All entries for October 2005

White lies?

When does lying become wrong?

Almost all parents tell their children the story of Santa Claus and how he brings them their presents at Christmas. An enjoyable fable that brings children joy? Or is it a problem that they might be crestfallen when their parents reveal the truth?

When I was working for a year at a high school before I came to Uni children used to swear blind that they hadn't done things they had just seen me watch them do. This was an alarmingly regular occurrence. Is lying becoming more frequent nowadays? And if so, why?

: 31 Oct 2005 17:07 |  Tags: Education Psychology |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Yes, I am a sheep…

Usually I take these things with a pinch of salt, but I actually think this one was quite cool because it made me realise that I am, in fact, really happy at the moment… long may it last!

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	8.7
Mind:	7.2
Body:	8.6
Spirit:	7.7
Friends/Family:	5.9
Love:	7.7
Finance:	7.2
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Also, it was quite comforting to see, when viewing the overall stats for the people that have taken the quiz, that all the averages went up through the age groups (apart from body, which is not unexpected). It's cool to know that we all have better things to come.

: 30 Oct 2005 22:20 |  Tags: Personal |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Gentlemanliness and whether it has a place nowadays

My lovely boyfriend always makes a point of walking on the outside of me when we're strolling along any pavement – something about stopping me getting splashed by puddles when cars go past and other such honourable intentions.

However, I have recently noticed that many other men choose to force me to leave the pavement when they walk by me and to walk through a doorway before I do instead of holding it open for me.

Have men begun to shun the gentlemanly behaviour that has been ingrained in our society for generations? And if this is true some, I am sure, would justify this by saying that if women want equality they should no longer expect to be as 'the fairer sex'. But equally we are inherently weaker and thus should we expect to be protected in this way? Or is it insulting if we want to be treated as equals? I personally get irritated (something Justin knows very well) if a man doesn't play to his best against me in sport just because I'm a girl .

Does gentlemanly behaviour have a place in modern society?

: 27 Oct 2005 10:12 |  Tags: Politicalcorrectness |  Comments (21) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Celebrities

If you could choose one celebrity to remove from the public eye forever which one would it be and why?

: 25 Oct 2005 12:25 |  Comments (22) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

I pondered, when I travelled past multitudes of fields on the train this morning…

… sometimes I'd be a lot easier to be a sheep.

: 24 Oct 2005 11:18 |  Tags: Personal |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Made me laugh

There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't.

: 21 Oct 2005 15:54 |  Tags: Humour |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Again, in an effort to contribute something more lighthearted…

A: The most Audacious thing you’ve ever done
I really can't think of an example… surely I can't be that dull

B: Favourite Badger joke
Ummm…

C: Favourite Curry
Something along the lines of a pasanda.

D: Number of drinks it takes to get utterly Drunk
As demonstrated effectively on Tuesday night, two large glasses of red wine, a V & T and a Baileys seem to do the job remarkably well.

E: Your most Effeminate characteristic
Since, according to various online dictionaries, effeminate characteristics can only apply to males I don't have any.

F: The last thing that you got for Free
A lovely Chinese meal at the Phoenix last night, paid for by our lovely colleagues at Jeol.

G: Number of times that you’ve visited a Gym
Many, though I'd much rather do something more stimulating.

H: Where you call Home
As Andy said, my spiritual home is probably the Music Centre (though I don't get to spend enough time there any more – MOAN)

I: Any Instruments that you play
Clarinets (various), flute, piano, voice (technically an instrument? I mean you'd never really say that you play the voice!).

J: Favourite Juice
Pineapple

K: Song that you would sing Karaoke to
Interesting. I was asked the exact same question at dinner last night and had no answer…

L: Number of times you’ve Laminated – and if you’ve achieved your laminating qualifications from the MC Office yet:
Having laminated Colin Dean's head over the top of Colin Touchin's I think I probably deserve the MC prize for laminating ineptitude!

M: (As seen on the BBC News website:) How much Money do you think you’d need to be happy?
It's interesting – everyone's answer to this has been along the lines of enough-to-keep-food-on-the-table. And mine is the same! Gosh, we're all so unmercinary (if that's a word).

N: Favourite Naan to have with aforementioned curry
Peshwari of garlic

O: Your Oldest possession
Some 200-year old editions of… some novels, can't remember which.

P: Your worst Phobia
Spiders, though I have mastered it to a certain extent – the critical turning point was when I was faced with one 2 ins across when I was in the flat on my own.

Q: Something that makes you feel Queasy:
Two glasses of wine, a V&T and a Baileys

R: Recent New Year Resolutions made, and how many still going
I gave up making them a few years back due to the repeated sense of failure every time I gave in.

S: Favourite Season
Summer – I love the long, light evenings. And autumn when the leaves start to change colour.

T: Number of cups of Tea consumed per day (on average):
I have been converted to coffee by the naughty people at work. Average consumption about 3 cups a day.

U: The most Useful lesson you’ve ever learnt:
That sometimes I'm not going to do stuff as well as I had hoped, and that I just have to get on and accept it.

V: Number of Valentines cards received (either in your life or in the last year – depending on how popular you are!):
5 in my life, 1 last year.

W: A film that can make you Weep
There are lots

X: Have you ever dyed your hair to become Xanthocomic (Blonde: link)
Nope – would be kinda pointless really. I did dye it brown and when everyone else had blonde with brown roots I was the other way round – it's surprising how odd that looks!

Y: Your Youngest memory (removed the yeti question now I’m afraid!)
Being in intensive care when I had epiglottitis just before my second birthday.

Z: Favourite animal you could see in a Zoo
Phacochoerus aethiopicus

: 21 Oct 2005 15:53 |  Tags: Personal |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Solitude

Would you feel more lonely surrounded by people you don't know in a huge city or in a tiny village community miles from anywhere else? Is this feeling entirely dependent on your background or your personality and do you think you'll ever change your mind?

: 19 Oct 2005 19:55 |  Tags: Psychology |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Jerzy says my blog is too serious…

…so here is a little game:

link

Apparently the longer you take to get it the more intelligent you are….

SOD - I must really be as blonde as I look!

: 16 Oct 2005 11:51 |  Tags: Personal |  Comments (8) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Spooky!

Gav has an entry on his blog entitled 'Shiny, happy people'. Consequently, a few times over the last day or so I've sung maybe only the first line of the corresponding song to myself. Vib, a postgraduate student in my lab, was sitting in the office just now having not seen me for at least 2 hours and randomly started singing the same song for no relevant reason. Has my (haha – check my grammar there, Tommy!) singing of the song got it stuck in her head too? Do things like that depend on our personality or are we all ingrained to do it to an equal extent?

: 12 Oct 2005 15:25 |  Tags: Personal Psychology |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem