I'ma gunna hav'a slow down. Substantially.

This is just to let you know I'm not dead, but our Internet and Phone lines are apparently "erratic" at the minute, so I'm hardly able to get online. Damn technology to Hell.

GCSE's.

Well, I guess I'd better update you on how I did...
I passed 14 GCSE's with grades in this order: A*, A*, A, A, A, A, A, B, B, B, B, B, C, C. I was quite disappointed really, I got B's in English literature and Geography and I thought I'd done a lot better in those subjects. Your results are really down to luck on that particular paper though; I got 3 straight A*'s in my Geography mocks just before the main exam. Damn.

Anywho, I'll be taking a couple more during evening classes next year - I'm aiming for Spanish and German GCSE's mostly next year, but I'm considering a few more aswell as/instead of those. Ideas?

For the record, I almost failed music! Haha, my favorite and strongest creative point and I only managed a C. Oh well.

A New Chapter in my Life ~

This is a huge week for me. For starters, I get my GCSE results on the 25th. They pretty much decide my potential future in education, I'm looking for at least 6 A*/A's. Without them I'm slightly doomed.

Secondly, I quit my band yesterday. After playing bass guitar with two different line-ups over the course of two years, I've decided I've had enough. I love being with those guys, and I love to make music - but I feel as though bigger things are calling out for me. I might pick up guitar at a later date and rejoin them as a rhythmn guitarist, but for now I'm on a break.

So, I start College in two or three weeks, and I'm looking forward to it. No more having to share an institution with illiterate, incompetent fools and no more school uniform. Oh yes.

Quitting the band means I'm going to have more time on my hands. To fill the void, I'm learning Spanish, Swahili and Esperanto (I know, crazy right?), and I'm going to be doing some volunteering and fundraising - This charity ain't gonna start itself. It'd be nice, like, but it won't =(

If my extra-curricular activities go well in my first year, I'm going to drop out before the second. I'll still get my AS Levels which I can continue at any time, and I'll be able to follow my dreams full time.

~ Just an update on my recent thoughts ~

Let's see how much the UK wastes every year, shall we?

This latest post was inspired by my grandparents, both of whom waste nothing, are grateful for everything and respect everyone and everyone's needs. I've been combing the internet for reliable sources of information regarding what the UK throws away every year financially. Oh and by the way, the US is apparently even worse for this.
To convert the amounts into your national currency, Google (number) GBP to (your country's currency [like this >]) Indian Rupee. Google itself should give you a very accurate number to many decimal places. For example, at today's exchange rate 1b Pounds is 75.25b Rupees.

Current sub-total: £84,486,000,000 yearly. I will update as I find more sources.


FOOD - £10,000,000,000/6,700,000 Tons

More than half of the 6.7 million tons of food that is thrown away each year - enough to fill Wembley Stadium eight times - is untouched and could have been eaten, according to the Government-funded Waste and Resources Action Programme. Researchers found that £1b of that (£1,000,000,000) is still "in date". More than half (£5,000,000,000) is untouched and edible. - Source 1

Needless Luxuries - £74.45b (£74,450,000,000)

Some of you will dispute the fact that they're needless and say they're important economic or social aspects of life, but I disagree. They're needless.

Alcohol - £55b (£55,000,000,000)

Spent on buying booze: £30b (£30,000,000,000) - Source 2

Although the alcohol industry is beneficial to the economy by turning over £30b annually, that money would only come from elsewhere if the workers in the industry gained new, more useful jobs.

Drinking related costs: £25b (£25,000,000,000) - Source 3

Cigarettes -  Almost £18b (£17,950,000,000)

Cost to National Health Service - £1.5b (£1,500,000,000) - Source 4

While that page is very outdated, the stats won't have changed for the better - that much I know.

Spent on cigs - £16.45b (£16,450,000,000) Source 5 (£7 for a pack of 20, divide by 20 makes 0.35p per cigarette, multiply this by 47b [Source 6])
I do have a counter argument for the tobacco industry though, and that is the fact that is the main source of income in many developing nations, and so taking it away would be devastating to them. I put smoking on here just as a value. However, I would welcome any discussion on the possible alternatives to tobacco crop.

Cosmetic Surgery - £1.5b (£1,500,000,000) - Source 7
This is only morally right in the case of disfigurement, and I have no respect for many celebrities purely for this reason.

Recyclable But Thrown Away
Aluminium - £36m (£36,000,000) Source 8
There is a lot more thrown away which should be recycled, but I'm running out of time so I'm going to have to leave it there.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

In comparison, Africa's total external debt totals $300b, or £180b (Source). So, imagine if the whole world stopped wasting common goods and stopped paying for stupid things. Theoretically, The US and The UK could wipe off that amount in one year, but we all know that's damn impossible. If only... But the whole world? The rest of Europe, Japan, South Korea, Russia, Australia, NZ, Canada etc' could surely do something of immense benefit.

There are, of course, arguments against everything. Please feel free to discuss below,
Thank you for reading.

British Society, Aint it Great?

No, not really. It was, but that was in excess of thirty years ago. Times do, infact, change. For example, the British were once considered some of the most hard-working and proud people in the world, and now our unemployment and crime rates are at an all-time high. We have youths who can't say a single phrase without the use of the words "fucking", "sket" or "whore", if you will excuse my French. It's these same youths, or chavs, who stand outside the Jobcentre every week in Barnsley to collect their dole (benefits) money. The idea of benefits in the UK is that if you're unable to find work for any reason you have a short-term aid while you look for new employment. This is so abused.

Ask all the guys outside the Jobcentre if they're actually looking for a job, and a good 75% will tell you "nehw meyt, why would a'?" without a moment's hesitation. This makes me so mad when they spend a huge portion of taxpayers money on cigerettes, alcohol and illegal drugs, when in other countries families manage 1% of what these apes receive for free. In my opinion, limit unemployment benefits to six months unless the individual has a valid reason not to work. Or, at least slash the stupid amounts they receive.

On another issue, the British Police are not tough enough. Take the recent English riots as a great example; the Police were swarming the rioters, and still the arseholes felt no fear for the cops. That's because the Police walk up to you, hit you with a stick and repeat on another perpetrator. Where are the tazers, bullets and water cannons? I mean, they only have to use them as a last resort, but then at least the public would be better defended and the criminals would have some respect for the law.

Also on the justice system and the riots, a 20 year old abusive man got one day in prison for smashing shop windows, setting bins on fire and swearing at Police. But then there was another man with no criminal history, no abusive traits and a quite decent life who was very thirsty, saw that a shop had been looted and went in for a bottle of water. Come on, I know you shouldn't steal, but 6 months for some water when that first guy got 1 day?!?! What. The. Priorities; mixed up.

So what else is wrong with the UK? Well, we also happen to have a rich, pompous snob in power who knows nothing about the working class, being brought up in a protective bubble somewhere between the middle and upper classes. "Let's cut the budget on this", he says. "Let's cut the budget on that", he says. This and that are too commonly resources and services that are immensely important to the working class. "I know", he says, "let's cut public transport, public education and and social services - cos, well, let's face it - I don't need any of that stuff". I like how he hasn't cut the budgets for insignificant pleasures such as government-owned country clubs, golf courses and summer camps for rich kids (yes, we do have some here).

Now, what else is wrong with my country? Well there's false economy as well, I guess. But hey, that's worldwide. We just have it really bad here.
England used to take pride in engineering and producing some of the finest quality goods in the world, now we pay extortionate amounts of money for something that's likely to break before you've even had chance to use it properly. Nothing's built to last anymore. Whereas before, the ideology was "let's add this part to add stability and extend the product's life, thus improving society", now it's "let's take this part away to save money and hope it breaks so they have to buy another, further increasing our profits and filling my greedy pockets". I'm all up for Capitalism, but what went wrong with it? Can't we try and fix it? Please? Come on, don't make me go all socialistic =(

There's other things too, but this was just an article written to get my thoughts on cyber-paper so I can look back later and reflect.

Haki Vijana

There are a lot of things I'd like to do with my life, and I'm sure there's a lot you'd like to do with yours. But how far would you stray from normality? I mean, are you adventurous or what?

Imagine a group of say 10-30 people travelling the world together, through forests, tundra and desert - walking the whole way. Imagine a self-built ship prowling the waves or a human-powered tour bus doing France to Mongolia. Imagine that I may or may not be slightly tipsy and/or shattered as I write this.

There are so many cool, adventurous things you can do. Infact, all the most exciting possibilities require no education, whereas the other, boring end of the spectrum asks for masters' degrees and doctorates. £150k/year? Sod that, I'll take £1k/year and a life full of adventure.

^ That, there. That be what I want to do. Travel, live off nothing, help people as I go using a charity I'm already part-way through establishing with my Kenyan friend. I'll spread the word of YFOST internationally, and good ol' Sam can oversee the projects he's already planned (he's a genius, by the way). I'll sort the funding issues and build up a reputation.

For now, I have nothing to say. So... tarrah!

Happy, happy, happy days! =)

So if you read my last post here you'll know of my, well, predicament. I was pretty convinced my girlfriend was going to leave me once I said "tarrah" and hopped on a 2 winged thing to Africa to do my humanitarian work. I've been sitting on it for months and it's been driving me frankly bonkers.

Anywho, I went and emotionally blew up in front of her today - as you do - and she held out her hand to me and just said "Me and you, together". She had a tear running down her cheek and smile that lit up the room, so I knew she wasn't having me on. In my mind I've played through every scenario I thought possible, and not one of them ended nicely. But it looks as though the scenario that really matters, will. Ohhh, Yipidipido!! :D

I have no real reason for telling any of you this, but I feel like I have to talk about it, it really has made my year. I could not have been any happier with the reaction she gave me. Sure, there were tears and awkward moments, but that just lets me know she's serious. It was just her hand, a statement and one very nice, passionate kiss. Yeah, yeah. Sad, I know... (You're totally jealous).

So that's it, me writing to let you all know it's 03:51am at the time of writing and I have Never been any happier than what I am now. Never has my future seemed so bright and full of opportunity, but to be honest, never have I even thought of it that way.

Yay for totally Bipolar me!!

On another matter, what are your opinions on mass immigration to the UK and US? I'm interested in what people think. You can comment here or use the common way of messaging me which is to drop me a bell on Interpals. http://www.interpals.net/al-le-gr-fi