Shades and Shadows of the English Language

I am a copywriter by profession. And because I enjoy writing, I enjoy language and all its nuances. Grammar, elocution, word meanings, synonyms - what most people would call nerdy stuff, I find it fascinating!

In fact I recently download a whole list of podcasts on my iPhone - Grammar Girl's Quick & Dirty Tips. They're approximately 5 minutes each and they deal with a grammar topic in a quick and dirty way. Easy, breezy...

English was always my favourite subject and it was the subject that I won a school prize in, the subject that I got my highest 'O' level grade in, what I chose as an 'A' level and what I continued studying at university (albeit as my secondary area for career reasons).

I recall an episode in primary school when I was about 6 years old; we were working through an exercise on contractions such as didn't, couldn't and were giving the full terminology. It was one of those lessons where you'd raise your hand, the teacher would pick someone and they'd give the answer. In the list there was the contraction o'clock so I raised my hand and gave the answer, of the clock, and because it didn't follow the 'pattern' of the other words and was deemed to be more difficult, the teacher suspected me of having the answers written! I assured her that I didn't, and in fact I did not, which left her suitably impressed, but left a 6-year-old with a lasting memory.

One Act Plays Festival 2009

It's One Act Plays Festival time again and auditions were held last Sunday. Unfortunately there wasn't a great turnout, especially in the male department (which is normal) so there's another set of auditions being held tomorrow. I don't need to audition again but I really hope that we get a reply tomorrow because there are only 5/6 weeks to actually learn lines, rehearse and generally get the play in decent viewing condition, for a paying audience.

There are 5 plays in all, and with not so many auditionees the odds are pretty much in favour of everyone getting a part. Or at least let's hope so! I hope that they'll let us know tomorrow... curiosity becomes me!

It would be really nice to have a play to concentrate on during September, especially since I haven't been involved in anything theatrical this year. Apart from watching plays. And after that there's tennis in October.

Girl alert!

I enjoy watching films but I'm terrible at seeing the latest releases (unless it's Harry Potter naturally!) so I tend to rent DVDs and then buy those that I think are either 'worth having' or 'wow, what a good price, yeah why not buy them?!'

And I admit that I am a romantic comedy junkie. I love those feel-good movies that make you wish that your life was a movie although you know that it will never be. But the feeling is a positive one to have, so I try to hold on to it. Therefore my latest DVD purchases were a chick-flick overdose. They're perfect for cold winter nights when you just want a good film, a quilt and a cup of tea!

Watch out Wimbeldon!

I keep attempting to lead a healthier lifestyle but with a chocolate addiction that isn't going away anytime soon and a job that requires me to be seated in front of a PC for 8 hours a day, the stars aren't exactly in my favour.

Admittedly I'm quite willing to walk to places and not wholly because I don't mind walking, but because I hate looking for parking. And there are very few places that don't require you to drive around looking for a space that you can squeeze a car into. But I don't consider that exercise - if there's no pumping heart rate and a trickle of sweat then I figure it can't be that effective.

So I've decided to add some exercise to my life - that doesn't involve running on a treadmill to nowhere whilst staring at your red, flustered face in the huge mirror that indiscrimately faces all gym treadmills. Last spring my colleagues and I went to 'play' tennis a couple of times which I really enjoy. I played a bit whilst at school and had gone to one term of coaching when I was younger so I know the basics. The club where we went organize group sessions and they have a new group beginning in October which should be perfect, weather-wise and time-wise. The plan is to attend twice a week; now I'm just waiting for an email with the prices.

I think this is probably one of the best ways to inject some exercise into my life - through a sport that I enjoy. It will definitely be something to look forward to.

As I Mature...

I’ve learned that you cannot make
someone love you. All you can do is
stalk them and hope that they panic and give in.

I’ve learned that no matter how much I care,
some people are just assholes.

I’ve learned that it takes years
to build up trust, and it only takes
suspicion, not proof, to destroy it.

I’ve learned that you can get by
on charm for about fifteen minutes.
After that, you’d better have a big willy
or huge boobs.

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t
compare yourself to others – they are
more screwed up than you think.

I’ve learned that you can keep vomiting
long after you think you’ve finished.

I’ve learned that we are responsible
for what we do, unless we are celebrities.

I’ve learned that regardless of
how hot and steamy a relationship is at
first, the passion fades, and there had better
be a lot of money to take its place!

I’ve learned that 99% of the time when
something isn’t working in your house, one
of your kids did it.

I’ve learned that the people you care most
about in life are taken from you too soon
and all the less important ones just never go away.

Pass this along to 5 friends… trust me,
they’ll appreciate it. Who knows, maybe
something good will happen.


If not… tough shit.


Text taken from image - click on image to read original.

Polaroids

I discovered this really fun site where you can turn your photos into Polaroids such as the ones below...

The first photo was taken in Heidelberg, Germany; the second one was taken in Mdina, Malta and the third one was taken at Alton Towers, UK.

When you 'polarize' them, it gives them the 'old-looking' effect and the white border which does crop the photo so you need to choose which photos you want to polarize as not all of them may be adequate.

I always carry my camera around with me so I'm constantly shooting something or other. Some I upload, others I leave on my PC and yet others I just delete. That's the beauty about digital - and also the downfall. Images have lost a lot of their lasting power because they're so easily deleted and forgotten. Yet digital is just so convenient and you can capture so many moments without worrying about running out of film, or thinking about the expense you're going to incur to develop all those photos. But if you're feeling nostalgic for old-time photos, just polarize them!

You can see the rest of the photos that I polarized and other photos that I took on my Flickr page. If they're not available please do let me know because it's probably a security setting which I will change.

eBay Seller

I've listed some items on eBay and have added my eBay icon to the side bar - look to your right - so go ahead and take a look at the items I have for sale. Everything is in great condition, some hardly even worn. Apart from the money aspect of things, I also really need the space and I just have to shift these clothes. What's listed is just a fraction of what I have to do away with. The rest are available for swapping or selling.

Here's an idea of what's available (there's more):

Connect with me

I read an article today, whilst at work so unfortunately I don't have the link available and I can't remember which site it was on, that people tend to feel a lot more comfortable discussing their personal affairs with online friends whom they may never have met, than with their real-life friends. They also tend to feel closer to these friends and know more about them due to status updates on sites like Facebook and Twitter which allows people to share many aspects of their daily lives, their habits and their likes and dislikes. Real-life friends who are not part of the social media community are now not being regarded in the same light as before because of the lack of 'interaction'.

I find this rather curious but it does make sense to some extent because it's very easy to feel involved with someone's life when they're continually updating their status and broadcasting to their 'friends' (and sometimes more than that) about how they feel, where they've been and what they're about to do. The ability to comment about these movements also helps to form a sort of connection between people. It was also said that people are being invited to many more places and they have a wider choice of what to do thanks to Facebook event pages and this is something that I can definitely identify with.

Previously you might hear about a gig or a party through an advert, a flyer or sometimes just word of mouth; it would interest you but it's also easy to forget about it. With Facebook events you're given a list of what's happening on that day, often giving you a choice of which event to attend.

I believe that social media has enhanced people's lives despite the security fears that it may also present, which, whilst being relevant and not to be taken lightly, can also be curbed if people were made aware about certain security features that ought to be enabled and followed.

Edit: I've been editing bits and pieces of my blog and if you want to connect with me you can do so via the side buttons through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and/or Flickr.

Chocolate Heaven

Yesterday I realised just how much living on a Mediterranean island leads to you taking things like the sea and the sun for granted. We had a BBQ on the beach with Maltese and new Scottish colleagues and us Maltese were just in the shade not particularly bothered, whilst the Scots went directly to a sunny patch and jumped right into the sea. And they loved it - understandably so, because the Med Sea is amazing, but because it's just always there for us, we didn't feel the need to swim, which in a way is a pity because it could easily lead to apathy for the wonders around us.

There are some really amazing places in Malta and I've decided to be really generous and share my discovery of an amazing Belgian chocolaterie in Valletta, which I had heard about but was never quite sure as to where it was exactly.

So last Saturday I decided to go into Valletta to browse one of the second-hand book shops that I frequent to see if I could come out with any bargains - alas, I didn't. I did however come out with a few bargains from NEXT. Hah! Something you need to know is that most shops believe in siesta time in Valletta, especially on a Saturday where they often only open in the morning. So it had just gone 1 o'clock and most shutters were down, shut for the rest of the weekend and I was traipsing the streets and decided to head down 'Gold Street' in Strada Santa Lucia - I call it this because it's lined with jewellery shops and I emerged in Merchant's Street which houses the daily market but was now void because all the hawkers had packed their wares and headed home for lunch. And right opposite me, where the continuation of Strada St. Lucia becomes a hill with steps on either side, I see this sign displaying the name 'Valentino - Belgian Chocolaterie'. I had found it, without even looking!

I headed there in haste hoping that they weren't closed... and luck was on my side. I entered this tiny shop with a large display counter filled with the most alluring chocolates and their scent just wafted into my nose leading to a huge smile spreading across my face. The lady behind the counter then told me 'Everyone who walks in here, starts to smile'. I'm not surprised! So I carefully chose six chocolates to take home with me. You can purchase boxes of 6, 8, 12, and more for different prices depending on the weight of the chocolate. The process of choosing was a delicate one but I was pleased with the end result. And just before I left, the lady behind the counter gave me an extra chocolate to taste and I tried it there and then, and it was like biting into a piece of chocolate heaven!

A curiosity that occurred that morning was that I got a sudden craving for McDonalds food, which I don't usually take. It's probably been about 2 years since I've eaten McDonalds as far as I can remember, but for some reason I just felt like it! And I decided that I would go to McDonalds for lunch, but after I ate that chocolate the craving just disappeared and there was no way that I was going to ruin that amazing chocolate taste with such a thing as McDonalds food!

Taking time to breathe

My days are slowly drawing to an end and I think the thing that I realised the most about myself during this time is that I don't really know how to relax!

My mind is constantly racing with things that I could or should be doing and I find it difficult to just stop and do nothing. I have quite a short attention span which is something that I've realised and it comes through when I'm reading, because I tend to skip sentences and then go back and re-read them; when I'm having a conversation with someone, I sometimes think that I come across as rude because my eyes flicker all over the place, and it's not because I'm not listening to the person or am not interested in what they have to say, it's just something with my physiology.

Having said that I definitely needed the days off and I think I made the most of them, by allowing some pampering time, swimming and other random stuff. I didn't do any chores which is a good thing because that's not what time off should be about! It doesn't matter that I have more clothes in my ironing pile than I do in my drawers.

Tomorrow it's back to work and an impending inbox (which I took a sneak peek at actually) so I know what to expect more or less.