What are you waiting for ?

New Year’s Resolutions!

Why wait until the New Year ?

(click here to hear Marcus' Poem read by Himself)

 

Eat less, tweet less,

Try to pick my feet less,

Walk more, cycle often,

I will not let my belly soften,

Call my Mother, hug my Dad,

See a friend, who's feeling sad.

Be kind, shout less, read more, don't lie,

Be fair, shout more, read less, less pie.

Stop fiddling with my sodding phone

Angry Birds leave me alone!

Around the Sun - one revolution

 

And so - my New Year's resolution.

Fix the door on the washing machine,

I made that promise for Jan 13.

Let nuance in when I debate,

I will not read the Daily Hate,

I will not look at comment pages,

And therefore won't fly into rages

 

Honestly, I mean why do people do it? We're in the season now when some dolt will claim their council has banned Christmas because of the Muslims and the atheists and the health and safety people who've said it's too dangerous for fat men climb down chimneys with bags of presents and they can't insure that many reindeer on the roof at once. It's just nonsense… You see? See what happens? They've gone and put me off my rhyming couplets now…

 

Which promises will you all make?

For this New Year when you awake.

Perhaps you'll say you'll give up smoking,

Study something thought-provoking,

You'll drink less booze and join the gym,

Get fitter, swim, be slim, get trim,

 

As New Year 2014 starts

We'll all make pledges from our hearts…

But why? What purpose will it serve?

To promise then what we deserve.

We could (and this is just a thought)

Do now what then we think we ought?

Why wait until the New Year comes?

To get up off our lazy bums

And do what may make us content

When now we could give our assent

To any thought, desire or goal

That we believe may make us whole.

I'll do it then, today I mean,

I shall not wait 'till New Year's been.

Carpe Diem the Latin phrase,

Or "seize the day" no more delays.

My New Year's resolution vow

Begins today, this instant - now.

Which I will commence on Jan 1st 2014

 

Marcus Brigstocke

Christmas Quiz the Answers

These are the answers to the Christmas Quiz ! I hope you enjoyed doing it and our winners enjoy their prize !

1. The Spirit of Chartwell

2. King Richard III

3. Curiosity

4. Ecuador

5. Twenty-four

6 (C) 369

7. (B) 73

8. The 158th University Boat Race

9.  Sergio Aguero

10. (A) Bradley Wiggins 

11. Mumford & Sons

12. Mark Zuckerberg

13. Mo Farah

14. Robbie Williams

15. Luxembourg

 

16. Daniel Craig

17. Liam Neeson

18. Die Another Day

WHO SAID THAT?

Link the author to the first line of his or her  autobiography:

19. “I’m going nowhere fast.” – Between the Lines by Victoria Pendleton, 2012

20 “Bang! Everything goes dead mad, dead quick.” – My Decade in the Premier League by Wayne Rooney, 2012

21“The real loser is never the person who crosses the finish line last.” – Blade Runner: My Story by Oscar Pistorius, 2012

22 “I was born into a year of famine.” – Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2012

23 “We call it ‘doing a runner,’ and it’s the best way on earth to beat the traffic after a show.” – Rod Stewart: The Autobiography,2012

 24  “May I begin by offering my sincere apologies.” – Camp David by David Walliams, 2012

25 “As I write I am sitting in Monte Carlo with my wife Kristina.” – Bond on Bond by Roger Moore, 2012

26 “My Dear Reader Chum, a very hearty hello to you.” – Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart

 27 “This is one of those misery memoirs.” – Back Story: A Memoir by David Mitchell

28 “I’m in my hotel room in London and I can’t stop crying.” – Starting Over by Denise Welch, 2012

29 “This is the day that I have dreamt about for years.” – Unbelievable by Jessica Ennis

30. Gotye

31. Janelle Monáe

32. Rizzle Kicks

33. Muse

34  962 – The total number of medals won at the London 2012 Olympics

35. 4 – The number of years former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was sentenced to for tax fraud, before the sentence was subsequently reduced 

36. 634 – The height in metres of the Tokyo Skytree, the tallest tower in the world

37. 76 – The number of goals scored at the Euro 2012 finals

38. 78 – The number of minutes that former Bolton Wanderers player Fabrice Muamba was declared “in effect dead” after suffering a cardiac arrest in an FA Cup match in March

39  6 – The number of Grammy Awards singer Adele won in February

40 . 1908 and 1948

41. (B) Qatar

42. Nicola Adams

43. (C) A Teletubby and a Dalek

44. Extinguishing the Paralympic flame

45. The Tempest

46. Oscar Pistorious

47. J.K Rowling

48. Clare Balding

49. (C) Walt Boggis

50. (C) The execution of Anne Boleyn

51 What is the name of the father of Cinderella and the Ugly Sisters ? - Baron Hard-up.

 52 In which pantomime does Robin Hood and Maid Marion appear? - Babes in the Wood.

53 What is the name of Aladdin's brother ? - Wishee Washee.

54 What phrase does the Giant in “Jack and the Beanstalk” use when he can smell Jack ? - Fe Fi Fo Fum I Smell the Blood of an Englishman.

55 In pantomime who is Princess Marcella ? - Sleeping Beauty.

56 What is the name of Prince Charming's assistant ? - Dandini.

57 Norway

58 The day after Christmas, 26^th December.

59 He is said to have come from Turkey

60 The gifts would total 364

61 Nothing to do with baking it was Christmas crackers.

62 There are 2 Christmas Islands, but the Australian one lies in the Indian Ocean.

63 Written by Louisa May Alcott, the lines come from “Little Women”.

64 Nadolig.

65 The Epsom Derby

66 Narnia

67 A Visit from Saint Nicholas (also known as The Night Before Christmas).

68 An Invisibility cloak

69 Six

70 Advent (as in advent calendars - the 'coming' basically refers to the birth of Christ)

71 (B) 38

72 (C) The Thames last frooze in 1837 but  the key change isn’t air temperature. With the removal of London Bridge in 1831and embanking and dredging has increased the waters flow therefore stopping freezing.

73. (C) Curglaff is a scottish word used to describe the shock of lowering yourself into cold water

74 16 each verse; “Fa, la, la, la,la, la, la, la, la” and 6 verses = 96

75 A trick question to finish because we are never told

 

 

 

 

Christmas Quiz 5th and Final day!

Well done everyone, please get your answers (all 75) to the Library by the end of the day ready for marking! (watch out for No. 75! it might not be as obvious as you think)

61 What Christmas item was invented by London baker Tom Smith in 1847?

62 In which ocean does the Australian territory of Christmas Island lie?

63 “Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents” is the opening line from which classic novel?

64 What is the Welsh for Christmas ?

65 What did Santa Claus win in 1964 ?

66 In which fictional land is it always winter but never Christmas ?

67 Which poem written by Clement C Moore first named Santa's reindeer ?

68 What present did Harry Potter receive from Prof. Dumbledore for his first Christmas at Hogwarts ?

69 How many points does a snowflake have?

70 The Latin word meaning 'coming' gave us what term which still refers to the Christmas period, and also to a particular tradition popular with children?

71 How many white Christmases have there been in the last 52 years ?

(A)   4

(B)   38

(C)   10

72 Why Does the Thames no longer freeze over ?

(A)   It Never gets cold enought

(B)   The water is too poluted

(C)   It is to fast flowing

73 Which cold sensation is described with the ,sadly obsolete word “ CURGLAFF”

(A)   A headache caused by eating cold food too quickly

(B)   The feel of your partnerscold  feet in bed

(C)   The shock felt when lowering yourself into cold water

74 How many las in a line of “Deck the halls”? (in total for the whole song!)

 

75. Who told Mary and Joseph that there was no room at the inn?

Christmas Quiz Day 4

Almost there ! Some easier ones and some Festive ones!

46. Which Paralympic athlete won the final event in the Olympic stadium?

47. Who used the name Robert Galbraith to pen their first detective novel ?

48. Which television presenter’s memoir is called My Animals and Other Family?

49. Charles Dickens’ bicentenary was celebrated in February. Which of the following is not a character created by Dickens?

A) Serjeant Buzfuz

B) Alfred Jingle

C) Walt Boggis

50. Hilary Mantel’s 2012 Man Booker  Prize-winning novel Bring up the Bodies examines which event?

A) The sinking of the Mary Rose

B) The dissolution of the monasteries

C) The execution of Anne Boleyn

 

51. What is the name of the father of Cinderella and the Ugly Sisters ?

52. In which pantomime does Robin Hood and Maid Marion appear?

53. What is the name of Aladdin's brother ?

54. What phrase does the Giant in “Jack and the Beanstalk” use when he can smell Jack ?

55. In pantomime who is Princess Marcella ?

56. What is the name of Prince Charming's assistant ?

57 The Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square,London is an annual gift from which nation?

58 According to the Christmas carol, “Good King Wencelas looked out on the Feast of Stephen”. On what date does the Feast of Stephen fall?

59 From which country did Saint Nicholas originate?

60 If a person was given all the gifts in the song “The Twelve days of Christmas”, how many gifts in total would they receive?

Christmas Quiz Day 3

Will the fun just never stop!!! (Don't panic they will start to get easier from tomorrow)

31.  American indie band Fun’s massive-selling hit “We Are Young” featured which American soul musician?

32. Urban duo Jordan Stephens and Harley Alexander-Sule are better-known by which cigarette-paper-inspired stage name?

33. Which band provided the official song for the London 2012 Olympic Games?

Match the correct number  to the answer

 78 / 634 / 4  / 76 / 6 / 962

34. – The total number of medals won at the London 2012 Olympics.

35. – The number of years the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was sentenced to for tax fraud before the sentence was later reduced. 

36. – The height in metres of the Tokyo Skytree, the tallest tower in the world.

37. – The number of goals scored at the Euro 2012 finals.

38. – The number of minutes that the former Bolton Wanderers player Fabrice Muamba was declared “in effect dead” after suffering a cardiac arrest in an FA Cup match.

39. – The number of Grammy Awards that singer Adele won in 2012.

 

40. London became the first city to hold the Summer Olympics three times, having previously hosted them in which years?

41. Three countries made history by allowing female competitors to enter the London 2012 games: Saudi Arabia, Brunei and _____?

A) Oman

B) Qatar

C) Yemen

42. Which Briton became the first woman to win an Olympic gold medal in Women’s Boxing?

43. The 2012 Games’ mascots Wenlock and Mandeville were described by one Canadian news outlet as a product of a “drunken one-night stand” between which two television characters:

A) A Womble and a Tweenie

B) A Fraggle and a Smurf

C) A Teletubby and a Dalek

44. Ellie Simmonds and Jonnie Peacock were granted which honour at the closing ceremony of the Paralympics?

45. The opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics was inspired by which Shakespeare play?

Christmas Quiz Day 2

DAY 2. Keep the Answer sheets coming in !

16. Who became the highest paid British actor after a signing a deal worth £31m ?

17. Daniel Day-Lewis  walked away with the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln but which actor was originally cast in the role?

18. Skyfall was released in October 2012 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Bond franchise, but which 007 outing was released for its 40th anniversary in 2002?

Link the author to the first line of the autobiography:

19. “I’m going nowhere fast”

20. “Bang! Everything goes dead mad, dead quick”

21. “The real loser is the person  who crosses the finish line last”

22. “I was born into a year of famine”

23.“We call it ‘doing a runner’, and it’s the best way on earth to beat the traffic after a show”

24. “May I begin by offering my sincere apologies”

25. “As I write I am sitting in Monte Carlo with my wife Kristina”

26. “My Dear Reader Chum, a very hearty hello to you”

27. “This is one of those  misery memoirs”

28. “I’m in my hotel room in London  and I can’t stop crying”

29. “This is the day that I have dreamt about for years”

Total Recall by Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2012 / Blade Runner: My Story by Oscar Pistorius, 2012 / Between the Lines by Victoria  Pendleton, 2012 / My Decade in the Premier League by Wayne Rooney, 2012/Starting Over by Denise Welch, 2012 / Back Story: A Memoir by David Mitchell / Is It just Me? by Miranda Hart / Unbelievable by Jessica Ennis/ Camp David by David Walliams, 2012 / Rod Stewart: The Autobiography, 2012 / Bond on Bond by Roger Moore, 2012

 

30. Chart-topper Wouter “Wally” De Backer is known by which professional stage name?

 

Christmas Quiz Day 1

The first 15 !

1 What was the name of the royal barge, which carried the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh during her Diamond Jubilee celebrations?

2. Whose supposed remains were discovered in September 2012 beneath a car park in Leicester more than 500 years after his death?

3. What is the name of the Mars Science Laboratory’s robotic rover, which  successfully landed on  Mars on 6 August 2012?

4. The WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was granted political asylum by which country ?

5. To the nearest mile, how high was Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner when he jumped out of his Red Bull Stratos  helium-filled balloon?

6. In the longest grand slam final in tennis history at the Australian Open, how many points were won in total between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal?

A) 288

B) 314

C) 369

7. In setting a new record for goals scored in one season, how many goals did Lionel Messi score for Barcelona in the 2011-2012 season?

A) 66

B) 73

C) 76

8. Which sporting contest was briefly interrupted by Trenton Oldfield ?

9. Who scored Manchester City’s  last-minute goal against Queens Park Rangers in May to win the club their first Premier League title in 2011-2012 season?

10. “_____ has scaled one of the great heights of British sporting achievement.” Who was David Cameron talking about?

A) Bradley Wiggins

B) Andy Murray

C) Mo Farah

11. The actress Carey Mulligan  is married the lead singer of which band ?

12. Who announced his wedding to partner Priscilla Chan through a Facebook status update ?

13. Which sportsman’s wife gave birth to twins Aisha and Amani on 24 August?

14. Which British singer became a father, after his wife Ayda Field gave birth to Theodora Rose?

15. The Crown Prince of which country married Countess Stephanie de Lannoy,?

 

 

 

Against the Bully!

We feel all alone, small and weak
Scared to go out, even to speak.
the things they say, the things they do.
Would you like it if it were you ?
These are fools we don't understand
So lets get together and fight our stand
Unite today and show we're stronger
For we're the innocent, we've done no wrong

Author Unknown

For Rememberance

We Shall Keep the Faith

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valour led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honour of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.

by Moina Michael

Perspective

While looking for a poem of the week about this weeks topic about having the right perspective, about not being so anxious about exams or life I came across a blog. For me this blog page puts a lot of life in context, I hope it helps put some perspective on your troubles and worries, I hope it allows you, just like the writer, to look a things in a positive way.

Losing sight, gaining perspective (a few reflections on going blind)

 

(cheesiest blog title ever.. don’t worry  I groaned at it myself when I wrote it)

Here’s the thing. As most of you would know I am 28 years old, a writer, performer, community activist, youth advocate, feminist, sexual assault survivor and many other things too.

There are so many markers for self definition they are most likely too numerous to list here.
But what a lot of you wouldn’t know is that I am losing my sight.  I have selectively told people and then decided to go public on the internet. I decided to do this because I don’t consider disability to be a great source of stigma or shame and honestly, I owe it to the people around me to be upfront.
I have a benign optic nerve glycoma. I have had it for the better part of almost two months and it is completely inoperable because of significant vision loss and associated risks.  I have elected to go on a drug trial to shrink the tumour but there isn’t anything that can really save my sight. In the next 18-24 months I will be completely blind. Optic field tests put my right eye at 14/20 and my left at 16/20 and despite the efficacy of the trialled drug that is expected to fall by the end of the year.

The past few weeks have been a blur of neurosurgeons, oncologists, radiotherapists and people deciding what to do with my once again problematic body. I am significantly impaired by Atvistan, the trialled drug I’m on, with nausea vomiting and hair loss. (about to shave the mop off as soon as this is written)

am I scared?

**** yeah…


I keep an outward sense of optimism, a sense of being able to weather the storm, cope with anything that comes my way. But honestly, if someone were to say to me I’d wake up tomorrow and be completely sighted and without tumour growth, it’d make me more happy than any drug or surgery or therapy.   I am wracked with feelings of uncertainty and having to sit back and receive news, and treatment. Not being in control of my body frightens the hell out of me. It brings up old wounds that even though they have nothing to do with the physical process of blindness are related to the incredible sense of helplessness I feel most of the time and the sense of helplessness that I grew up with.  I hate being told there is nothing we can do, because there always has to be something.

Possibility is how I’ve chosen to live life,  and to be told that possibility doesn’t apply here, that we are in territory that doesn’t deal with possible, is completely destroying.

However, I think what this has done has made me more mindful. I’ve begun to actually look at things, physically and emotionally. To take in my surroundings, because I know I will not be able to soon.  We all have things that we see, both with eyes and with our hearts. I hope my eyes, when they fail, will be replaced by the vision of my heart. (sorry, turning on the cheese again, but I’m in that kinda mood) I am now starting to realize what a beautiful city I live in. I am lucky to have had 2 wonderful years of seeing it all.  I hope as I start to be unable to see it ,it will still remain beautiful and I uncover that beauty in different ways.

In closing, I guess for you all now, the most important thing to remember is that I will change. But I still remain a person of integrity, dignity and value. That will never change.

Malevolent Prominence

Beneath the surface I am angry,

Godless, prominent,

I cover this world, I cover it

and smother it

I am beautiful, enticing,

I can make you numb, but I can

break you,

Dash you against black rocks, because

In a veiled darkness, I am frustrated,

Blue,

 

Completely cold, I’ll pull you in,

Lull you

to security,

Silent killer, waves building

beneath the surface,

Because I am furious,

Ebbing in the

undercurrents,

I am harmless,

Majestic, masterful,

 

I ripple and flow,

Bathe you in calm, in blue,

in green,

Floating on a breeze, they say

I am malevolent,

I just want to

pull you in, I can love you,

I could soothe your every ache, but I

will make you hurt,

Distort your every turn,

 

And if you step in, you should never

deign to forget what you

have been told,

That under the surface, it is only cold.

 

Cara Squires