Today a person said to me in conversation, ‘oh - you’re from Wales, you must be used to the rain then!’ (a joke I get it - I’ve only heard it my whole life). Then they said- ‘yeh I went there once- it rained the whole time.’

Now I live in England and this seems to be a reaction from many, I thought- where the hell do you think you live- bloody arizona!?! It is England which is in Britain - therefore (and this isn’t rocket science or anything) but yes it is a cold and rainy country therefore- if it rains in Wales the chances are  it will rain just as much here too- and right now it hasn’t stopped raining here all week!

 

Anyway while I am on this topic- Billy Connolly sums it up for me right here in 1 minute

 

……(it is regarding Scotland but as I said it’s Britain, and the video is just so, so funny!

Enjoy!

Recent news articles have suggested that statistics show that knife crime has decreased within the last 4 years. In relation with this figures also show that the amount of youths carrying knives has risen quite significantly.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/13/ukcrime.boris

 

It is very tragic and upsetting that we have seen every day in the news a headline regarding knife crime for the last few months and that so many people have died in such a small amount of time. In a response to the attitudes that are being portrayed regarding this matter I think we need to look at the bigger picture.

It is suggested that youths carry knives these days because of fear, however the real danger pehaps lies with the fact that they carrying the knives. This has not gone a miss in the media and it has been urged that parents check that their children are not carrying knives. Indeed, some people have suggested that the problem with increasing crime is with the parents and how they bring up their children.

This angers me a little. I understand that every one is entitled to their opinion and that some people have let the media scare them into being worried about going out and getting stabbed but lets be realsitic here and think a bit rationally and for ourselves without the media’s input shall we?

 If it is broadcast across the news it is because it is still a rare issue, therefore the amount of teenagers who are killed by knives is still very very low.

Why is all the blame pushed to parents?- not everything is the parents fault and I think a lot of people are too quick to judge. There comes a time where children grow up and need to accept reponsibility for their own actions.

In my opinion I feel there are a number of reason for young people carrying knives, and unfortunately it will take drastic changes to stop it. I don’t feel knife crime is going to increase even more but I do fear statistics in young people carrying knives will increase. I just hope that this ‘moral panic’ that seems to have been created stops it is ridiculous. We all can’t stop living because of fears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week there was a new addition to the family, my niece. In 18 years there has not been a baby in the family, so my niece is the first.

It has been so exciting and we are all so glad she is finally here but now this means that we all have to realise we are not the children anymore. I am coming to that realisation and finding it hard.

I can be very selfish at times and I can behave much more like 10 than 24 but then there are times when I could act about 90 and have to remind myself I am only 24.

I have always loved going home at Christmas and having the whole family around the table, we actually haven’t had a Christmas yet where this is not the case, this year will be a first.

 I love the random family celebrations we have because we all go back home and it is like nothing changed. I always said I never wanted to grow up.

 

Well now one of the 3 siblings I have has a baby, and I am married, my youngest sibling is finishing first year of university and my other sibling is turning 30 next year.

2008 will officially be the year where we have to accept that we are adults and I guess take on our own separate roles in the world- R as a father, S as a student finding her future life long occupation, N a writer and myself a world traveller (hopefully) . Oh the thought of responsibilities- it gives me a headache.

I loved every minute of growing up and I will make dam sure I love every minute of continuing to grow up.

 

On my way home today, I was casually listening to the Scott Mills show on Radio one as I do every day. They were talking about the new social network David Hasslehoff has created on his website: http://www.davidhasselhoff.com/

 

I have just taken a look at it. Ok we have got endless social networks that are popular- facebook, bebo and myspace are just a few of these. On the show they were saying how this is going to be more popular than facebook.

I can’t believe that- David Hasslehoff, is he really THAT popular? It seems so. I am not a fan though and won’t be joining. I can’t seem to take a look at it unless I join but from what I have heard about it, it’s highly amusing.

 

I wonder what made the hoff man make this network? Either way it gave me a good giggle on my way home today!

 

Yesterday I managed to stumble across an article on David Duchovny. As I am such a huge fan of his for many reasons besides The X-Files I decided to read on.

I learned that Duchovny and his wife Tea Leoni have actually been married for 11 years. While to some that might seem a short time, nowadays, expecially in Hollywood, that is pretty amazing.

I enjoyed reading about them, if anything it is an inspiration to many to see that a marriage can work under such demanding circumstances. I mean both being actors, they have two children, I am sure they have been through testing times and it’s great to see a couple still so happy.

 

They show that Hollywood isn’t a curse on marriages and even in the busiest of schedules where you are away from each other, they still make time for family life and show if you really love each other, nothing and no one can break you.

 

Ok, so it’s that time of year again where Sir Alan and his candidates have kept us glued to the TV for the last 12 weeks. Now we are all wondering what on earth to do with our Wednesdays?!

I have a minimal amount of patience with reality tv and the only one I can watch to the end is The Apprentice. I feel it is entertaining but also educational.

This to me is acceptable TV.

 

However we then come across the next reality TV programme brought to our screens yet again, yes it takes over the world for what feels like forever, Big Brother.

 

 

I feel I have 2 options at this moment in time:-

1) Watch it and feel guilty that this is not what I aspire to do with my time and feel the disappointment that I am contributing to their ratings which could mean beause of that they will have another one next year- even though I hate it.

2) Not watch it but then will have the joy of people around me constantly talking about all these people I don’t know every day for the next few months.

 

I have chosen number 2. The reasons are as follows:-

1)I don’t have time

2) It is boring

3) I don’t want to watch people that in my opinion could need psychiatric help.

4) I don’t like to see the front page of a news paper covered with crazy people sitting in a house when there are terrible things happening in the world that are then moved to page 3.

5) It clashes with things that matter.

 

So there you have it, I will not be watching BB and will pray this is the last year it is on. It’s a shame everything seems to be going into reality tv.

I mean of course I don’t mind the reality tv shows when Ant and Dec are presenting (it’s Ant and Dec- who would watch it otherwise) …

…..and when Simon Cowell is judging- (it’s Simon Cowell- who doesn’t really love him?!) 

It’s just BB is on a whole other level and the worst thing is that people who do watch it- most of them admit they don’t really like it but somehow become addicted! I think it is the disbelief of the types of people they put in there. It’s kind of a pitty audience they have now.

I think it is time to ditch the reality TV. It’s not good for us!

Ben Rogers was one of four children, brought up in a village in Staffordshire and destined to become someone special.

 

 

Rogers became addicted to drink at the age of 12 and sadly by the age of 17 his addiction had spread to cannabis and other drugs. At the age of 34 Roger sadly died of a brain haemorrhage while trying to beat his addiction.

 

I was saddened by this story. These days too many children are under stress at such a young age that drugs are becoming more and more of a problem. This is not to say that every child will go out and start experimenting with drugs but it could simply be that a good child gets mixed within the wrong crowd. This does not make them a bad person, this does not make them evil and it does not mean that they should be judged because of one mistake that led to an addiction.

Cannabis is smoked by many people quite casually and I don’t think a lot of people understand the affects it really can have on them. That is why Ben Rogers is to become someone very special.

 

In the last few weeks of Rogers’ life he filmed himself showing the effects that the drugs had on him and there is over 30 hours of footage. This is to be made into a small film and shown to schools as part of educating the pupils on drugs.

 

Rogers may have had an addiction that led him to live a short life but he will, I am sure, have saved so many lives of young children through making those videos. He can only be seen as a very special person.

 

Addiction can and does happen to anyone. I hope that this is shown to all schools and may be the one thing that makes children realise it is not an addiction that you choose but addiction that chooses you.

 

 

 

It arised today that Fern Briton has in fact had a stomach operation to help her lose weight.

  As a fan of hers I am disappointed that first of all she lied about it and said it was due to healthy eating and exercise and secondly that she has ended up taking the easy way out.

 I along with many other people think Fern looks great now, but she made myself and a lot of other people have faith that if she can do it then anyone can. Now the inspiration she gave to many has gone.

If only she had been up front and honest at the start - she could have maintained a lot of respect.

 

Through the wind and the pouring rain I will find shelter.

Through the tears and the sadness I will smile.

Through the dark and the shade I will shine.

When walls block my path I will knock them down.

When all seems lost I will find.

What I cannot see I will believe.

When others say I can’t I will prove I can.

I was born to be challenged by life,

I will love it

I will hate it

I will question it

I will not regret it.

 

 

 

Have you ever had one of those days where you just know you should not have got out of bed? Well, I have had that every day this week so far. I am starting to wonder what else could possibly make me stay in bed for the next 3 days.

 

Whilst I have perhaps had these days in the past…..

There was the time I was ready for a job interview and I locked myself out of the house just before it. (that was also with no phone and no money)….

There was also the time when I drove my car into a ditch on the way to work and could not get it out….

 

There was also the time that I returned to a car park to find my car being broken into by 4 people.

 Ok so why is this week worse?

 

Ok so it started with getting out of bed late on Monday and being in stand still traffic for 45 minutes. Again roadworks! Then a lorry breaks down at my turnoff on a roundabout (of all the bloody places) so I have to find alternative route. (I am so not happy right now).

 

Today I spilt fruit salad all down me at the start of the day and all over my desk- great have to sit in sticky clothes all day because I am so bloody clumsy. I was only having the fruit salad to be healthy as well I should have just stuck to a bacon sandwich!

 

I then, while being stuck in yet another traffic jam, realise there is smoke coming from the front of my car (thought at time- ‘oh shit!’). So this is the tip of the iceburg to be honest. I have had a near accident like this when I had my old car, I didn’t realise that you had to check the oil and re-fill when it is low. So I learned my lesson, the only thing I didn’t learn from the lesson was not to rely on other people to do it. I have been asking for a while now that my oil be checked and everytime the answer was no it’ll be fine’. So of course that’s ok with me until it all goes wrong!

I am sitting in my car listening to random crap (like how it seems chickens could have descended from the T-Rex dinosoar (don’t ask)) and I am absolutely cursing! and the words repeated over in my head are (I’m gonna kill him, if I survive this I am going to kill him!I say survive because this is a single road so if I break down everyone else is screwed- I may possibly die! 

 

Anyway while being terified that my car could break down at any time, I manged to get home without any major problems.I did however pass the blame on- no way was I going to admit it was my falt - this could be in my genes I am realising. However after passing blame I do accept that this is totally my falt and having not learned my lesson from the first time I have now!  I really hope my week get’s better, and Friday comes quickly! I do tend to live for the weekend. I really should wear a t-shirt that says’ unless it’s Friday- don’t talk to me.