Bothered.

Forgive me if I offend anyone, though is anyone else extremely bothered by the constant media presence of Cheryl Cole, (soon to be Tweedy)?

I shamefully am aware that Cole will soon revert to her maiden name, because I read an inane article last week that referred to her divorce proceedings. And why did I drag my eyes across the 80-words of drivel found in a non-descript commuter-newssheet? Because it was there. She is everywhere. The woman who was considered the talentless one in that bubblegum girl group she is part of. The one whose accent screeches in my ears, though melts the hearts of the grannies who watch her judging a production-line 'talent' show favoured by the majority in the UK. The one who married a reportedly gay footballer, to cover- up her racist tendencies, evident when she physically assualted an African bathroom attendant in a London club. The very one that now features in adverts promoting haircare, and lip colour, whilst her family deal with drug addiction and criminal records. The one who drips herself in designer goods, though is let's face it, a bit of a chav.

My point is not to belittle this woman for being something that she is not; the majority of people who have some degree of fame are acting, playing their roles on and off the stage. I just find Cole/Tweedy incredibly irritating, both to listen to and to look at. She is considered by most accounts to be one of the most beautiful women in the world, though does this also look at the type of person she is?  Of course not.

Before/after the machines got to Cole/Tweedy

Cole/Tweedy was once a foul-mouthed trollop who got into slanging matches against Lily Cole and fancied a few gyrating moves in music videos. These days, the 27-year-old has some mighty good public relations backing her, probably on the request of her boss, Mr.Simon Cowell (who incidentally, has some major secrets to hide of his own). The cosmetic endorsements, talent-show judging jobs and album releases can all come to a swift halt, I say. Please Cole/Tweedy, crawl back into the hole where you came out of and give me some peace. You're really annoying, though to assign some blame elsewhere, I would also say to the British press, please don't give coloumn inches where inches are not deserved. Who cares about this Geordie woman? She is not befitting of your national treasure.

And yes, I do understand the irony of this post.

Voting Schmoting

I've wanted to blog so badly lately; everywhere I turn, it seems there is inspiration for an entry. Could it be Summer on our doorsteps (sorry southern hemisphere, I hear it is chilly manilly at the moment!), or just the rad city I reside in? I think, a bit of both.

Time. Bloody time. It hold me back in what I want to do and share with you all. Time can suck.

So I resolve to find more time and just go for it. There is literally post after post I want to share!

The UK general election is today, and speculation of the winner is rife. No one seems to be able to guess a clear majority- I guess we shall see come 2am tonight/tomorrow morning. People have vowed to take power naps when they get home, and stay up for the results...we'll see how long that lasts.

I can't actually vote here, though I have kept abreast of the candidates policies. A lot of people have mentioned that they had no idea on whom to vote for, that they got into the booth and almost waved their hand around, waiting for it to land on a name. Is this a wasted vote? Most certainly. It's not compulsory to vote here (one should, I believe), though if you are going to, then shouldn't you know who you want to be your future leader for the next four years? One would hope so.

This time tomorrow, the UK shall wake up either with a new Tory government whose leader is a floppy-haired, public school educated conservative, or they'll keep their Labour government, led by a stout Scotsman, who comes across gruff, though apparently has a wicked sense of humour. The options are slim.

Twenty-Ten

It seems almost irrelevant, though hoping all had a lovely Christmas and New Year. I'm not huge on this time of year, my family is small and divorced and I tend to see it as lovely, though very minimal. I go to midnight mass, I thank the Big-G for my blessings and I wake up to a lovely meal.

Again with New Year's, it's never been on my radar. I suppose the aforementioned makes me somewhat different, in which I am, though I've never minded, I've never felt like I'm missing out on anything.

I spent Christmas in the North of England; it was exceedingly cold, though exceedingly beautiful. Alas, it was one of our parties first Christmases, so I suppose it was what Christmas should feel like: magical and childlike. I was thoroughly spoilt this year, and I certainly was not expecting to be. DVD boxsets, money, cookbooks and facials at dayspa's, what else could I need?

I've posted a picture of ice in the garden, just before we left on the 22nd. That evening it started to snow quite heavily; it was such a beautiful train ride with what felt like the whole of England coated in snow.

New Year brings about silly and what is most likely, half-hearted endeavours to do/be/act/love something new. For this reason, I don't do resolutions. Instead I choose to see everyday as a new opportunity and change something then and there if need be. Of course, thinking is easier than doing.

The latter half of 2010 will see me leave England and unpack my suitcase in the city I called home until I was 23. February sees me head to New York City. Other plans include Iceland and Morocco. I'm learning to pace myself though, Europe will always be here, I can come back.

My first White Christmas!

Happy Christmas!



I'm off to midnight mass, in the freezing cold.

London love

Living in a foreign country is pretty awesome, though around Christmas time I do miss home, my family and my soon to be doggy mama, Scarlett.

To offset this, I've made a list of all the rad things that I love about London, and the UK.

- Broadway Markets
I think I've blogged about this before though seriously, if you are coming to London, head here for an authentic market experience. It's set along a little street in London Fields, giving it a charming village feel. Some of my favourite things are the yummy Climpson and Sons coffee (with the Aussie's behind the counter, which beckons the question, where do I know the Climpson chick from?! She's worked in Surry Hills before, though it's really bothering me), the Vege stall with their 'Heavenly Halloumi' burgers which are ta-sty, and the scattered couple of vintagey stalls that are a bit of a bargain. Smaller, less crowds, yummy food and cool Londoner's- do it.

- Hyde Park
I love this park, for all of its glory. It's huge, picturesque, doggy friendly, and full of seasonal goodness. In Autumn, leaves coat the greenery; in Winter, frost covers the ground; Summer brings the picnicer's, and Spring brings the bulbs and colour. I love to walk through Hyde Park, though I do avoid the Serpentine- the geese are scary!


- The Gastro Pubs
The UK is known for its pubs, and there is reason why. They're warm, intimate, serve lovely seasonal food and, you can take your puppies into them! My local is as good as any restaurant, making it an easy choice on a night out. And the thing is, all are welcome unlike many at home where you stick to certain places, because they're a certain way. Plus, my alcohol threshold has gone up since schooners were replaced with pints.

- Quirky shops
Ok, I couldn't not mention it, although they've become less important with the popularity of online shopping. When I first got here in 2005, it was all about Topshop, the High Priestess of Oxford St. It's a one stop shop, though the crowds make it monotonous. Some alternatives to Oxford St include, Brick Lane Up Markets (Sunday), Upper St Islington (for one off boutiques and homewares) and High St Kensington (similiar to Oxford St, though far less crowds).

- Come Dine With Me
Channel 4 spoils me with this programme, based on 4 strangers hosting a dinner party for each other over the course of the week. Hit and miss food, akward conversations, drunken antics and bitchy comments make this show super watchable.

- Proximity
...to the rest of Europe, making travel easier, cheaper and more plentiful.

Sad

Watching the news seemed once like a place to be informed, a place to keep up with current events and affairs. Partly this is true now, though sadly as the world become more hostile (toward one another) and externally displays rage, the news has become somewhat of a spoiled side salad to my dinner.

I get home around 7pm, cook my meal and naturally switch on Ch4 news. I like to see John's wacky ties, though I also like his journalistic capabilities as well.

As I was preparing my meal tonight, a very sad and disturbing story caught my attention- it was the South Yorkshire case of the two little boys (who are brothers), essentially torturing two other little boys, aged just 9 and 11.

The torturers were known to police, they've had a criminal record since they were ten. Living in foster care and under social workers guard, they'd seemingly slipped through the cracks when they led the two boys away into a field. They stamped on them repeatedly, threw bricks at them, then forced them to perform sexual acts on one another. They then left them for dead.

The youngest lad eventually managed to leave the field to raise help.

The trial begins for the torturers who are now aged 12 and 10, under the adult judicial system.

Of course with this level of controversy, a case like this breeds opinions far and wide. Why weren't the boys properly supervised? Why weren't they in gaol, considering their previous convictions? Why weren't they closer assessed, and why weren't their obviously perverse backgrounds noticed before?

Hats off to foster carers, they are one of the silent hero's who deserve honorary medals (not celebrities, politicians and the like), though tell me, who is raising these children? Their parents, the very people who bought them into this world, where are they? Obviously not fit to raise children, I refuse to believe these two brothers had anything less then a hellish childhood, the result being them taking it out on the world. Were they abused as children? It's likely. Sexually abused? More than likely, given how cyclical abuse is.

It breaks my heart that children, so fresh and innocent, can be broken so young and left to suffer the consequences for their inevitable actions when all goes wrong.

I'm not blaming the 'system'. Too many people point the finger at social services, but there must be thousands of cases similar. Under paid and over worked as the saying goes. Under staffed is the outcome.

I know there are good people in this world. Equally, there are bad people. I'm an optimistic person and I really want to believe that with love and guidance, these boys can perhaps make amends in their young lives- though it would take time.