Seven nights in with the idiot box

Listening to: 'What You Know' by Two Door Cinema Club [Tourist History]

So since I've been awol, I thought I'd share what I get up to in the evenings. Which is basically a lot of TV. In case you weren't aware, Freeview is awesome.

Monday:
2000-2030 - University Challenge (BBC1) - my twitter followers may recall my elation last week as I managed to get 15 questions right (out of, I dunno, 50?). The questions are usually so highbrow, it's a wonder I even understood that many!
2235-2305 - A Question of Sport (BBC1) - clearly Monday night is 'specialist quiz night' in my flat. I pride myself on being able to get the majority of the cricket and tennis questions right (I'm rubbish at other sports, but oh well).

Tuesday:
2000-2100 - Made in Chelsea (E4) - yeah so it's actually broadcast on Monday nights but clashes with QofS so I just watch the repeat on Tuesdays. I thought I would hate these 'staged reality' shows but OHMYGOD it's so much fun. The majority of the characters are either complete a-holes or so posh it should be illegal, which means I have plenty to laugh at.
2200-2230 - Later Live with Jools Holland (BBC2) - half an hour of live music, need I say more?

Wednesday:
2200-2300 - Fresh Meat (Channel 4) - the writers of Peep Show made a tv show about uni students with Joe Thomas off of Inbetweeners and Jack Whitehall...was I ever not going to watch this?

Thursday:

Friday:
2100-2200 - Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1) - starting this week, can't wait! Harry Judd, nom.
2200-2230 - QI (BBC2) - what could be better than Stephen Fry, Alan Davies and a myriad of bizarre facts? Nothing, that's what.
2230-2300 - 8 Out of 10 Cats (Channel 4) - Another random quiz show. With Jimmy Carr, Jon Richardson and Sean Lock (and others). I loves it.

Saturday:
1930-2130 - X Factor (ITV1) - love love love this season. The new judges are brilliant.
Whatever movie's on (this week I have to decide between Frost/Nixon and Shaun of the Dead...or I could watch the latter on ITV1+1)

Sunday:
1945-2100 - X Factor (ITV1) - twice in one weekend, yay!
2100-2200 - Spooks (BBC1) - ah so good. Are real MI5/Russian agents really this easy on the eye? (Oh hi there Sasha! And Dimitri! And Callum!)
2200-2315 - Downton Abbey (ITV1+1) - the terrestrial airing clashes with Spooks, but +1 saves the day! TELL HIM YOU LOVE HIM, MARY! *ahem* sorry.
2315-0000 - The Only Way Is Essex (ITV2+1) - not as good as Made in Chelsea IMO (the characters are too realistic for me to be able to take the piss) but Joey Essex is adorable (albeit incredibly thick) so it's OK.

If I'm bored and there's none of the above on (or it's Thursday), you might find me watching Don't Tell the Bride on BBC3, Poirot on ITV3, or the endless reruns of CSI/CSI:NY/NCIS on 5USA. I've also been known to dabble in a bit of Outnumbered (BBC1), How I Met Your Mother (E4), Big Bang Theory (E4), Cleveland Show (E4), American Dad (BBC3), Family Guy (BBC3) and the Ricky Gervais Show (E4). Oh and if I'm up that late, Misfits and Skins. And there are always one-off documentaries on BBC1/2/3/4 that are quite interesting.

Soooo yeah. Seriously, who needs to illegally download stuff when there's this much good stuff on TV?!

Whinge whinge whinge

Listening to: 'Take It All' by Adele [21]

Just got back from the Dr's. Apparently the back pain isn't anything to worry about, but I've been referred to a physiotherapist just in case. And apparently I should start swimming again 'cos otherwise I'm on the fast track to becoming a cripple. Thanks for nothing, scoliosis.

Combine all this with the lack of money and the fact that a 45min swim session costs £4 (?!), and I am not a happy bunny. Where the hell am I supposed to find ~£20 a month from? Oh and have I mentioned how I don't actually like swimming 'cos it leaves me with a runny nose for the next 24hrs? Although I suppose I'd take a runny nose over using a zimmer frame at 40.

Ugh someone give me a job already.

Um, yeah, hi.

Just checking this thing still works. Everything's changed and I'm not quite sure what I'm doing any more. But yeah.

I'm gonna go now, but I may be back.

The news of me having a life has been greatly exaggerated

Listening to: Radio 1

I've been neglecting this blog. Partly 'cos I've become a tumblrwhore, and partly 'cos I haven't really got anything interesting to put on here. I haven't been doing anything 'interesting' in fact, apart from stalking cricketers.

Hmm let's see what else I've been up to...I've had a fish pedicure (gimmick, but got it on the cheap so why not eh?), I've watched some cricket, I've...yeah OK that's all I've done. The job hunt is soul destroying, so let's not talk about that.

But yeah, I should probably think of something interesting to write here. Maybe.

The battle of the unexpected remixes

Listening to: Radio 1

Most of you will hopefully be familiar with the first single from the forthcoming Foos' album, Rope. It took a while to grow on me, but I'm loving it now.

Some of you will also be familiar with the remix of this single done by a certain Mr Joel Zimmerman, a.k.a. deadmau5. An electro-house remix of a rock song? Surely that's not gonna work? On the contrary (in my opinion at least) - I think it works very well. Here, see for yourself:

Now if that wasn't enough, the amaaaaaaaazing Chase & Status were in the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge today with Delilah, and guess what they covered? If you can't guess, go to the top of this post and start reading again :P. But yes, again...a dubstep remix of a rock song? With female vocals? Surely a no-no? Well have a listen:

So what do you think? Personally, I love all three. I think the remixes are faithful to the original without being carbon copies, and they're also faithful to the genres of their respective artists. And I love Delilah's voice.

Die hard Foo Fighters fans might be offended that someone has dared to touch the work of their darlings, but I think it should be taken as a compliment. Especially when the remixes are this good.

British rock, you say?

Listening to: Radio 1

Nothing much to blog about these days, so I'm just gonna share more new British music. Not quirky indie for a change...more 'rock' I guess.

Free - Twin Atlantic

The Waiting Room - We Are The Ocean

Higher and Higher - The Blackout

Interestingly, Twin Atlantic's first EP was produced by Romesh Dodangoda, who also produced The Blackout's first album/EP...and We Are The Ocean have apparently supported The Blackout on tour. Howzzat, fact fans?

Enjoy!

Remembering the remixes

Listening to: Radio 1

It's Sunday...and in my world, that means 'flashback'. A little known fact (or is it?) is that while growing up, my idol was the one and only Mariah Carey. Before she went bat shit anyway. I wanted to be as beautiful and as talented as her. Ah well, one can dream.

Aaanyway, instead of giving you the usual 'single' versions of some of my preferred Mariah tracks, I figured I'd give you the remixes...the ones you may not have heard before.

Dreamlover - Club Joint Mix (not sure if this is an official mix, but I ♥ it)

Fantasy - Bad Boy Remix ft. Ol' Dirty Bastard

Always Be My Baby - Mr. Dupri Mix ft. Da Brat and Xscape

Honey - So So Def Remix ft. Da Brat and Jermaine Dupri

The '90s were cool, yo. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

On the IPL *barf*

Listening to: Radio 1

So I watched a bit of the KKR v DC match a few days back...ugh. Words/phrases that came to mind: tacky, decadent, grotesquely flamboyant. I mean the cricket is good (because the cricketers are good and cricket, in general, is good), but it's masked by ridiculous cheerleaders and nauseating product placement. Why the hell are there cheerleaders?!?! Totally unnecessary (if I wanted to see sexy women shaking their perfectly toned naked midriffs, I'd just watch this). Not to mention it's totally hypocritical in a cultural context, but let's not go there.

Everything about IPL just screams nouveau-riche at me. Maybe I'm being snobbish, I dunno.

Anyway, whatever. I don't know why I care (I mean the way Kallis is playing, Moggie's not gonna get to hold a bat this season anyway). I think the post-WC lull has got me looking for cricket. I'm sort of following county cricket, for goodness' sake! At least there, the focus is on the cricket...I'll take that over IPL any day.

What a start to the New Year!

Listening to: nothing

So yeah, I passed my viva :-)

Happy New Year everybody!

Behold the moment I died and went to heaven

Listening to: my heart thumping

OK so I don't really know how to put this, other than to say...

I JUST MET STEVEN FINN!!!!!!!!!!

Now let me tell you how.

Middlesex CCC are playing Cambridge MCCU this weekend, in Cambridge. In case you've been living under a rock for the past I-don't-know-how-long, England fast bowler Steven Finn plays for Middlesex (along with England captain Andrew Strauss and England batsman - and my future husband - Eoin Morgan). So I knew Finny was gonna be in Cambridge this weekend (the other two are on post-WC leave and IPL duty respectively), and decided to do viva-prep all day and then cycle over to Fenner's for a bit of the afternoon session.

I got to Fenner's and I watched the cricket and took a few photos, all the while surreptitiously trying to spot the delectable Mr Finn. I mean he's 6'7"...surely he can't be that difficult to find? And sure enough, he wasn't...'cos a few mins later I saw him walking towards the bench where I was sitting!!!!!!!!!! He was with another guy who I assumed was a friend. I kinda whimpered "Finny" (I was sooooooo nervous and excited and my heart was RACING) and I don't think he heard me but the other guy did and he stopped and then Finny looked at me and smiled and then I asked "could I get a photo please?" and he said "yeah sure" and then I like a dumbass turned my camera OFF (so classy, PR :-| ). So then I fumbled and turned it back on again and the other guy offered to take the photo so I said yes please. And then I said "hmm maybe I should stand on the bench" and they laughed and then Finny stood next to me (and I almost died) and then we took the photo and then I said "thank you" and he said "no worries" and then I said "good luck" and he said "thanks" and then I sat down and then I realised that the other guy was actually a journalist about to interview him. Oops.

So yeah. I was planning on just getting an extensively zoomed-in picture of his right foot or something, and instead he stood next to me and I got a photo of us. Perhaps I should buy a lottery ticket today?

yes, that's how much I was smiling/blushing

I should probably try and calm down and get some work done now. EEE!

I wish I was this cool

Listening to: Radio 1

That's one of my tags on tumblr. I mean is it too much to ask to be effortlessly cool? I wanna be one of those people that rolls out of bed looking awesome. Haha wishful thinking indeed.

Aaanyway, here are a few songs that make me wish I was cool. It's been a while since a music post so...

Get Away - Yuck

I dunno why, but this reminds me of Smashing Pumpkins

Whirring - The Joy Formidable

Yay, yet another cool Welsh band!

Undertow - Warpaint

Random fact: This video was apparently directed by the girl who came in 40 Days and 40 Nights

If You Wanna - The Vaccines

"What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?" is such a cool album title!

Brick by Brick - Arctic Monkeys

Anyone else feel like they've been transported back to the '60s?

I'm really looking forward to the next Monkeys single. Is "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" an amazing title or what?!

Hope you like this stuff. If you know of any similar music that I may not have come across, feel free to suggest!

The time has come

Listening to: Radio 1

Four years have passed, and we're back where we belong - in the World Cup final. It's not gonna be easy. Today brought a setback that would've been huge even if our opponents didn't have the world's greatest batsman in their side:

WHY YOU NO PLAY IN FINAL?!?!?! :'(

But oh well, what to do.

The team have been preparing for tomorrow, no doubt...and so have I. The near-faded Sri Lanka cricket t-shirt has been ironed, and the war paint applied:

I will now attempt to get to bed before sunrise (it's not as easy as it sounds).

Go do your best, boys...make us proud.

Why I love English cricket

Listening to: nothing

So unless you're just back from a day trip to Atlantis, you'll know that Sri Lanka gave England a real thrashing today. A lot of my Lankan fb friends seem to have forgotten that we dropped Morgan thrice (two of those chances being absolute dollies...luck of the Irish, eh?) but it didn't matter in the end, so I won't be a spoilsport. Today's performance bodes well for the semi-final on Tuesday, and I hope we deliver. Being the realist/cautious optimist that I am, I won't be as arrogant and cocky (and to be honest, downright irritating) as some of my friends and claim to have a hand on the trophy already...but I'll gladly acknowledge that we have the talent and the form to go all the way.

And that is all I'm gonna say about Sri Lanka's performance in this post. The rest of this post, I want to dedicate to the England team and its supporters. I've been getting a lot of stick from people for supporting England in this WC. A lot of Sri Lankans can't understand how I could support a team of our 'colonial oppressors'. To them, I say: wake up (and grow up), we're not in the 1940s any more. A lot of Sri Lankans can't understand how I could support a team that's not my 'home' team. To them, I say: I was born in the UK and I've spent almost 15 years of my life here...I'm almost 28 - you do the math. A lot of Sri Lankans can't understand how I could support two teams. To them, I say: watch me.

So England aren't the best team around. So what? Did ardent Sri Lankan cricket fans only start supporting our team after '96? Oh wait...:D. But seriously, I like the attitude of this England team. They enjoy their cricket, and they have a laugh. They try hard, and they can take defeat. There's an excellent team spirit, and a sense of gratitude towards the fans that is lovely to see. They seem like the kind of people I'd want to go down to the pub with after work on a Friday. I won't deny that it helps that a lot of them are extremely easy on the eye, but that's just a bonus. I also won't deny that they've had lapses in sportsmanship (Colly's jelly-gate comes to mind), but I think they more than make up for it the rest of the time.

For instance, look at this tweet from Graeme Swann after today's match:

He didn't bowl that badly, but he got thrashed around the ground nonetheless. To finish a match like that and a) give due respect to your opponent, b) put it in perspective and c) compliment the opponent's home crowd...I think that's big of him. He could've moaned about the fatigue, the heat, the noise, the fact that the Taj (I think?) nightclub music kept them up last night...but he didn't.

And what of the fans? I don't need to remind people about the behaviour of some cricket fans when their team loses *cough*India*cough*Australia*cough*. But here are two responses that appear to be representative of the sentiment in the UK:

The first, from the lovely englandcricketteam tumblr (which you must visit if you want yummy pics of yummy England cricketers :D ) -

And this from BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James, in a reply to Sri Lankan BBC Radio 1 DJ Nihal -

It makes me proud to be Sri Lankan, and proud to be an England cricket fan.

I suppose a part of me feels pressure from my Sri Lankan friends to feel guilty about liking anything about England, sport or otherwise. After all, I'm only here for uni, right? Well...no. If 'home' is where you feel safe, happy, welcome, and that you belong...then this is 'home' for me. I'm not saying it always has been, or that it always will be...but for now, it is. A lot of Sri Lankan friends will call me names and what have you, but that'll just make me feel more at home in the UK, far away from their judgemental narrow-mindedness. Home is where the heart is, and right now my heart is snug as a bug in a rug in the UK. If you don't like it, that's your problem.

I shall end with my favourite picture from today's match, courtesy englandcricketteam:

Awww Moggie ♥

My own 'special' World Cup

Listening to: Radio 1

Now unless you've been living under a rock for the past month or so, you'll be aware that the 2011 Cricket World Cup is in full swing. The group stage has just been completed, so I figured now would be a good time to present to you my World Cup. If cricket's not your bag, do not fear...this post has more to do with cricketers than cricket ;-)

Anyway, a quick intro for those of you not following the tournament. There are ten full ICC member teams and four associate teams, in two groups. They are as follows (associate members marked with asterisks):

Group A
Australia
Pakistan
New Zealand
Sri Lanka
Zimbabwe
*Canada
*Kenya

Group B
India
South Africa
England
West Indies
Bangladesh
*Ireland
*Netherlands

Yes, that's pretty much all you need to know. Now for the rules of my tournament...which, to be fair, isn't really a tournament. It's just one match, played between two World XIs.

1. Each team ideally consists of players solely from one group (see above).
2. The quota is two players per full member team, and one player from the associate teams in that group.
3. Players can be those withdrawn due to injury.
4. When a full member team cannot source two players, that place may be filled in the following ways:
   1. Another full member team in the same group may choose an extra player from their squad, failing which...
   2. The associate teams in that group may choose an extra player from their combined squads, failing which...
   3. The associate teams in the other group may choose an extra player from their combined squads, and loan that player to the opposition.
5. The best looking team wins (duh!).

OK, so after extensive research (i.e. tv coverage, cricinfo squad photos and Google image search), I've finalised my two World XIs. I cannot confirm or deny that the above rules were finalised after said research, but it matters not. Behold the finalists!

World XI A

Australia -
        Shaun Tait, Brett Lee

New Zealand -
        Brendon McCullum, Tim Southee

Pakistan -
        Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz

Sri Lanka -
        Angelo Mathews, Kumar Sangakkara

Zimbabwe -
        Ed Rainsford

Associate -
        Seren Waters (Kenya)

Due to the lack of talent in the Zimbabwean, Kenyan and Canadian sides, the World XI A squad is one man short. The other teams are equally bad, so as per the rules, the eleventh man is therefore sourced from the Associate team squad for World XI B -
        William Porterfield (Ireland)

World XI B

Bangladesh -
        Rubel Hossain

England -
        Stuart Broad, Eoin Morgan

India -
        MS Dhoni

South Africa -
        JP Duminy, Graeme Smith

West Indies -
        -
Associate -
        Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands)

Due to the lack of talent in the Bangladeshi, Indian and West Indian sides, the World XI B team is four men short. Thankfully, the English side is abundant in eye candy, so included in the side are -
        James Anderson
        Andrew Strauss

This leaves the World XI B side two men short, so from the Associate teams, we include the following -
        Nigel Jones (Ireland)
        Alexei Kervezee (Netherlands)

So there you have it. As far as I'm concerned, this contest can be simplified to Angelo Mathews vs. Eoin Morgan...and since I'm planning on marrying Eoin Morgan someday, I'm going for World XI B. But seeing as I'm democratic and all, I'll let you decide.

How did I feel?

Listening to: Radio 1

First of all, thank you very much to everyone who commented on my last post. I purposely didn't talk about my own reaction, because:

a) I didn't want to influence anyone's response, and
b) I genuinely wanted to know how you would feel.

So now I will tell you how I felt.

Overall, I couldn't care less. When I heard it, I'll admit...it stung a bit. But my very next thought was a big fat 'meh'. I was facing my back to the guys so luckily I didn't have to look them in the eye, but anyway I just completely ignored them and walked towards the dancefloor and joined my friends.

A lot of you had suggested retorts I could've used. To be honest I wouldn't have wasted the pleasure of my attention on them, but if I had, I probably would've said something along the lines of "Thanks for the tip, Captain Obvious". I mean let's face it...I know I have miniature boobs, I see them every day. It's one of the many things about my body that I hate (there's a long list). But...I've come to terms with it. In fact, I've come to terms with the entire list (almost). And that's why it didn't bother me. Nothing to do with the perpetrator, the venue or the value of the comment. All to do with me.

Looking back at at the episode, I can break down the moment between the initial sting and the final 'meh' into micro-thoughts...and it goes a little something like this:

1. Ouch!
2. It's ok, only a little prick *tee hee*
3. This is proof that sexual harassment isn't just a 'Sri Lankan man in a bus' thing
4. Wait, so that was the only negative thing they had to say about me?
5. Yeah, go ahead and watch this ass as it walks away, way out of your reach.

Ahem...yeah OK so I may have added a little bit of swagger to my walk towards the dancefloor :P

So there we have it. To be fair, they were just stating the obvious. I suppose a part of me just assumed that that's what guys think when they see me any way...so I wasn't surprised in the least. Don't get me wrong, I know the statement was offensive, but I wasn't 'offended' as such...I've been told far worse (namely "she should put a bag over her head"). With regards to this episode, I suppose "water off a duck's back" is a good way of describing how I felt. I consider that to be a good thing...don't you?

How would you feel?

Listening to: nothing

You're at a club, handing over your coat to the cloakroom, and the guys behind you start hassling you with the usual 'all right darling', 'give us a dance eh' nonsense...and then you hear one saying 'she could do with a boob job'.

How would you feel?

Oh the irony!

Listening to: 'Salt Skin' by Ellie Goulding [Lights]

When Shorty's man was writing up his thesis, I went crazy with the red pen and inserted commas all over his draft in order to simplify the otherwise-incomprehensible academese. I've just started going through my own thesis in preparation for my viva, and what do I find on page 3?

There's a comma missing.

Listening to: some crap

I wish the world would just fuck off and leave me alone. I hate this feeling...this "I should hide away and protect others from my volatility" thing. My head feels like it's gonna explode and I have this urge to stab something. Or break some crockery. Or insult someone. But I know that won't make things better. Nothing will. Heck I thought this Evening Primrose Oil was supposed to calm the mood swings? wtf.

I know I should deal with it. Meditate or something. But whatever. Later. For now I'll just tell the world to fuck off. And to those of you that think PMS is some kind of excuse or a joke or something, let me kick you in the genitals repeatedly for a week every month for about 30 years and we'll see how you like it.

Hell hath no fury indeed.

Aural Ambrosia

Listening to: Radio 1

I've heard this a billion times, and it still gets me.

If that doesn't move you...I don't know what will.

Choosing demons

Listening to: Nothing

So everyone's been going gaga over the events in Egypt over the past few weeks. Everyone except me. Don't get me wrong, I get it. The people want the right to select their leader, yes. And the numbers have been pretty phenomenal, yes. And it's been peaceful for the most part, yes. I get it. But...I dunno...it just seems a bit over-hyped really. Every Tom, Dick and Harry appears to be tripping over himself trying to spout the most profound yet ultimately rehashed rhetoric about the situation, each claiming to understand and empathise with the Egyptian people more than the other. It all just smells of people trying to cash in on the Egyptian people's legitimate issues in order to get their 15 mins of relative fame. Needless to say, I got a bit fed up.

There's also the issue of the democracy fanboys. You know, the ones that go "OMG this is like the most amazing thing to ever happen to the world ever! Peace and love and flowersinthesunshine, yo!" Oh ffs give me a break. This is politics. You replace one demon with another. Whether the new demon is less of a demon than the old one...well you'll only know that in 30yrs' time. For the time being, just try and make sure that the demon in charge is doing what's right for the country right now. We're all human. We're all fallible (unless you're the Pope, of course). And as long as we're governing ourselves, we're all prone to failures of some sort. It's not that I'm cynical or even apathetic about 'people power' (ok maybe a bit cynical)...but I don't believe that any one event can shape the future of a country. Yes it might alter the course in the short term, but no one can foresee the long term implications. Take Japan for instance. Did anyone think at the end of WWII that merely 60 years down the line, one of the major problems facing the country would be the abundance of old people? And to those who disagree with me and think that a single event (albeit unprecedented) can solve all the world's problems, I have two words: Barack Obama.

Nay, I am of the opinion that lasting change takes time. Not weeks or months, or even a couple of years...I mean decades - at least a generation. For a society to develop, mindsets have to change. And that doesn't happen easily. Take, for instance, the documentary I watched earlier today. My favourite DJ in the world, Scott Mills, visited Uganda to see what it was like for gay people living there. I'm still a bit shaken by the number of people who thought it perfectly acceptable to say that homosexuals should be killed. And the man who said that it's a 'proven fact' that life expectancy is reduced by 24 years if you're gay. I mean seriously, wtf is in their water? Even accounting for heavy editing (I'm not naive enough to believe in the 'impartiality' of the BBC), those views are still extreme. I can understand someone taking the Bible literally and saying that homosexuality is a sin...but to advocate the death penalty? What happened to not killing people? I thought that was in the Bible too...?

It saddens (and angers) me that people across the world are persecuted for being themselves. It's not even a matter of expressing an opinion - their 'crime' is their mere existence. The prejudices against women and different ethnicities are thankfully nowhere near as severe any more, but they do still exist. The gender stereotypes that are embraced by all communities merely reinforce the double standards that exist in society, and the same goes for racial stereotypes. It's easy to see that stuff like this won't change overnight.

What saddens me even more, is that while so much work remains to be done to overcome these serious injustices, the majority of people are happily preoccupied with choosing their favourite demon.

An apology (of sorts)

Listening to: 'Ain't No Way' by Aretha Franklin [Respect: The Very Best of Aretha Franklin]

Dear KC,

I'm sorry you're still hurting a week after the 'incident'. OK let's face it, it's not like you were ever in the running for 'most beautiful knee cap of the year'...but now you look more like a choppa-fied plum than a knee cap. You feel like one too. You can blame that stupid bike of mine for being heavier than I, and Cambridge City Council for not maintaining the roads properly (oh yeah and my rubbish sense of balance, but let's not dwell on that).

I don't think I'll stop wearing short skirts (at least until I've properly smashed you up), but rest assured you'll be well hidden by dark-coloured tights for the time being. And let's not allow the prevalent sunshine to delude us into thinking about Summer.

OK I think that's all I have to say. You can go back to looking all scabby and bluey purple now. And can you stop hurting please? Thanks.

Love,
Me.

Whoops

Listening to: My tummy

I just realised this blog turned 5 on the 29th of Jan...and it totally passed me by.

But I've already done my time!

Listening to: Radio 1

Maybe I should just show this to everyone that asks me when I'm gonna 'settle down'.

I am a horrible person

Listening to: 'A Million Love Songs' by Take That [Take That Greatest Hits]

Is it bad that I roll my eyes and barf a little inside every time my female friends mention their mothers-in-law? Oh don't bother answering...rhetoric q, I know it's bad. Horrible, in fact. I don't want to become one of those 'feminazis' that looks down at those who've decided to tie the knot...but that's exactly what I feel myself turning into. I suppose it doesn't help that I see every man's mother as the devil incarnate. There are degrees, obviously (South Asians tend to be the worst, although Europeans aren't entirely faultless either)...but no exceptions so far (ok maybe one, but that just proves the rule). I feel my neck tense up every time I hear about some woman fussing over her grown son. Cut that umbilical cord already, you stupid cow! Ugh.

My mother is mildly amused at all this rage I'm displaying. My father stays quiet, 'cos he knows that the nonsense coming out of my grandmother's mouth only serves to validate my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I love my grandmother to bits...but seriously, she puts my mother through hell.

I know that as the days go by and I get even more set in my ways and even more opinionated (is that even possible?), the chances of me meeting a guy who can put up with me decrease exponentially. So basically, I'm gonna turn into not just a feminazi, but also a condescending bitch who thinks she's too good for all the men she meets. Oh well, whatever.

Who let the brats out?

Listening to: 'Three Marlenas' by The Wallflowers [Bringing Down The Horse]

How do you deal with the insolent brats? How do you deal with the kids that think teachers should be at their beck and call? How do you deal with the kids that think the world revolves around them? How do you deal with the kids that ooze that annoying, ungrateful sense of entitlement that is all too common in the younger generation?

Do you slap them and tell them to respect their elders? Do you tell them to stop being such a self-absorbed whiny little piece of shit and quit whinging? Do you tell them that while you acknowledge the fact that they're probably somewhat intelligent, it doesn't mean that the sun shines out of their ass? Do you tell them that their sarcasm only serves to prove their immaturity and that they should get back to you when they've decided to grow up? Do you stick your tongue out at them and say "Oooh I'm scared now!" and roll your eyes? Do you look at them and say "Look at my face. Is my face bovvered?" and carry on like they don't exist?

I wanted to do all of the above this morning. To one person. Luckily, I managed to keep my cool and I explained the situation to them, and I said that if they had a problem with the teaching arrangements, they should speak to my superior. And then I went and told my superior that he might get a visit from an annoying little prick :D. It probably won't happen, 'cos these egotistical types tend to be quite cowardly. Still, I got confirmation from my superior that I had done the right thing, which made me feel better.

I love teaching. And I hate not being able to help students. But I am not a servant. I don't have to put up with shit from spoilt brats. I will go out of my way to help kids who are appreciative of my efforts, but the ones that throw their toys out will just have to wait their turn.

*sigh*

Heather Morris is a goddess

Listening to: 'Me Against The Music' by Glee Cast [Glee: Season 2]

So I know I'm a bit late, but I just caught up on last week's episode of Glee - Britney/Brittany. As I said on twitter...OMLG* that was amazing. Heather Morris' body moves in mysterious ways (if you don't believe me, check out this low quality LSFW youtube vid of I'm a Slave 4 U from that episode). I mean I know she's a professional dancer and all, but I've got so used to her being 'Brittany' that I forget that she's got more in her box of tricks than just comedy.

My favourite performance of the episode was Brittany's duet with Santana, and luckily I managed to find a high quality video of it. Just look.at.her.move.

I think every house should have a Brittany. She can sing, she can dance...and when you're sad, she'll cheer you up with lines like -

"I was pretty sure Dr. Pepper was a dentist."
"Are you a cat?"
"Finn can fly?"

What more could you possibly want?


*What?! You don't say Oh My Lady Gaga? OMLG!

Who do you love?

Listening to: Radio 1

So I just finished watching a spectacular game of tennis. So spectacular that half way through, I called Sri Lanka and woke my father up from his mid-afternoon slumber to tell him to turn on the TV. I mean it's not often you get to say -

"Nadal's 4-love down in the second set against some random Aussie teenager!"

Needless to say, my father responded with an emphatic "oh my god!"...which obviously made my mother panic 'cos she thought we were talking about something life-threatening. My father and I are 'silly people', apparently. Tee hee.

But anyway, the 6-2 7-5 6-3 scoreline doesn't do justice to the 3rd round Aussie Open battle between world #1 Rafael Nadal and 18 year old wildcard Bernard Tomic. Tomic was a joy to watch - so calm, determined and fluid...and totally unruffled by the legendary powerhouse at the opposite end of the court. Most experienced players would lose faith after a 2-6 first set loss, but not this kid. He kept going until the final point. I look forward to seeing more of him - he has the talent, the ability and the tenacity to make it big one day. Apparently he has a bit of an unsavoury off court attitude...but I'll answer that with two words: John McEnroe.

As for Rafa...well admittedly today wasn't his best game ever. Although I'm not sure how much of that was just due to him (and everyone watching) being surprised by the fight from his opponent. He did have some brilliant shots here and there, but I'm a bit disturbed by his first serve (especially during the 2nd set)...pretty sluggish and not very accurate. Though to be fair, he was sweating like mad. I think the shirt count was at 4 by the end of the 3 sets...and he changed again before his (hilarious) post-match interview with Jim Courier. Still, plenty of photo opportunities for the ladies in the crowd *wolf whistle*.

My reaction to today's match was, perhaps, unusual for a self-confessed Rafa fan. You would expect me to be upset that he didn't walk all over Tomic. After all, that's what every fan hopes for, right? Not necessarily. The game will only survive if the next generation of players poses a real threat to the current greats. While that threat is not good news for Rafa, it's excellent news for tennis. And yes I love Rafa, but I love tennis.

Wish Lists

Listening to: Radio 1

At time of publishing this post...

DVDs

• Sherlock
  Current Price: £8.93
  Target Price: < £5


• (500) Days of Summer
  Current Price: £4.79
  Target Price: < £3


• Glee: Season 1 Box Set
  Current Price: £27.93
  Target Price: < £20


• Inbetweeners: Complete Box Set (Series 1, 2, 3)
  Current Price: £26.93
  Target Price: < £10


• Emma (2009 BBC version)
  Current Price: £10.49
  Target Price: < £5


• Mean Girls
  Current Price: £3.49
  Target Price: < £3

CDs/mp3 Albums

• Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons
  Current Price: £3.99
  Target Price: < £3


• The Hits Collection: Volume 1 - Jay Z
  Current Price: £6.49
  Target Price: < £5


• XX - The XX
  Current Price: £3.99
  Target Price: < £3


• Catching a Tiger - Lissie
  Current Price: £3
  Target Price: < £3

Amazon mage salli kanawaaaaa*!!! And in addition to those 'target prices', I'm only willing to spend £10 per month on music/movies.

I need a job dammit.

*is eating my money

Getting used to my new life (or not)

Listening to: Skream & Benga's 'In New DJs We Trust' show on BBC Radio 1

So it's been 10 days since I submitted. I slept for about 15 hours, and then the day after I buggered off to London for almost a week. Had an amazing time - slept a lot, chilled a lot, ate a lot...and spent a lot of quality time with people I love. Got back to Cam on Tuesday, and since then I've been chatting with people at the Careers Service, walking up to random shop assistants and asking if they've got temp vacancies, and um, sleeping a lot.

On Wednesday and Thursday I ended up going to the Dept 'cos I had to copy my stuff off the work PC etc. Turns out there's a newbie already so I've lost my computer, but my labmates have set aside a workstation just for me so that I can use the office facilities whenever I need to. Isn't that sweet? :-)

Today, I stayed at home. I did stuff like paying my rent, sorting out laundry and gossiping with my mother for an hour. And you know what? After just a day of chilling at home (and all you working people are gonna hate me for saying this)...I'm bored. I know, it sounds terrible. I'm supposed to be enjoying my free time after 4 years of PhD. But I don't know what to do. I've danced around to songs on the radio, watched TV, done housework, chatted with people, cooked...and it's only 9pm. My 365's gone all over the place and I need to get back to it, but there are so many photos that require editing that I'm not actually looking forward to it. I've actually made a list of stuff I need to do, so hopefully that'll motivate me. But I just feel idle. I don't like idle. Grr.

Anyway that's what I've been up to. I'm going to try and bake something this weekend. I don't know what yet. I haven't baked since I was 7, so this could get messy. We'll see.

A perfect start to 2011

Listening to: 'Getting Nowhere' by Magnetic Man ft. John Legend [Magnetic Man]

Yes, it is done. Now I have the agonising wait until the viva (whenever that is). And in that time I have to start looking for jobs. But for this week, my brain and my body are on vacation.

And in case anyone still reads this blog, I'll get back to regular blogging next week :-)