Recession be damned, I finally have a job interview.
I have been searching for a few weeks and throughout this time have seen various friends have better luck with their endeavours, from funding to job interviews to just plain luck.
I felt a bit resentful of their good fortune while I continued to flounder about. This job interview is an opportunity to reverse that trend.
That said, my relative luck in life has been quite high and if anything this interview has just given me more realisation of how fortunate I really am.
Hopefully I can push for a little more and make this an issue of skill rather than luck.
-The English Student
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The Return of Mad Men
The hit television series Mad Man returns for a fifth series.
I cannot say that I am enthused. I watched most of the first four series of the show and found my interest in it steadily dropping. My friends enjoyed it and I enjoyed discussing the show with them. I felt that from the beginning the style and aesthetic held the show up as an exemplary piece of television.
The more I watched it the less convinced I was. The problem for me is that the whole affair is inescapably shallow. The characters are all shallow and unlikeable, the references to historical events are laughable tangents and the plot-lines utterly contrived. All of this, you could say, is the theme of the advertisement industry. Of course a show about Madison Avenue men would be of this ilk.
Not for, say, Hitchcock's North by Northwest, a striking film from the 50s about a case of mistaken identity, implicating a Madison Avenue man in a plot of murder, intrigue and espionage. This character had depth, had something we could cling to, while the plot was engaging and unpredictable.
Mad Men might be more post-modern but it is certainly not as fun and certainly not as provocative.
-The English Student
I cannot say that I am enthused. I watched most of the first four series of the show and found my interest in it steadily dropping. My friends enjoyed it and I enjoyed discussing the show with them. I felt that from the beginning the style and aesthetic held the show up as an exemplary piece of television.
The more I watched it the less convinced I was. The problem for me is that the whole affair is inescapably shallow. The characters are all shallow and unlikeable, the references to historical events are laughable tangents and the plot-lines utterly contrived. All of this, you could say, is the theme of the advertisement industry. Of course a show about Madison Avenue men would be of this ilk.
Not for, say, Hitchcock's North by Northwest, a striking film from the 50s about a case of mistaken identity, implicating a Madison Avenue man in a plot of murder, intrigue and espionage. This character had depth, had something we could cling to, while the plot was engaging and unpredictable.
Mad Men might be more post-modern but it is certainly not as fun and certainly not as provocative.
-The English Student
Thursday, March 22, 2012
New Radio
I gave up listening to the radio a few years ago.
As a child it was fantastic. I got to hear all sorts of different music, listen to people's opinions and join a larger conversation that my peers were having, all for free. As I developed my own interest in music this dependency began to fall away.
To be honest, I feel like most radio channels are pretty awful. They have obnoxious DJs, obnoxious advertisements and exclusively play music from obnoxious pop stars. Why would I listen to something like this when I can turn to my increasingly large music collection for satisfaction.
I have had to find new music in new ways and blogs are the most obvious source. I can find blogs that align with my interests and will inevitably find some music that appeals. Informational podcasts like RadioLab are far more likely to gain my attention when it comes to 'talk show' type programs and again, I can choose things that specialise in my own areas.
So the internet is really what killed the radio star and I cannot mourn them too deeply.
-The English Student
As a child it was fantastic. I got to hear all sorts of different music, listen to people's opinions and join a larger conversation that my peers were having, all for free. As I developed my own interest in music this dependency began to fall away.
To be honest, I feel like most radio channels are pretty awful. They have obnoxious DJs, obnoxious advertisements and exclusively play music from obnoxious pop stars. Why would I listen to something like this when I can turn to my increasingly large music collection for satisfaction.
I have had to find new music in new ways and blogs are the most obvious source. I can find blogs that align with my interests and will inevitably find some music that appeals. Informational podcasts like RadioLab are far more likely to gain my attention when it comes to 'talk show' type programs and again, I can choose things that specialise in my own areas.
So the internet is really what killed the radio star and I cannot mourn them too deeply.
-The English Student
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Ferry
I spend little time in any one country these days.
Today I opted for a ferry journey rather than the usual flight. It was quite inexpensive yet, of course, the trip was over twice the length it would have been otherwise.
It was certainly a unique trip. I was surrounded by obvious smugglers, adventurous students and travel-hardened business people. We were bound together by our mutual seclusion and exhaustion.
In some ways it showed how far distances really are and how used to extremely fast flight we have become. I experienced every minute of this journey in a more tangible manner than usual.
That does not mean that I would like to repeat the experience however!
-The English Student
Today I opted for a ferry journey rather than the usual flight. It was quite inexpensive yet, of course, the trip was over twice the length it would have been otherwise.
It was certainly a unique trip. I was surrounded by obvious smugglers, adventurous students and travel-hardened business people. We were bound together by our mutual seclusion and exhaustion.
In some ways it showed how far distances really are and how used to extremely fast flight we have become. I experienced every minute of this journey in a more tangible manner than usual.
That does not mean that I would like to repeat the experience however!
-The English Student
Monday, March 5, 2012
Waiting
I jumped the waiting-gun yesterday.
I went overboard, and my imagination got away from me.
I have told myself not to be so stupid in the past.
I have failed.
I will try again.
-The English Student
I went overboard, and my imagination got away from me.
I have told myself not to be so stupid in the past.
I have failed.
I will try again.
-The English Student
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Resisting Complacency
Unfortunately, we naturally take a lot of things for granted.
Often it takes a big event to show us the error of our ways. This is especially true with relationships of all kinds. We assume that people understand how we feel about them without needing reminders. When relationships change or become strained we realise that this is not the case.
Realising this before an event like this happens is important. We should not require a shock to push us back to a point where we express how we feel. I have been guilty of it recently but not much longer I hope.
After all, we take life itself for granted. If we become complacent with the very thought of living then we risk falling into despondency and forgetting that there is so much to enjoy around us.
So I will stay on my toes in the future!
-The English Student
Often it takes a big event to show us the error of our ways. This is especially true with relationships of all kinds. We assume that people understand how we feel about them without needing reminders. When relationships change or become strained we realise that this is not the case.
Realising this before an event like this happens is important. We should not require a shock to push us back to a point where we express how we feel. I have been guilty of it recently but not much longer I hope.
After all, we take life itself for granted. If we become complacent with the very thought of living then we risk falling into despondency and forgetting that there is so much to enjoy around us.
So I will stay on my toes in the future!
-The English Student
Friday, February 17, 2012
23, the Number of Mediocrity
The Simpsons are running their 23rd series.
Of course and predictably, it is terrible. The Guardian recently ran an article with the ten most popular episodes and none are from the past decade. It is difficult to watch a new episode of the show and the ratings are the worst in its long history.
I had forgotten about the old gems in the canon of Simpsons episodes and the classics that made the show so popular in the first place. There are some fantastic stories and cracking writing in the first eight or so series.
The danger here is that kids growing up will never get to see these classic episodes and will eventually realise that they are watching a hollow version of what we knew and loved. Either that, or their own taste will be warped by a show that is "supposed" to be good.
At any rate, the answer here is to finally nail down the coffin. It's not getting any more lively.
-The English Student
Of course and predictably, it is terrible. The Guardian recently ran an article with the ten most popular episodes and none are from the past decade. It is difficult to watch a new episode of the show and the ratings are the worst in its long history.
I had forgotten about the old gems in the canon of Simpsons episodes and the classics that made the show so popular in the first place. There are some fantastic stories and cracking writing in the first eight or so series.
The danger here is that kids growing up will never get to see these classic episodes and will eventually realise that they are watching a hollow version of what we knew and loved. Either that, or their own taste will be warped by a show that is "supposed" to be good.
At any rate, the answer here is to finally nail down the coffin. It's not getting any more lively.
-The English Student
Sunday, February 12, 2012
New Coat of Paint
So I am going to paint my childhood room.
I am stressed out about this prospect and while this is mostly because of the ridiculous hassle that painting is. At the same time, there is an underlying anxiety that this change will shatter this room's position as a store of my memories.
My room has been described as hideous and while I cannot argue with that from an aesthetic perspective, it is a collection of my memories and has its own type of beauty and balance.
The awful wall colours do not help the overall aesthetic so they really should be repainted. It is more like changing the foundation upon which this wonderful pile of crap is built upon.
So long as it does not take too long, I suppose I can live with it.
-The English Student
I am stressed out about this prospect and while this is mostly because of the ridiculous hassle that painting is. At the same time, there is an underlying anxiety that this change will shatter this room's position as a store of my memories.
My room has been described as hideous and while I cannot argue with that from an aesthetic perspective, it is a collection of my memories and has its own type of beauty and balance.
The awful wall colours do not help the overall aesthetic so they really should be repainted. It is more like changing the foundation upon which this wonderful pile of crap is built upon.
So long as it does not take too long, I suppose I can live with it.
-The English Student
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Drinking Games
We regressed to drinking games last night.
I say "regress" because it really does feel like a step backwards. With these games, the main goal is to get drunk and embarrass yourself. It largely runs like this: begin sober, use arbitrary rules as an excuse to drink more than is sensible, become insensibly drunk.
Really, we should have moved on from this point by now. More recently, alcohol in my life is applied through a different process: go out with a group of people for chat and fun, apply alcohol to loosen our tongues (and morals!), enjoy ourselves together and pay for it the next morning.
Sometimes messy nights of drinking games are useful for the purpose of reminding us where we came from as drunken teenagers. Plus there is no real harm in regressing every now and then, so long as it is not permanent. I just hope this is not the sign of a group of people who have run out of things to talk about.
-The English Student
I say "regress" because it really does feel like a step backwards. With these games, the main goal is to get drunk and embarrass yourself. It largely runs like this: begin sober, use arbitrary rules as an excuse to drink more than is sensible, become insensibly drunk.
Really, we should have moved on from this point by now. More recently, alcohol in my life is applied through a different process: go out with a group of people for chat and fun, apply alcohol to loosen our tongues (and morals!), enjoy ourselves together and pay for it the next morning.
Sometimes messy nights of drinking games are useful for the purpose of reminding us where we came from as drunken teenagers. Plus there is no real harm in regressing every now and then, so long as it is not permanent. I just hope this is not the sign of a group of people who have run out of things to talk about.
-The English Student
Sunday, January 29, 2012
GOP Fun
I'm really enjoying the U.S. Republican presidential candidate nomination.
It's a complete farce with the torch passing from one right wing psychopath to the next. It seems to come down to two candidates right now: Mitt Romney, a smarmy businessman and defender of the rich and Newt Gingrich, a seemingly bipolar disgraced politician.
Plenty of people have realised how strong a position this ridiculous bickering has placed the democrats in and I do not wish to rehearse that. Obama is licking his lips and we all know it.
The main reason it comes to mind is that it's just plain entertaining. It is car-crash reality television, with idiots tearing each other apart for our amusement. Roll on the actual election.
We'll all glut ourselves on the public humiliation of humiliating public figures.
-The English Student
It's a complete farce with the torch passing from one right wing psychopath to the next. It seems to come down to two candidates right now: Mitt Romney, a smarmy businessman and defender of the rich and Newt Gingrich, a seemingly bipolar disgraced politician.
Plenty of people have realised how strong a position this ridiculous bickering has placed the democrats in and I do not wish to rehearse that. Obama is licking his lips and we all know it.
The main reason it comes to mind is that it's just plain entertaining. It is car-crash reality television, with idiots tearing each other apart for our amusement. Roll on the actual election.
We'll all glut ourselves on the public humiliation of humiliating public figures.
-The English Student
Monday, January 23, 2012
Liquid Ban
Another day, another flight.
Even with my familiarity with airport restrictions I still managed to bring liquids up to security earlier today. Without giving it proper thought I just dumped them and moved on. But it has made me wonder about the liquid restrictions that are still in place since the 2006 liquid explosive scare.
If banning liquids is still necessary, surely criminals and terrorists have just moved on to solids. Presumably we will be banned from taking solids onto planes soon too. I do not mean to trivialise the threat posed by liquid explosives, I merely wonder how effective sure a ban is.
As with any other aspect of human life, if someone wants to cause trouble they will find a way. Predictably my conclusion has to be to educate and solve the roots of terrorism rather than blanket ban benign substances that can be used for any means.
Predictable yet still a lesson we need to implement.
-The English Student
Even with my familiarity with airport restrictions I still managed to bring liquids up to security earlier today. Without giving it proper thought I just dumped them and moved on. But it has made me wonder about the liquid restrictions that are still in place since the 2006 liquid explosive scare.
If banning liquids is still necessary, surely criminals and terrorists have just moved on to solids. Presumably we will be banned from taking solids onto planes soon too. I do not mean to trivialise the threat posed by liquid explosives, I merely wonder how effective sure a ban is.
As with any other aspect of human life, if someone wants to cause trouble they will find a way. Predictably my conclusion has to be to educate and solve the roots of terrorism rather than blanket ban benign substances that can be used for any means.
Predictable yet still a lesson we need to implement.
-The English Student
Friday, January 13, 2012
The Chinese Apple
Apple released their new iPhone 4S in China today.
After stores opened, a crush from customers waiting outside forced the company to suspend sales throughout the country. Violence ensued outside these stores as the largest mobile phone market battered down the doors of Apple re-sellers.
Earlier in the week I listened to This American Life's latest podcast. It tells the story of Mike Daisey and his experience in Schengen factories. This is where these phones and tablets are made. They are made by under-paid, over-worked and faceless employees with little rights or respect.
At both the retail end and the construction end, there is a very uncomfortable relationship here. Apple have created massive demand for the product through their innovation, but also through their manipulation of the market. A manipulation they are afforded by exemptions from the Chinese authorities due to their large investment at the manufacturing end.
The company it seems, like their products, are becoming ever more pervasive in leading world economies.
-The English Student
After stores opened, a crush from customers waiting outside forced the company to suspend sales throughout the country. Violence ensued outside these stores as the largest mobile phone market battered down the doors of Apple re-sellers.
Earlier in the week I listened to This American Life's latest podcast. It tells the story of Mike Daisey and his experience in Schengen factories. This is where these phones and tablets are made. They are made by under-paid, over-worked and faceless employees with little rights or respect.
At both the retail end and the construction end, there is a very uncomfortable relationship here. Apple have created massive demand for the product through their innovation, but also through their manipulation of the market. A manipulation they are afforded by exemptions from the Chinese authorities due to their large investment at the manufacturing end.
The company it seems, like their products, are becoming ever more pervasive in leading world economies.
-The English Student
Sunday, January 8, 2012
New Phone Era
Up until recently I have had two phones on the go.
Unfortunately I lost one last week while the other is definitely on its last legs. It certainly does not owe me anything as I have had it for a few years at this point.
But I hesitate to buy a new phone. Do I need a smart one? One with a camera or the myriad of functions that are available? It is quite an important decision.
Perhaps I could actually go phone-less for awhile, rely on older forms of communication and needlessly lose my friends in the process.
Or maybe I should just finally spend some money!
-The English Student
Unfortunately I lost one last week while the other is definitely on its last legs. It certainly does not owe me anything as I have had it for a few years at this point.
But I hesitate to buy a new phone. Do I need a smart one? One with a camera or the myriad of functions that are available? It is quite an important decision.
Perhaps I could actually go phone-less for awhile, rely on older forms of communication and needlessly lose my friends in the process.
Or maybe I should just finally spend some money!
-The English Student
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Open Today?
For a bizarre reason, some retail outlets were open today.
It is the first of January and let's face it, no-one want's to go shopping today. Well obviously some people do (and indeed, did) but they have to be amongst the extreme minority. These people should have been relaxing and taking some time off, regardless of what they got up to for New Year's Eve.
Surely these occasions should be free from the demands of consumerism. A time when we can all forget about bank balances and spending money and instead, enjoy a relaxing time with our loved ones.
Perhaps that is the crux however. These people who venture into retail outlets on these days may not in fact have loved ones to spend the day with. Perhaps being paid to listen to them and give them company is all part of the job.
A more believable position, if these shops actually cared one bit about people.
-The English Student
It is the first of January and let's face it, no-one want's to go shopping today. Well obviously some people do (and indeed, did) but they have to be amongst the extreme minority. These people should have been relaxing and taking some time off, regardless of what they got up to for New Year's Eve.
Surely these occasions should be free from the demands of consumerism. A time when we can all forget about bank balances and spending money and instead, enjoy a relaxing time with our loved ones.
Perhaps that is the crux however. These people who venture into retail outlets on these days may not in fact have loved ones to spend the day with. Perhaps being paid to listen to them and give them company is all part of the job.
A more believable position, if these shops actually cared one bit about people.
-The English Student
Monday, December 26, 2011
U.S. Subtitles
Why do U.S. audiences struggle with subtitles?
Surely that is the only explanation for why the U.S. tend to 'translate' foreign shows by completely re-writing them. When Disney bought Studio Ghibli they gave their films awful dubbing using U.S. actors, while the stellar Danish drama Forbrydelsen was butchered by AMC in their re-make.
I am not suggesting that everyone should learn Japanese or Danish to appreciate these shows. Instead, we should just get used to reading subtitles and leaving the show intact. It is our own intellectual blind-spot when we do not understand these languages and the integrity of the piece should not be threatened to mitigate this.
It is far more rare to translate a film from the U.S. to another culture and that is surely because other cultures understand how embedded these pieces are with their places of origin.
U.S. television executives should just learn to read and stop destroying foreign cultural pieces.
-The English Student
Surely that is the only explanation for why the U.S. tend to 'translate' foreign shows by completely re-writing them. When Disney bought Studio Ghibli they gave their films awful dubbing using U.S. actors, while the stellar Danish drama Forbrydelsen was butchered by AMC in their re-make.
I am not suggesting that everyone should learn Japanese or Danish to appreciate these shows. Instead, we should just get used to reading subtitles and leaving the show intact. It is our own intellectual blind-spot when we do not understand these languages and the integrity of the piece should not be threatened to mitigate this.
It is far more rare to translate a film from the U.S. to another culture and that is surely because other cultures understand how embedded these pieces are with their places of origin.
U.S. television executives should just learn to read and stop destroying foreign cultural pieces.
-The English Student
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Electrocution
I've had two minor electric shocks in the past week or so.
These were by no means serious but the sensation was quite remarkable. It was not a feeling I would instantly describe as "pain" and so is difficult to articulate. It was more like a sense of physical disorientation.
I am not too interested in the science behind this feeling, although my impression is that this was due to a temporary disruption of my body's own electrical charge. The result of which was that I instantly lost my sense of embodiment for a split second.
Such slight and small physical shifts can have vast effects on the very composition of life. Perhaps this is part of the reason that the recent successes at CERN are so poignant. When we understand the minute forces at the base of existence we can understand how to control them.
I also need to be more careful around exposed wires!
-The English Student
These were by no means serious but the sensation was quite remarkable. It was not a feeling I would instantly describe as "pain" and so is difficult to articulate. It was more like a sense of physical disorientation.
I am not too interested in the science behind this feeling, although my impression is that this was due to a temporary disruption of my body's own electrical charge. The result of which was that I instantly lost my sense of embodiment for a split second.
Such slight and small physical shifts can have vast effects on the very composition of life. Perhaps this is part of the reason that the recent successes at CERN are so poignant. When we understand the minute forces at the base of existence we can understand how to control them.
I also need to be more careful around exposed wires!
-The English Student
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Hobby Cartography
I have started to make some maps.
This new hobby began with a friend who has a similar issue with geography. We really do not have too good a grasp on this planet, it's countries or where exactly we live. I should point out that my geography is particularly poor and I am far more guilty than my friend.
So we began making maps. We made some by memory and my friend thoroughly showed up my ignorance. Embarrassed by my own, I have decided to work on a larger scale map and to use an atlas. This way I can actually learn where things are before having to make wild guesses.
This hobby cartography gives me a grasp on my environment, in the same way that following 'current events' gives me a grasp on what happens in my environment. These may very well be illusions but they are at least comforting illusions.
And they are illusions that allow me to spend time colouring nice pictures.
-The English Student
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Commitments
Commitments keep me coming back to this blog, even when an update is due in five minutes time.
Making new commitments is tricky for me and I am pressed towards making another one by difficult circumstances and uncontrollable emotions. When I do make one of these commitments however, I tend to keep it.
This blog has been diligently upheld, despite an absence of readership and an absence of true inspiration for a long time. Is it some kind of zombie commitment when the initial reason for taking it has dissipated?
Perhaps it just shows commitment to that initial beginning. With that in mind, I should allow myself to make commitments a bit more readily: knowing that trust in myself is the most important factor for these decisions.
I will have to see how this plays out practically.
-The English Student
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Post Release Preview: In Time
Over the week someone told me about the new Justin Timberlake film In Time.
The premise is fascinating. Instead of currency, individuals are allotted certain amounts of time which they can exchange for goods or transfer to others as payment. To earn more time you work a job or do other tasks. When your time runs out, you die. Effectively, the film directly commodifies time and these must ask interesting questions of capitalist society and the trade-off between time and money.
It seems unlikely, however, that I will actually watch the film. Rotten Tomatoes is panning the film and once again we have an example of a fascinating metaphysical premise destroyed by inept Hollywood production. It is hard to forgive such a ridiculous result when films like Inception set the bar for smart thinking and smart film making.
We do seem to be more forgiving when literature undermines a good plot-line however. Look at the dystopian fiction of Huxley (an arguably similar genre to In Time) or others: poor writing is forgotten while the fear created by the premise remains.
I am at least satisfied that poor film-making is not easily forgiven, I just wish they had spent more time crafting the piece than crafting the idea.
-The English Student
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Racking up the Air Miles
In my life I have flown very little.
However, this year I have probably travelled more than at any other point in my life. I take two flights again this week and have begun to realise that my carbon footprint is sneaking up. I enjoy this travelling, even if it means that I spend more time eating airport food and experiencing airport customer service than I would like.
However, I have also begun to wonder if getting used to spending time in transit is a good thing. It is hard, when travelling to escape the expectations upon arriving at a place. Focusing on the actual travel is boring and mundane and when you move around a lot, this looking ahead becomes a normal perspective.
Perhaps that truly is what colours my current existence: a relentless hope for the future and a wilful ignorance of the boring present. The travelling paradigm is a dangerous one when no clear destination is in sight and no clear markers to highlight when one has been reached.
All things to be aware of as I rack up more air miles.
-The English Student
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