Instacrap

So, you have a few hundred pounds laying around. You want a new, cool phone. However, you also want to take pictures and easily share them with friends. You also want to look as if you can take a good picture without really thinking. And not only that, but you're looking for a passing bandwagon to jump on and go for a long boring, monochrome journey on.  Well, what is one to do? To buy an iPhone and download an Instagram app like every other blind sheep in the world.

Perhaps I'm being a snob and I've not really 'gotten it', like most other fads, but I don't get what the hell you all like about it. I just typed 'Instagram photos' into Google, and it occurred to me that had I entered these photographs into my A level Photography coursework, I would have lost marks for bad editing. All that has simply changed is the 'warmth'; they have cooled the picture, which simply means putting a blue tint to the picture. That's bad editing skill. Honestly.

Let's Reminisce Into My 2012

This blog is an example of how neglectful I have become of my little bit of Internet space. 2012 has been and gone for nearly a month now, and yet I am only just about to write my usual blog on the subject. Anyway, it was another year to remember, which involved a lot mature stuff by me. It has changed me; for example I now own a washing up bowl.

So, the first four months of the year were fairly uneventful, what with it mainly consisting of writing essays and creating a student film. The film involved lots of trekking across London packed with a multitude of different equipment, and then hours of painstaking editing. Luckily, I enjoyed being with the people I done.

Sour Grapes

Photography is a passion of mine, and having thought about it, I'm surprised that I haven't actually written a blog on the subject. So, having made a big song and dance about it recently on my Twitter and Facebook accounts, it seemed the appropriate time to start.

I have entered rather a few photography competitions in the past few years, since I've had the passion; none of which I have won. However, until last week, every time I haven't won, I've looked at the pictures that did win, and in awe, fully understood why those images were chosen ahead of mine. They generally have been taken using a top range DSLR camera and various lenses, and therefore can take better qualities images. Those I do not begrudge.

Stressed Backwards Spells Desserts Did You Know...

It seems like I've been eating too many doughnuts, biscuits, pafita rolls, muffins and other such delicious desserts, as they are obviously the cause of my recent (but now decreasing) stress levels. I did think that it may be due to it being the time of year when the exams are looming and coursework deadlines are nearing - but no, it's because of my sweet tooth. Actually, that's a ridiculous theory. Fine, my stress was caused by school related matters...

Even though Photography sounds like an easy subject and is considered by most to be a 'Doss' lesson, it's actually far from it, and I think has been a main source of my stress in the past few days - trying to get it all finished before the deadline. Waiting for the printer to print out my images in between it's hissy fits and tearing up tissue paper to make my folder look pretty. It's contributed I believe. Is there more of a manly experience than tearing up tissue paper I ask myself?
With rushing to stick down all my ideas in the form of images and writing about it, whilst still going to school and revising, it doesn't take long for one to have a mini breakdown, which consisted of a few tears and a nose bleed. All my photography is now done, albeit handed in two days late, and thus the reason for my stress levels decreasing.

Even though I have 2 exams remaining to conquer, they don't stress me the slightest bit, when technically they should, because they are stressing everyone else. Stress of any type is really uncommon for me though, because I am one these people who takes everything in their stride, and lets nothing bother them. Whereas everyone around gets worked up about exams, and the night before, revise so much that they forget what their name is and write the wrong one on the exam paper, I don't. I am always quietly confident, and exams have never stressed me, and I don't expect they ever will. The way I see it though, is that we need to start playing Enya in exams, which will hopefully relax everyone and hopefully the performance of pupils may increase... Or decrease if they all fall asleep.

I am in no way saying though that I've been more stressed than anyone else, because it's far from that. There are people in my school who in the past week have had to redo parts of their coursework, do multiple drama performance - one of which is marked by an examiner, and doing an English exam. Now that is what I call stress. I could get all satirical at this point and mention how all the MP's are stressed in case The Times newspaper uncovers that they too have been putting down silly expense claims. Maybe one of them put an expense in for a shredder, which they then used to shred all evidence of their expenses. Although, none of them would do that, would they?

I expect Gordon Brown has too been under a lot of stress the past few - years I suppose you'd say, with him being just as unpopular as every other MP in the country at the moment, although still remaining just above Piers Morgan in the popularity polls. Should he sack every cabinet member so only he is left? Should he himself resign? Should he call a general election and call for his own suicide too? Should he just keep quiet for a few weeks and hope it all blows over? Should he try and catch Swine Flu and gain the sympathy vote? These are all questions he has to ask himself, and there is no doubt about it, he must under rather a lot of stress. Maybe Enya should become the new speaker of the House of Commons, and every time it gets a bit heated she breaks into spontaneous 'singing'.

You can tell how stressed I am now though by the fact instead of spending my long weekend revising exams and what not, I spend the time watching Eurovision, watching 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' on DVD, writing and planning multiple blogs, sorting out other peoples love lives and many other things that don't include revision of any form. I've even been slowly munching my way through my last Easter Egg. I am glad that I'm no longer stressed, but I always feel guilty when I'm not stressed, and everyone around me is... Everyone around me has patches of baldness where they've been tearing their hair out, but I still have my beautiful, golden locks, metaphorically anyway, but I do have lovely hair.

Anyway, Toodles m’dearys
xXXx

Are You Ready, Are Your Ready For This, Are You Hanging On The Edge Of Your Seat...

This is the first blog in which I've talked about my day, which can mean either one of two things - Today has been extra ordinarily brilliant, or pretty bad - but today ticks both boxes... I have spent the entire day listening to Queen (And I still am) because I have a lot of Queen Songs which haven't been listened to for ages. So the background music for my day has been pretty darn good.

I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, because at 2 in the morning I was chasing a spider around my room, he was a big fellow, but he was also a quick little bugger. It makes me feel guilty that I killed him with one of my shoes now, because he would have been a great participant of the London 2012 spider Olympics. Nether-the-less, I saw him last week and lost him, so I refused to lose him again. Took me ages to get to sleep after, so I woke up in a pretty bad mood - and from there the day has progressed (like normal days really. You wake up, and the day progresses from there - nothing unusual - except I was in a particularly bad mood, like I have previously mentioned).

First lesson was Photography. I like photography, and in fact (excluding some of the company), it is probably my favourite lesson. The bad thing about photography, is you have to carry your folders everywhere, and at the moment I am carrying 3 folders around, so after a day of walking in the sun (which the next paragraph will be about), my hands are very, very sore - so my hands at the moment are not as smooth as normal.

Walking in the sun is a pain - especially when you hadn't planned to. My plan was to bus into town from my photography lesson, as the school where my lesson is literarily miles away from the high street, which is only the half way point to where my afternoon lesson of English is held. But knowing my luck, I didn't just miss one bus - I missed two. So I had to walk a fair distance, whilst lugging around three photography sketch books.

Me not catching a bus into town and walking instead, meant I was half hour late to meet my Nan, Aunt and various other people who mysteriously know my name, in a coffee shop in Canterbury, which meant I had no time for an energy boost of a drink, as I walked my (partially sighted) Nan to her pick-up point. This was my good deed of the day. Every day needs one, even if it's just letting a marathon running spider live a little longer, and seeing as I didn't do that, walking my Nan was the next best option.

After putting her into the car and waving her goodbye, I walked back into town to do a few things I needed to do, which included a trip to the bank so I could bank a cheque I've been holding onto for a few weeks. A trip to the bank, at lunchtime, means standing in cue for long periods of time - whilst holding heavy sketch books. After 25 minutes in the cue, it was my turn, and I was out within minutes afterwards. During my time the cue though, I decided that going to the bank is very much like participating in bad British quiz show, hosted by Michael Barrymore and Bruce Forsyth. I would go into detail, but this is now an idea for a sketch, which I am going to develop, so I shall enlighten you when the idea is developed - maybe.

Out the bank, get a few more things done, whilst still carrying these sketchbooks, which at this point seemed to be corroding my hand, and I began to walk down the town, to my next destination - school. If only it was that simple. As everyone is aware when walking through a high street, you always get people wanting to stop and chat to you, to make you feel guilty about how lucky you have life because African kids are dying, and try to get you to give them money - these are what I believe are called 'Charity Spokespeople'. Well, I got metaphorically tackled by one and had a good ten minute chat with a woman wearing a UNICEF jumper...

I will admit, she wasn't a great spokeswoman for them as discussions included the weather, talking about photography (because she saw my heavy folder), University life and her finger nails - before we got onto a brief discussion concerning these dying children. By me giving them 69p a week, I could give a child a vaccination apparently. I didn't give my card details, but I did walk away, feeling rather guilty for still being alive and not giving her some money - but at least I didn't bump into the Gypsy Women who sticks a heather up my nose and demands a pound for it.

After that, I sat in Westgate gardens and ate a sandwich that I had brought from Tesco's while watching the ducks play in the water; Chinese people take pictures of each other and builders the other side of the river, eating their lunches. It was at that point when I got my phone out and began to Tweet. After that, I went to school, and done hardly anything in English because I was tired and warn out, and that's how the rest of the day has been - pointless. Up until this moment in time where I am nearing the end of my blog.

That was my 'brief' account of my day, my first blog which documents 'A Day In The Life Of' and I expect it will be my last blog which does so. It feel a little better, after getting all of that off my chest, so I would recommend it to anyone who is considering going to therapy soon - just write a blog which hardly anyone will read.

So, that's the end, which leaves me with only one thing to say...
Toodles m'dearys.
xXXx