Life.

Life is a consequence of the decisions we make.

Each decision we make determines the next choice we will be presented with.

Fate, destiny, call it what you like, is a pile of horse shit.  

We all have free will and make our own minds up.  But, there is only one version of reality, so those choices that we do make can only be made once, you cannot go back and change things.

One can only hope that the decisions we make are for the best, not meaningless every day decisions, but the ones that change your life forever.

Is going to University still worth the money?

Firstly, if I have been lucky enough since I started this blog to have gathered any hardcore followers I profoundly apologise for my lack of activity in the past month... I will try and make up for it starting now...

Now then... As a student finishing my A Levels in 2007 I was, like many others, faced with the decision of whether to apply for University.  To me it wasn't much of a question, I was an intelligent guy with the prospect of great grades, no-one in my family had ever been, and every guest speaker I'd ever heard talked about it made quite clear the financial benefits an individual with a degree had over one without.  No brainer right?  The fact that I would be coming out after 3 years over 20K in debt wasn't much of a factor  - everyone is going to be in the same boat, you don't start paying it off until you earn 15K and that's no sort of wage for a graduate right, so the debt would be paid off in no time.

Fast forward 5 years, we are entering the final year before the majority of Universities will be raising the tuition fees nearly threefold to 9K a year.  Now I put myself back in the position I described earlier... Not a no brainer anymore.  Now let me just quickly say that this post is not intending to argue against the fee increases, nor is it looking at affluent individuals who are lucky enough to have their fees paid for.  I am asking the question as to whether or not the University experience and degree which you aim to leave with are worth the money.

Put it this way...  Someone who came out of University before the recession would have left University about 20K in debt and entered a relatively healthy job market with great prospects.  Whereas someone who comes out of University in 2015 will feed into a saturated job market with little opportunity for graduates (hopefully the situation will be better by then) and to make matters worse will be leaving with a debt more like 40K.  More debt but less chance of landing a well paid job.  Not a great equation.

The decision is surely made even more difficult if you are not the most academic person in the world and are applying for Universities not considered to be elite.  There is a big difference paying 40K for a 1st at Cambridge to a 2.2 at UEA.  Even with the fees at what they are now I'm not sure the benefits of paying to go to a low ranked University with poor predicted grades.  I think there are plenty of other paths for people to go down and that most people don't fully consider them because they have been told over and over again from various angles that a degree breeds success.  That is sadly not the case anymore.

Since I have entered the workplace, starting out as an unpaid intern, I have altered my stance on the benefit of a degree.  If you know what you want to do in your career or even simply which area or industry you would like to work in I would seriously urge you to consider going to work for companies for free to build both practical experience and industry contacts.  By the time your University contemporaries leave, you will most likely have 3 solid years of experience, paid work, hopefully permanent, and they will essentially have a piece of paper telling prospective employers that you know a lot or a little about a subject.

Of course I understand the 'extra-curricular' benefits of going to University.  The friends you make, the experiences you have, the self development you go through, as well as all the things that you can't begin to define or quantify.  But as we stand right now, I would give serious thought as to whether there aren't better options than University.  If I was 18 again I probably would pay the money and go but I am one person and each individual should really weigh up all their options when making a decision.

I'd be really interested to hear what you think?

Please subscribe/follow my blog if you think I'm worth listening to...

The London Riots...

Shameful.  Shocking.  Embarrassing.  Childish.  Ignorant.  These are some of the words that come to mind as I watch the news footage of the London riots and subsequent riots across the UK.

On Thursday August 4th, Mark Duggan was shot dead by police who had tailed him in a minicab.  He was said to be carrying a gun and quite obviously had a criminal background and criminal links.  I don't know whether he was rightfully shot or not but quite frankly there hasn't been enough time to find out.  Of course I don't think the police should go around shooting people but for Mr. Duggan's brother to claim that he was a gentle family man is way off the mark - that kind of person doesn't carry a gun.  Also, I read that his wife had said they planned to move out of the Broadwater Farm area and 'start a new life' - it's amazing how many people say that but never do...

From this incident, a group of people gathered outside the police station demanding answers.  Fair.  However, a number of people then decided to take to the streets and cause havoc.  I can't even call it a protest because the only thing I've seen is violence and criminality.  Smashing up cars, setting them on fire, burning down buildings and shops, attacking the police.  None of those are constructive in the slightest and quite frankly have nothing to do with the death of Mark Duggan - his death has acted as a catalyst for what has subsequently happened.

These individuals have gone on to loot shops in Tottenham, Enfield, Brixton, Wood Green, Westfield, and in the short space of writing this I can add Hackney, Peckham, Lewisham, Deptford, Catford and more.  These people in my eyes are worthless, unintelligent scum.  I'd say 99% probably had never met Mark Duggan, yet they have decided to go out and cause as much damage as possible, essentially in his name - thankfully his family have condemned their actions.  These individuals are caught up in some sort of deluded buzz, running around with their hoods up, posting their activity on social networks and taking part as if it's some sort of recreation.  

Any parent of the individuals responsible should be utterly ashamed.  They should feel great responsibility.  You brought these people up with these morals.  You brought these people up to think that this sort of behaviour is acceptable.  I know that even if I walked past an empty PC World with people streaming out with goods in hand that I would walk away - because I know that it is wrong.  People's livelihoods have literally gone up in flames over the past few days, and for what, in the name of what - nothing.

Unfortunately, many (not all) of the individuals I have seen to be involved are black youths (just to be clear I am not at all claiming that it is solely black youths responsible and I do understand the part the media can play in creating these images).  Yet this angers me greatly.  If any of you read this you are giving every law-abiding black person out there a bad name, you are making black people look like criminals, like animals, like ignorant pieces of dirt who have nothing better to do than cause trouble.  Not to the average person out there in the world, but you are provided the casual racist with easy material to add to their hatred.  For this you should be most ashamed.  You are a fucking disgrace.  You all are! Every race, every age, you are a disgrace!  If people cause chaos because they believe it to be a means to an ends I can at least understand the reasoning, even if it is far fetched and unfounded.  Yet the people I have seen in the last fews days have been doing it simply for the sake of it.  Copy cat vandalism and sheer criminality.

Lastly, I am fearful of what lies in store for London in the days ahead.  If the police and the government don't get a grip of this I honestly don't know what might happen.  Why have the Prime Minister and Mayor of London been on holiday all this time?  Why has the army not been brought in to deal with this?  I think that would quickly make these individuals re-think and retreat.  We have been slow to act and what we have done has not been good enough.  If I was a religious man I would be praying tonight.

I'd be really interested to hear what you think?

Please subscribe/follow my blog if you think I'm worth listening to...

Odd is Yes... Even is No...

My week as a dice man is coming to an end as I sit here on Sunday afternoon.  Let me reflect on the past 7 days.  Firstly, let me just say that I did not take this idea and use it for EVERY decision I made.  Put simply, I wouldn't have had time...

The first big decision I had to make came on Monday morning at about 10.10am.  One of my best mates texted me to see whether I wanted to 'take the day off work' to go and watch the final day of the 1st Test match between England & India at Lords.  Now at this point of course I was at work.  What did I do?  I rolled the dice!  It said NO!  Phew!  Thank you.  If my boss is happening to read this of course I'd never have gone ;-) and I respect the dice's decision of course...

On Tuesday and Wednesday I went to the iTunes Festival at The Roundhouse.  On both nights the dice had a big part to play but on Tuesday it took centre stage.  On the way to the gig, Northern line, me and a mate, odd = shot of black sambuca, even = nothing, until the half lucozade bottle was done.  The dice then told us to get a bottle of Crabbies each from Sainsbury's, then chose out of a selection of bars for us to head to a small Belgian bar to drink random native beers served by our now good Polish friend Machete.  On to the gig.  Amazing night.  Great music.  All drinks decided by the dice.  Numbered spirits 1-6, odd shot, even with mixer - cue mahem!  Even managed to get Katy B and Artwork involved at the 'after party'!

Overall, to sum up I'd say that using the dice to make decisions was a really fun experience, and I couldn't possibly mention them all - although I almost forgot to mention the fact that I got a 'tattoo'! (see picture left) That was pretty wild! - On a night out I definitely would suggest that you try it out as it most certainly adds something to an evening!  And also if ever you are struggling to make a decision, whether that be do I go here or there, or what shall I eat on the menu...  Use the dice!  It stops all indecision and you can't argue with it... Because it's just a dice...

Let me know if anyone out there is inspired to do similar... I will certainly be keeping my dice on me in future...

The Dice Man...

For the next week, I will be living life and making decisions on the roll of a dice.

The inspiration behind the idea originates from one of the story lines in the recent Luther series (for anyone who watched it I will not be carrying around a bat and acid-water pistol!).  I then had conversations with fellow Luther fans who mentioned The Dice Man, a 1971 book by Luke Rhinehart about a fictional character who basically lives his life on the roll of a dice.  Apparently he took this a little bit too far.

I will simply roll the dice to make decisions on everything in which I am given an option (except anything illegal or that might loose me my job!), from what to wear to work, to whether or not to go to an event I'm invited to, to what drink to order at lunch.  

Hopefully it will be interesting, enjoyable, and I'll end up doing things I might not have normally.

I'll blog about the 'results' at the end of the week... Wish me luck!

The male obsession with the gym...

There are several things that an individual can become obsessed with.  Individuals can develop an obsessive fear of gaining weight and a refusal to maintain a healthy body weight as seen with anorexia nervosa.  Others can become obsessed with sex, leading to hypersexuality, where sexual urges, behaviours or thoughts can appear extreme in frequency or feel out of one's control.  Then of course there is obsessive-compulsive disorder, the aniexty disorder characterised by uncontrollable, unwanted thoughts and repetitive, ritualised behaviours you feel compelled to perform.  All three of these are established and recognised conditions affecting millions of people.  The obsession I will be discussing however is not...

The male obsession with the gym...

It's something I only really noticed probably whilst at University.  I would see several guys strutting around the gym in tracksuit bottoms and a vest thinking they were the absolute nuts because they could bench press a certain weight.  I'd see guys looking at themselves in the mirror and flexing to themselves or pulling up their tops to study their abs.  I'd hear guys talking about how many calories they should be eating, spending fortunes on protein shakes, recovery shakes, pre-workout shakes, post-workout shakes, day off shakes, there seems to be a shake for just about every occasion.  

Some of these people are friends of mine but regardless I'd still think to myself, 'What the fuck are you doing all that for?! Are you a professional athlete? Ummm NO! So get back to reality".  Don't get me wrong, I like to try and stay fit and be in good shape and am the first to champion the benefits of exercise, but I try to do this in moderation.  I am a member of a gym and ideally I'd go around 3 times a week, but I much prefer my exercise to come from actually playing sport!

As with most 'body' related obsessions the usual explanations are relevant - guys watch music videos, TV shows, and men's magazines showing the modern male as a tall, tanned and muscly.  In reality this is far from the case; if you were to stop a random male on the street he's more likely to have a beer belly than a chiseled six-pack.  I do believe that this is where obsessions with the gym begin, but only with certain individuals, individuals with a DEEP ROOTED INSECURITY.  

Certain guys, often short or unattractive, but not always, become addicted to the idea of 'beefing' up, and are not satisfied until their biceps are bulging out of their sleeves and the chest pushes their nipples through their t-shirts!  I think it's sad that these individuals feel it necessary to put themselves through all of this because of some twisted ideology which equates muscle bulk with attractiveness.

I'm not saying for a second that everyone who trains at the gym regularly is an obsessive maniac because that's obviously not the case.  I also can see the benefits of this confused theory.  If it does indeed make these individuals feel good about themselves then I guess that must be a good thing.  But do not claim to me that you are going for health reasons or because it helps your football performance in your Sunday league - it is because you are insecure and because getting big at the gym requires no talent whatsoever, determination and perseverance yes, but talent, NO. 

What do you think?

Please subscribe/follow my blog if you think I'm worth listening to...

Is there such a thing as being unique...?

Many of us would like to think that there is something unique about us as individuals.  And of course there is.  None of us, not even identical twins are alike in every way, shape or form.  But the type of unique that these people crave has nothing to do with DNA, but is instead about how we are perceived by the world around us.  They don't want to be seen as 'normal' or your 'average Joe', they want to be spoken about as 'trend setters' and 'leaders'.  Very few people actually manage to create this sort of uniqueness.

The most common way uniqueness is sought after is through physical appearance, through clothes, shoes, hair, accessories, etc... However, the majority of people end up falling into certain sub-cultural groups, which come to think of it are often correlated with the genres of music you listen to.  If you walk the streets of London you will find several of these groups.  From the goth who wears black, is covered in white make up and pierces ever thing in sight, to the 'fly guy/swagger don' who wears snapbacks and is always looking to be seen in the next 'cool' brand, to the 'highstreet girl' who fills her wardrobe with Topshop, Topshop, and more Topshop.

People often fall into the trap of having what they wear dictated for them when they intended to set it themselves...

Perhaps the only people who can truly call themselves unique are the individuals who originally influence a style, the icons whom people aspire/d to look like, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Pharrell Williams, these are just a few examples.  Most recently however, no-one can argue that the Lady Gaga phenomenon has pushed the boundaries of uniqueness right off a cliff.  As far as I know, no-one before her had dressed as outlandish as she does, and have the audacity and courage to pull off some of the outfits she has, for example the infamous 'meat dress' she wore to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.

I am an individual with a desire to be unique in some way.  Yet, I don't want to, have the mind to, or in fact the time, to be the eccentric type who carves out their own style, not following or copying anyone.  Recently I bought a pair of 'round framed' gold Ray Ban's in a style similar to those worn by John Lennon.  I did so because I was bored of wearing the standard square frame or Aviator style of sunglass that are donned by a great percentage of people today, and wanted to wear a style that most others didn't.  I guess it makes me unique amongst my own group of friends as none of them have them, but in the great scheme of things, I am simply copying a legend of the past.  

A toast to all those before us who have influenced each of our 'unique' styles... Cheers!

What do you think?