Musical Marmite

He's the human equivalent of marmite.  You're either screaming your head off or tearing your hair out.  The hair flick.  The mobs of hysterical teenage girls.  That 'baby' song.  If you haven't guessed who I'm referring to by now, you must have re-located to Mars for the past two years.

Whether you love or hate him, there's something fascinating about Justin Bieber.  Perhaps it's his story.  A few Youtube videos in his living room with cute hair and BOOM.  He's chilling with Usher.  It's every wannabe singer's dream.  Regardless of whether he sings like a girl, you can't help but feel a little jealous that he's earned 60 million dollars by the tender age of 17.

I happen to think he has a great voice.  Yes, I'm twenty and may be a little older than the majority of his audience but I'll happily admit to buying his music.  Because the truth is, no one makes music like this any more.  Simple teenage cheese on toast.  No, it's all about showing off your diamonds or getting angry (if you listen to that alternative emo stuff).  So sue me if I like a few light-hearted tunes that I can learn the words to in five minutes.  


Bieber brings back the nineties.  Five. S Club 7.  Steps.  My pre-teenage years were reborn to the sound of his 'girly' voice.  I've missed old school music.  And he is undeniably cute.

So lighten up.  Not every song we listen to has to declare the meaning of life.  It's ok to have a little throwaway feel-good pop music from time to time.  Embrace the cringe and you may just get Bieber fever...

Never say never.

Old Habits Die Hard

We've all had a transitory lapse of judgement.  That moment of weakness.  An instance where we've done something we're not proud of.  My moment arrived last night.

It was late and I was bored.  I found myself logging on to a certain social network...Facebook.  For any avid readers of my blog, you will know that I deactivated my account back in December and blogged about it.  How it was pointless and pathetic.  How I couldn't care less about what people were doing.  How I no longer wanted to be a part of it.  But here I am, defining hypocrisy itself and signing back in.  I felt pretty bad, but curiosity got the better of me.

I guess I wanted to know if it had changed.  If it still had that 'pull' that got us all hooked in the first place.  If I still cared even a little bit, or if it just seemed immature and pointless.  It was odd after four months without it to again have so much information at your fingertips.  Unnecessary information, but information all the same.  Looking at old pictures and remembering 'friends' that I had forgotten all about, I was fast coming to the conclusion that I really wasn't missing much.  I had made the right decision, and would stand by my December blog.  But it was disappointing that I had to re-discover Facebook in order to let it go again.

And then something worse happened.  My phone buzzed and the text read 'Miss I don't have Facebook.'  Oh dear.  I attempted denial.  And then I told the truth.  It was painful.  Not only did I know that I was a hypocrite, someone else now knew too.  And this someone else had no qualms in mentally battering me for it.  Probably quite rightly.  

So I felt the need to write this blog, perhaps more for my own satisfaction than yours.  Because we all have to hold our hands up sometimes.  Yes,  I had a relapse into old habits.  And as crushing as it was to be 'found out' by someone else, I did deserve it.  Because it wasn't really about Facebook.  It was a reminder to resist temptation in order to practice what you preach.  And it's a lesson well and truly learnt, even if I did have to get my hand caught in the cookie jar.

Who you are

'It takes courage to grow up and be who you really are.'

E.E.Cummings was a very wise man.

Being yourself should be the easiest, most natural concept known to man.  But in practice, most of us spend the majority of our school life trying to fit in.  And some even beyond that.  I remember thinking university was going to be a mature version of school.  No more cliques.  No more divisions.  But I was wrong.  Because that's not school or uni.  That's just people.  And some people spend their entire lives trying to abide by this unwritten social code of conduct.  Saying the right things.  Knowing all the right people.  And for what?  More Facebook 'friends'?

It's one of the hardest things to walk into a room and acknowledge the fact that you may not be the smartest/prettiest/skinniest/most outgoing girl there.  But to know that this is OK.  And despite this, to not want to be anyone else.  Because you are YOU.  And no one else in the entire world has had the experiences you have, had the family you've got or can feel what you feel.  And that is the most precious thing.

Then you can start to create your own wavelength.  You can re-define this high-school concept of being 'cool'.  And you don't have to be the loudest voice in the room, the prettiest face or the most intelligent one because you've gained something more.   It's your own vibe, your individual scent, your va va voom.  And when you've got this, you'll realise that THIS is what makes you special.  Individuality.  Originality.  Uniqueness.  

This journey is what takes the courage that Cummings refers to.  This is called growing up.

Don't dismiss Dave

So, I'll admit it.  I'm a Cameron fan.  Not that I agree with everything that Dave has done, but I figured he was the lesser of three evils.  Particularly better than Nick 'promise-you-the-world' Clegg.  Yes, it seemed Clegg had no problems guaranteeing us the ocean but when it came to the delivery he found himself drowning in a sea of broken promises.  And in true political fashion he took the next predictable step of looking elsewhere to place the blame.  He spoke of the 'unholy mess left by Labour' and the 'difficult decisions' he had to make.  Apparently no one told Nick that ruling the country wasn't going to be a piece of cake.  I'd quite like world peace too, but that doesn't result in me declaring it will end if you vote me in.  And don't even get me started on Gordon.

So I chose Dave.  Whether you're eco-friendly or not, he may have looked a little like a pleb riding that bicycle to work but he seemed genuine.  Well, for a politician.  And for the first time in my lifetime, he felt like a breath of fresh air, unpolluted by the bickering, backstabbing and personal motives of the other squabbling males in the midst of their own mid-life crises.  And so what if he is a posh boy?  Does every PM have to come from the gutter in order to understand the life of the ordinary people?  And I really feel he's trying.  Take this week for example... flying with Ryan Air and staying in a 3 star hotel in Spain can hardly compare to the hotels his salary can afford.  A publicity stunt maybe.  But don't deny his efforts.

Having said this, I completely disagree with the recent rise in university fees.  Common sense can tell you that a £27,000 debt may just defer anyone from choosing further education.  And this is going to sufficiently reduce the range of mixed classes and backgrounds that universities are only just gaining now.  So this only paves the way for more 'posh public school boys' to have a shot at becoming PM.  Dave, I just can't defend you on this one.

Politics is a difficult subject.  I'm currently refraining from the 'they're all the same' attitude which would be the greatest shame of all.  Because once you stop caring, who knows what will happen? So Dave may not be the perfect Prime Minister but he's the man WE voted in, and as long as he is trying his best, what more can we ask for? Yes, not everyone is going to agree with his decisions but that's politics.  And let's remember, it's still early days.  So let's just give him a chance, shall we?