The Day To... Reminisce & Look Forward

... Been awhile, huh?

So, first of all a big sorry to not updating this in... well, forever. It was a mix of forgetting, lots of work, doing other things and a general "meh, I'll do it tomorrow" attitude that didn't go too greatly. Anyway, I'm here now, and (hopefully) I intend on updating this a hell of a lot more. Be interesting to see who actually notices, so here it goes...

 In two weeks time, I will have finished my BA in English. Completely. Almost everything I have done in the last three years has been for this, and pretty much everyone I have met in the last three years I've met because of this.

Because I have been in the same place they have and they've studied the same thing that I did.

Because I met them on a failed pub quiz/crawl night and played I-Spy in their corridor.

Because they introduced me film and tv that I thought I'd despise but came to adore, and because I helped them home when they got ridiculously drunk on snakebite.

And even though I have another year at university for the MA, knowing that I'm going to be spending it was some amazing and awesome people and staying in such a beautiful place, I had to recognise that all of the above, the last 3 years that have become such a huge chapter in my life, is coming to an end.

And to say the least, it's made me quite sad. Correction: makes me sad. I won't lie, I've spent the last hour or two getting quite thoughtful and crying over it.

The thing is, as well as it all coming to an end, another chapter is going to start, and the whole thing really does make you think: "Shit. Am I doing the right thing? Is it going to be as awesome as I think it is?". If you get too thoughtful or cry too much about it, you start to hope that, somehow, things won't change, and you can stay in this limbo that you know for sure works. Knowing that no new people are going to come in that you have to get to know, that you don't need to try doing anything different, that these places are good and these places are bad and that overall, you never have to do move from this spot on the timeline for the rest of your life.

Of course, where's the fun in that though?

As Alan Watts says in a video that I posted up a while ago (see Music and Life), life is a journey, and it's one that shouldn't stay on a single note. You need the ups and downs and the scary things and the not knowings, otherwise its not a life... Hell, I'm not sure what it is. It's just a moment, a continous moment that is fun, sure, but what good is it if you can't use it for anything else? If you can't look back on it and smile or learn from it or facepalm yourself and wonder why the hell you did it in the first place.

Today, I give you what is quite possibly my favourite poems of all time, and goes for a time like this so well. If you're not sure what's ahead or what's going to happen, then you need to listen to it, or read it, just embrace this poem for everything it's telling you; because it's ok to be scared, and ok to not know, and ok if you might fall behind, and ok to move on from things. You'll miss the past, sure you will, and the present is always temporary until a new one comes along. But don't keep hold of what's happened so much that it stops you from seeing what's ahead :)

Don't worry, it's not some fancy 1600's git that I learned about at university or anything (Although, some of them weren't bad. Some were frigging terrible, but some weren't bad either). In fact, this is probably the first poet that any of us ever heard of, when we were six years old and didn't have a care in the world.

Hope you enjoy it, guys :)

The Day To... Enjoy the ride

It’s something special when you come across a person who talks complete sense and really believe in what they say. You don’t too many people like that these days.

I came across this guy a couple of years ago, when I went on a bit of a YOutube spree for inspiration (it was at the same time that I discovered Alan Watts’ Music and Lyrics, actually, because they’re recommended videos for each other). Ever since, I’ve looked up more and more about him, and – although maybe sometimes a little blunt – I haven’t seen one other comedian who talks this much sense in his stand up, and remain funny doing so. You can honestly watch him and say that, while making you laugh, he also made you see the world just a little bit differently.

His comedy was influenced by some of the greatest minds out there; Noam Chomsky, Woody Allen and even Jimmy Hendrix, to name but a few. And furthermore, tons of other comedians cite him as an inspiration: Frankie Boyle, Stewart Lee, Doug Stanhope etc. However, none of them really do it quite as well as he does, or have as much dedication to it, either.

I mean, it really take someone who really loves and believes in what he does to keep doing shows right through treatment for pancreatic cancer, and to not let it on to his audience. It takes a lot to keep doing what he does right up to a month before he died.

Just watch this, and then watch something else of his. Then, watch something else of his. Even if you don’t agree with all of it, I think you’ll agree with most. At the very least, you won’t regret this one.

: )

The Day To... Like rollercoasters

Ok, so this blog is probably going to remind you A LOT of Alan Watts’ “Life and Music” video from a couple of weeks ago. It still has a lot to offer, though.

For one, it’s from another very underrated movie – Parenthood, with Steve Martin. It’s a great movie about the ups and downs of life (and at every stage of life: child, teenager, adult, parent and elder), and is pretty funny too. It’s worth at least one watch in your life at least, if only because it’s one of few movies that has Rick Moranis in it (and I think the only movie with him trying to sing, too).

Grandma may be a little bit senile, but her message makes a lot of sense. You might really hate the bad stuff in your life, the downs and the negatives. But be honest; would you rather take the bad stuff and let it make the good stuff even better… or do you want life to be just one constant straight line without any of it at all?

Rollercoaster vs Merry Go Round. I know which one I'd choose.

: )

The Day to... Take back your waking life

So, I know the majority of people that read this are students, or are in 9-5 jobs, or are basically working really frigging hard. I’m no exception – I have basically spent almost all of my time the past few weeks either reading, or in the library, or just not being able to switch off or do anything without thinking to myself “I’ve got way too much work to do”. It’s taking over my complete waking life.

So, I can’t think of a better video for right now. If you’re looking for a movie full of philosophy and thought provoking ideas – and with pretty much no plot or actual characters – then you seriously need to watch this in full. Here’s just one small part, and I think it illustrates just how much work and all the so-called ‘important’ stuff can really take over our lives.

Take a break. Relax. Stop thinking about work. Be able to say, just for a little while, that you are alive. You don’t have to jump off a building to feel it, or run around in a It’s A Wonderful Life fashion and scream at the top of your lungs that you’re not dead. Just forget about the tough stuff for a little while. 

Enjoy yourself. Take the time out to talk about pointless things, or play a game, or just sit in a pub with a few friends and not feel guilty about it.

The 'important' stuff already takes away a huge chunk of your life. Don't let it take it all.

: )

The Day To... Feel abit warmer...

(JUST made it for Friday! Yay!)

So, if you’re like me and have had it snowing this week – or you have just been really, really cold – then you really want to watch something that’s going to warm you up.

Unfortunately, I can’t provide any actual physical warmth. I do apologise that I can’t actually emit a burning fire or some kind of miniature sunshine out of your computer, but I do suggest that, if you have a laptop, you could put it on your lap and that should do the trick. Or you could invest into one of those “Snuggies” that they’re selling now (for those who don’t know what it is feel free to look it up, but it’s basically a blanket with sleeves. Personally I really don’t see the point in them; I’ve had the equivalent of a Snuggie for years, and it’s called a jumper).

But yeah, hopefully this video should make you feel warm inside. Like you’ve just eaten a really hot pie or something… a pie that will not quench your hunger in the slightest, but a hot one nonetheless.

I figured if there’s one thing that can make you feel that way, it’s something that gets at your heartstrings and makes you go “awwww!”… I suggest looking at the “RE/Tribute” videos too for a little chuckle d:

Enjoy this people! And be prepared next week for… a roller coaster of videos…

: )

The Day To... Look at the Calendar

That’s right. Look at your calendar.

The date is December 1^st.

And because it’s officially December, you don’t have to listen to any of the Christmas haters anymore. Screw the Scrooges!

So download your favourite Yuletide songs (if you haven’t already), put your speakers on loud and feel completely free to dance and sing along. Above all, fill yourself with some Christmas cheer. Watch today’s video (which, for the record, is my favourite Christmas movie), let it make you smile, and expect a few similarly themed blogs over the coming weeks...

The countdown starts now!

: )

The Day To... Watch a comedy legend

Yes, I’m a day late with this… Sorry, it was written, I just didn’t post it up!

Anyway, today (that’s yesterday), the world lost a comedy legend. I absolutely love his work, and I could watch his movies over and over again (besides the Scary Movie ones, but in all fairness he stole the show whenever he was on the screen in those).

What surprises me is the amount of people who don’t really rate him and – even more disgraceful – how many people don’t actually know who he is.

Yes, sure, there are a million people in the world more important than him; the world was never going to come to a standstill when he died or anything. But you have to give him credit – there wasn’t anyone as prolific or as good as what he did. True, he was corny, cheesy and maybe just a little bit silly – but that’s what made him so great at slapstick. He was, in his own right, a legend.

So for those of you who still don’t know him, enjoy this. There really are hundreds of clips that I could've put on here, but for me this is my favourite.

RIP Leslie Nielsen

PS - for the record, one of my favourite moments is

: )