Hiya all,
I'm alive! My head has been distracted the past week or so by life and such things...must get into habit of blogging as life happens and not after. Point of blog after all, no?
I literally just watched The Social Network and wanted to talk about how good it is. For anyone that doesn't know or hasn't seen it follows Mark Zuckerburg, the 'guy who created Facebook'; how the idea developed, how it spread, the lawsuits with his friends and so on.
As my dad said, it was a really atmospheric film, great dialogue and a lot of emphasis on the characters and personalities. I personally prefer that to explosions and slapstick humour, most probably with this guy who I cannot stand....Although saying that, I kinda wish I liked slapstick The-Hangover type humour though because its everywhere.
Anyway, the film is great and I really like Jesse Eisenburg who plays Zuckerburg. Really impressive acting. And he has a nice face.
I think part of what is attractive about the film is that its all about hindsight. We care how the idea came about and the small steps it took because Facebook became so huge and influential that its hard to imagine that 5 or so years ago no-one knew what it was.
When a friend of mine first made me an account when I was about 17 I didn't really like it, and felt reluctant to be drawn into all the hype (how hipster of me) and heard from others that it was mostly for Uni students wanting to stay in touch. Now, I'll check it every day. Its pretty much ever present amongst my age group and by kids who seem younger and younger by the minute.
What'll happen in the next 5 years? Inventions like the Ipad or the Iphone, while great, haven't set the world on fire in the same way: it doesn't work when you can get the same thing at cheaper prices. But what happens when every 7 year old has an Ipad? Apparently there is a private school where every child is required to have an Ipad 2....how rich do you have to be? Come on!
Everything is now online. Listening to music, reading books, talking to friends, watching tv....it can now all be done on your laptop or phone. Where does it all go from here? It feels like everything has reached a peak but quite clearly everything is going to keep changing....
And with that, I bid you goodnight!
xxx
Friday 9 September 2011
Tuesday 30 August 2011
Really great cake recipe.....
Good evening fair reader,
Despite popular demand in the comments, I don't know any recipes. Although saying that, my ex-(sob)-housemate and I may be writing our own pasta cookbook with assorted pasta-based meals. Some favourites:
1) Cook pasta for less time than necessary 2) Add sauce
Or,
1) Buy a pasta ready meal.
So while this blog will be many things to many people, it won't be the source of culinary delights. Apart from photos of food made for or given to me.
No blog posts over the weekend due to my departure to London to celebrate my best friends 21st - we got treated to a fancy hotel with swimming pool and steam room and rahrarahhnotboastingrahrah; it was really good.
I got a tip of the week from a girl I met today. She has just finished the Graduate Scheme I've applied to at the company where I work. During our conversation about her past 2 years, which sound amazing, she said to not worry about what I want to do but do anything and get stuck into it. And then to use that experience for finding a job I actually want later.
This seems like pretty good advice and is definitely something to think about! It seems that a lot of people I speak to didn't really know what they were doing at first and that it all came together in the end.
I remember watching Steve Jobs making a speech where he talks about chance and how his life worked out how it did. Actually, the first thing that amazed me about this was that he created both Apple and Pixar, which I didn't realise.
He talks about how in college or uni he stopped going to his classes and turned up to calligraphy classes for the hell of it because he was really interested by it. At the time it didn't make sense but later he used this knowledge when building laptops and that's why laptops today have so many typefaces.
One of my favourite quotes is from this video actually is:
This was when he had to leave Apple and when he began Pixar (this is from memory, I may be wrong) but I love this concept and it's also what I was talking about in the last blog; creativity and being in the moment.
Link here if you are interested in watching the whole thing.
I also like to think that in 5 or 10 or 20 years time we can all look back and see reasons or patterns e.g. "I uploaded files for 8 hours a day when I was 21 and that's why I'm ended up....................." Queen of Europe?
It could happen.
On that happy and ambitious note I'm gunna love you and leave you.
Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday :) xx
Despite popular demand in the comments, I don't know any recipes. Although saying that, my ex-(sob)-housemate and I may be writing our own pasta cookbook with assorted pasta-based meals. Some favourites:
1) Cook pasta for less time than necessary 2) Add sauce
Or,
1) Buy a pasta ready meal.
So while this blog will be many things to many people, it won't be the source of culinary delights. Apart from photos of food made for or given to me.
No blog posts over the weekend due to my departure to London to celebrate my best friends 21st - we got treated to a fancy hotel with swimming pool and steam room and rahrarahhnotboastingrahrah; it was really good.
I got a tip of the week from a girl I met today. She has just finished the Graduate Scheme I've applied to at the company where I work. During our conversation about her past 2 years, which sound amazing, she said to not worry about what I want to do but do anything and get stuck into it. And then to use that experience for finding a job I actually want later.
This seems like pretty good advice and is definitely something to think about! It seems that a lot of people I speak to didn't really know what they were doing at first and that it all came together in the end.
I remember watching Steve Jobs making a speech where he talks about chance and how his life worked out how it did. Actually, the first thing that amazed me about this was that he created both Apple and Pixar, which I didn't realise.
He talks about how in college or uni he stopped going to his classes and turned up to calligraphy classes for the hell of it because he was really interested by it. At the time it didn't make sense but later he used this knowledge when building laptops and that's why laptops today have so many typefaces.
One of my favourite quotes is from this video actually is:
“The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about anything. This was when I was at my most creative”
This was when he had to leave Apple and when he began Pixar (this is from memory, I may be wrong) but I love this concept and it's also what I was talking about in the last blog; creativity and being in the moment.
Link here if you are interested in watching the whole thing.
I also like to think that in 5 or 10 or 20 years time we can all look back and see reasons or patterns e.g. "I uploaded files for 8 hours a day when I was 21 and that's why I'm ended up....................." Queen of Europe?
It could happen.
On that happy and ambitious note I'm gunna love you and leave you.
Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday :) xx
Friday 26 August 2011
New post occurred
Hey there,
Nice that it's a Friday right?
Before starting work about a month ago, I never really got that 'thank God; it's Friday' feeling, but now every Friday the fact that it's Friday replaces the weather as the main topic of conversation. It's quite nice as everyone swaps their weekend plans but also a bit depressing because you spend all week gearing yourself up for 2 days that go by so quick.
Actually, this reminds me of a Dalai Lama quote. Let me find it.
Someone asks him what surprises him most and he says:
Nice that it's a Friday right?
Before starting work about a month ago, I never really got that 'thank God; it's Friday' feeling, but now every Friday the fact that it's Friday replaces the weather as the main topic of conversation. It's quite nice as everyone swaps their weekend plans but also a bit depressing because you spend all week gearing yourself up for 2 days that go by so quick.
Actually, this reminds me of a Dalai Lama quote. Let me find it.
Someone asks him what surprises him most and he says:
"Man, because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never
going to die and then he dies having never really lived"
Something about this always strikes me as true as we are always looking to the next thing; the next holiday, the next party, what we're going to do after now. Life happens where you're just in the moment and you forget yourself.
More and more I'm agreeing with philosophers who said that you only 'forget yourself' and become free when you participate in art - music, theatre, painting.
This used to annoy me because I thought it was so upper class and anti pop-culture....but then I realised I get these kind of moments when listening to music, jogging/doing jiu-jitsu (new hobby) or reading. It's all art, right?
When you are not immersed in the details and worrying about everything; that's when life happens. When you're outside of your comfort zone. When you don't know what's going to happen next but you look forward to it.
Frank Zappa (composer) said that "without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible" and it's the same sentiment.
The point that I'm making is that
trying new things = doing life = happiness
Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the drudgery, routine and expectations of everyday life but I love those moments when life just.....is and the worries and thoughts melt away.
Mostly though, this guy is good on a bike :) And the song makes it feel like summer even thought its been raining all day.
Love
xxx
Wednesday 24 August 2011
Beautiful day to blog
Happy Wednesday to all :)
The weather is b-e-a-uutifull today! British weather really needs to decide if its in Summer or Winter at the moment. Preferably, it'll choose summer but it'll properly only happy when all the school children get thrown forcibly from the fields and back into school.
6 week holidays are definitely a distant memory; I much prefer the Uni way of ~3 months off and then casually turn up to a few lectures. I think discipline is a memory too 'cos at Uni you could come and go and it felt like you'd done a really good deed if you managed to turn up to nearly a full week of lectures.
I'm loving the freedom that leaving education gives you . Even though my head is crying because it can't make a decision, it's a great feeling to have so many options and I'm so lucky to live in a country where I have access to pretty much any job. Glass ceiling or no glass ceiling, at least I'm not gunna be shot down for wanting to be a female doctor. If I was so inclined.
Mostly though, I wanted to talk about a book. Anyone that knows me will be thinking (as they avidly read my blog) - 'oh here we go, Bow and her books'.
I like books.
It's this particular appreciation that inspired the background to the blog, as you might imagine (n.b. don't go thinking this is the final, finished 'look' of the blog - complete work-in-progress. I'm not creative but hopefully I can do better than this). So do expect Bridget's Corner to talk about some books. I might even have a themed section called Bridget's Books or something equally unimaginative. Expect this.
The book I've been reading is called Until the Final Hour by Traudl Junge....in normal words, she was one of Hitler's Secretaries who stayed with him until, yeh, 'the final hour'. I haven't reached the final hour yet, but I'm sure it'll be good. Her diaries were made into the film Downfall which you may or may not have seen.
The book is literally fascinating. I don't use literally fascinating very often, but when I do it's normally about something good. Normally you hear character appraisals of Hitler and it's all "he's evil" and "he's a vegetarian ohh the irony". While he is evil and his eating habits are slightly ironic, Traudl makes him seem so....normal.
She was very young, very naive and you can see how there were almost two sides to Hitler; evil, militaristic, megalomaniac....and then the man who eats dinner, who makes jokes, teaches his dogs tricks.
Amazing. Do read it, or watch the film, if this kind of thing interests you. If you've ever read books like Anne Frank, The Book Thief or literally anything about the holocaust, this book will just amaze and confuse you.
Book loving out the way, I feel I should credit my older brother Timothy for his remarkable genius in naming the blog. Naturally, it arose out of him making fun of me when I used to ask [great and interesting] questions when watching Match of the Day. And sitting in the corner.
Thank you for reading :)
Bowing out xx
The weather is b-e-a-uutifull today! British weather really needs to decide if its in Summer or Winter at the moment. Preferably, it'll choose summer but it'll properly only happy when all the school children get thrown forcibly from the fields and back into school.
6 week holidays are definitely a distant memory; I much prefer the Uni way of ~3 months off and then casually turn up to a few lectures. I think discipline is a memory too 'cos at Uni you could come and go and it felt like you'd done a really good deed if you managed to turn up to nearly a full week of lectures.
I'm loving the freedom that leaving education gives you . Even though my head is crying because it can't make a decision, it's a great feeling to have so many options and I'm so lucky to live in a country where I have access to pretty much any job. Glass ceiling or no glass ceiling, at least I'm not gunna be shot down for wanting to be a female doctor. If I was so inclined.
Mostly though, I wanted to talk about a book. Anyone that knows me will be thinking (as they avidly read my blog) - 'oh here we go, Bow and her books'.
I like books.
It's this particular appreciation that inspired the background to the blog, as you might imagine (n.b. don't go thinking this is the final, finished 'look' of the blog - complete work-in-progress. I'm not creative but hopefully I can do better than this). So do expect Bridget's Corner to talk about some books. I might even have a themed section called Bridget's Books or something equally unimaginative. Expect this.
The book I've been reading is called Until the Final Hour by Traudl Junge....in normal words, she was one of Hitler's Secretaries who stayed with him until, yeh, 'the final hour'. I haven't reached the final hour yet, but I'm sure it'll be good. Her diaries were made into the film Downfall which you may or may not have seen.
The book is literally fascinating. I don't use literally fascinating very often, but when I do it's normally about something good. Normally you hear character appraisals of Hitler and it's all "he's evil" and "he's a vegetarian ohh the irony". While he is evil and his eating habits are slightly ironic, Traudl makes him seem so....normal.
She was very young, very naive and you can see how there were almost two sides to Hitler; evil, militaristic, megalomaniac....and then the man who eats dinner, who makes jokes, teaches his dogs tricks.
Amazing. Do read it, or watch the film, if this kind of thing interests you. If you've ever read books like Anne Frank, The Book Thief or literally anything about the holocaust, this book will just amaze and confuse you.
Book loving out the way, I feel I should credit my older brother Timothy for his remarkable genius in naming the blog. Naturally, it arose out of him making fun of me when I used to ask [great and interesting] questions when watching Match of the Day. And sitting in the corner.
Thank you for reading :)
Bowing out xx
Tuesday 23 August 2011
Day 2 in Bridget's Corner....
Hi there....
How are we?
On this rainy Tuesday I would really like to share this amazing video with you. This is one of many amazing TED talks which can be found on the website.
TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) if you don't know is a conference where people who are unbelievably talented and complete specialists in their own field conduct talks on new inventions, ideas or theories.
My parents in fact know Chris Anderson (hugely under-rated entrepreneur) who set TED up a few years ago and made the videos freely available on the net so it's nice to see the products of his labour! If you haven't heard of it, you should definitely check it out :) It's a great way to procrastinate.
Anyway, this video is by Michael Pritchard who developed a water-bottle which can turn dirty water to clean, sterile water. It's unbelievable that this a) hasn't been developed sooner and b) that it's still not being widely used in places like Somalia right now, or after any major disaster.
The problem may be cost effective-ness but you'd hope further incremental product or process innovations could make it more cost effective, especially given its potential impact.
Serious conversation over In lighter news - my new bracelet arrived today :) Pic below of charm. This is the beginning of my belated 21st birthday. I'm hoping to collect charms from various family members and friends from now and into the future! :) Thanks to my Grandma for the first one! So I am hugely excited about it :)
Thanks for reading! :D Hope you had a great day
Bowing out xx
Monday 22 August 2011
Hello!
Hi guys :) first post!
To people I don't know - hello and welcome! To people I know: you mock me, I'll kill you. Get out.
I'm not really sure what to tell you to expect with this blog. Most likely it'll just be my thoughts or ideas whenever I get round to writing them down. I've just graduated (a month or so ago) from University of Manchester and I'm in a transition period where I don't have a clue what's going on. I have a small part time job but my main focus should be on getting a real person's job and doing real person things.
However, despite this lofty aim I spend all 98% of my time not looking for a job, being on the internet, reading, going out, travelling to go out or sleeping. Main problem for me is not knowing what I want to do. Whenever I try I kinda end up like this and I don't get anywhere.
So this blog is potentially going to cover the undoubtedly fascinating chronology of:
a) My successful journey to adulthood with details on my successful, impressive high-paying and convenient job.
b) My increasingly frustrated attempts at finding any more work as my attempts become more and more futile.
c) Screw the job, enter instead highly dramatised and exaggerated version of the days events; more often than not, the blog ends a life-threatening situation....but do I survive?
Anyway, updates on any brainwaves I have on what kind of job I want can be hoped for but expect this hope to remain unfulfilled. I'll probably be commenting on things in the news or stuff I've found on the internet or that happened in the day.
Things and stuff, essentially.
But mainly, this was something that made me smile today so, enjoy :)
Bowing out x
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