Last night I went out for a meal with two girlfriends from school.
We have vaguely kept in touch since we left the institution that was high school six years ago but rarely get the time to meet as we all work crazy shifts and one of the girls travels quite a lot with her job.
As we sat in the beer garden in the fading sunshine sipping our Pepsi's, (one of us driving, one had already been drinking and the other hungover), we began to put the world to rights as only a group of women can do!
One of the points of focus was how far we've come in the years past and how things have changed now that we are officially adults.
One of the girls is engaged and looking to buy a house with her partner, the other has a degree and is making some major career leaps (also happily settled long term) and then there's me...
I am still in education but will be finishing with a diploma not a degree,
There is no room for career advancements until I qualify in a year and a half,
I am happily in a relationship but for six months rather than six years,
There is no speak of engagement or buying houses at this stage.
We are all the same age.
This may sound like I've fallen behind in the race of life but actually I think I may be a few paces ahead!
My logic being this;
I have hauled my ass through so many interviews and stuck at so many jobs, none of them similar, and have now found my ideal vocation.
When I qualify in a year and a half that is a catastrophic achievement because this is not an easy course by any stretch of the imagination.
My boyfriend is amazing. We'd been friends before we were dating and the relationship is natural - we're been together for six months so far.
And who knows what the future will bring...
Are these weaknesses?
Or are they actually strengths?
It's all about perspective and your perception.
With every cloud there is a silver lining, you just have to find it!
Sunday, 7 July 2013
weighing it up
The fifties had Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Munroe.
The sixties had Raquel Welch, Joan Simms and Bridget Bardot.
The seventies had Bianca Jagger and Farrah Fawcett.
The eighties had Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell.
The nineties had Gisele Bundchen and Pamela Anderson.
And what do the noughties get?
Well, we have Lindsey Lohan, Cheryl Cole, Victoria Beckham, Nicole Richie, Renee Zellweger and Keira Knightley.
When did the image of beauty turn into a weight loss competition?
When did it become attractive to have your bones on show?
Give them their due, today’s celebrities are under much more pressure to look good and if they’re seen with even a hint of cellulite its splashed across pages of magazines with magnified pictures just in case you missed it the first time. And yet throughout the rest of the magazine you have pages upon pages of articles telling you to love yourself (with the odd diet plan chucked in for good measure).
Why is it so wrong to be the size you are and not have to diet and starve to fit in with the image created in this media mockery?
Why are we under pressure to fit in with an impossible image to avoid being called overweight?
Now please, I don’t want anybody to mistake what I’m saying as acceptance of obesity or living an unhealthy lifestyle, but what I am saying is the obsession with weight on the catwalks and in the media has gone on for far too long.
The diets that these women go on to look like the living dead are beyond consideration for anyone who values their health. All these size 0 models are doing is encouraging our younger generation to develop some sort of eating disorder.
Let’s stop the madness and just be a decent, healthy size!
Saturday, 6 July 2013
Update from 2011
It has been a long time since I've written and a great deal has changed.
No more waitressing or bar work but I am still in education.
The diploma was achieved but the career itself dropped - once the qualification was gained there wasn't much I could do with it.
I have since changed direction a couple of times but have now managed to get myself a stable and promising job.
It's with animals which is a great love of mine and suits me extremely well.
I've been there just over a year and a half now and in that time I have established that there are some interesting characters at work; some good and some not so good.
In any work place clashes are expected because careers bring together all different people from a variety of walks of life.
We have newbies started as well so there will be fresh characters and enthusiasm thrown in for good measure! (Until they start working 70 hour weeks at least)
Watch this space...
No more waitressing or bar work but I am still in education.
The diploma was achieved but the career itself dropped - once the qualification was gained there wasn't much I could do with it.
I have since changed direction a couple of times but have now managed to get myself a stable and promising job.
It's with animals which is a great love of mine and suits me extremely well.
I've been there just over a year and a half now and in that time I have established that there are some interesting characters at work; some good and some not so good.
In any work place clashes are expected because careers bring together all different people from a variety of walks of life.
We have newbies started as well so there will be fresh characters and enthusiasm thrown in for good measure! (Until they start working 70 hour weeks at least)
Watch this space...
Working hard or hardly working?
So since I last posted, I have had yet another career change - I am now training to be a veterinary nurse.
It's amazing and I experience and learn something new everyday but it is incredibly hard work!
Today at college we have been studying the digestive system and its a far cry from when I was doing my GCSE's six years ago.
I have never had my brain capacity tested to quite this extent - there is just so much information and terminology to get my head round.
Luckily I have a good bunch at college which makes the days go a little easier.
I find that I never wake up in the morning not wanting to go to work.
I don't want to get out of bed!
But it's not that I don't want to go to work.
I really do love my job.
It's fairly common for me to love my job after only six months; novelty normally wears off after about a year. But I have been at the same practice for approximately nineteen months and its still fantastic. Admittedly I did move department after ten months but so far, so good!
Many of my friends have said they envy me for finding a career I'm so passionate about at only twenty two but it really is so much more than a career - it's a lifestyle!
My contract states my standard week is thirty eight hours. Last week I did in fact work sixty seven hours.
Sometimes it's impossible to have a social life because all you want to do is sleep.
Fortunately I have a very understanding boyfriend who accepts my job isn't nine to five and is extremely patient if I don't get to leave on time.
There is nothing else in the world I can see myself doing.
It's not something you do for money, because quite frankly the pay is appalling!
This is something you do for love.
This is something I do for the sheer love of it!
It's amazing and I experience and learn something new everyday but it is incredibly hard work!
Today at college we have been studying the digestive system and its a far cry from when I was doing my GCSE's six years ago.
I have never had my brain capacity tested to quite this extent - there is just so much information and terminology to get my head round.
Luckily I have a good bunch at college which makes the days go a little easier.
I find that I never wake up in the morning not wanting to go to work.
I don't want to get out of bed!
But it's not that I don't want to go to work.
I really do love my job.
It's fairly common for me to love my job after only six months; novelty normally wears off after about a year. But I have been at the same practice for approximately nineteen months and its still fantastic. Admittedly I did move department after ten months but so far, so good!
Many of my friends have said they envy me for finding a career I'm so passionate about at only twenty two but it really is so much more than a career - it's a lifestyle!
My contract states my standard week is thirty eight hours. Last week I did in fact work sixty seven hours.
Sometimes it's impossible to have a social life because all you want to do is sleep.
Fortunately I have a very understanding boyfriend who accepts my job isn't nine to five and is extremely patient if I don't get to leave on time.
There is nothing else in the world I can see myself doing.
It's not something you do for money, because quite frankly the pay is appalling!
This is something you do for love.
This is something I do for the sheer love of it!
Thursday, 10 February 2011
life with lola
Hey guys, sorry I haven't written in a while! January and February have been so hectic I just haven't had a moment to myself.
I suppose the biggest news is that I've joined the gym and I absolutely love it.
My friend that I joined with and myself have been going nearly everyday for at least half an hour and we've signed ourselves up for all the classes they have to find some we like.
It has been an experience I must say!
Both of us are aching from head to toe, these instructors have been working us like boot camp sergeants!
One thing I can't stand about the gym though is the changing rooms! When you're getting changed into or out of gym and swimming stuff, or when you're drying your hair or putting on make up before you leave, there are always small children watching!!!
When it's small girls it's not so uncomfortable but when women bring their sons in to the changing rooms and the small boys stare at you it makes me squirm!
Now I'm not a huge fan of children as it is but when they're really intently watching me as I go about my business it makes me feel really awkward!
And when women are getting changed or come out of the shower and walk around stark naked! I'm not a prude, I'm anything but a prude! But I do not want to see strange women in all their glory as I'm getting ready.
There are changing rooms available, why don't you use them? Or at least change discreetly behind a towel!
Maybe once I have children I will look differently at these things but for now I shall continue to turn my back to people watchers and hide behind a curtain.
Has anyone else got gym stories? I would love to hear them!
Thanks for reading :) x
I suppose the biggest news is that I've joined the gym and I absolutely love it.
My friend that I joined with and myself have been going nearly everyday for at least half an hour and we've signed ourselves up for all the classes they have to find some we like.
It has been an experience I must say!
Both of us are aching from head to toe, these instructors have been working us like boot camp sergeants!
One thing I can't stand about the gym though is the changing rooms! When you're getting changed into or out of gym and swimming stuff, or when you're drying your hair or putting on make up before you leave, there are always small children watching!!!
When it's small girls it's not so uncomfortable but when women bring their sons in to the changing rooms and the small boys stare at you it makes me squirm!
Now I'm not a huge fan of children as it is but when they're really intently watching me as I go about my business it makes me feel really awkward!
And when women are getting changed or come out of the shower and walk around stark naked! I'm not a prude, I'm anything but a prude! But I do not want to see strange women in all their glory as I'm getting ready.
There are changing rooms available, why don't you use them? Or at least change discreetly behind a towel!
Maybe once I have children I will look differently at these things but for now I shall continue to turn my back to people watchers and hide behind a curtain.
Has anyone else got gym stories? I would love to hear them!
Thanks for reading :) x
Cosmo says feel good (as long as you're thin!)
I picked up a copy of February's Cosmopolitan magazine a few days, the one with Kelly Osbourne on the cover as I am a bit of a Kelly O fan. I think she looks fantastic since doing Dancing With The Stars and am amazed at hows she has managed to completely turn her life around so I bought the magazine to read her interview.
But I was shocked at the rest of the content of the magazine!
In the magazines' media kit, Cosmo describes itself as "...the lifestylist for millions of fun fearless females who want to be the best they can be in every area of their lives."
(http://www.cosmomediakit.com/r5/home.asp in case you want to check it out!)
Fair enough, they are encouraging their readers to be the best that they can be, but to me the hypocrisy was unbelievable!
One of the articles featured on the front cover was "Sexy Fashion; clothes to boost your boobs, bum and body confidence" And then, as part of the plastic clad bundle, was a free book; "Neris and India's Idiot-Proof Diet".
Is it just me or have they just completely contradicted themselves?
Now I know I have previously blogged about my plans for a little "change of diet" so I can slim down for summer. But I am not telling millions of women that their bodies are inadequate and that they need to loose weight.
From page 96 to 103 they feature a model promoting underwear who is skinny to say they least, as are the models throughout. But their "curve appeal" piece was given only 1 page on 118!
That 1 woman representing real women is given 3 photo's throughout the entire magazine.
Personally I think this is disgraceful!
Cosmo, I am a fan, but if you are going to promote yourselves as a "lifestylist for millions of fun fearless females" please consider your market more carefully. A large percentage of those millions of fun fearless females are the same size as that 1 woman and not the stick-insect models you use for the rest of your magazine!
All comments and opinions are welcome, thank you for reading :) x
But I was shocked at the rest of the content of the magazine!
In the magazines' media kit, Cosmo describes itself as "...the lifestylist for millions of fun fearless females who want to be the best they can be in every area of their lives."
(http://www.cosmomediakit.com/r5/home.asp in case you want to check it out!)
Fair enough, they are encouraging their readers to be the best that they can be, but to me the hypocrisy was unbelievable!
One of the articles featured on the front cover was "Sexy Fashion; clothes to boost your boobs, bum and body confidence" And then, as part of the plastic clad bundle, was a free book; "Neris and India's Idiot-Proof Diet".
Is it just me or have they just completely contradicted themselves?
Now I know I have previously blogged about my plans for a little "change of diet" so I can slim down for summer. But I am not telling millions of women that their bodies are inadequate and that they need to loose weight.
From page 96 to 103 they feature a model promoting underwear who is skinny to say they least, as are the models throughout. But their "curve appeal" piece was given only 1 page on 118!
That 1 woman representing real women is given 3 photo's throughout the entire magazine.
Personally I think this is disgraceful!
Cosmo, I am a fan, but if you are going to promote yourselves as a "lifestylist for millions of fun fearless females" please consider your market more carefully. A large percentage of those millions of fun fearless females are the same size as that 1 woman and not the stick-insect models you use for the rest of your magazine!
All comments and opinions are welcome, thank you for reading :) x
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