Friday, 23 May 2014
What If...
So I'm quite a hypothetical person. As in I think about things that can never happen - as in they, sadly, and sometimes thankfully, will never be possible. Such as what if the whole world was made up of people who were exactly like me? Imagine (not to be egocentric!): the world made up of over six billion Alexandras - what would that be like?
Firstly, the world would lack in all things technical - there would be no engineers, no plumbers, electricians. The world would be a very monolingual place - I can only speak English, and I'm sure that all the other Alexandras would only be able to speak the language of their country. So communication would be very difficult. And don't even get me started on the inadequate mathematical skill of all the Alexandras - Wall Street where money never sleeps probably would over-sleep in a world made up of me. There would be so much not understood, so many practical things not addressed. Oh, and being a student, the world would be inundated with washing-up, dirty washing (don't worry reader, I do wash my clothes - and myself for that matter!)...On the plus side, all Alexandras would hate driving, meaning that there would be a sufficient decrease in the number of vehicles on the road (and reduction to global warming etc) - yet everyone would be stuck in their little bubble, unable to travel around their local area (apart from by bike - which could decrease obesity levels..), which would be incredibly boring and parochial.
It would be a highly disfunctional, unconventional and impractical world.
Yet the positives are that there would be a lot of theatre, a lot of films (there would be Alexandras who would work out the technicalities of film making, I assure you), a lot of books, stories, Hobbiton would be real, there would be a lot of travel (I said a lack of vehicles, but I've never flown a plane before; never know, I might like it!) - a lot of travel books, big schemes, photographs of exotic places. Laughter would be compulsory, school would be much less stressful (goodbye A-levels), everyone would go on long walks to de-stress. Everyone would love curry and pizza and cheesy chips, and Chunky Peanut Butter KitKats, and have dreams about living in New York and moving to the capital.
Yes, there would be good parts. Although I reckon it would get pretty boring, what with the lack of diversity, and the lack of people doing things besides the arts and recreational things (and I don't mean drugs!).
I'm pretty glad that the world isn't made up of Alexandras, but it is an interesting thing to wonder and one that I often come back to.
Ax
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
The countdown begins...
When I say 'countdown' I am referring to the countdown to my 19th Birthday. Now I know I shouldn't be complaining, as anyone older than 19 will tell me how young it is, but I can't help but suddenly feel terribly old.
18 was the big one....the business, the one where you had the party, had the fuss made over you, ate too much cake, probably got a bit tipsy...you had the perks of being able to use ID to go to places you'd never been before (unless you had fake ID, but let's not talk about that!) - hello clubs, bars, 18 certificates at the cinema (I'm afraid I was one those who would be ID-ed no matter what. No sneaky 18 viewings for me. Actually I got ID-ed for a 15 when I was 17 and with my parents. My parents. Would I really be going to watch 'I Give It A Year' with my parents if I was 14? Do I look 14? Ok, don't answer that!).
So, all in all, 18 was a definite milestone. Anyhow, I now have 3 days until I'm 19. And I'm not remotely excited. So I decided to put together, (yes reader you guessed it) A LIST (taadaaaa!) of what I wanted to do this year at 19, starting from 12.32pm 09/05/2014 until 12.32 09/05/2015. (12.32 being the time I was born.)
1. Go interrailing around Europe
2. Get an internship
3. Obtain a 2.1 for my first year at university
4. Start doing more things to do with drama - open days, auditions, networking etc!
5. Become better read - cue Game of Thrones, but also On The Road (Jack Kerouac); another of Fitzgerald's; reread Harry Potter 7 - a friend recently did this and said she got so much more from the whole series at 23 than at 13); George Orwell's 1984 (I feel an inadequate English student not having read it); Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake; Lord of the Rings ..and probably many other titles will come to me, but those are currently my top few...I think there's a good mix of respectably literary titles and general popular culture - if I do say so myself!
6. See more theatre - hello the Globe and cheap tickets for 18-26s; Noel Coward Theatre, The Old Vic etc...!
7. Be more spontaneous - I'm at that point in my life where very soon I'll have to become responsible and have to be a proper adult. It's true - life at uni isn't like the real world at all. I live in a bubble, provided by money from the government to live and do what I want (so it doesn't feel like proper money, it's like being a Sim or something - yes it'll all catch up with me when I'm 30, but, well, for now, I'm not yet 19, so not to worry about my older self's trials and tribulations yet!).As my dad says, responsibility creeps up on you, it's like you don't see it coming and then suddenly it's here with bills and mortgages and jobs, money worries etc. - I need to capture my relative irresponsibility while I still can.
8. And lastly, for now - I just want to be happy. Because what's the point of it all if you're not enjoying it? Yes, you have to take the bad with the good, yes there will be things that are unappealing and have to be done, but ultimately it all comes down to your happiness (I think, anyway).
18 was my best age yet. But I'll top it this year. Afterall, age is just a number; who cares how old you really are. I'll just try to do what's good and right and much else really matters.
I think, anyway.
I'm still working on my life mantra..come back in a few years and I might have it down, reader.
Ax
18 was the big one....the business, the one where you had the party, had the fuss made over you, ate too much cake, probably got a bit tipsy...you had the perks of being able to use ID to go to places you'd never been before (unless you had fake ID, but let's not talk about that!) - hello clubs, bars, 18 certificates at the cinema (I'm afraid I was one those who would be ID-ed no matter what. No sneaky 18 viewings for me. Actually I got ID-ed for a 15 when I was 17 and with my parents. My parents. Would I really be going to watch 'I Give It A Year' with my parents if I was 14? Do I look 14? Ok, don't answer that!).
So, all in all, 18 was a definite milestone. Anyhow, I now have 3 days until I'm 19. And I'm not remotely excited. So I decided to put together, (yes reader you guessed it) A LIST (taadaaaa!) of what I wanted to do this year at 19, starting from 12.32pm 09/05/2014 until 12.32 09/05/2015. (12.32 being the time I was born.)
1. Go interrailing around Europe
2. Get an internship
3. Obtain a 2.1 for my first year at university
4. Start doing more things to do with drama - open days, auditions, networking etc!
5. Become better read - cue Game of Thrones, but also On The Road (Jack Kerouac); another of Fitzgerald's; reread Harry Potter 7 - a friend recently did this and said she got so much more from the whole series at 23 than at 13); George Orwell's 1984 (I feel an inadequate English student not having read it); Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake; Lord of the Rings ..and probably many other titles will come to me, but those are currently my top few...I think there's a good mix of respectably literary titles and general popular culture - if I do say so myself!
6. See more theatre - hello the Globe and cheap tickets for 18-26s; Noel Coward Theatre, The Old Vic etc...!
7. Be more spontaneous - I'm at that point in my life where very soon I'll have to become responsible and have to be a proper adult. It's true - life at uni isn't like the real world at all. I live in a bubble, provided by money from the government to live and do what I want (so it doesn't feel like proper money, it's like being a Sim or something - yes it'll all catch up with me when I'm 30, but, well, for now, I'm not yet 19, so not to worry about my older self's trials and tribulations yet!).As my dad says, responsibility creeps up on you, it's like you don't see it coming and then suddenly it's here with bills and mortgages and jobs, money worries etc. - I need to capture my relative irresponsibility while I still can.
8. And lastly, for now - I just want to be happy. Because what's the point of it all if you're not enjoying it? Yes, you have to take the bad with the good, yes there will be things that are unappealing and have to be done, but ultimately it all comes down to your happiness (I think, anyway).
18 was my best age yet. But I'll top it this year. Afterall, age is just a number; who cares how old you really are. I'll just try to do what's good and right and much else really matters.
I think, anyway.
I'm still working on my life mantra..come back in a few years and I might have it down, reader.
Ax
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