Merry Christmas Eve Eve!!

This song from Michael Buble's new christmas album makes me want to dance!

Last Month...in a chestnut!

To cover my poor posting abilities of last month and because so much happened that I want to remember...here's a rundown of 10 things that went dowwwn in the month of November!

1. Quit hellish waitressing job.

2. Started sprouting too many spots to count!

3. As one door closed, another one opened...I got offered a new job!

4. But continued to sprout spots!

5. Our adult syncrhonized skating team won bronze medals in the British :)

6. Spots still remained!!

7. Started new job.

8. Spots erupted!

9. Stayed in new job.

10. I zapped my spots- woooo!!!

December!

I can't quite believe it...its December! The snow has fallen and our Christmas tree is up! Where did the time fly....?

Piano Elegance

I love music and I love the elegant qualities of piano music. 

I wrote my last post, about a dream I had, whilst listening to a similar version of this, "My Heart Will Go On" on piano.  

Dreams are..

I dreamt a dream.

A dream, not a story or a nightmare, a dream. 

An immense empty hall.

Lit by candles; held up high and low by enchantment.

The sounds of music echo from wall to wall.

A peaceful music, a reflective beautiful kind of music.

The air feels cold and damp as I glide across the room through layers of floating mists.

It is peaceful, magical and still. 

At one end of the hall, the tall entrance doors are FLUNG open to the elements. 

The howling winds of the winters evening WHIP around the rink. 

The candlelight flickers and dims without going out. 

With each jump, spin and move that I take; I am lifted off the frozen grounds and carried along by the whipping air.
I am flying, flying and dancing. 

This way, 

and that way.

With complete control, elegance and grace. 

The music gets louder and the winds get stronger.

And so with each beat, my heart rises and my feet are grounded for that split second. 

I could do this all night...

And so.. for me, this is what dreams are made of.

Today.

Today, I want all my worries to go away.
Today, I have been led astray.

But, no...

Today, I will tell the world.
Today, I will not be hurled.
Today, I will be strong.
Just like in those songs.
Today, I will take a step.
I am not afraid of the depth.
Today, I will not hide.
Today, I have pride.

Today...is the right day.

But always, today is not.
Today, someone has been wronged.
To today, this does not belong.
Today, it will not work.
I can't find my way in the murk.

Today is such a jeopardous day.

When is the right day?

Today?

337 days and counting...

I've been home for a week! But it feels like an age since I was here! I can't wait to go back! 

337 days and counting...

Adeus..

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu!

For the next two weeks, I will be around about here:

I CAN NOT wait!

I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly...tomorrow! 

Live what you love.

Last week, I went on an ice skating camp! I met lots of new people, learnt lots of new stuff and got several nasty bruises to show for it! 

It was great and I can't wait to get back on the ice more regularly!

Do what you love and life is so much better!

 Its so true... I haven't been able to wipe the smile off my face since!

The Future of a Graduate and co.

At the graduation ceremony on Tuesday, the following speech left me feeling so inspired and motivated to get up, get out there and do something good. So, I went back to the graduation webcast video and noted it down. Perhaps a little sad but with no job and not much else to do at the moment, I thought it is something worthy remembering for the near and distant future.

I also think the following sentiments may be used by anyone, not just a graduate.

Mr Alexander McLean at the University of Nottingham graduation for the faculty of social sciences-19th July 2011:

"My first point is the importance of education. As you leave this place, I urge you to go out with your eyes open. To look for more opportunities to learn, both informally and formally. My greatest education has come from the mistakes that I have made. You’ll make mistakes too but when you do I urge you to take them as chances to learn, to pick yourself up and carry on. The one who makes no mistakes is the one who does nothing at all. 

My second point is the importance of relationships.  You see me standing here, judged by someone at this university to have something of worth sharing with you, but you don’t see those on whose shoulders I’m leaning. My family and friends, mentors and colleagues who’ve helped me refine me into the person I am. I urge you to invest in those people who’ve helped you to get here today.

Relationships that you started at this university can last you for the rest of your lives. Invest in them.

 My third point is the importance of vision. Since I was 16 years old I volunteered at a hospice in London. And in Africa I’ve done a lot of work with people who are coming to the end of their lives… I’ve been privileged to share with them. It made me think what I would like to have written in my obituary after I die… I hope it will be a very long time before any of you do. It made me think about the importance of having a vision and being clear about what we want from our lives.

 When I was in my second year here at Nottingham, I became a magistrate at Nottingham magistrates court. Combined with my experience in prisons in Africa, it’s given me a passion for justice. Both justice that can be received both inside and outside of the courtroom. Hannah (my wife) and I intend to spend our lives serving the destitute.

A friend of mine who has a clear vision for his life is a man called Benjamin. I met him when we were both 19 years old in Kampala, Uganda. Since that age, Benjamin has studied for O levels and A levels and this year we’re helping him to apply to the University of London to study for his LLB by correspondence. When Benjamin was 16, he was taken to prison and when I met him at the age of 19, he’d been sentenced to death. Benjamin is becoming a lawyer because lawyers failed him and he sees that lawyers can save lives, both his own and that of others.

 Another famous person who studied law whilst in prison and who went on to transform nations was Nelson Mandela who also studied with the University of London. He used his knowledge in education of law to transform a nation. For more than 130 years, students have been graduating from this institution. Some of them have gone on to be nobel prize winners, others, prime ministers, others, lords.

 My final point is that nothing can hold you back other than yourselves. Each of you is capable of achieving tremendous things with your lives. It’s taken determination and hard work to get this far. I urge you to go out and use that same determination and hard work to be the change you want to see in the world. Congratulations.”

Yesterday...

Yesterday, I got up, had breakfast, showered, brushed my teeth and graduated! Standard!

Now...what next?

21

Today is my 21st birthday! 

HEY PRESTO.... I'm an adult. 

Whatever that is!

 I never want to grow up! 

I'll be what I want to be.

 I'll be what I am. 

And I think I'm a kind of Peter Pan.

x

B in it to win it!

Right now, I'm feeling like a very lucky bean! And a very happy one too! Yesterday, my friend and I went down to London to watch BEYONCE perform for a one off TV special, after having won tickets from an internet draw 2 days ago! (Its been a whirlwind week!)

Wow! Did we really do that?!

From just under 1 million applications for tickets, we were incredibly lucky! And it was amazing! She was amazing! The atmosphere and intimacy of the studio was just incredible! What a sunny moment to remember!

It just goes to prove that you have to:

“B in it to win it!” 

In the future, I’m going to enter more stuff!

Sock Heads

No, this post isnt about wearing socks on our heads. What a silly idea! This is about a particular kind of sock……head. Also known as an Abersoch head or soch head.

I was rummaging through some photos the other day and came across some old pics of Abersoch, which is a village in North Wales, a place for caravan holidays and THE place of my childhood memories. 

I have an absolute adoration, appreciation, and LOVE of this place. People often say there is a certain something special about it. Its magical and I wholeheartedly agree! Such people are known as Sock/soch heads!

Anyway, as I was saying, I was looking through these photos of Abersoch the other day and thought that as Abersoch has been a major part of my YOUNGER youth and transformation into the being that I am today (....a sock head), I would like to write and dedicate a post towards this amazing place.

Abersoch photo spam: 

The Village and Snowdonia beyond. 

Abersoch beach and Snowdonia on the horizon

Beautiful green fields and Snowdonia in the background

Snowdonia across the water

A sunny day on the beach, a shandy in hand and Snowdonia for view.

 Err...maybe I should have made this a dedication to Snowdonia. Hmm, nahh...I can't be bothered changing it. Lets leave it at....I like the views of Snowdonia.... 

So, as a Sock head with a slight tendency towards the Snow heads, I would like to say THANK YOU Abersoch for lots of SUNNY MOMENTS and memories! My life just wouldn't have been the same....

   

Its July!

I'm not an American and its not the holidays but I'm so happy its July!

 Fingers crossed, we'll have lots of sunny moments!

Happy Summer!

The Fear

Fear.

Life is full of it. 

I've had a particular fear for a while.

 I've tackled with it endlessly.

Eventually...

 I felt I had to face it!

But even in the face of it, I wasn't sure what to do, how to feel, how to face it.

At first, I thought I must resist this feeling of fear, expel it from my body in order to get over it. 

It didn't work. 

The fear only grew.

NO.

So I let it take over and permeate every sense in my body. 

I became the fear.

 I was the fear. 

Through its internalisation, I realised that all I had to fear was myself.

After a while, I began to feel quite serene...relaxed. 

I went and did what I knew I felt I had to. And actually... really wanted to do. And now, while writing this... I'm crying. Not crying for fear... but crying for joy. 

I feel relieved. 

Looking fear in the eye is not to resist its emotion, but to permit it. At least, it was for me. Ride that roller coaster, ride through the emotion in order to come to the ultimate next. For me, it is joy. 

This is a sunny moment.

And now I'm grinning like a Cheshire cat.