I wroted something...
Saw her on the street crying
For a love that's gone
It's hard to smile when there's
Barbed wire through your soul
She screamed a little and then
Laid down to rest
Trying to slay the demon
Spreading through her chest
And a nightmare don't become a dream
And a silly night won't become real
And a memory is always forgotten
For there is no tomorrow...
People laid down next to her
So she was not alone
But it's hard to come to terms
With things outside of your control
Then she stood and said
"Guys, you don't know.
You don't know who I'm praying for"
And they said "We don't care..."
And a nightmare don't become a dream
And a silly night won't become real
And a memory is always forgotten
For there is no tomorrow...
(Instrumental)
She stood there on the platform
To see the girl she always wanted to be
It's hard to keep sane when your
Best friend starts to leave...
Then she looked up and saw her
Over cross the way
And she shouted "Nothing should ever
Have to end this day..."
"And a nightmare don't become a dream
And a silly night won't become real
And a memory is always forgotten
For there is no tomorrow..."
Steal these and I will hunt you down. :P
Friday 30 January 2015
Friday 16 January 2015
So I Had A Date Tonight... *SATIRE*
Call me...
So, there was an article in The Independent today explaining that a team of psychologists who suggest that there are 36 questions you can ask in order to fall in love with someone. So, during my date this evening, she thought she'd try them out for a test run. She asked the questions and I answered them. It was meant to be an 'ice-breaker'.
I see a second date on the horizon...*
*This didn't actually happen. I'm not that much of a dick to give these answers in all seriousness. Although...some of them...Night!
1. “Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would
you want as a dinner guest?” Dead: Gandhi. Alive: Angela Merkel.
I was going to suggest Benito Mussolini as the cook because he’s Italian and he’s
had past experience with abattoirs.
2. “Would you like to be famous? In what way?” For
helping or entertaining people. A musician or a comedian or something. But I’ll
probably end up being famous for being that weird guy in the background of a
news report. Funny story…
3. “Before making a telephone call, do you ever rehearse
what you are going to say? Why?” That depends on the phone-call! If it’s one
to my Nan or something then probably not. If it’s the insurance company I
pretend I’m in a monkey sanctuary and that there's shit everywhere.
4. “What would constitute a "perfect" day for
you?” Singing Lou Reed.
5. “When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?” I sing to myself a lot due to the fact I’m currently writing/recording an
album. There was a lawsuit the last time I sang to someone else. Something to
do with unexpected hearing loss? But I'll sing for you now. "CARRY ON MY WAYWARD SON...THERE'LL BE PEACE WHEN YOU ARE GONE..."
6. “If you were able to live to the age of 90 and retain
either the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the last 60 years of your life,
which would you want?” Depends on whose body parts I was stealing.
7. “Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die?”
The last guy I knew that had a hunch dissolved in a graveyard. Hope it's something less weird...
8. “Name three things you and your partner appear to have
in common”. We’re in the same room, we’re opposite someone and we’re both with
someone sexy.
9. “For what in your life do you feel most grateful?”
Juice.
(Sorry, I thought you said Grapefruit).
10. “If you could change anything about the way you were
raised, what would it be?” Where the hands were...
11. “Take four minutes and tell your partner your life
story in as much detail as possible”. Haha. That’s not the only four minutes that’ll
bore you tonight.
12. “If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one
quality or ability, what would it be?” X-ray vision. What?
13. “If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about
yourself, your life, the future or anything else, what would you want to know?”
I’d
like to know where the spoons go...
14. “Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for
a long time? Why haven’t you done it?” I’ve always wanted to be called Joyce. But
my mother didn’t consider consulting me during the naming process. How rude.
15. “What is the greatest accomplishment of your life?”
Waking
up. The fact I can open my eyes in the morning is just…wow.
16. “What do you value most in a friendship?” Lifeboats.
17. “What is your most treasured memory?” The first time I won Cards Against Humanity. Proud moment.
18. “What is your most terrible memory?” There
was this girl in Thailand…
19. “If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly,
would you change anything about the way you are now living? Why?” Yes.
The longevity.
20. “What does friendship mean to you?” *Insert
Appropriate Disney Quote Here*
21. “What roles do love and affection play in your life?”
Romeo and Juliet at the National Theatre. I’m happy
for them.
22. “Alternate sharing something you consider a positive
characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items”. You’re
a woman, you’re nice looking, you’re human, you have a good taste in men and
you’re totally not hypothetical.
23. “How close and warm is your family? Do you feel your
childhood was happier than most other people’s?” Depends on whether the heating’s
working or not.
24. “How do you feel about your relationship with your
mother?” Am I paying for this service, Doc?
25. “Make three true ‘we’ statements each. For instance,
"We are both in this room feeling _______." Nervous, intricate and aroused.
Possibly.
26. “Complete this sentence: ‘I wish I had someone with
whom I could share _______.” My huge bag of hash.
27. “If you were going to become a close friend with your
partner, please share what would be important for him or her to know”. I
have no concept of personal space. Or personal hygiene. Sometimes both.
28. “Tell your partner what you like about them; be very
honest this time, saying things that you might not say to someone you’ve just
met”. I like the fact you have spacious and splendid mammary glands?
29. “Share with your partner an embarrassing moment in
your life”. Want to know why you should never put Lego up a hamster’s arse? It literally shits bricks.
30. “When did you last cry in front of another person? By
yourself?” It was with my brother while we were watching Titanic. I was so rooting for Jack...goddamn it Jack...
31. “Tell your partner something that you like about them
already”. I like the fact you’ve taken an interest in me. God help you.
32. “What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?”
There’s
been new evidence found outside the house of Oscar Pistorious…
33. “If you were to die this evening with no opportunity
to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone?
Why haven’t you told them yet?” Not telling them I was dying. That also depends on the death. If I'm choking that'd be kinda crap. If I was killed with an intelligent unicorn brandishing an uzi, I might die happier.
34. “Your house, containing everything you own, catches
fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a
final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?” It’s
a toss-up between my violin or my collection of Japanese Hentai.
35. “Of all the people in your family, whose death would
you find most disturbing? Why?” Mine.
36. “Share a personal problem and ask your partner’s
advice on how he or she might handle it. Also, ask your partner to reflect back
to you how you seem to be feeling about the problem you have chosen”. I
have this really irritating itch…
*This didn't actually happen. I'm not that much of a dick to give these answers in all seriousness. Although...some of them...Night!
Monday 12 January 2015
Why I Don't Want My Future Child To Be Baptized
Work with me here...
Today, while checking Facebook, I saw something odd. Pope Francis was taking a baptism in the Vatican and said, on the point of breast-feeding, "you are welcome to feed here". Interesting point to make at a baptism.
Then I saw an article that said that 1 in 3 male college students in America would commit rape "only if they could get away with it". Shocking stuff. I know it was a very small group that was asked but still, shocking stuff.
So what connects these two, exactly?
My head. Allow me to explain.
I was reading the rape article and I found myself thinking, "if I had a son who was proved to have raped someone, I don't know what I'd do. I don't know how I'd react!" (One would imagine that's how Ched Evan's family must be feeling in a similar but different capacity round about now). However, something dawned on me.
Many people deny that there is a rape culture among young men, especially in the Western world, but many would argue that this new study shows there is one. It's a shocking statistic, especially in the 21st Century.
Anyway, this post isn't about rape, and it's not about being baptised or not either. Not really. IT's a post about choice. And the choices I may one day have to make as a potential father.
Because here's the thing.
I'm a Humanist. I make no secret of this. I don't abhor religion, in fact I accept it, but there are many aspects of it I do not agree with. I find beauty, not in a deity, but in the world around us and in the human experience. For example, a pleasurable experience one might take in praying to God, I'd find the same pleasurable experience from a waterfall. Myself and other humanists would rather look to science for answers rather than a deity and see it as more logical than an unseen, omniscient being.
But I don't necessarily want my future child(ren) to be a Humanist too. Obviously, sub-consciously, I will subject them to Humanist thought, theory and literature should the need call for it. But I have a belief and, a hope I suppose, much bigger than that. The reason for this is because, when we're children, many of our parents beliefs are put onto us without asking for it. Not just religious. I'm talking morally and politically as well as religious.
I've never been christened. Nor do I particularly want to. I was something called 'Named'. (I know that sounds obvious but work with it). My mum's something called a Spiritualist. And, for all intents and purposes, so am I. Except I don't believe a lot of what she believes. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what being a spiritualist entails but it was fun to tell people in school she could talk to dead people when the question arose. (Considering my mum worked in the school I attended, that was probably playing devil's advocate). Anyway, I had some kind of religious start in life; albeit not one that would be perceived as orthodox.
Anyway, I don't necessarily want my future child(ren) to have that start. I don't want them to have all these beliefs put onto them and assume that's the path they need to take. Because, that's just not the case. If they want to be a Humanist, great! If they want to be Christian, great! I'll organise your baptism whenever that may occur. If you want to be Muslim, great! Maybe I'll partake in Ramadan with you so you're not alone. If you want to be Jewish, I assume that's ok...I don't actually know how entering Judaism later on in life works but I'm sure it's do-able. (I won't stick around for your circumcision though. No man wants to think about that...sorry, kid).
The truth is, if my future child wants to be religious then that's fine. If they don't then that's fine. But here are the beliefs I will try to impress on them in religion's place:
One: Despite the fact there's war, famine, destruction and terror, the world is a beautiful place. It's looked after our kind for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of years. It deserves protecting. And if we can't protect it, savour it before it's too late.
Two: Just because someone is a certain religion, it doesn't mean that they're prone to do certain things. Not every Muslim is going to behead someone, or commit a terror attack. Not every Christian is going to burn a cross or go against things like Gay Marriage. Not every Jew is going to agree with Israel's treatment of the Palestinian people. Humanity trumps religion more often than not. Just because someone's different to you, it doesn't mean they're more or less than you. Some may perceive to be, but it's not true.
Three: Women are not objects to be toyed with. They are people too and they're not there to cook us meals or for our own gratification. Women have feelings just as much as men do and something like rape or domestic abuse can scar a woman for life. Mentally, physically and emotionally. Never see them as anything less than your equal. Treat them well.
Four: Happiness is not a crime. If happiness for you means being religious, fine. If it means loving someone of the same sex, fine. If it means you feeling the need to change your gender, fine. If it means being in a stable relationship with children with a job, house, dog and car, so be it. If it means not having that, fine. Only you can know what makes you happy. So go pursue it. As long as it doesn't involve you causing people pain. Be free, be yourself.
And finally, something inspired by my own mother and upbringing.
Five: You're not always going to get what you want. Life's not always going to work out in the way you want or hope but you'll always get what you need. So if you can't go on holiday to where you want to go or get the new gadget you want, I'm sorry but there's a reason why. I didn't always get what I want but I'm still happy. Happiness is not always material. Because, sometimes, love is enough. I got plenty of that and I think I turned out fine.
So, why don't I want my future child baptised? The answer's simple. I want them to have as much of an unbiased start to life as possible. And one day, I want them to look at everything I've subjected them to and what else there is out there and I want them to make their own choice based on their own personality.
You can get baptised anytime, if they want it that badly it'll be worth the wait. But I want to teach them that it's up to them. Only they know what makes them happy. And I want them to be able to make that informed choice and make that decision for themselves.
I'm not going to enforce that on them just because I'm the dad and what I say goes. I'm not enforcing it because I see it as ridiculous.
I had a slightly religious upbringing, I didn't agree with it and stopped. I have a friend who didn't, became religious later on. And finally, I have numerous friends who've had religious upbringings and have carried on off their own accord.
I want them to make that choice when the time is right for them. I don't want to have to make that for them if it's not what they want later. As long as they understand my 5 key lessons to life then they can be what they want.
That's all I do want for them. To be good and happy humans...
Oh, and on the point of breast-feeding, if my hypothetical daughter's breast-feeding and gets challenged on it...I hope my teaching of sarcasm will pay off... ;)
Today, while checking Facebook, I saw something odd. Pope Francis was taking a baptism in the Vatican and said, on the point of breast-feeding, "you are welcome to feed here". Interesting point to make at a baptism.
Then I saw an article that said that 1 in 3 male college students in America would commit rape "only if they could get away with it". Shocking stuff. I know it was a very small group that was asked but still, shocking stuff.
So what connects these two, exactly?
My head. Allow me to explain.
I was reading the rape article and I found myself thinking, "if I had a son who was proved to have raped someone, I don't know what I'd do. I don't know how I'd react!" (One would imagine that's how Ched Evan's family must be feeling in a similar but different capacity round about now). However, something dawned on me.
Many people deny that there is a rape culture among young men, especially in the Western world, but many would argue that this new study shows there is one. It's a shocking statistic, especially in the 21st Century.
Anyway, this post isn't about rape, and it's not about being baptised or not either. Not really. IT's a post about choice. And the choices I may one day have to make as a potential father.
Because here's the thing.
I'm a Humanist. I make no secret of this. I don't abhor religion, in fact I accept it, but there are many aspects of it I do not agree with. I find beauty, not in a deity, but in the world around us and in the human experience. For example, a pleasurable experience one might take in praying to God, I'd find the same pleasurable experience from a waterfall. Myself and other humanists would rather look to science for answers rather than a deity and see it as more logical than an unseen, omniscient being.
But I don't necessarily want my future child(ren) to be a Humanist too. Obviously, sub-consciously, I will subject them to Humanist thought, theory and literature should the need call for it. But I have a belief and, a hope I suppose, much bigger than that. The reason for this is because, when we're children, many of our parents beliefs are put onto us without asking for it. Not just religious. I'm talking morally and politically as well as religious.
I've never been christened. Nor do I particularly want to. I was something called 'Named'. (I know that sounds obvious but work with it). My mum's something called a Spiritualist. And, for all intents and purposes, so am I. Except I don't believe a lot of what she believes. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what being a spiritualist entails but it was fun to tell people in school she could talk to dead people when the question arose. (Considering my mum worked in the school I attended, that was probably playing devil's advocate). Anyway, I had some kind of religious start in life; albeit not one that would be perceived as orthodox.
Anyway, I don't necessarily want my future child(ren) to have that start. I don't want them to have all these beliefs put onto them and assume that's the path they need to take. Because, that's just not the case. If they want to be a Humanist, great! If they want to be Christian, great! I'll organise your baptism whenever that may occur. If you want to be Muslim, great! Maybe I'll partake in Ramadan with you so you're not alone. If you want to be Jewish, I assume that's ok...I don't actually know how entering Judaism later on in life works but I'm sure it's do-able. (I won't stick around for your circumcision though. No man wants to think about that...sorry, kid).
The truth is, if my future child wants to be religious then that's fine. If they don't then that's fine. But here are the beliefs I will try to impress on them in religion's place:
One: Despite the fact there's war, famine, destruction and terror, the world is a beautiful place. It's looked after our kind for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of years. It deserves protecting. And if we can't protect it, savour it before it's too late.
Two: Just because someone is a certain religion, it doesn't mean that they're prone to do certain things. Not every Muslim is going to behead someone, or commit a terror attack. Not every Christian is going to burn a cross or go against things like Gay Marriage. Not every Jew is going to agree with Israel's treatment of the Palestinian people. Humanity trumps religion more often than not. Just because someone's different to you, it doesn't mean they're more or less than you. Some may perceive to be, but it's not true.
Three: Women are not objects to be toyed with. They are people too and they're not there to cook us meals or for our own gratification. Women have feelings just as much as men do and something like rape or domestic abuse can scar a woman for life. Mentally, physically and emotionally. Never see them as anything less than your equal. Treat them well.
Four: Happiness is not a crime. If happiness for you means being religious, fine. If it means loving someone of the same sex, fine. If it means you feeling the need to change your gender, fine. If it means being in a stable relationship with children with a job, house, dog and car, so be it. If it means not having that, fine. Only you can know what makes you happy. So go pursue it. As long as it doesn't involve you causing people pain. Be free, be yourself.
And finally, something inspired by my own mother and upbringing.
Five: You're not always going to get what you want. Life's not always going to work out in the way you want or hope but you'll always get what you need. So if you can't go on holiday to where you want to go or get the new gadget you want, I'm sorry but there's a reason why. I didn't always get what I want but I'm still happy. Happiness is not always material. Because, sometimes, love is enough. I got plenty of that and I think I turned out fine.
So, why don't I want my future child baptised? The answer's simple. I want them to have as much of an unbiased start to life as possible. And one day, I want them to look at everything I've subjected them to and what else there is out there and I want them to make their own choice based on their own personality.
You can get baptised anytime, if they want it that badly it'll be worth the wait. But I want to teach them that it's up to them. Only they know what makes them happy. And I want them to be able to make that informed choice and make that decision for themselves.
I'm not going to enforce that on them just because I'm the dad and what I say goes. I'm not enforcing it because I see it as ridiculous.
I had a slightly religious upbringing, I didn't agree with it and stopped. I have a friend who didn't, became religious later on. And finally, I have numerous friends who've had religious upbringings and have carried on off their own accord.
I want them to make that choice when the time is right for them. I don't want to have to make that for them if it's not what they want later. As long as they understand my 5 key lessons to life then they can be what they want.
That's all I do want for them. To be good and happy humans...
Oh, and on the point of breast-feeding, if my hypothetical daughter's breast-feeding and gets challenged on it...I hope my teaching of sarcasm will pay off... ;)
Monday 5 January 2015
Scandanavians, Please Help Me!
Happy new year!
Hi guys! Welcome to 2015! Hope it's been as good for you so far as it's been for me.
Just a short one today as I need some help from any readers of this blog from Nordic countries. (Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland).
The reason being:
In 2016, I will be graduating from my bachelors University degree and, assuming all goes well, I will be starting a Master's degree in the same year. (Acceptance permitted of course).
However, as I wish to expand my horizons a bit and broaden my mind, get out of the UK for a bit (and my CV to be fair as well), I wish to complete my masters degree in a Northern European country.
I'm looking to do a course either in: GLOBAL HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH or INDIGENOUS STUDIES.
Ideally, I would like a career combining the Politics of Health with some but not complete focus on indigenous peoples across the globe. I've seen two courses at present which fall into this category that looks good with one that needs more research.
Global Health Masters at the University of Copenhagen
Indigenous Studies Master at the Arctic University of Norway, Tromso.
with a course that needs more research:
Public Health Masters at the Arctic University of Norway, Tromso.
I'm constantly looking across Northern Europe for other similar courses that fit and that I seem to be eligble for.
Of course, I can wish this until I'm blue in the face but I am at a slight disadvantage.
I'm British.
I've never been to Norway or Denmark, or anywhere in Scandinavia for that matter. So if anyone reading this is from those countries, and are a student that's native or international, please tell me what it's like. What's good, what's not so good. Lifestyle, city/country life etc.
I'd be very grateful if anyone from these countries could help me out. It would make my decision a little bit more rounded if I had that information to hand from people who are actually experiencing it.
Thank you in advance and I hope to hear from you soon!
Hi guys! Welcome to 2015! Hope it's been as good for you so far as it's been for me.
Just a short one today as I need some help from any readers of this blog from Nordic countries. (Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland).
The reason being:
In 2016, I will be graduating from my bachelors University degree and, assuming all goes well, I will be starting a Master's degree in the same year. (Acceptance permitted of course).
However, as I wish to expand my horizons a bit and broaden my mind, get out of the UK for a bit (and my CV to be fair as well), I wish to complete my masters degree in a Northern European country.
I'm looking to do a course either in: GLOBAL HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH or INDIGENOUS STUDIES.
Ideally, I would like a career combining the Politics of Health with some but not complete focus on indigenous peoples across the globe. I've seen two courses at present which fall into this category that looks good with one that needs more research.
Global Health Masters at the University of Copenhagen
Indigenous Studies Master at the Arctic University of Norway, Tromso.
with a course that needs more research:
Public Health Masters at the Arctic University of Norway, Tromso.
I'm constantly looking across Northern Europe for other similar courses that fit and that I seem to be eligble for.
Of course, I can wish this until I'm blue in the face but I am at a slight disadvantage.
I'm British.
I've never been to Norway or Denmark, or anywhere in Scandinavia for that matter. So if anyone reading this is from those countries, and are a student that's native or international, please tell me what it's like. What's good, what's not so good. Lifestyle, city/country life etc.
I'd be very grateful if anyone from these countries could help me out. It would make my decision a little bit more rounded if I had that information to hand from people who are actually experiencing it.
Thank you in advance and I hope to hear from you soon!
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