. Winning and losing is a major part of everyday life and relates to everything we do.

There are few lessons that can be learnt from the USA, but in this case we must take note of a transatlantic trademark – swagger.

A confidence in our ability to deliver on the biggest of stages; an element of certainty that everything can, and will run smoothly.

Ignore the razzmatazz of US sport - that can be left well alone. But take note of their positivity, their attitude towards ceasing the moment.

As the sun sets on London 2012 and a record tally of medals for Team GB, let us reflect on the greatest three weeks in British sporting history.

We welcomed the world and the world came. We expected so little but delivered so much. We promised the greatest show on earth and let nobody down.

At the opening ceremony, Seb Coe said: “One day, we will tell our children and our grandchildren that when our time came, we did it right.”

We did indeed, do it right. 

Hmmm, its got to be somewhere around here...

Ambrose Pierce once said that: ‘War is a way of teaching Americans geography.’ The Americans, being their malapert selves, have recently set out to disprove this statement, in the way of a severe geographical error. It turns out that the one of the most dominant news companies, in the world’s most powerful country is not completely sure of where they invaded.

In a report on the recent goings on in the Middle East, Fox News showed a map of the troubled areas. The places they were highlighting were Iran, Syria and Israel; but sitting in between them, in a place that many of us will know as Iraq, was a territory labelled as Egypt. I’m not claiming to be a devout studier of the world atlas, but you’d think that if you had invaded somewhere like Iraq, or had dealings with a place like Egypt, you might just know where in the world they are.

So it would appear that war is not a way of teaching Americans’ geography. But why would they care? America is currently (maybe not for much longer) the world’s only superpower and in the minds of their super-sized citizens, they are the only country that matters. I mean, how many countries stage a world series consisting of just themselves?

Have a look at the picture of this monumental cock-up at the top of the page. I know I shouldn’t be at all surprised and maybe I’m not, I’m not sure what I feel, scared I think.

Getting it off my chest...

Exam periods are always a stressful time, whether it’s GCSE, A level or University exams. As many of us know, when you’re stressed, it’s very easy to become irritated by the smallest things. So, for my first blog of 2011 (blame the exams) I am going to list the things that have really pissed me off recently.

Firstly, as cynical and often outspoken as I may seem, I do in fact have a sympathetic side. But it has its limits. I don’t wish divorce on anyone and understand it can be a traumatic time. But I am so sick to death, fed up, annoyed and bored of hearing about Katie F***ing Price! Every time I browse the newspaper shelf of any shop I die more than a little inside. ‘Katie fights back.’ ‘Katie wants Peter back.’ ‘Jordan on verge of breakdown.’ I must admit the latter is my favourite. I propose a ban on Katie Price, aka Jordan news for the foreseeable future. Until the fateful day she leaves this world and moves on to irritate everyone in the next.

Success and fame is hard to come by, maybe not as hard as it used to be, but still requires a little bit of work. So anyone that manages to get a record deal in the music industry or release a chart topping song I have an element of respect for. But there is a distinct difference between having respect for someone and being so obsessed that I’d pay to watch a film about them. So I was less than thrilled to see adverts and billboards promoting Justin Biebers’ new film. Of course it is a very touching story, the whole ‘American dream’ element makes it very touching (even if he is Canadian.’) As for his book, I’ve touched on this topic before, but what can he possibly have to write about? He’s 17 years old. Admittedly, not your normal 17 year old but still...

Finally, I enjoy keeping fit. I play regular sport, I eat relatively healthily (as far as a student diet goes) and I go to the gym. I think an I-Pod is a must have when it comes to going to the gym. It takes your mind off the ache in your legs, or how tired you are and allows you to work hard in a relaxing manner. But its main use is to block out the incredibly irritating grunting that goes on in the weights room. The fact that you have 50kg on each side of the bar demonstrates to me that you’re quite strong and obviously work very hard. But please, less of the god awful noises that make the gym sound more like the Wimbledon women’s final (between the Williams bro...I mean sisters). Also, when choosing the appropriate attire for the gym, wear either a vest or a t-shirt; don’t roll you sleeves up, especially when doing bicep curls...get over yourself.

Ahhh, that feels better.

The Power of People

What is the most powerful thing in the world?

Money? Influence? Or is it people? Recent happenings in the world, most namely Egypt would demonstrate that it is in fact, the latter. The power of protest is immeasurable; even the strongest of regimes is vulnerable.

It just makes you wonder how different things could have been, had the student population of the UK had kept things as calm as the Egyptians did. I’m not saying that merely standing their ground in the capital would have convinced the powers that be to keep tuition fees as they were, but smashing up London and attacking royalty probably wasn’t the best idea.

As encouraging as it is for world democracy, it’s also very worrying; especially for governments. A protest, (conducted in the correct manner of course) can make very dramatic changes.

The people of Egypt were protesting for democracy, something that many of us take for granted. Anyone who has the right to vote should exercise it.  

Puzzles, Shells and Reminiscing...

 

“Who in the world am I? Ah, that’s the great puzzle.” Lewis Carroll.

Finding out who you are is a crucial element in the pursuit of happiness and fulfilment, but once you’ve achieved this, it is more important to release everything that you are; to be yourself.  

By this I mean breaking out of your shell, revealing your personality. For most of us, how far out of our shell we go, depends entirely on the situation and/or environment we are in. At home, we are likely to be open and comfortable with our natural actions and personality, whereas when we are placed in a new situation we are more likely to retract into our protective coating and reveal only the bare minimum. As the situation and environment becomes more of a regular occurrence, we begin to leave parts of our shell behind, until it has been completely discarded; surplus to requirements.

This first term at University has demonstrated this process throughout. Fresher’s week was a case of poking your head out to say your name, where you’re from and one interesting thing about you (much like those awful ‘icebreaker’ exercises which make you feel more uncomfortable than when the ice was left untouched) before frantically sipping your drink, knowing that as the glass gets emptier, things get a lot more comfortable and you’re willing to tell almost anything.

As the weeks have passed by at a very intimidating speed, people have become cosy in each other’s company and completely natural in the environment. This growth of comfort has enabled good friendships to blossom, some that could develop into strong bonds that last a life time. We all know that these friendships will rarely come close to replacing or even matching our relationships with friends back home, but they dig the foundations for a home, away from home.

It’s amazing how quickly someone that you have just met becomes a good friend, someone that you can trust and confide in. We all have our highs and lows; everyone has experienced the vertigo of fresher’s fortnight; right down to the murky depths of having no money and more than enough work. It’s when somebody notices that you’re feeling down, without hint or cue that you realise they’re a friend.

This term has been incredible. I’ve learned so much academically, but far more in life education. Unfortunately there isn’t an exercise book or any academic sources for the latter, but that’s half the fun. At least you don’t have to reference it.

So, Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat and if anyone wants to chuck a penny in this young man’s’ hat, that would be most appreciated. The only negative that overshadows this term is the sorry state of my finances. If it wasn’t for the Royal Bank of Mum and Dad bailing me out here and there I could well be malnourished by now. It’s ok I’m not expecting a Christmas present and after reading this, I’m hoping no one else will be, not from me anyway.

There are other things that I have learned from term:

1.       Whoever said that you don’t have to do any work in your first year at University was quite clearly lying.

2.       Chips are best accompanied by burger sauce, but only from Ali’s.

3.       University destroys your sleep pattern. To back up this statement, it is currently 02:09am and I am still up writing this rubbish.

4.       My decision not to invest in Football Manager before coming here was a wise one, having seen the levels of addiction it has caused to others.

5.       And finally, just because the Fire Alarm goes off, it does not necessarily mean there is a fire. It may just be some drunken idiot on the third floor playing silly buggars.

Anyway, as noted it’s getting late so that’s enough from me. Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year awaits us. A year of Ashes retention, house hunting and.........oh yeah, exams.

I’ll sign off by quoting a Christmas poem that was read to me every Christmas eve without fail, back in the days when Santa was still alive.

“Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight.”

x

Remembrance, Staying afloat and a Fire breathing dragon...

Out of all of the things to get out of bed for, a dull, wet and cold morning sits alone at the bottom of the pile. A quick glance out of the window on mornings like these can often drain you of the motivation to do anything productive. Had it been any other day and I may well have just pulled the quilt back over my head and analysed the backs of my eyelids for another couple of hours, but not this day. It was November 11^th, Armistice Day.

I stood in the town centre to observe my two minutes silence. A few yards away from me stood an elderly man, at a rough guess I would say he was in his eighties. As the bell chimed to signal the eleventh hour he removed his hat and stared at the floor. His eyes were glazed with tears that he appeared to be fighting back. Maybe he was just a boy when it was all going on, maybe he’d seen things that wouldn’t be wished on anyone, maybe he’d lost someone.

 Unfortunately, the Armistice Day ceremony was, as many of you know, interrupted and disrespected by a number of people who felt it necessary to burn poppies and chant evil and dishonourable things. As expected, these protests have led to angry reactions, with many calling for deportation. It is very important to remember that just because someone is a ‘Muslim’ does not necessarily make them a foreigner. It is a shame that a small minority can give a whole religion a bad name; when in reality, these people are simply extremists, acting in a manner far away from their religious values. Armistice Day is one of the few days in which our country comes together to demonstrate a national pride which often goes missing, especially in England. Please read my piece on Armistice Day from last year, it’s one of my favourite pieces and in my opinion the best piece of writing I have done. Just scroll down on my blog home page.

Its week 8 at University and things are going ok. It’s evident that many people, including me are beginning to realise just how much work there is to do and that things won’t always be as fine and dandy as the early weeks may have suggested. In fact, team morale is at an all time low. I’m not saying that everyone is depressed, just that the current mood is as miserable as the weather outside. We do have Christmas to look forward to which is always an exciting time for all, however old you get it always makes people a bit more cheery. Whether you believe in Santa or not.

I have work being thrown at me thick and fast, but I am managing to stay afloat. On most subjects I’m doing considerably more than staying afloat, in fact I am swimming along quite comfortably. Note that ‘most’ was the key word in that sentence. ‘Most,’ meaning not all, in fact, all but one. Shorthand.

Slipping back into the ‘swimming’ metaphor, Shorthand is a very heavy topic and makes even treading water a struggle. It’s like learning a brand new language, however its closer to hieroglyphics than anything from the modern world.  I’m not struggling with it; it’s just eating up a hell of lot of my time. I have been promised that it will, eventually, be very worthwhile but the learning process is not at all aided by the dictation CD we have been given to listen to. The voice on the CD beats anyone to the title of ‘Worlds most annoying voice.’ Imagine Anne Robinson, slowed down and with random variations in tone, as if someone is remixing her voice box! It’s terrible.

The work side of things shows no signs of easing off, not until Christmas anyway and from then on there is exams to deal with. Ahhhh...travelling seems a great idea now.

However, for all the woes and stresses of the last week, there has been a few very entertaining moments. Carnage was a brilliant laugh which gave a quick glimpse of University life to my little big brother. That night saw the first appearance in history, of the Fire breathing Dragon. A momentous occasion soon to be backed up by video evidence. (This is an inside joke so don’t worry if you have no clue what I’m talking about.)

I hope to write again before Christmas, but by now, I’m sure you won’t be holding your breath.

Ciao for now. x

Start living...

“Dream as if you’ll live forever, live as if you’ll die tomorrow.” “Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift...that’s why they call it the present.” Both very over used and empty quotes, some would say. However, recent events have really brought them to life.

Last week I was saddened to hear the news that someone who had attended Filton College at the same time as me had passed away. Nelson Monhon was 20 years old when he died from a suspected heart attack. I’m not going to claim to have known him or indeed ever spoken to him, but a tragedy like this really puts things into context. For all our moans and groans about everyday chores and events, we are blessed. Blessed with a good quality of life, blessed with the ability to be whatever we choose to be; blessed with today.

I’m not the religious type. I don’t dismiss the idea of an overriding power and would probably class myself as an agnostic, but its complexity is baffling and far too intimidating.

I felt it necessary to base my post on this, especially at a similar time of my life. At 20 years old I hope to have many years ahead of me but I won’t take this for granted. I’m not calling for reckless actions, just for self fulfilment.

I’ll leave with this thought: Do you make the most out of every day? Do you appreciate today? Regret what you do, not what you don’t do. But most of all:

Start living.

x