Theres someone who...

There's someone who can make me smile.
There's someone who can make me cry.
There's someone who gives me butterflies and the giggles.
They mean more to me than ever thought. They make me feel alive and give me hope when i'm down, they give me something to look forward to and help me see the bright side of life.
They werent around for a while, and in that time things changed. But i hope they never leave again.
There's someone in my life that doesnt realise how special they are and how important they are to me. One day i'll tell them.

The One-Minute Writer: Today's Writing Prompt: Too much

The One-Minute Writer: Today's Writing Prompt: Too much

Too much of a person.

You can have too much time with a person, and too much time to yourself. You can have too much time to think and change and remember things that make you sad. Yet, yu can also never have too much of a good thing. Never get enough of someone and never have too much time for yourself. Its a hard balance to get right.

Moving on.

This time of year brings change. The trees start to change colour and the weather takes a turn for the worst, but I, personally, love this season! Autumn is my favourite of the 4 seasons in the year. The colours are beautiful, the weather is normally bright yet chilly and people start to think of what will happen in the new year.

Six months ago, I thought I had things planned out, but just as the weather changes, so did I and what i wanted. It turns out that something i thought i had forgotten about has come back and made me realise that its what I want in life. People have come back that I never realised how important they were and the one person I never thought I could laugh with again is closer than ever.

I'm moving away from Brighton and going back home. I never thought i would i go back. Brighton is where i needed to be, but it turns out, i'm not so happy here anymore. I've grown up, and even though Brighton is where I have done this it isnt where i can stay. Sometimes i do wish i could just run away from it all, leave without people knowing but one thing i have learnt with age is that running away from something is not always the best way. I still bottle things up, i have lots to say to many people, but sometimes i still find it easier to keep it locked up inside. I just dont like hurting people.

Going home isnt easy. It may seem like it is and people think im using it as an excuse to get away but i need to be around people that love me and can tell me what i need to do to be back to my happy self. Its a hard decision. I am leaving a lot behind but we all need to move on at some point. I feel too young to have my feet glued to the floor in one place. I need to travel, and by going home i can save to do this, finally.

I have learnt that things change. People grow up and not always in the same direction. It can sometimes take an old friend to make you realise that there is something not right, and it takes a special someone to make you feel alive again. Thats when you know its time to move on. Just like the seasons and the trees, things change.

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.

At certain points in your life, you have to make dicisions that are important. That can change you life. And that will have to be the right one. I have done this a few times, like staying on at school to do my A-Levels, then what university to go to. Sometimes though a decision can be sprung on you when you really dont want it too.

After speaking to a few friends I was feeling really lost and lonely. Something that I have never felt due to all my friends and family being there, but this time was different. I went home to see everyone last week and had the best time I had had in a while, but this didnt help my problem.

I have lived in Brighton for 4 years, and I love the City, love the people and being by the seaside, but something is missing and it took a while to work it out but I think I finally have. I need to be at home for a while. There really is no place like home, and although brighton is my 'home', Kidderminster will always be my actual home. Its where i grew up, where my family are and everyone I love. Its familiar and comfortable something that I am in dire need of at the moment- some comfort.


After talking to my Mom and a few close friends,i realised that I needed to move out of Brighton soon and go home for a little bit, save and get to do the things that I want! I want to travel, go wherever, whenvere i want! And at the moment I cant do this. I feel tied down and stuck in a big hole. Its not a nice feeling and it is starting to effect me in every way of my life.

Of course, Brighton is important to me. The people here I love so much, and then theres my partner. But I cant be here much longer and need to stretch my wings! Brighton is like a trap to me at the moment,its like how i sed to feel about Kidderminster when i was 17, but at least then I hadnt experienced the outside world. I left for Uni and was so happy that I could have that time to myself, but I feel into the comfort of Brighton to easily and now it is starting to sufficate me. I dont want to start hating the city, so its time to move on.

Its a hard decision, for many reasons, but it is what i need to do to feel like me again. I want to travel the world, do silly things and be a 22 year old for a change. I just dont feel that I can do this here. So, I plan on moving on at christmas. I am not going far, and Dan says he will support me in whatever i want.

Thats my next decision to make, hopefully it'll bring back my normal self and when the next decision comes aorund I will be clear headed and ready for it.

Lifes ups and downs.

A week ago, i was on work experience at the times newspaper and felt the happiest and best i have in ages. The week before i was in tears because i couldnt face soemthing that i knew i would have to one day- the reason is because i didnt want hurt my friends at work.

Life is full of ups and downs. Everyone can be feeling on top of the world one minute and between a rock and a hard place the next. Someone close to me lost his nan this week, something i can sympothise with after losing mine a few years back. Facing a death is one of, if not THE, hardest thing in life that anyone can go through. Losing my Nan was difficult to accept and had an impact on me like nothing else, but it was my family and friends that got me through it. I had to be the strong one for my Dad and that is what made me stand up tall and keep him together. He will be ok, i know he will, it will just take a little 'up' in his life to make him realise that she is ok now, and that he just needs to carry on with his life the way she would have wanted him too and make her proud. Thats what i have done. Nan's are always there when they are on this earth, and this doesnt change when they leave, it just changes a the way that they are present.

I realised this week that i left university a year ago, and this in turn made me realise that i had already wasted a year not really doing anything and sticking to the safe option of my current job. Thats why The Times was so important to me, and made me so happy. It made me realise that i can do someting more out there and that i shouldnt be scared of doing what i want with my life. I was able to express my love in an environment that also shared that feeling, something that i havent experienced before. This high will keep me looking for other options- as my mom says, i'm only 22, i have my career way ahead of me, but i think there is something about our age group that feels we need to rush into things.

When we are teenagers, we assume that being older is better and want to rush into things to make ourselves look and feel grown up. Like make up, clothes, boys and drink. But then when we get to our twenties, we realise that we shouldnt have rushed into these things and that the things we did we cant go back and change but we have to live with those mistakes. I had a great childhood! I wouldnt say i was ever an emotional child in an extreme way but i did do things that i wish i would have slowed down with. Silly things that i know i cant change and dont regret but think back and say 'i should have waited a little bit longer'. We all think that way sometimes though it part of the ups and downs of life. The things is we learn from them and laigh about them. I have secrets from my past but that doesnt mean that they cant stay that way, like a little treasure box locked up with my life story inside. The thing is, when my nephews are grown up, i hope they can talk to me about all the aspects of teenagers lives that are confusing and they might not understand because i know that i will have been there.

Life really is what you make it. This that have more downs than ups will get their time when they are truly happy and will look and think that it wasnt all that bad really. I am happy, i dont know whether i am the happiest i can be, but for now i guess i know that i could have it a lot worse.
It can choose your path in life, make it a good one :)

The One-Minute Writer: Today's Writing Prompt: Trust

The One-Minute Writer: Today's Writing Prompt: Trust

Trust us something between friends. family and lovers. I trust all these people in my life. Even though we have secrets between us and we may keep things inside, i know thay if i ever needed any of them. I could trust them with my life.

No chocolate for me

When I was little, I went to sunday school with my Nan. Right up until I was 15. Although nowadays I do not attend church, I still feel that I have a certain religious belief. I do not know if this is God or whether it is just a special bond that I feel between me and my Nan after she died but there is something.

So when it comes to Lent, I always try to give something up, usually chocolate, and this year is no different. Although I understand the story behind Lent and why people do it, I would not say that this is my reason for giving up. Maybe it is for more selfish reasons in that I want to prove I have self control and to give my body a rest from all the chocolate I consume on a daily basis.

My Nan was a religious lady, and someone who would do anything for anybody. When she passed away I did lose a part of my life that I had loved so much. I have always said that my Granddad was looking over me and now i realise that this is my Nan. I guess this is why I feel a connection with religion and although I do not proactice it I feel it is a part of me and everything that I do, especially when I need someone.

Lent is part of a fast that gives people an oppurtunity to clense and get satisfaction from a selfless act. Even if like me, that act is purely for you to feel good about yourself.

A leap of faith, and of fitness.

The way to keep fit and get healthy in 2009 is to become a circus act, well, almost. Trapeze has been a celebrity favourite since 2007, but it is said to be taking off in the UK, with many already getting their weekly adrenaline rush.

Like mat-based yoga, trapeze works every muscle and strengthens the body, as well as improving posture. It is the ultimate stress buster; flying through the air clears the mind! A surprising fact about trapeze training; as expected the arms work hard and overall body strength is increased greatly with the legs also getting an intense workout too. However, it is the abdominal muscles that get worked the hardest! Who needs sit ups anyway?

Trapeze offers those adrenaline seekers something new, fun and scary to try. While some may prefer a long session on the gym’s running machine (or out in the rain) others would much rather feel like they are flying; forgetting those everyday stresses and finishing literally on a high, with the pain and aches feeling much more worth it as you remember that first terrifying leap of faith, all in the name of fitness.

NHS rewards for young smokers.

Brighton and Hove NHS are taking action against youngsters smoking by offering them money to quit. The scheme which was revealed in The Argus, gives teenagers motivation to give up and feel benefits of having extra money around. However, there are many people that believe it to be bribery and a way of encouraging teenagers to take up smoking.

According to the 2008 health report, 15% of boys in Brighton (aged 11- 15) smoke, compared to the much greater 25% of girls. Out of these, 20% of 15 year olds smoke at least once a week. Thankfully, the figure for 11 year olds is a much lower 1%; although this figure is surely still too high. The incentive offers under 18s £15 to stop smoking for the long term. This is to be proven by using a piece of breathalyser-type technology which will show that there is no carbon monoxide in their body from the past 28 days. The youngest person to go for help was aged 10, yet this is said to be ‘unusual’ (“child smokers given cash to quit” bbc.co.uk; 11.02.09). Youngsters find it hard to stop smoking more than any other age group, which makes this scheme a welcome progress in the fight against young smokers. However, as the Senior Brighton and Hove NHS manager said, the scheme could ‘entice’ (“Shopping vouchers for Brighton kids to quit smoking” The Argus; 10.02.09) children to start smoking.

The argument against comes from the Taxpayers Alliance who has said that the rewards scheme gives ‘bad precedent’ and is a type of bribery that could lead to an increase in young smokers (“child smokers given cash to quit” bbc.co.uk; 11.02.09). If the law was in action correctly, and sellers followed these laws then there would be no need for these remedies. Yet the evidence shows that rewarding teens has a positive effect on their health. The Pavilion MP, David Lepper, sees the problem to
run further than rewarding quitters, but with the display and branding of cigarettes. And he says that tobacco should have the same regulations as alcohol, with similar repercussions.


Organisations for the scheme hope that this will reduce health risks and save the NHS millions of pounds a year, the arguers are wondering what ‘gifts’ those that have never smoked will get for being healthy, apart from their tax going towards those that willingly risk their health.

The One-Minute Writer: Today's Writing Prompt: Probability

The One-Minute Writer: Today's Writing Prompt: Probability

I won a cake on Friday! It may bot be that much of a probability problem, but i never win anything!!

The One-Minute Writer: Today's Writing Prompt: Pride

The One-Minute Writer: Today's Writing Prompt: Pride

My pride comes from my loved ones. My biggest piece was when my sister gave birth to twin boys, I have never felt so much pride towards someone and watching her grow into such a great mother makes me smile everytime!

Snow. Snow. and what snow??

Monday the 2nd of February was an amazing day to wake up! I have never seen so much snow as i saw that morning. The south of Britain, was covered in a white blanket. I felt like a kid again! I do no ever remember there being so much snow, there is a picture of me when I was about 3,sledging down my home street- which according to the news is about the right year for the last time we saw such a big snow storm.

For the past few days, the news has forgotten about the recession and all the bad in the world and has reported on the snow and how Britain came to a holt (which I will come back too). The pictures were full of happy children and parents playing in the snow. The whole country, generally, was on a high! The thing that got to me, was the next day when some parents were complaining that their children were not at school. Was it that they really cared about the school being closed? or simply that they didnot want to spend time with their children? I know this might seem a bit of a drastic comment, and very presumptuous, but it can not be ignored! Others that we talking were simply enjoying a well deserved day off with their children that they could give all their attention too; a day that was not spent cleaning or other work that may take over the weekends.

The snow seemed to be the uplift that this country needed.

Back to the holting of the country. The one thing that did seem strange was that a bit of snow falls and London stops all transport! No underground, buses or trains. Seeing an empty street on the television made it seem like the end of the world. An image from a zombie film even. In my home town, the buses stopped running until 3pm, and took another day to get them back to their normal running schedule. It all seemed a bit too silly. Other countries carry on as normal when they get snow, canada has a lot of it and others spend over half the year under snowflakes.

So what stopped the UK from operating as normal? I think it was just the surprise of it all- we never expecting the warnings to be true, as we have had so many in the past that led to nothing. Or that the country just simply did not want to work and had the perfect excuse not too.

There was more falling today, but further north, I was sad that it didnt fall here! I would like to have had another day where by I got to build snowmen and throw snow balls, but never mind. I am sure it will be back in another 18 years.

We may not have been prepared for it, but it fell in full force, and call me a 'glass half full girl' but I think it did the British public the world of good! For a couple of days, at least, we all forgot about the financial crisis and had something else to talk about, something to smile about and a little hope that the world is not against us and it will get brighter one day.

What I remember Saturdays to be.

When i was younger, there was always something on television that was not relaity tv shows or celebrity trying to be superhuman-beings. With the current economic crisis that we are all in I think it is about time the broadcasters bought back some good family television, give people a reason to want to stay at home on a weekend.

I remember loving saturday nights in. Watching some Noel's House Party with Mr Blobby and geninely not minding being indoors and sitting in front of the screen for hours. It was the height of my week, and as I got older, although this did change slightly, I still loved watching these family orientated programmses. There are two main problems with this nowadays-

1) People over the age of 13 no longer want to spend time with their family. I find this sad! I love my family and I am very thankful for the times that we spent together on the weekends. Maybe it is the way that I was bought up. I was never allowed to roam the streets or drink until I was 18. My parents were strict on what I could and could not do, but I know that this is why I am like I am today. Teenagers would rather be sat in thef reezing cold drinking themselves silly than getting a take away with their family and watching some silly reality show on tv. So, I guess the first problem is the harder of the two. Giving teenagers the 'want' they need to stay indoors rather than wanting to be outside with their mates 24/7. I know that this is not the same for all, but the majority will agree that a night in with their family is the one thing they did not want to do!

and secondly;

Broadcasters need to bring back some family viewing. Such as Noel's house party (which I will always remember for defining a saturday night in). Then there was Gladiators. I loved that show! That was how the night started, then it was Stars in their Eyes. All these shows were made for family viewing and I think encouraged families to sit together and have that one meal a week that everyone needs together. At the moment, to mention just a few, there is Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing on Ice (both of which are the same format with celebrities) and the X-Factor (making people into celebrities).

Saturday nights are now all about getting drunk for most over 18 year old that do not have a family to look after. And there is nothing wrong with that! I was out every weekend before I came to University, and I enjoyed it everytime! Its part of growing up and learning your limits, but with many people not having so much disposable income I think it is time television went back to what it was 10 years ago. These programmes had something for everyone, of all ages. They need to take the old format and create something for the 21st century, it would not be that hard and it might just bring saturdays back to being the night to stay in.

Children need to know that not everything on television is about celebrities and that they should take there time growing up. They need something to make them want to stay at home at least once a week and have a family meal and some quality time with their parents. Your childhood flies by too quick and before you know it there is nothing but adulthood ahead.

The One-Minute Writer: Today's Writing Prompt: Laugh

The One-Minute Writer: Today's Writing Prompt: Laugh

I laugh everyday! I guess that means I am a happy person. But I do remember laughing so hard at the weekend. I was visiting my twin nephews and an advert came on tv for PG Tips tea. It has a monkey and man dancing around while making tea. The boys were laughing at it and then started dancing! It just made me laugh how they suddenly started dancing around the house without any warning.

What the newspapers can not explain.

Recently, there was a man walking up my street singing to himself and being merry- just like every other person in this city at this time of year. No one could have known that he would no longer be here for his family to see 2009 into with him or to get to say good bye.

The one thing I, and every other person I have spoke to about this, cannot understand is how someone can have no feeling for life and no conscious, so much so that they can take someone else life away from another.

I went to work on Tuesday and saw that there were police and that the road had been cornered off to the public. Throughout the day, there were more police, scientific investigators and detectives surrounding the corner- a man had been stabbed and murdered, in what so far has been said to be an unprovocked attack. Its not the fact that it is another stabbing that makes me feel uncomfortable, as there have been many in this country throughout the past year, but the fact is that it was less than a kilometre away from my doorstep. In a city that does not have a high violence record this is the most shocking of crimes!

Coming from a small town, seeing the scene so close up seems like a nightmare, like it has not happened and it being imagined. There are certain aspects of life that I can not accept and this is one of them. What person has the right to take away anothers life? Or feels that they have the right todestroy a living being, not only the victims but the family of them and anyone that has ever met them. It is hard enough grieving for a loved one that has sadly passed away, but to have to bury someone you love that has been selfishly taken from you is something I wish no one to ever have to go through. Unfortunately, it is part of life. And it has been happening since the beginning of time and sadly it will always be something you have to worry about.

I just hope that for the family of this poor man, there will be justice and that the killer will be caught and sentanced appropriately.

The One-Minute Writer: Today's Writing Prompt: Alien

The One-Minute Writer: Today's Writing Prompt: Alien

This alien race insist on knowing what will happen in the future. They look just like everyone of us. They talk with accents just like us, but have the wisdom of none of us.

They will come to warn us of the future, they have been here before and think they can help us by guiding us into the future the way they wished they had.