Birthday Bean! 

Me with my delicious cakes I made for my birthday. 

Just want to say a big massive "THANK YOU!" to everybody that wished me a happy birthday and to those who turned up. I had a fantastic day followed by a fantastic night. Wasn't really expecting anybody to show up but thankfully they did and I couldn't of been any happier spending my birthday with my friends :) 

In the morning after our 10am seminar, me and a couple of my friends decided to have some breakfast in our local pub 'The Shed'.  I normally flirt with the bartender and so I thought I'd follow my daily routine and do it again, "So, have you got me anything for my birthday?" I wasn't expecting him to say yes! But I was shocked as he popped open a bottle of bubbly and said "how many glasses would you like? And don't worry, it's on me ;)". Even though I was on antibiotics I couldn't pass on a bottle of FREE bubbly, so I answered "Five please! Do you put strawberries in the glasses? Make us feel a bit posh?" To that he replied: "Darling you're in here everyday, you're not exactly posh!" Haha!! Cheeky bastard! 

Here's me looking rather happy with my bubbly! 

So I walked back to my table and sat down with my friends. I never thought I'd see their faces light up as much as they did on a Tuesday morning when they saw that bottle of bubbly. To say it was free, it was a bloody gorgeous. I only had a glass as I didn't want to push the boat out enough that I ended up ill again, so I shared the bottle out with everybody else. When they eventually had their breakfast the sun was shining so we thought we'd sit outside. 

Here's the gang. 

So after the excitement of the morning it went on to the night. I previously made 'Vodka Jellies' and cupcakes the night before for everybody who came to my birthday. It made me feel like a kid again having tea parties with a few friends, only this time the 'Panda Pop' was alcohol. 

Me and my best friend Ashleigh before everyone arrived.  

I had an amazing birthday and would like to thank everybody again for a great night. Without them I probably would of had all them cupcakes and vodka jellies to myself and pigged out watching 'The Notebook' - I hope this never happens. 

Can't wait for my 21st, bring it on! 

20 on the 20th! 

Yeah, look at me cutting the cake being all 18 and stuff. ^^ Me on my 18th birthday.

It's that time of year again! Time to bake my cake and decorate the flat for my birthday tomorrow.

It's quite sad to know that I won't be spending my birthday with my family this year, it's an odd feeling. I'm not quite use to being without my family in any case but especially for my birthday. I spent the weekend at home back in Hull, so that I could see my parents before I turn the big 20. Whilst packing my things on the Sunday afternoon I came to realise that I'm growing up too fast, too fast for my own liking.

This is where I had a little bit of an epiphany...

Next year will be an even bigger event with it being my 21st and then maybe before I even know it - I'll be turning 30 as my next big event. It's a scary thought. Something I often think about as sometimes in life we have to face getting older. I wish I could say I want to stay 20 forever and I haven't even got there yet! I wish we didn't have to grow up and be all grown up. I don't want to have to face a place where they have rules and regulations about what you can and can't do, this really upsets me.

You're born, you're educated, you work, you die. It's a tough way to think about life but that's how it is and I try everyday of my life to see life in a different perspective.

You only have one life, live it!

Friends often moan to me about how work "Pisses me off!" But at the end of the day, it's a job. Nobody does it because they want to, they have to do it to survive and make a living. I'm not slating anybody who disagrees everybody is welcome to their own opinion. I have a job, I love it. But I only go because I have to and I love it when the money comes in. Until the Tax-Man takes it from you.

That's another thing that pisses me off. You make a living and just as you start earning you get taxed. I don't see the point in working overtime (I still do) because them extra hours you're working are going straight to the government. What's the point?!!!

But yeah going back to the point.

We don't live very long and therefore we have to make the most of it. I shall leave you with the advise that I take into consideration everyday from one of my favourite actors, Robert Downey Jr:

"Listen, smile, agree and then do whatever the fuck you were gonna do anyway."

Man up?! 

The next time somebody says to me "Man up!" I just want them to take a step back and realise what they could be saying to somebody at the wrong time. It's very hard to take it as a joke when 'Manning up' is all I ever try to do when I am ill.

This picture is of me earlier last year with an unknown virus. This has happened another two times throughout 2011-2012.

I would like to wish that nobody is ever as ill as me in their lifetime as it can take over your life.

As it so happens to be, I'm very happy with my life and the way I am and couldn't wish for anything better. I dread to think I will be ill for the rest of my life, happy thoughts and fingers crossed I'm not. Yeah ok, I'm having a rant and a moan and my life isn't as bad as others. I know it isn't. I'm not pouring my heart out to everybody about this I just want to make people aware that you should be careful about what you say and think before you say it.

A friend said to me "Maybe you have AIDS" this is NOT something to joke about. I know for a fact that I haven't but maybe one day you could come across somebody who has and they may not take that as calmly as I have.

This is a pre-warning to the people out there who laugh at misfortune. Think of yourself in that persons situation and how they would feel.

How about you take a step back and think...this could have been me.

I'll be back! 

FINALLY!

I have finished all my assignments and now it is time to celebrate the student way, with a bottle of 'Lambrini' and cheap 'Vodkat' to spice it up I might add a little umbrella.

Just to add that my birthday is coming up on the 20th March and I'm not going to lie...I'm so excited. Everybody keeps asking me if I'm going to 'Home' on the night but to be honest I doubt I'll even make it out - hopefully. ;)

This will probably be my last blog for a while, not that you all care as I'm not really that interesting. In fact it just feels as though I'm talking to myself with no followers. YAY me! Haha, I'm sure you're all just busy...

So anyway, I am writing this blog and ensuring you that "I'll be back" in the words of 'Arnie' to brighten up your day, once I have been absolutely damn right filthy drunk for the next week as a treat to my liver.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOOO MEEEEEEEEE!!!

I shall leave you all with a message which shall hopefully cheer you up and will give you a lot of confidence with your next projects and assignments:

There is no failure, only feedback.

Those six words have been the absolute joy in my life at University so far (if you read my blogs you will see that it isn't, if you have no idea what I'm talking about then you know what to do) and I am advising you all not to stress and to seize everyday with a smile and not a single worry in the world.

Just look at me, I'm Geraldine Bean. Enough said.

What's wrong with just being you? 

There's nothing wrong with just being you, so don't think that at all. But there is 'being you' and then there's trying too hard to fit in. Often people use the 'I'm an individual' as an excuse just to be cool - I remember when I was a "Mosher", a stereotype often used within schools but my mum always told me "You're different, be proud of who you are" and I believed that at the time because there was only a few of us who decided being normal wasn't cool.

But by trying to be an individual this can lead you to be like everybody else within society. Yeah you might think that nobody else has the same shoes as you but guaranteed somebody, somewhere will and in a few months - so will everybody else.

Music plays a big part in society and often causes conflict with certain cliques and different age groups, listening to music nowadays means it's nothing special as everybody has heard it once or twice before. This doesn't particularly mean that you are not an individual but just so that it doesn't come as a shock to you when you show your friends a new album you've bought - they may have already heard it before you.

Don't follow the crowd of individuals, be yourself and only yourself as I have learnt with many years of ups and downs. I can only advise...

You may seem that you're left out but surely that's a good thing?

University! ...I think I learnt something just can't remember what? 

Is it just me or do you realise how much you've actually grown up when you go home for the holidays?
I couldn't believe it, the amount I have changed - for the better of course. I never cleaned my room, washed the pots, cooked tea or even my own washing! I still have to learn how to iron (properly). To stereotype myself, I wasn't much of your average woman, well what do you expect being brought up with four males in the house?! I have changed my ways and now I can pretty much do anything I put my mind to.

University has given me the option to be myself without being judged for who I am. I love my course because of the people, without them I would have quit by now. I am a joint student and being in a group of people who are your class mates and your social group really makes my day. I look forward to going to lectures and seminars and I never in my life thought I would ever say that - but it's the truth.

So, I have learnt something whilst being here at University and it's not just about the work. It's about finding yourself and being who you want to be, for the better. I never thought I would be where I am now and I wouldn't change it for the world.

So who wants to come out tonight?

Perception VS Reality 

If steroids are illegal for athletes, shouldn’t Photoshop be illegal for models?  

So I thought long and hard about this question whether or not it's right, I'm not entirely sure. Perception can be deceiving, quoting from 'The Telegraph' I found this to be appropriate to my question - Airbrushing means that adverts contain completely unattainable images that no one can live up to in real life. 

I agree with this statement, yes we put on a false face every day of our lives to get through daily events - but this shouldn't be shown through advertisements as we need to protect individuals from these pressures from society.

So who are these culprits?

Why are they doing this to us when we are already unstable within ourselves and as a country?

With the Olympics coming up later this year we will see many athletes bulked up to the max, looking very fly! ;) Athletes dedicate their entire career to become the best of the best. It takes years for them to become who they are, and what they are; Shown through their physique, ability and sheer determination.  

Whereas it takes five minutes for somebody to create a false perception, through airbrushing something that is natural and attainable; to then create something unrealistic and unattainable with any amount of dedication.

However looking at it from a different angle we are able to see that:

“There is so much pressure on modern day sportsmen to be invincible that they almost do not have an option before them. They are subjected to limits everyday and are almost forced to take the hard decision to accept steroids.”

E-steroid.com

I also see that competition can drive people to extreme lengths of falsehood and this goes against the normal perception. When will we see an end to insecurity and placing falsehood before the truth?






P.s I don't know why all this text is highlighted white. I tried everything to get rid of it ;) 

Stay here? You must be bloody joking! 

Think I'd rather be there to be honest...wherever it is. 


So there are rumours kicking about saying how people should stay in England and explore how beautiful it really is, I have no problem with this. However, it's not going to stop anybody from going abroad and soaking up the sunshine on the beach with the waves silently crashing as you doze off to sleep...Zzzzzz.

Sorry! I must of drifted off! Man, I need a holiday.

I absolutely love going on holiday. There is no better feeling in the world then taking a relaxing break somewhere other than your own country. Don't get me wrong I absolutely love England, I go to Newquay every year for the sun, surf and se....sexy boys ;)

It's also an adventure, I itch to explore new places and climb anything I find - to see if there is another world behind the rocks. Knowing I can wear whatever I like and doing what I want (within reason) it is such an amazing feeling.

I can't imagine what it would be like to  go to a country that has strict rules and regulations, can you? Have you ever been to such a place?

I imagine that's all down to culture and how they live their lives, everybody is different. I wonder what it would be like if the tables turned and I was raised in another country? It would be an experience to say the least.

But back to the point.

By all means stay in England and take in just how amazing and beautiful it actually is, but I for one have travelled all over Britain and I don't think there is much left for me to explore.

So I think I'll stick to holidays abroad please :)

It's Never Dull In Hull! 

Before you talk, listen.
Before you react, think.
Before you criticise, wait.


Yeah alright, Hull isn't exactly Hollywood but it's not Hell either! I can't believe the utter cheek from some people who have the right to call my home city and try to get away with it. Well I have a few things to say to them: 


Firstly, I am proud to come from Hull - there are far worse cities than Hull to be slating, believe me - I've been there. 
Secondly, I am not an "uneducated pregnant chav" as quoted from a review - who's name I do not wish to give. That is just insulting and quite frankly, rude. 
Finally, I am not a tax grabbing 'doley' and sitting at home on my arse watching 'Jezza Kyle' with my five a side football team (kids) wishing my life was a lot better. 


I could rant all day but I don't think there are enough words here to describe my hatred towards people who  think they have the right to slate a town when they haven't even visited. If they did they would appreciate the fact that Hull is actually an awesome place to live, we have: 

Attractions such as The Deep, the worlds only submarium! What's a submarium? A bloody huge fish tank, that's what! Free museums, holding school plays almost everyday so there is entertainment as well as educational purposes. Lately we have seen the construction of new schools, health centres and 'drop in' centres that compare favourably with most if not all other cities including London. Housing programmes providing new and refurbished housing has been a continuous activity and the building of a huge rootless and homeless hostel has gone far in the solving of that particular social problem. 

At present unemployment is one of the highest within any main city but for all the reasons mentioned I can see that changing. One request though, please don’t all rush here at once to sample what our city has to offer, which is a lot (not even mentioning the fine hotels and street cafe’s) because being a “Hully” I quite like the place and all it is offering both now and in the future and wouldn't want to experience droves of visitors pushing and jostling me out of my favourite haunts. The list just goes on and on I wish I could sit here and tell you how much there is to see and do but I guess you'll have to find out for yourself...


Come by all means but in limited numbers please, ta!