Hamburgers and Planets June 15, 2010

Very often my mind does wander and I find myself thinking some very strange thoughts or having some sort of personal revelation and on Sunday at Church was one of those moments.

During worship and prayer, a thought came into my head about how just going to church very Sunday doesn’t automatically make you a Christian anymore than going to a hospital makes you a doctor, frequenting an art gallery makes you an artist, or MacDonald’s makes you a hamburger. Like studying to become a doctor or an artist, being a Christian is learning experience that lasts your entire life. It is not enough to just show up at church every week and then live as you please. It’s like turning up to lessons or lectures and then ignoring what you have been taught. What is the point in going if you’re never going to apply it to your life?

Also during the service, Iona came to the front to share what she thought God was telling her. She talked about when she was in her garden about 11 at night and because it’s summer it wasn’t yet completely dark and she saw this bright light in the sky which was a planet rather than a star. It was the brightest thing in the sky and yet as a planet it doesn’t produce it’s own light but reflects the sun’s light, which is like us with God. We don’t produce our own light and so cannot boast about it but we reflect God’s light in our lives, hopefully shining brighter than everything else around us for everyone to see and notice.

Preparing for Relay: Meeting the Staff Worker May 1, 2010

Yesterday I went to Nottingham to meet Andy Magowan, who is my future Staff Worker, to have a look around the city and the university where I will be working (which is Nottingham Trent, I was told it was very arty and it is!) and to discuss everything Relay related and answer any questions I had.

First impression of Andy I had was ‘Wow you’re tall’ though I should be use to hanging around with tall people since I go out with the ‘Tall One’ as Lauren likes to call Spence. He was very nice and told me about the city and buildings as we passed them, also I felt at ease because he tripped up as many times I do daily as well. It wasn’t very far to walk to the campus from the Station, we passed through a shopping centre and he told me there is a street full of shoe shops which was probably not the best thing to tell me, with my well known penchant for shoe shopping He did say to me if I ever come up to him saying I’ve run out of money he would assume it was because I spent it all on shoes!

Next he showed me the campus which is quite compact and the buildings seem to have several different functions. Some of the buildings we couldn’t get into as they have a smart card system which students use to enter buildings and put print credit on etc. He showed me the Sub Bar where the C.U have their meetings which has a very distracting air conditioning system. After we went to the Costa Coffee across the street where we talked about Relay.

Andy was a Relay worker himself before becoming a Staff Worker, so knew how the system worked, but I’m his first Relay Worker, he was supposed to have one last year but it didn’t happen. We had a lengthy talk and covered what happens during Relay 1 and Forum, what I would get in a welcome pack, what books I might be given to read over summer, about Trent C.U what they’re like and what sort of things they do on campus.  Then I asked him about churches in the area, funding and accommodation. There are quite a few churches around, Cait (our Relay at Staffs) suggested I should go before the students appear as I could easily be lumped in with the ‘student lot’ though I wouldn’t be a student anymore. About accommodation, Andy said he would ask around at local churches to see what is available, also I’ve put a wanted accommodation advert on Christian Flatshare.

All in all the day went really well and I left feeling like my questions I’ve had so far have been answered and I didn’t have the feeling of ‘oh I should have asked that!’ which was good. I’m looking forward to it and though I am still nervous about what’s going to happen in the future most of it is out of my hands so all I can do at the moment is trust God!

Music Video November 22, 2009

As some of you may or may not know, I really want to be a film editor  when I grow up At few months ago this idea popped into my head to edit some clips together to a song called Pumpkin Soup by Kate Nash.  Ages ago my boyfriend told me of this video downloader you can get with firefox that allows you to download clips from youtube. I used this to download clips from flims such as Beauty and the Beast, Hercules and other animated films.  It took me three days to edit it all together and it’s now posted up onto YouTube. I am now thinking of other films and songs I can do similar things with.

The Lovely List of Lovely Things November 11, 2009

Ok this started a week or so ago when my friend Abi posted on her facebook status that nothing beats the loveliness of new socks. I responded new socks are one of the lovelinest things in the lovely list of 26 things that are lovely. At C.U House party last weekend, we decided to write this list with the help of others (the list is longer thatn 26) and since I haven’t blogged for a while I could put them on here.

The Lovely List of Lovely Things in all their Loveliness

1) Fluffy bunnies

2) New Socks

3) Bubble Wrap

4) Running tea leaves/sand through your fingers

5) Jumpers straight out of the tumble dryer

6) Frost/dew on spiders webs

7)Crunchy snow

8) Smell of chocolate/coffee

9) Buying a new notebook with a nice cover

10) Waking up and realising you don’t need to get up

11) Grass after its been raining

12) Waking up to find its been snowing the night before

13) Seeing a rainbow

14) Feeding ducks

15) Hot melted butter on toast

16) Jam roly poly pudding with custard

17) Wake up feeling refreshed

18) Balloons

19) Hot water bottles

20) Finding all your old toys and all the memories with them

21) watching the sunrise

22) Christmas Eve

23) The smell of new books

24) Having a whole sofa to yourself

25) Kittens

26) New shoes

27) Thinking of lovely things for the lovely list

28) Babies skin

29) Friends and family

30) Flowers/recieving flowers

31) The feel of a hand on your cheek

32) Coming into the warmth out of the rain

33) A nice cup of tea

34) Sunset

35) Little ducklings

36) someone you love who loves you back

37) A text from a best friend

38) When someone offers to make you a cup of tea

39) The smell of Autumn/Christmas

40) Smell after the rain

41) Jets on a summer day

42)Fresh cut grass

43) The ocean when its foggy or raining

44) Climbing trees

45) Jacket potatoes

46) Walking through forests

47) Looking at stars

48) Baby guinea pigs

49) Driving by moonlight

50) Smell of old books

51) watching people smile

52) Being told you’re beautiful

53) Cuddling in bed

54) Having your hair stroked

55) Sitting round a fire

56) The cool side of the pillow

57) Someone runs a bath for you

58) Having a day dedicated to watching films

59) Pyjama days

60) A good pint after a hard day

61) A glass of rose

62) Not feeling like you have to wear makeup

63) pretty dresses

64) Hugs

65) Having a shower after a long flight

66) Swishing through leaves

67) Being met at the airport by someone you love

68) Finding something you thought was lost

69) Being given something for free

70) Singing your heart out

71) A child’s smile

72) Having your hair cut

73) Recieving a letter from abroad

74) First intake of air as you step out into a cold winters day

Growing old… August 24, 2009

Recently I’ve been working in a cafe as a part time waitress. The cafe advertises itself as Victorian Style Tea Rooms and most of the customers it attracts are the older generation.

Today was quite quiet compared to the other week, when the cafe was absolutely full of hungry people, so I had some time to stand around and think. And try to look busy as well or else I probably would’ve been asked to fold 1000s of napkins.

Outside it was depressing weather with heavy grey clouds and rain that would either be light or fantastically heavy. During the quiet period, I saw this old woman sitting on her own at a table staring out of the window at the rain and the soggy pedestrians it was making. She had no one with her, no one talking to her. Then it struck me, what if I became like that woman when I’m older? Alone with no one to talk to.

I’m only 21, but already I’m seeing the signs that I am aging. Grey hair, for a start. It’s bad enough when you find your first grey hair, but it’s even worse when your boyfriend finds it for you! Also my figure has changed slightly. I’ve put on a bit of weight and a inch or two around my waist and hips. I am exercising but it doesn’t make that much of a difference. One reason is because my teenage body is now changing into a womanly figure (that’s what I’m hoping anyway!)

But apart from all the physical changes that happen to you as you age (i’m determined to keep my own teeth) the one that frightens me the most is to one day find myself totally alone, no friends, no family. Just maybe a cat for company, but you can only go so far with topics of conversation and they’re usually one sided.

If you died no one would know, until a neighbour might notice that there’s a growing number of milk bottles outside your door and a mountain of mail coming out of the letterbox. Then they would find you, possibly half eaten by your cat. I’m probably over exaggerating but the truth is there are many older people living alone, who are desperate for someone to spend some time with them and talk.

Long time no see! July 5, 2009

Oh dear, seriously need to write on here more often :s
Problem is a lot has happened and it’s really hard to remember every single thing that might be interesting.
I’m finding at the moment my memory is getting worse, not my long term memory, but more my short term, so I now easily forget what happened 5 weeks ago, 5 days and even 5 minutes ago!
Another reason I don’t tend to keep my blog up to date is because I also have a diary, so when I write in my diary I don’t tend to write it again on my blog and vice versa. Also a blog is very public and therefore you can’t put all the thoughts that pass through your head out there into the world wide web, unless you’re a type of person who likes to have everything out in the open.

I tend to be quite a private and quiet person, usually I tend to keep my thoughts and opinions to  myself, unless I’m with someone I really trust and then share what I’m thinking with them. In the past when I was younger and a bit naive, I use to share things with people, who would then spread it around, and at school that was crippling and mortifying. And that did a lot to damage my trust with people and made me to withdraw within myself and feel that I had to be constantly on my guard in case I did or said something that someone might use against me later. I also found it (and still find it to some extent) to approach people as I had a deep fear of rejection and the only way for me to avoid being rejected was to not make contact in the first place.

It’s taken a long time for me to get over my fears, really I’m still going through the process. Recently, my confidence seems to have dipped and have no idea why or what’s causing it, which is annoying to say the least.

I come across situations where I know I’m capable of doing it yet something inside me hesitates and then my confidence goes down the plughole and I then feel like I did when I was 14, when I would avoid the dinner hall at all costs because of the real fear of sitting on my own because I had no friends, because no one wanted to be associated with ‘The Dog’ of the classroom.

On a positive note (because it’s not all doom and gloom, honestly!) my lack of confidence is sometimes temporary, and I have come a long, long way from how  I use to be, and continue to pray to God to help me through all the difficulties I face with his unlimited love and grace.

When life gives you lemons…make lemonade! May 20, 2009

For my birthday 2 of the 112 boys, who live down the street from me, gave me lemons. I have no idea why, whether they’re trying to say something about me (have no idea what is ‘lemony’ about me!) or it’s just pure random.
So I had a couple of lemons, not knowing what to do, until I suddenly thought of making lemonade, stereotypically a pastime done by American kids selling it for 5 cents a cup.
After a pancake party we had, there was also loads of lemon juice left over as well, so I found a recipe on the internet and on Monday before Prayer Lunch decided to make it.

The recipe is really simple, all you need is sugar, lemon juice and water. The measurements were in cups, now I didn’t know if there was an actual cup measurement or you just use a mug. I used a mug

In a pan gently heat one cup of sugar and one cup of water until the sugar dissolves. To this add one cup of lemon juice and stir. Add to a big jug and dilute it with 3-4 cups of water to taste, then chill it. It’s best serve with ice cubes but I didn’t have any. A good tip i found is to make ice cubes with the actual lemonade, so when they melt, they don’t dilute the taste of the drink further.

For my first try, I thought it tasted ok, maybe a bit too much sugar, but people seemed to like, especially Martin! Hmmm…i spot a money making oppurtunity…:P

Too many clothes and one small suitcase May 20, 2009

ok, this surely must be a problem most if not all girls face when picking what to pack.
Tomorrow I’m going home for two days and straight afterwards going to visit my boyfriend for just under two weeks, so had to pack two different bags.
When trying to decide what to take to my boyfriend’s, my first thought was “ah I haven’t got enough clothes!”. However on closer inspection of my wardrobe and drawers, my thought changed to “ok, i got too many clothes!”. The problem is I’ve got so many clothes I want to wear that they can’t all possibly fit in my small suitcase, which I bought for the purpose of not being tempted to overpack, which I usually do.
It’s taken me nearly 3 days to decide and finally pack my stuff, mainly due to the fact most of my important clothes, mainly underwear, was still damp from being washed in the washing machine and I had to wait for them to dry.

So from all this fuss and bother, I have learnt some very valuable techniques to use when faced with trying to pack a considerable amount of clothes into a very small space.

1) Place your shoes along the bottom of your bag. Also to save space, try to stuff as many pairs of socks/knickers into your shoes or trainers.

2) Pick clothes that you can mix and match together to make different outfits with. One example, I’m taking with me three t-shirts and a long sleeve top. Now that would make 4 oufits if worn on their own, however if the weather is slightly cooler than I expected, I can put a t-shirt over my long sleeve top. So combining them together whenever I want, I can actually make 7 different combinations.

3) I find after I’ve packed my clothes, I forget how bulky my toiletries are. What I really find useful, especially if I’m on short stay somewhere are the little freebies and samples you get from magazines etc. I have a whole load of mini showergels from gift sets I got for christmas which can easily be slipped into a nearly already overstuffed bag. Also don’t throw the bottles away when you’re finished. You can reuse them by pouring showergel/shampoo/conditioner from the big bottle into the little bottle ready for your next journey.

It helps me to make a list of things I want to take with me which then I cross off when they’re packed, cos knowing me I would probably forget something important  like shoes or even my underwear. Don’t laugh, it did nearly happen once!

Quote of the Week May 7, 2009

On Tuesday I went to the Youth group set up by Penkhull Christian Fellowship for 14-18 year olds which I help to lead.
This Tuesday, the leaders were asked to share their testimonies about how they came to become Christians.
Michael at the end of his testimony said something about how he’d been feeling that day, like he had M.E or something. I said I had M.E. when one lad asked “What’s M.E? Is it like AIDS?”
I just looked at him in complete shock, unable to say anything for a minute.
“No it’s not like AIDS, it’s not contagious and you certainly cannot catch it in that way!”

I remembered it today and it got me thinking the ridiculous things people do and say without realising. Earlier that Tuesday, I had gone up to Hanley to return a pair of jeans which had a broken zip. As I walked through town, this woman was walking in front of me. Even though she had her back to me, I could tell she was probably a very attractive woman, Long blonde hair, little leather jacket, tight jeans and boots. What nearly made me laugh out loud was this man who walked past her in the opposite direction. He did a double take, mouth gaped open and staring unashamedly at her as he carried on walking, not looking where he was going. Sometimes it pays to be a bit more subtle in your oggling of the opposite sex.

Ross Noble in Buxton April 22, 2009

Last night me and my boyfriend Spence went to Buxton to see Ross Noble perform at the Buxton Opera House.
My Mum picked us up about 2 o’ clock and dropped us off at the Pavillion Gardens. I showed Spence around Buxton, taking him through the park, the hot house, showed him St Ann’s well where spring water comes straight out of the ground, and the main shopping area Spring Gardens.
I felt a bit sorry for him as I dragged him through the shops looking for presents for some upcoming birthdays. We went into Currys just for the hell of it and into Waitrose as Spence has never been in one before!

As we walked up the hill to my house, I pointed out to him all the buildings, like the university, Palace hotel, the town hall and Trinity Church.

As I began to cook some food, my brother came home from school. He’s grown so much! He has even started to grow hair on his chin! He said he missed me alot, which is nice to hear from my brother.

I was worried about what Spence would make of my family (and the state of the house!) but he hasn’t run off to the hills just yet!

We left about 7 with my sister. Before I was going out with Spence, I bought a ticket for myself, which was Seat 16 in Row G. When I was going out with Spence, I thought he might want to come along too, so I bought two more tickets, on Row D seats 28 and 29. So my sister got my first ticket, but she didn’t want to sit on her own, but I wasn’t going to let Spence sit on his own either!

the four headed ross monster a.k.a 'Steve'

Ross Noble’s shows always have some weird thing in the background on stage and this had the weirdest ever. It was a monster with four of his heads, a tortoise’s body, lobster arms, wings, dragon legs and octopus tentacles. Truly bizarre.

With every passing minute I got more and more excited at seeing Ross Noble live, and frequently did my fast clapping that I usually do when I get really excited about something. Then the lights dimmed and Ross Noble came on stage.

It was hilarious. I have never laughed so much. My cheeks were sore and even my teeth began to hurt. Highlights were when someone came in late they had to have their face stroked, Pat the hairdresser in the front row who was Ross’ personal moral barometer, you change into a woman when you get off the train at Macclesfield, moles tunneling into the Opera House, Beyonce punching a pig to death on a treadmill (which went on for ages!) Jade Goody, Axel Rose and the students on the front row.

At the ‘piss break’ as Ross calls it, my sister came over and just plonked herself onto my knee after I got her an ice cream, and began to talk about how she was sitting next to the worse people ever.

I loved the ‘any questions’ section at the end, when Ross talked about his 6 month old daughter, how she has a frisbee face and when his wife was in Baby Gap, he just walked past her saying ‘What a f***king ugly baby!’. The woman didn’t in the shop didn’t know they were married and just looked shocked!

Another story was when he was buying clothes for his daughter. He said people who work in baby shops don’t seem to be able to get over the fact that everything they sell is teeny tiny. Every time the shop lady folded the clothes she went ‘awww’ which was driving him mad. The final straw was when she said ‘New baby?” to which he replied, ‘No, my wife is a dwarf’. It was brilliant!

At the end they were selling posters signed by Ross Noble, some of the proceeds are going to help people in Australia whose homes were destroyed in the bush fires. Noble virtually lost everything in the fire. I really wanted one and Spence bought it for me, which he didn’t have to, but it was sweet for him to do so