Technology...

Ok, so I'm doing it again, looking at the past, but this time on technology only. I am in no way a luddite or a technophobe, but after my brother moved to America, we (family) have been in contact with him in many ways...technologically, and someone recently said to me "Dunno what we done in my day. We would have to wait for days for a letter, or a phone call if lucky...." So I thought what it would be like if we weren't so technologically advanced and how it used to be :)

Remember these???
One of the first Nokia mobile phones. Even though it could barely fit in a pocket, everyone had one and thought they where great. One of the best things in my opinion about this phone was the classic game of snake! I used to play this game until my eyes where sore looking at the tiny black and "white" screen. And, it had interchangable faces!

Now, I don't think snake is as good, probably due to the fact they made it into 3D, just like everything else! I dare you to go out of the house with one of these phones to your ear. Compare it to the iPhone or Blackberry, with their WiFi, emailing and apps and see what comes out best (I sound old!). C'mon...touchscreen like!

Computers too. Remember sitting in school with the big, huge white monitors, equipped with Windows 95 and floppy disk drives! Imagine...we used to use these. They had to tell us when it was safe to turn them off... :P

Then, they where slowly replaced with better computers, and went from Windows 95 to 98, 2000, Me, XP (Home and Pro) Vista (Home and Pro) and now Windows 7.

BUT...the best computers of all have to be the Apple Mac's. This is my dream computer....due to the fact they are faster, very rarely crash and take up less room. They're also very...pretty...and they look smart :)

Could we even do without WiFi? If my internet is a bit slow at times, I usually would state "OMG....dial up would be faster." Could we work on dial up?? Probably not, as stuff like instant messing, Skype and PingChat wouldn't be so...instant, and more, pointless! Replying to Facebook messages and emails also would take forever! None of the previous was available "back in the day," but we could barely see ourselves without it now!


Anyway, ways of contacting America, and other places, like Australia when I go, when I thought about it, has really amazed me. There is contact from 2 ends of the world where we are actually able to see and speak to each other, without holding a phone to your ear! Does it make you think? I does me. I think if this is advanced in the past 10-15 years, what will the next 10-15 years bring???

PS. It also shows that Apple have become EPIC :D, even though they may be impossible to keep up with...

Do you remember

The weather is finally changing. It's not as cold now during the days and there is actually sun. Even though it is still cold at night, it is warmer than it was and is out of the minuses....for now :)


So yesterday, I was sitting in the living room and the windows where open. I could hear birds and whatever else, but I also heard children outside laughing and playing. I like that sound, because it makes me wish I was still that age, sitting in primary school, dying to get home so I could go outside to play. It also brought back a lot of "Do you remember when?" memories...so here goes...

Do you remember...

• When you hadn't a care in the world
• When you could go into the shop and buy a 10p mix
• When 5's actually where 5p

• When starburst where called opal fruits

• Walkmen and diskmen
• F**k bracelets, friendship bracelets and snap bands
• Santa :)
• You aspired to make the worlds longest daisy chain

• Goosebumps and Are you afraid of the dark
• Invader Zim, Rugrats, Ren and Stimpy, Catdog, Doug, Dinosaurs, Pinky and the Brain, The Land Before Time.....the list is endless
• Cartoons where actually drawings
• You could buy a bar of chocolate or a chew bar for 10p
• Carmel Freddo bars where called Taz bars

• Pogs and Tazos
• Bumble balls
• Home Free - enough said :)
• Tamagotchi's
• Furby's
• TY Beanie Babies
• A computer and social networking did't run your life
• Truth or dare, kiss hug or torture and hopscotch
• "I'll kiss it better"
• Swinging as high as you could before jumping off to see who could land the furthest
• Slides - or running up them
• YIKES PENCILS (these where the best) and pop lead pencils

• McDonald's was a treat
• Your mum had say over what happened at your sleepovers
• "Right, bed now!"
• You didn't have to do housework
• PSOne and Nintendo
• Hanson
• You couldn't wait until you didn't have to go to school any more, but didn't realise the working world wasn't much better
• You didn't need facebook to interact with friends

I wish I could turn back time. I want to be this young again...and I want yikes pencils... :(

Weekend!

So here's what I done at the weekend!

Fri-Sat I worked, drank a little and slept!

Sunday, I went Leprechaun hunting with my best friend, her little sister and my little godson! Yes, Leprechaun hunting to celebrate St. Pats day on the thursday before. And yes, it was fun and not just for the wains...lol!

He didn't want his picture taken... :P

We ran around a little old house following clues as to where the Leprechauns where. You would think with 2 22 year olds, we would have been able to follow the clues better than a 5 and 8 year old, but nope. It took us twice round the house and they probably found more than us...! Then it was a stop at the beach for a nice walk.

Can someone please tell me where children get all their energy??? It seems to be never ending. They just took off and that was it! On the way back in the car, I was ready for bed, and they could have done another round! If they didn't sleep that night, there was definitely something wrong...

Anyway, that night, the same friend, her bf, me and my bf all went out for a nice meal in Yoko Noodle Bar! It. Was. Epic!

Then came Monday...enough said...

Beginning of the end??

Right, what is the deal with the world these days...if the world is to end in 2012...is this the beginning of the end?


The middle east...start with Tunisia. Tunisian people where not happy with their government and began their purge of Zine El-Abdine Ben Ali. Ok, so Egypt got wind of what was happening and so they began the same against their government and preceded to oust their president, Hosni Mubarak. This lead to an Egyptian revolution, beginning on 25 Jan. There were over 600 deaths and 6,000 injured, along with damage to amazing historical artifacts in the Egyptian Museum and much of Egypt's history in general. There is still some unrest now, but Mubarak is out and some order has been restored. Now, hey hey, we have a Lybian uprising against Lybian leader Muammar Gaddafi...notice all these countries are 'neighbors'... which is still going on... but hey, the state of the human rights in Tunisia and Egypt may be somewhat better than before, giving many of the people a bit of what they wanted. So, are these the revolts and uprising leading to the end of the world in 2012? Or are they just contributing?


What about the 'natural disasters?' Ok, so they may not be all 'natural' as it is mans influence that leads to them, but how much has happened this year...and we are only in March! First Jan was the month of floods! Queensland Australia was flooded, Brazil flooded, South Africa flooded, and Sri Lanka flooded...Then, Feb. Queensland Australia again. They had to prepare themselves for the category 5 hurricane Yasi, just after being flooded! Oh, and more floods hit Sri Lanka. So, then, at the end of Feb, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake devastated Christchurch, NZ causing widespread damage! So, so far whats that? 3 uprisings, 5 floods, a hurricane and an earthquake...in the space of 2 months...but the worst is yet to come.

http://photos.nola.com/nolacom_photo_essays/2011/03/
japan_-_one_week_of_sorrow.html

Japan. 18 March. A 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit, causing a tsunami with waves 10m high, travelling 6 miles inland and wiping out small towns and cities such as Sendai, Fukushima and Minamisanriku. It also caused problems for Japans nuclear power plants in Fukushima, leading to explosions and exposure to radiation for many people when 2 of the reactors went into meltdown. They now have another on the way, but are trying to cool it with sea water. If this explodes, giving off more radiation, the extent my not be as bad as Chernobyl as processes had shut down, but would be (I reckon) significantly worse than the Three Mile Island accident. 1000's of people have already been killed and 1000s more are missing, so this would be the last thing they would need. For now however, all we can do is hope that the brave plant workers are able to cool the reactor down and make it safer...

So, thats my view on what has been happening, all of a sudden, in the world. All the 'incidents' seem to be making their way around, so will that be it for now, or are there more to come?

Links
One week on
http://photos.nola.com/nolacom_photo_essays/2011/03/japan_-_one_week_of_sorrow.html
Japan earthquake: Meltdown alert at Fukushima reactor
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12733393

The Wilderness Downtown

Amazing video...check it out!

The Wilderness Downtown

Wotsit!

This my friends is an addiction that I cant seem to get rid of. Wotsits! OMG. The cheesy goodness of those lil' dudes has me buying a bag every time I go into a shop! But, free from artificial colours and flavors, what makes them so addictive? I have no idea, maybe the paprika, but for now, I'm just glad I'm not addicted to drink, drugs or cigarettes...Aw, they are so nice :D

Wrong kind of wotsit!

Its not me...its the OCD

Ok, so, I have OCD! A very irritating case of it as well. When someone says OCD, what is the first think you think of?? Washing hands and skin compulsively, germs, arranging objects in a particular way or being overly tidy...? Yes, these are the most common symptoms of OCD, but what about the many others? 

I for one have weird compulsions that I know are simple and usually irrational but in my mind I have to do it and I find it hard to continue unless they are done. They are also extremely repetitive, and some seem more like little rituals.  For example, I hate the sight of the dust that lies on a floor...so EVERY morning I wake up, I brush my bedroom floor. If after, I see any of the little dust clumps, or bunnies, rolling around like tumbleweed,I will brush the floor again. I also can barely leave the house unless I have made my bed. If I leave without doing so, it preys on my mind all day and distracts me from whatever else I may be doing. Sad life, yes, I know! But, it gets worse... I also have a certain way putting my sheets back on my bed after they have been washed, being unable to sleep in a bed unless the cover fits the duvet perfectly, and find it hard to let anyone else sleep in my bed with, or without, me as it would end up being 'messier' when, they,or 2 people get out rather than just me. If my room isn't exactly as I left it when I return from work, I could nearly cry as order has been pretty much annihilated in my eyes! My wardrobe is also in sections, and I couldn't stand being in an unnecessarily untidy room for more that 10 mins! OMG HELP....it goes further than my house...but I ask, why when I was younger was it always preached to me "Go and tidy that room. Its a tip" with my response being "No! Its ok! I know where everything is!...."

At work, the notes in my till have to be all put in face up and the right way round, therefore, a very limited number of people are allowed to use my till if I am not around! All the paperwork for my till is also in an order...I also won't feel satisfied when I work in the off license if I leave knowing it wasn't sitting as perfectly tidy as I could possibly get...And, to top it all off, my Documents folder on my computer also has a specific order, making it 'easier' for me to find anything, but to the point that it is so organised, I can't find where I put files!

So, even though I know these compulsive acts may be seen as silly to other people, I feel so much relief from the anxiety built up inside when they are carried out, that I seem to have to just keep going...I suppose you could say that my compulsive disorder is being overly tidy, but it only goes as far as my own belongings...I do sometimes tidy up after people, but it is usually only at work as I am working in the same environment. I couldn't care less if someone else's room in my house is a mess or not, that's their problem and they can live in a mess if they want. I however, get to the point that sometimes it annoys me, but I can't not do it. On the up side many people have OCD. Charles Darwin had it, Florence Nightingale had it, Jessica Alba has it and Steven Gerrard has it. Maybe this is a 'mild' case of OCD, but for me, it can get pretty annoying, and also explains why I am finding it so friggin' hard to find a blog theme I like! So, not that many read this, keep expecting changes. I will let you know when I get one :)

P.S. When I go on holiday, my suitcase is organised, packed, unpacked and repacked about 2 dozen times before I go and when I'm returning...even with the clothes I have wore!.... :S

OCD-UK:  http://www.ocduk.org/1/ocd.htm

The Script!

As I said  before (I think) I got tickets for Xmas to see The Script. OMG, so we went on Tue (pancake Tue :D) and I have to say, they where absolutely amazing. One of the best nights ever, but one of the crushiest (I know thats not a word, but I don't care) concerts I have ever been to! I hardly got any photos because bodies where nearly on top of one another! Anyway here is a picture of the night...I was over to the right at the front, but too far to the right to be in the picture...BUT, I don't mind as I was close enough to get a hand shake from Danny O'Donoghue and a guitar pick from Mark Sheehan! How epic is that....I had famous sweat on my hand and I am home with a guitar pick that was actually used by the guitarist from The Script the whole night :)....Oh, and that was the concert that so far holds the record for the most amount of people in the Odyssey Arena for a concert...what a night!

(This was how I got a hand shake the first time he came over. Photo by Thomas McCool.)

So, standing huddled together in the freezing cold, with the wind and rain banging from all directions, was well worth it. Awesome Xmas pressie Thomas!

Random stuffs...

The other day, I came across stuff that goes by the name of 'Wow...I didn't know that'...but they were facts. Admittedly there was some things I did know, but most of it was quite...strange, so I decided to stick some on here....for the sake of a blog really...

So, here are 30 things you may not have known...

1. Walt Disney was afraid of mice
2. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear
3. A duck’s quack doesn't echo and no one knows why
4. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour
5. The starfish is the only animal that can turn its stomach inside out (I knew this :D)
6. Jellyfish do not have brains (and this)
7. Termites eat wood twice as fast when listening to heavy metal music
8. An albatross can sleep while it flies (and this)
9. The elephant is the only animal with 4 knees
10. The first known contraceptive was crocodile dung, used by Egyptians in 2000 B.C
11. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite
12. The name for OZ in the wizard of oz, was though up when the creator, Frank Baum, looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N and O-Z, hence “OZ”
13. Disney’s Snow White was originally drawn as a Blonde
14. The vibrator was originally used as a medicinal treatment for female "hysteria" during the 19th century
15. Goldfish bowls provide insufficient oxygen to fish due to their shape and are banned in some countries as they are cruel (and this)
16. In Hong Kong, a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her cheating adulterous husband but she may only do so with her bare hands
17. In Arizona it is illegal to have more than two dildos in one house
18. It is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs.
19. Clinophobia is the fear of beds - what a sad phobia!
20. In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was a crime punishable by death.
21. Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an INSULT
22. A fish has a memory span of up to 3 months, not 3 seconds. They have an attention span of 3 seconds...(and this)
23. The youngest girl to have a child was 5 years old
24. Anthropodermic Bibliopegy is the practice of binding books in human skin
25. 2,500 left handers die a year from trying to use a right hand device
26. There is cyanide in apple seeds
27. There are 3 golf balls on the moon
28. Exploding head syndrome is a condition
29. A pregnant goldfish is called a 'twit' (and this)
30. Betsy Ross was born with a full set of teeth

Tada...how interesting :D

Oh, and I want a Chameleon with attitude named Pascal :)

Tangled