Sisters by chance, Friends by choice.

When I was growing up, me and my sister would spend most of our time together arguing or teasing one another. But as time passes it seems that my sister and I get a little bit closer every day...

Having recently spent an amazing weekend with my skin and blister, I have started to reflect on just how lucky I am to have her in my life. Not only is she a part of my family but she is also one of my closest friends. Sam is the person that listens to my problems and offers advice, she shares her dilemmas with me and is undoubtedly just as crazy as I am.

Of course, looking back to our younger years together would present a completely different image to what we see now. There was fighting, bickering and endless tricks played on both our parts. (Need i mention the hot mouth sweet revenge with the exploding fag?)

Being the younger sister I would always look up to Sam, I'd want to join in when her friends came over and just be a part of her day to day life. Of course now I can understand what a complete pain in the ass that must have been. With a seven year age gap between us there is not much possibility of having that close a friendship when one of you is 16 and the other is 9...

I hear stories about people who have drifted apart from their siblings, or fallen out after some sort of family row and have never made up since. The thought of having this with my own seems somewhat impossible. Sure, we may have arguments now and then, perhaps not speak for a few days, but I could never imagine her cutting me out of her life completely or living without her in mine.

My sister is someone to share secrets with and relive memories of our youth together. She is that person that shows an interest in anything I choose to do.  She is my drinking partner, my shopping buddy, the fellow fake baker and my food consuming companion, but whatever I call her, she will forever be not just a sister, but also my best friend.

Sisters by chance, Friends by choice.

When I was growing up, me and my sister would spend most of our time together arguing or teasing one another. But as time passes it seems that my sister and I get a little bit closer every day...

Having recently spent an amazing weekend with my skin and blister, I have started to reflect on just how lucky I am to have her in my life. Not only is she a part of my family but she is also one of my closest friends. Sam is the person that listens to my problems and offers advice, she shares her dilemmas with me and is undoubtedly just as crazy as I am.

Of course, looking back to our younger years together would present a completely different image to what we see now. There was fighting, bickering and endless tricks played on both our parts. (Need i mention the hot mouth sweet revenge with the exploding fag?)

Being the younger sister I would always look up to Sam, I'd want to join in when her friends came over and just be a part of her day to day life. Of course now I can understand what a complete pain in the ass that must have been. With a seven year age gap between us there is not much possibility of having that close a friendship when one of you is 16 and the other is 9...

I hear stories about people who have drifted apart from their siblings, or fallen out after some sort of family row and have never made up since. The thought of having this with my own seems somewhat impossible. Sure, we may have arguments now and then, perhaps not speak for a few days, but I could never imagine her cutting me out of her life completely or living without her in mine.

My sister is someone to share secrets with and relive memories of our youth together. She is that person that shows an interest in anything I choose to do.  She is my drinking partner, my shopping buddy, the fellow fake baker and my food consuming companion, but whatever I call her, she will forever be not just a sister, but also my best friend.

Train Etiquette

Being a frequent user of trains to assist with my commute to and from uni I have undergone some testing and trivial times whilst on board, all of which will contribute to this post...

Why do some people find it so difficult to think about how their actions will impact others? Especially when in a close environment and said actions can not go unnoticed. Public transport is one of these environments and it is here that people seem to forget that they are being watched by bored commuters studying their fellow unknown companions.

This got me thinking about the simple rules of train etiquette...

KIDS

If you are travelling with children, control them. Don't let them run riot around the carriage screaming their heads off and bashing the arm rests up and down. Keep them occupied, preferably in a seat next to you. Perhaps introduce some games such as 'eye spy' and 'snap'...

QUIET ZONES

The 'quiet zones' are called quiet zones for a reason. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what is expected of travellers who are seated in this area. So if you are prone to loud conversation or are travelling with children that are unable to adhere to rules, keep out of these areas.

CONVERSATIONS

Bare in mind that when you are on a train, or any mode of public transport for that matter, that over hearing a conversation is fairly easy. This means there is no need to shout about what happened last night or how good the weekend was. Keep your conversation to a tone that is acceptable. (Unless it is massively exciting, in which case, speak up.)

HYGIENE

General rules of hygiene are: don't do anything considered unhygienic in public. This includes: squeezing spots, clipping nails, picking noses, burping, farting etc...

Just keep it to yourself and wait to you get home. I don't want to see/hear/smell any of the above.

EATING

If you are going to partake in food consumption whilst onboard then I have no issue, I too am particular to a bit of travel food now and then as well but if it smells hideous, for example, egg and cress sandwiches, keep it locked up til lunch. (Or at least until your stop.)

SWEARING

Now, I'm certainly not saying I'm an angel when it comes to potty mouths, but there is no need to swear in every fucking sentence. Old people and parents are just a few who get easily offended when being in the presence of language louts. If you need to swear then keep it to yourself rather than announcing that Tony is a complete twat in front of the whole carriage.

CHAVS

Well, what can I say. Clearly there is no avoiding these creatures. Especially on any form of public transport, but even they should know that they are instantly judged by their appearance as soon as they set foot on board. They then have the choice to conform to that judgement made by other commuters or prove them wrong. Of course most go for the first option and live up to their name... If you are a chav and you take the train, try to create a better image of yourself...

SLEEPING

I personally have no problems with snoozing en route to your chosen destination. What I do have a problem with however, is choosing to do so whilst seated next to a stranger. This can potentially create a variety of problems, such as; dribbling, blocking the exit route, excessive snoring and leaning.

If you are going to snooze, please do so with a vacant seat next to you... as we well know, no one wakes up a sleeper!

So... There we have it. Some very simple rules for train etiquette. Next time you are travelling on the rail make sure you bare these in mind, after all we're all in the same boat/train/plane/bus.....

(This is not the first time i've blogged about my hatred for trains! To see more click here)

Train Etiquette

Being a frequent user of trains to assist with my commute to and from uni I have undergone some testing and trivial times whilst on board, all of which will contribute to this post...

Why do some people find it so difficult to think about how their actions will impact others? Especially when in a close environment and said actions can not go unnoticed. Public transport is one of these environments and it is here that people seem to forget that they are being watched by bored commuters studying their fellow unknown companions.

This got me thinking about the simple rules of train etiquette...

KIDS

If you are travelling with children, control them. Don't let them run riot around the carriage screaming their heads off and bashing the arm rests up and down. Keep them occupied, preferably in a seat next to you. Perhaps introduce some games such as 'eye spy' and 'snap'...

QUIET ZONES

The 'quiet zones' are called quiet zones for a reason. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what is expected of travellers who are seated in this area. So if you are prone to loud conversation or are travelling with children that are unable to adhere to rules, keep out of these areas.

CONVERSATIONS

Bare in mind that when you are on a train, or any mode of public transport for that matter, that over hearing a conversation is fairly easy. This means there is no need to shout about what happened last night or how good the weekend was. Keep your conversation to a tone that is acceptable. (Unless it is massively exciting, in which case, speak up.)

HYGIENE

General rules of hygiene are: don't do anything considered unhygienic in public. This includes: squeezing spots, clipping nails, picking noses, burping, farting etc...

Just keep it to yourself and wait to you get home. I don't want to see/hear/smell any of the above.

EATING

If you are going to partake in food consumption whilst onboard then I have no issue, I too am particular to a bit of travel food now and then as well but if it smells hideous, for example, egg and cress sandwiches, keep it locked up til lunch. (Or at least until your stop.)

SWEARING

Now, I'm certainly not saying I'm an angel when it comes to potty mouths, but there is no need to swear in every fucking sentence. Old people and parents are just a few who get easily offended when being in the presence of language louts. If you need to swear then keep it to yourself rather than announcing that Tony is a complete twat in front of the whole carriage.

CHAVS

Well, what can I say. Clearly there is no avoiding these creatures. Especially on any form of public transport, but even they should know that they are instantly judged by their appearance as soon as they set foot on board. They then have the choice to conform to that judgement made by other commuters or prove them wrong. Of course most go for the first option and live up to their name... If you are a chav and you take the train, try to create a better image of yourself...

SLEEPING

I personally have no problems with snoozing en route to your chosen destination. What I do have a problem with however, is choosing to do so whilst seated next to a stranger. This can potentially create a variety of problems, such as; dribbling, blocking the exit route, excessive snoring and leaning.

If you are going to snooze, please do so with a vacant seat next to you... as we well know, no one wakes up a sleeper!

So... There we have it. Some very simple rules for train etiquette. Next time you are travelling on the rail make sure you bare these in mind, after all we're all in the same boat/train/plane/bus.....

(This is not the first time i've blogged about my hatred for trains! To see more click here)

BRB

As some of you will already be aware, but many of you wont, right now I'm having a bit of a shit time...

I learnt that having a blog whilst going through a difficult moment can either work in your favour, or completely against you. I am one of those people who thoroughly believes that writing down my feelings helps me to relieve myself and get things off my chest. If I'm feeling angry about something I can rant and rave about it until the cows come home, but when I write it down and put it into perspective, I can begin to look at it differently. I can start to move on.

Recently I have found out that the form of blogging to release these emotions can also work against you. Should someone see who it offends then it is at that moment that you realise, as much as writing down your feelings may help you, it can have a huge repercussion on others.

It is for these reasons that I need to take a break. Because most of my blogs are about things that have had a personal impact on me, right now these are also things that I cannot write about.

So who knows how long it will be until my next rambling. I hope that it wont be too long... But it wont be until I can concentrate on something other than the things that are truly tearing me up inside.

I'll BRB.

BRB

As some of you will already be aware, but many of you wont, right now I'm having a bit of a shit time...

I learnt that having a blog whilst going through a difficult moment can either work in your favour, or completely against you. I am one of those people who thoroughly believes that writing down my feelings helps me to relieve myself and get things off my chest. If I'm feeling angry about something I can rant and rave about it until the cows come home, but when I write it down and put it into perspective, I can begin to look at it differently. I can start to move on.

Recently I have found out that the form of blogging to release these emotions can also work against you. Should someone see who it offends then it is at that moment that you realise, as much as writing down your feelings may help you, it can have a huge repercussion on others.

It is for these reasons that I need to take a break. Because most of my blogs are about things that have had a personal impact on me, right now these are also things that I cannot write about.

So who knows how long it will be until my next rambling. I hope that it wont be too long... But it wont be until I can concentrate on something other than the things that are truly tearing me up inside.

I'll BRB.

New Beginnings...



So here we are, 2011; a new year, a new start. That time where everyone exclaims that they are going to wipe the slate clean and start afresh...

The last few months of 2010 were pretty crap for me to say the least, and as much as I was looking forward to seeing the back of them, looking to the future is a scary prospect.

Everyone begins the year with the infamous 'New Years Resolution' - quit smoking, loose weight, detox, etc. It's as if there are these unwritten rules in life that we obied by, although we don't actually have to.

Lets look at New Years Eve for example. Every year is always the same, people fretting about what to do and where to go. Drink prices are bumped up by a few extra quid, and you end up paying too much money to stay in an establishment that you weren't really that bothered about going to in the first place.

Yet we all do it, every year. It's as if we feel we have to.

The same can be said for a variety of different things. Christmas for example, where everyone stresses about spending time with family. It's the one time of the year that everyone gets together, trying to sort out how the whole family can be seen within one day. Why? No one usually bothers worrying about who is going to spend time with Aunt or how the Grandparents will spend the day. The same can be said for relationships. There seems to be yet another unwritten rule that once you split up with someone, no matter how long you were together beforehand, once you split all ties are cut. There is no more conversing, no contact, nothing. Just who started this rule book of ridiculousness?!

As scary as it is having the slate wiped clean, the fact of the matter is that what happened 'last year' isn't really as far away as it sounds. The 'slate' can indeed be wiped, but it doesn't take away memories and feelings with it. Although you shouldn't dwell on the past, sometimes it seems that it is something that simply cannot be helped, no matter how hard we focus on the future...

Yet, as everyone says, the new year is a time for change and new beginnings, now I'm not one for making resolutions, they usually last an average of a week, two at the most, but I do know this...

This year I want to try to make things different. I cant go on living by life's unwritten rules, and to be honest, I don't want to. 2011 is all about making your own rules, new beginnings and fresh starts.

Don't be a follower, be a leader. Make your own rules for life and live by them.

New Beginnings...



So here we are, 2011; a new year, a new start. That time where everyone exclaims that they are going to wipe the slate clean and start afresh...

The last few months of 2010 were pretty crap for me to say the least, and as much as I was looking forward to seeing the back of them, looking to the future is a scary prospect.

Everyone begins the year with the infamous 'New Years Resolution' - quit smoking, loose weight, detox, etc. It's as if there are these unwritten rules in life that we obied by, although we don't actually have to.

Lets look at New Years Eve for example. Every year is always the same, people fretting about what to do and where to go. Drink prices are bumped up by a few extra quid, and you end up paying too much money to stay in an establishment that you weren't really that bothered about going to in the first place.

Yet we all do it, every year. It's as if we feel we have to.

The same can be said for a variety of different things. Christmas for example, where everyone stresses about spending time with family. It's the one time of the year that everyone gets together, trying to sort out how the whole family can be seen within one day. Why? No one usually bothers worrying about who is going to spend time with Aunt or how the Grandparents will spend the day. The same can be said for relationships. There seems to be yet another unwritten rule that once you split up with someone, no matter how long you were together beforehand, once you split all ties are cut. There is no more conversing, no contact, nothing. Just who started this rule book of ridiculousness?!

As scary as it is having the slate wiped clean, the fact of the matter is that what happened 'last year' isn't really as far away as it sounds. The 'slate' can indeed be wiped, but it doesn't take away memories and feelings with it. Although you shouldn't dwell on the past, sometimes it seems that it is something that simply cannot be helped, no matter how hard we focus on the future...

Yet, as everyone says, the new year is a time for change and new beginnings, now I'm not one for making resolutions, they usually last an average of a week, two at the most, but I do know this...

This year I want to try to make things different. I cant go on living by life's unwritten rules, and to be honest, I don't want to. 2011 is all about making your own rules, new beginnings and fresh starts.

Don't be a follower, be a leader. Make your own rules for life and live by them.