Current State Of Mind; - To 4 years later. 15/8/08

As for you aspirations...
-Aspiring environmentalist.

And future education?
-What university are you attending 20 year old Helen? Don’t tell me you dropped out you lazy bum, pull yourself together!
I want to go to a Canadian University and then find a good environmental job in New York City. There has to be good environmental jobs in New York, it seems like the kind of place that needs to limit its pollution a bit more. I hope you’re doing that Helen/20.

And musical interests?
-Currently entering the realms of unconventional music.
-Currently waiting on Rufus Wainwright’s opera album.
; tell me 20 year old Helen, are you famous?

I want a t-shirt that says THINK BIG!

Interests on the scale of normality?
-Literature, music, awkward history, serial killer research, movie reviewing, genealogy, Google news, writing down words I’d love to use on an appropriate matter, secret political talks, old comic book reading, forum snooping, Greek gods, time travel...

Stop there please...
-I enjoy playing the guitar and piano, making music whilst limiting the cheesiness due to my young age. It’s a tough musical outing.

On to literature
-I’m reading Aisha’s book I borrowed. - A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius. I love the character, he’s crazy, rebellious, intelligent, funny, questions the world and I feel he suffers from dementia.

Highlights of the summer?
-HEY, I went to New York, I went to New York! I fell in love! I loved the cultural diversity, the fact that no 2 people looked at all the same. I loved the cold tomato soup and viscously strong coffee. I loved Prospect and Central Park, I loved the museums. I loved the feeling of liberty. I loved walking down the streets hearing people talk about everything, the interesting subjects -the ignorant talk, the funny talk, the talk of life, of love, of religion, of George Bush being a/an [fill in the gap].
-And highlights for the UK, hmm. I’d call my whole UK experience a true blast from the past. I came across old watches and jewellery, old homes, old childhood friends. Everything of before but still something that is very important to me. To reminisce the past, to perceive how I was and how I grew into my present self that is still undoubtedly growing into my future self; something that should only be taken as it comes, all in good time.

And on to future prospects.
-To marry someone who thinks big. Somehow I keep picturing Superman, is that normal? No, the person doesn’t necessarily have to be physically big, Jesus!
But I’ll stop thinking of tomorrow too much. It hasn’t come yet.

And as for now?
-I got my IGCSE results!
Art & Drama were low....D’s :(
BUT everything else was fantastic! Biology and English Literature were A*’s. Chemistry, English Language, Maths and Geography were A’s and Economics came to be a B.
I think my Art was too cartoon-y to make it eligible to be ‘skilful’ in terms of the examiner’s expectations. I love bright colours and flowers and peculiar objects such as aurora’s. Have a look at Mika’s album “Life In Cartoon Motion”. That probably explains why I got a D, oh well.
And as for Drama, well my teacher explains it all!
Oh 20 year old Helen, did you ever come across that man again? Is he a university lecturer now? Or a truck driver?
I have 2 years left of school, I want to do something different. I think I will take up cooking, and join a book club if they have a book club that is. Maybe I’ll write a book or maybe I’ll write a speech. I’ll visit my dog once a week and tell her I love her. I miss my dog.

End this please.
-So I’m going to leave now. I hope you (parent/higher power/random inquisitive reader/20 year old Helen) enjoyed reading this.

All the Best/God Bless/Regards/Kind Regards/Yours sincerely/Yours faithfully/Best Regards/Farewell...The End.

War is Over..(I Wish)

26/03/08

I was listening to Happy Xmas (War is Over) by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and I was hit with a sudden wave of familiarity.
I decided to look through my old yearbooks, and BAAM, the 2002 to 2003 yearbook, when I was in year 6, my class performed this song for Christmas.
I had absolutely forgotten. For the past few months when I’ve discovered the Beatles’ great music (yes I am slow on these things) I always wondered how great it would be to perform a song, any song really. And I have! I have with 14 other people, and the song happened to be an amazing song as well.
I remember the night clearly, we were all dressed in red Christmas T-shirts, that had a letter at the back. One by one, we came on stage in complete darkness, except for the candle we held out before us, and shouted out a line from the beginning of the song. After the first person came on saying "AND SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS", I came on next saying "AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"
One by one the 14 people came on shouting out a line at the top of their voice, the lucky number happened to take us straight to the chorus where we sang with backing music behind us.
We swayed from side to side singing, looking out into nothing but a few flashing cameras.
At the end of the song, we each turned around one by one, our shirts spelling out
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" (yes some lucky person got to be the exclamation mark!)
I remember being one of the R’s in MERRY.

Now why all of this hit me today, I don’t know.
I looked up March 26 (the date here at the moment) on wikipedia, and found that the Bangladesh Liberation War began this day, when East Pakistani (now known as Bangladesh) declared its independence from Pakistan, and of course when ever a country declares its independence, there’s always stupid wars going on.
Is it a coincidence?
Yes probably. With the number of wars that have happened in the time humans have existed, every day probably has some sort of connection with a previous war that’s happened. And if it hasn’t, it probably will.
Now peace is still a far-fetched idea but many people want it and believe it can happen. I think it can happen, I think people will come to learn that fighting is ridiculous and a waste of humanity’s time and power. I think if more understanding people were put into power, the world would be better. This connects to Barrack Obama in a way, a man who does have a vision a lot like Martin Luther King’s. Of peace and of reconciliation. And that connects to the wonderful John Lennon.

The only thing left now, is for the people to want peace and a better world, and to speak out and say they want it. Not to live oblivious in their own little lives and not give a damn, but to do something worthwhile and to mean it.

"All we are saying is give peace a chance. " - John Lennon.

Sarah, Ellen, Me & Sathiya.

hah, look at my face :/