Reflections on 2010/11

I was about to start writing this blog then I got some hunger pangs and decided to have some Nutella on toast.

So now I'm eating Nutella on toast while typing this blog to you. It's good. I bet you want some now. I'll give you five minutes to go make some. Now go.....

Usually people who post blogs about the old/new year are all "I had a shitty fucking year so here's my resolutions for 2011". I am one of those people who stopped making Resolutions a long time ago. They were never realistic enough for me to even attempt to complete them and a friend once said, why wait for the new year to start something? Do it now, this very minute. That was on some idle Tuesday afternoon in the middle of the year.

So really, while the start of a new year gives you a good timing point to start something, with the new year in tow, if you really wanted to do it, you'd be doing it already. Ironically, I will be starting a project myself come 12:01 on January 1st. More about that in a moment.

To be honest, 2010 has been an alright year for me. I've had some mainly financial difficulties but I've gotten through it and I'm surviving, just about. I turned 21 in 2010 which to be honest, feels no different than being 18 but I did manage to complete quite a few of the things on my 21 list, not all of them on time of course and I'm still trying for the ones not ticked off. I've lost some friends along the way and made some new ones too and so all in all, like every blooming year, it's sometimes shitty and sometimes not.

Also, I know my blogging has been particularly shit this year but I have a life, I'm 21, remember. No, I'm kidding. I do intend to keep blogging through the new year and while my "i want to start a new blog" itch has resurfaced I can't be arsed to think up a new name or redesign for the layout and so I'm just going to stick it out on here. Of course, I don't have a frequent posting schedule and probably still won't because, this is my last semester before I graduate and that means its Dissertation time. I do hope to post more Future Husband letters which I have seemingly failed to keep up with.

One of the things that is scaring me the most about 2011 is the fact that I graduate. I have spent a lot of time recently looking into Postgraduate study and considering doing a Masters before the fees properly rise/the world ends in 2012. Yes, I'm joking about the world ending, what a load of bollocks. I just hope that I am able to make it through this semester without killing somebody, or throwing a computer out the window. I have been sitting the past few days doing coursework and attempting a bit of revision but I just am not feeling the whole study-mode. I think it's cause I'm at home and when I'm back here It's like a holiday for me cause I don't live here permanently anymore.

Anyway, as well as graduation in 2011, I don't really know what else to be expecting. Of course I have entered into a new relationship of the romantic-type variety and I'm hoping that keeps blossoming into something nice. I also hope to keep my friends alongside me so that when my dissertation is going horrible, I can be all FUCKING DISSERTATIONS, HALP. That's all I really need them for. Yes, I'm kidding again. I love my friends to pieces. Also, my family, who provide a warm, food-filled house and bed at the weekends. As well as some quality entertainment when they learn waxing and decided to do it on each other. It's a female household, what can I say. I also love my cats who have been teh inspiration behind many a blog this year when my brain was lacking fuel of any other kind. I also, sadly lost one of them this year in the throws of an angry dog. While that wasn't a very fun time, she was a very old cat and while she didn't die peacefully, she is at least in peace now.

Moving on, I do have several projects lined up this year alongside a disseration, graduation and general life-figuring outness because well, I'm insane pretty much. Basically, they involve me doing things either once per day, or once per month and are things I've been thinking about doing either since last year or since I discovered my love of them and now I've finally decided, what the hell, why not. I can't promise I'll be any good at it, or even keep the momentum going but I'm sure as hell going to try.

Anyway, I've kept you in suspense long enough. So I am going to tell you only about one of them for today.

I have decided to participate in project365. Project 365 is basically a photography project where you take a photo for every single day of the year. I have a camera that hasn't seen much use and I have always been interested in photography and want to attempt to make use of the camera much more and hopefully I will learn new things by doing so. This kinda stemmed from a conversation with my father nonetheless who when we were talking about how there are no jobs and I've no idea what I'm going to do when I gradute, he reminded me of my old love for the old photo taking/poserness and said if I tried hard enough I could probably easily find something to do with that as a back-up plan. So Project 365 is kind of a way for me to take a handle on that side of things as well as document my life for a year, and an important year it will be nonetheless.

I have already started a profile on flickr featuring some of my old photos that I thought were in some way half decent and will upload more there throughout the year as well as one my project365 profile. Both of which you can find here and here. There is nothing on the 365 profile yet as it's not yet January 1st and I haven't taken any.

I am not going to tell you about my other project just yet because it depends on certain circumstances which are currently out of my hands but may be fixed within the next few days. I will keep you informed, of course.

So anyway, I wanted to post this blog to inform you that you can find me in other places on the interwebs this year, as well as facebook and twitter, or you can email me at samiandthecity@gmail.com.

Also, I failed at wishing you a Happy Christmas - I hope Santa was good to you - he was certainly good to me. So instead, I am here to wish you A Very Happy New Year. And I'll see you on the other side of midnight.

Love as always,
Sami
xo

Five People Who Mean A Lot.

1. My Mum

2. My Granny and Granda (they count as one cause they're married :P)

3. Jesse

4. The Gays (this includes: leslie, david, aj etc)

5. Becca :)

Of course, the rest of you also mean a lot to me, but I had to pick five and technically I've written at least 8, I hate choosing :P.

Also, I am sick and sleep-deprived today so stuff the Italian. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow.

Until then,
Sami
xox

International Youth Day

Today, August 12th, is International Youth Day and I wanted to share some of my knowledge and experiences about youth and young people.

Youth is actually defined as those aged between 12 and 25 but most people see youth as the loitering louts that wield knives on the streets and like to stab people to death. There is very little good things reported in the news to do with young people which is totally unfair because I know, myself, as young person, that there is a lot of good that young people participate in.

I know this because I was lucky enough in my life to experience not one but two youth clubs which provided me with support and friends and experiences that have influenced and made me the person I am today. For example, One of the groups I participated in organised an exchange event with a german youth group and we got to go to Berlin to meet them and attend one of their festivals, they then came here and we taught them about Northern Ireland, we even made a video touring them round our part of the city. We also organised a formal for the youth of our part of the city where we invited all the youth groups and even individuals to come and participate and we gave out awards to those who we felt were deserving of them.

And then there is the fact that at least 5 young people I know give up their summers to volunteer at their local community centre and take other peoples kids out on day trips. None of this good stuff that young people are doing is ever reported in the news and it's unfair because if half the people were aware of what is on offer to them, then they wouldnt have to end up wielding knives on teh streets to feel safe and protect themselves.

I grew up in my local community centre, moving from the mothers and toddlers group straight through to the youth club. I made some of my current friends there and we'll be friends for life (I hope!) and I even found my first love there and while that involved plenty of petty fights and drama, it was nothing newsworthy, just part of life. I'm not saying that it's all good, because you will have to listen to drugs and drink talks and you will have to do personal social care stuff but it's worth taht one night of opening up to your friends and maybe admitting things you don't really want to talk about to recieve all the good in return.

So, if you're young enough and there are local groups near you then I highly recommend that you go and join them. It's worth all of the fear and nervousness you feel right now. You'll have experiences and make friends so easily and it will help you as well for stuff to put on your C.V saying you know how to work as a team with other members of your group. So go. Celebrate the fact that you are a young person and enjoy it.

Until tomorrow,
Sami

Italian phrase of teh day= Ciao, bello! = Hi, Handsome!

I know, I'm a bit late.

I'm glad some of you liked my short story yesterday though your lack of comments is still annoying. I know it takes you about 5 seconds to write one and it takes me about 30 mins to write a blog, so if I can do it, then so can you. Come onnn guys. I'll make you a cookie.

Today I spent out of the house with my bff Jesse shopping in town. When I say shopping, she spent the money because she has a job and I walked around looking at all the pretty things I couldn't afford. Though Jesse did buy me some nice things and I owe her. I love that woman :D. I then went grocery shopping with my father. So really, nothing of blogworthy note to record today. So on that note, I'm going to steal the idea from Hayley G Hoover (link in the sidebar, shes awesome) and just tell you what my senses sensed today.

Today, I saw: Lots of pretty dresses and sexy shoes.
Today, I heard: Laughter and coffee machines
Today, I smelled: Freshly made cupcakes and coffee.
Today, I touched: Lots of lovely material of the pretty dresses I saw.
Today, I tasted: A chocolate orange cupcake and a white caffe mocha.

So yes. Fun times.
Until tomorrow
Sami

Italian phrase of the day= Io sonno basso = I am short. (I think)

Online Friendships.

So, today I had a job interview and I think I did okay. I'll know sometime this weekend so Ill keep you updated on that. Also, today is National Play Day, the only reason I know this is cause I volunteer with kids and we had to take them to a place that had all this stuff on for them to play with. It wasnt too bad, except the weather as per usual cant seem to make up its mind whether to be sunny or rainy.

Anyway. I don't know if any of you are avid youtube users or know anything much about the youtube community. I don't participate as such in it, but I follow a lot of vloggers who are also bloggers linked in my side bar over there. But there is this group on youtube of 5 girls called 5AG which stands for 5 Awesome Girls and they are from all over America. They allocated a day to themselves and have to make a video on that day. This year, each week has a theme and this weeks theme is the phenomenon of online friendships and how weird you think it's going to be to meet your online friend in real.

I felt this was rather apt as in September I'm going to England for my online friend Becca's wedding and there I'll also meet my online friend Rachel. I am beyond excited about this, as it gets me out of the country and fulfills some of my 21 list haha and the fact that we get to meet each other after such a long time is cool. I met Becca once back in 2006 where I went to stay with her for a few days after a horrid break up. But I havent seen her since and we've both grown up lots. I am a bit nervous to fly and meet them as it's been so long and you never know if they are actually going to like you and get on with you irl, but ofc, that's just the idea you have in your head, once you're there it turns into this amazing thing that makes your life so great and glad to have people like that :).

So yeah, I just wanted to voice my opinion and say that I enjoy having online friendships and if I get the chance to meet every one of my online friends, I'd definitely take it. So please leave a comment, tell me if you have ever met an online friend and how did it go and are you going to meet anymore?

Until tomorrow!
Sami

Italian Phrase of the day: Io sono inglese = I am English. ;D