Last week I put a whole load of stuff on eBay, mainly clothes and today the auctions ended with a grand total of £62.11 - I was so surprised and excited. My thinking was, that if I sell old clothes then I can spend the money I make on buying knew clothes without feeling that guilt and having a little voice inside my head saying: "You can't afford that, what about rent, bills, phone contract, insurance!" The last couple of months any money I make hasn't really been mine. As soon as it reaches my bank account if I blink I'll miss it. Hard times. Que a massive eBay sale!
You see times are hard at the moment so even if I'd made twenty quid I'd have been pretty chuffed but clearly it's all gone to my head because in my excitement I have somehow created another pile of items ready to be listed on eBay. I think I am addicted, if I'm not careful I am pretty sure I'll have very little left in my room. As soon as the buyers money landed in my PayPal account I packed everything up, addressed them and they are all in a pile in the corner of my room waiting to be posted. The money has been withdrawn and is making it's way to my bank account as we speak. Hopefully it will be there in time for my birthday, which is in 5 days. Excited would be an understatement.
Thursday 25 August 2011
Tuesday 9 August 2011
London Riots
"There are people in 3rd world countries starving to death & our youth are nonsensically destroying local businesses and homes without reason."
Paloma Faith tweeted this during the absolutely disgusting behavior that was going on in areas of the UK last night. To me she voiced exactly how I felt, there are so many people in other countries suffering because of the conditions they are forced to live in when Britain's youth of today are causing suffering in our country for no real reason. What is wrong with them? Areas of London and Birmingham were affected last night and I woke up to news this morning that there were even disturbances reported in Bristol, Nottingham and Liverpool and where I am in Southampton, Hampshire police were on stand by for any disturbances which had been rumored through social networking such as facebook, twitter and blackberry messenger.
This map shows the areas of London that have seen disturbances over the last few days, mainly last night however:
To view this map in full Click Here
Yesterday evening, I sat with my flat mates watching the havoc unveil on the BBC, one of my house mates was watching his home town go up in flames, Croydon was one of the areas of London which was badly attacked. We sat and watched in absolute shock, I couldn't understand what the hell was wrong with people. We felt anger rise and we shouted at the television, at the footage of the mindless violence coming from the youths of today. Cars were set on fire, buildings went up in flames, windows smashed and the looters were taking all they could from businesses. We watched these people in gangs attacking shops and running away with armfuls of clothes, electrics, anything they could get their hands on. A clip even showed a women try on some trainers to check they fitted - before she stole them. What also shocked me was the disregard towards the police, things were thrown towards police officers, yobs attacked them verbally and physically. It's disgusting, the police are their to protect us why fight them?
Do they think they are cool? Do they think they are achieving something? Will they look back when they are older and think, damn we did good? The fact is, the young people involved are thugs, they are horrible little people that have absolutely nothing going for them. They will grow up with criminal records, they will gain no respect, they will have nothing to live for and why is that? Because people that have no regard for other people on such a scale of this deserve nothing from society. In my opinion people like that need to be drowned or hit by large vehicle or something similar. Can you imagine setting alight someones house, just because you can? Just think of all of the lives that these young yobs have destroyed. I can't quite describe the anger that builds inside of me when I think of all the people that thought it was just a bit of fun, what is wrong with these people?
A women jumping to avoid fire in Croyden (Image: The Sun)
Think about all of the old people, they must be terrified. All of this going on, on the streets and what can they do to keep themselves safe? What if a brick flies through their window? What if a gang raids their house? What are they going to do? They must have been so scared. Similarly what about all the families with young children, what can you do when all of this is going on, on your doorstep? It scares me and I'm not even there. My heart goes out to all of the people that are just trying to live their lives but are getting caught up in they mayhem across London and other major cities.
Of course their was a reason that all of this begun. Last week police shot dead suspected gangster and father of 4 Mark Duggan, in Tottenham. The bullet went right through him and although the police shot at him twice only one shot hit him. It was thought that he had fired at them first but it is now unclear as to what happened. Family and friends of the 29 year old took part in a peaceful protest in Tottenham which very quickly grew out of hand and before police knew it they had a full blown riot on their hands which as we all know as escalated ever further and last night was totally out of control. It may have started with people standing up for what they believe in and defending the man that police correctly or incorrectly shot but I think it's obvious now that those involved don't really care, they are opportunists and the idea of creating mayhem and stealing from smashed up and burning shops seems like an excellent night of fun. They have no reason to take part other than the fact that they can, and I think that says a lot about the sort of people they are.
Smashing in a jewelery store window in Birmingham (Image: The Sun)
Cars set on fire in Ealing (Image: The Sun)
It has been suggested that social networking such as facebook, twitter and BBM have played their part in the organisation of the riots. Today's technology allows communication within an instance and messages become viral within seconds, providing the medium to organise gangs to meet and to take part in the mindless violence that plagued London last night. People like myself however, used it to keep up to date with what was going on, to post messages of support, anger, disgust and to keep an eye on disturbances a little closer to home. Last night Hants Police were tweeting about rumored disturbances in Southampton which thankfully mounted to nothing but they were so informative that at least we knew they were there and they were keeping an eye on what was going on. I wonder though, what would have happened if Southampton broke out in riots, how would the Hampshire Police of coped because I'm pretty sure that every where else that was affected, the police struggled.
I was glued to twitter last night, reading all the tweets of support, especially from celebrities that of course live in London and are probably being affected by the mayhem.
T4 Presenter Jameela Jamil tweeted: "Its all so very sad. What have we become? Riot has reached my road... Door bolted. Fingers crossed."
and later: "Let's just pray there's a city left when we all wake up tomorrow. My heart goes out to those who have lost their homes tonight."
Jessie J: "This is NOT how to gain respect. This is NOT how to get justice. This is NOT how to gain peace."
Holly Willoughby: "This is one of the most frightening things I've ever seen, can't believe what is happening in London tonight."
This morning Fearne Cotton tweeted: "Sending love and peace to all the poor innocent people who have been affected. This beautiful city needs to get back on its feet."
Across twitter this morning, people are following hashtag #riotcleanup and local people are going out in to the community to help clean up this horrible mess and to get businesses, homes and lives on the way to recovery. If your from one of the areas that was affected get on twitter and see what you can do to help but make sure you stay safe. It really is a horrible mess and I wish all those affected all the best. As for those that have caused this I hope justice is found and that they suffer in the future, they don't deserve anything else.
Paloma Faith tweeted this during the absolutely disgusting behavior that was going on in areas of the UK last night. To me she voiced exactly how I felt, there are so many people in other countries suffering because of the conditions they are forced to live in when Britain's youth of today are causing suffering in our country for no real reason. What is wrong with them? Areas of London and Birmingham were affected last night and I woke up to news this morning that there were even disturbances reported in Bristol, Nottingham and Liverpool and where I am in Southampton, Hampshire police were on stand by for any disturbances which had been rumored through social networking such as facebook, twitter and blackberry messenger.
This map shows the areas of London that have seen disturbances over the last few days, mainly last night however:
Yesterday evening, I sat with my flat mates watching the havoc unveil on the BBC, one of my house mates was watching his home town go up in flames, Croydon was one of the areas of London which was badly attacked. We sat and watched in absolute shock, I couldn't understand what the hell was wrong with people. We felt anger rise and we shouted at the television, at the footage of the mindless violence coming from the youths of today. Cars were set on fire, buildings went up in flames, windows smashed and the looters were taking all they could from businesses. We watched these people in gangs attacking shops and running away with armfuls of clothes, electrics, anything they could get their hands on. A clip even showed a women try on some trainers to check they fitted - before she stole them. What also shocked me was the disregard towards the police, things were thrown towards police officers, yobs attacked them verbally and physically. It's disgusting, the police are their to protect us why fight them?
Do they think they are cool? Do they think they are achieving something? Will they look back when they are older and think, damn we did good? The fact is, the young people involved are thugs, they are horrible little people that have absolutely nothing going for them. They will grow up with criminal records, they will gain no respect, they will have nothing to live for and why is that? Because people that have no regard for other people on such a scale of this deserve nothing from society. In my opinion people like that need to be drowned or hit by large vehicle or something similar. Can you imagine setting alight someones house, just because you can? Just think of all of the lives that these young yobs have destroyed. I can't quite describe the anger that builds inside of me when I think of all the people that thought it was just a bit of fun, what is wrong with these people?
Street in Hackney (Image: The Sun)
Think about all of the old people, they must be terrified. All of this going on, on the streets and what can they do to keep themselves safe? What if a brick flies through their window? What if a gang raids their house? What are they going to do? They must have been so scared. Similarly what about all the families with young children, what can you do when all of this is going on, on your doorstep? It scares me and I'm not even there. My heart goes out to all of the people that are just trying to live their lives but are getting caught up in they mayhem across London and other major cities.
Of course their was a reason that all of this begun. Last week police shot dead suspected gangster and father of 4 Mark Duggan, in Tottenham. The bullet went right through him and although the police shot at him twice only one shot hit him. It was thought that he had fired at them first but it is now unclear as to what happened. Family and friends of the 29 year old took part in a peaceful protest in Tottenham which very quickly grew out of hand and before police knew it they had a full blown riot on their hands which as we all know as escalated ever further and last night was totally out of control. It may have started with people standing up for what they believe in and defending the man that police correctly or incorrectly shot but I think it's obvious now that those involved don't really care, they are opportunists and the idea of creating mayhem and stealing from smashed up and burning shops seems like an excellent night of fun. They have no reason to take part other than the fact that they can, and I think that says a lot about the sort of people they are.
It has been suggested that social networking such as facebook, twitter and BBM have played their part in the organisation of the riots. Today's technology allows communication within an instance and messages become viral within seconds, providing the medium to organise gangs to meet and to take part in the mindless violence that plagued London last night. People like myself however, used it to keep up to date with what was going on, to post messages of support, anger, disgust and to keep an eye on disturbances a little closer to home. Last night Hants Police were tweeting about rumored disturbances in Southampton which thankfully mounted to nothing but they were so informative that at least we knew they were there and they were keeping an eye on what was going on. I wonder though, what would have happened if Southampton broke out in riots, how would the Hampshire Police of coped because I'm pretty sure that every where else that was affected, the police struggled.
I was glued to twitter last night, reading all the tweets of support, especially from celebrities that of course live in London and are probably being affected by the mayhem.
T4 Presenter Jameela Jamil tweeted: "Its all so very sad. What have we become? Riot has reached my road... Door bolted. Fingers crossed."
and later: "Let's just pray there's a city left when we all wake up tomorrow. My heart goes out to those who have lost their homes tonight."
Jessie J: "This is NOT how to gain respect. This is NOT how to get justice. This is NOT how to gain peace."
Holly Willoughby: "This is one of the most frightening things I've ever seen, can't believe what is happening in London tonight."
This morning Fearne Cotton tweeted: "Sending love and peace to all the poor innocent people who have been affected. This beautiful city needs to get back on its feet."
Across twitter this morning, people are following hashtag #riotcleanup and local people are going out in to the community to help clean up this horrible mess and to get businesses, homes and lives on the way to recovery. If your from one of the areas that was affected get on twitter and see what you can do to help but make sure you stay safe. It really is a horrible mess and I wish all those affected all the best. As for those that have caused this I hope justice is found and that they suffer in the future, they don't deserve anything else.
Saturday 6 August 2011
The Starbucks Experience
It's funny how before now Starbucks has just been a coffee shop to me, as I am sure it probably is just that to you, right? What else is there you can say about it, other than it sells good coffee and provides a relaxed welcoming atmosphere? That of course is true but it doesn't stop there...not even close.
Yes that's right, another Starbucks orientated blog and I'm sure there will be more to come. I have spent today on a Starbucks training course called The Starbucks Experience, I wasn't really sure what to expect and the fact that I was being picked up at 7.30am on a Saturday morning didn't bode well to be honest. The only place I wanted to be at that time of day was tucked up in bed, fast asleep. It turns out however, that today was incredibly interesting and inspiring and I learned a lot from it. It isn't until you get involved with a company, that you begin to understand it's size, it's policies, aims and it's position within society.
It goes without saying that Starbucks works superbly hard to ensure that each and every partner working in every store nationally and internationally is providing worldwide customer service. Meaning good service is never good enough, customer service at Starbucks is service that makes a difference in a customers day and allows them to remember it. You might be polite, happy and you may smile at every customer but Starbucks is about more than that, it's about striking up a conversation with a customer, asking them about their day, talking about the weather, the traffic, complimenting them on their hair etc. Something that's going to stick in their mind and going to make them want to come back to Starbucks because the staff made them feel special and like an individual rather than one of the people in the que.
Though enough about that, what I'm trying to get to is the work that Starbucks do that's beyond the stores but helps the stores run the way that they do. I mean, what is Starbucks without coffee? So where does coffee come from? Coffee is grown in three main regions, Latin America, Africa/Arabia and Asia Pacific. It grows on trees on farms and starts it's journey by looking a little bit like cherries, as you can see opposite:
As the worlds largest purchaser of Fair trade certified coffee, Starbucks ethically sources all of it's coffee. This basically means that the Starbucks looks after the farmers that it buys from ensuring they receive a fair amount for the coffee that they source. It is important to Starbucks that they build strong relationships with the farmers and help to promote the livelihoods of coffee farmers. This in turn ensures that the farms grow quality coffee for Starbucks and allows financial support if farmers are having to harvest early and sell their crops for less to local buyers due to having a shortage of funds. Starbucks are committed to giving back to the communities that they buy from to ensure a sustainable future. (Much more to this, another blog in the making - watch this space.)
One thing I learned very quickly about Starbucks is that they take great care of their partners. As an employee of Starbucks you receive constant support, benefits, rewards and opportunities which doesn't come with all jobs. Starbucks aims to be a third place for it's customers after work and home but for it's partners it's their second and third place and for me I can definitely cope with that. As you might be able to tell even if I am not working I'm perfectly happy to chill out in the store with my laptop or with friends and I think that's what makes it such a brilliant place to work. I may only be a month in to my new job with the company and I may still have lots to learn but it's a brand new experience and a company that I am excited to be part of for the future.
Yes that's right, another Starbucks orientated blog and I'm sure there will be more to come. I have spent today on a Starbucks training course called The Starbucks Experience, I wasn't really sure what to expect and the fact that I was being picked up at 7.30am on a Saturday morning didn't bode well to be honest. The only place I wanted to be at that time of day was tucked up in bed, fast asleep. It turns out however, that today was incredibly interesting and inspiring and I learned a lot from it. It isn't until you get involved with a company, that you begin to understand it's size, it's policies, aims and it's position within society.
It goes without saying that Starbucks works superbly hard to ensure that each and every partner working in every store nationally and internationally is providing worldwide customer service. Meaning good service is never good enough, customer service at Starbucks is service that makes a difference in a customers day and allows them to remember it. You might be polite, happy and you may smile at every customer but Starbucks is about more than that, it's about striking up a conversation with a customer, asking them about their day, talking about the weather, the traffic, complimenting them on their hair etc. Something that's going to stick in their mind and going to make them want to come back to Starbucks because the staff made them feel special and like an individual rather than one of the people in the que.
Though enough about that, what I'm trying to get to is the work that Starbucks do that's beyond the stores but helps the stores run the way that they do. I mean, what is Starbucks without coffee? So where does coffee come from? Coffee is grown in three main regions, Latin America, Africa/Arabia and Asia Pacific. It grows on trees on farms and starts it's journey by looking a little bit like cherries, as you can see opposite:
As the worlds largest purchaser of Fair trade certified coffee, Starbucks ethically sources all of it's coffee. This basically means that the Starbucks looks after the farmers that it buys from ensuring they receive a fair amount for the coffee that they source. It is important to Starbucks that they build strong relationships with the farmers and help to promote the livelihoods of coffee farmers. This in turn ensures that the farms grow quality coffee for Starbucks and allows financial support if farmers are having to harvest early and sell their crops for less to local buyers due to having a shortage of funds. Starbucks are committed to giving back to the communities that they buy from to ensure a sustainable future. (Much more to this, another blog in the making - watch this space.)
One thing I learned very quickly about Starbucks is that they take great care of their partners. As an employee of Starbucks you receive constant support, benefits, rewards and opportunities which doesn't come with all jobs. Starbucks aims to be a third place for it's customers after work and home but for it's partners it's their second and third place and for me I can definitely cope with that. As you might be able to tell even if I am not working I'm perfectly happy to chill out in the store with my laptop or with friends and I think that's what makes it such a brilliant place to work. I may only be a month in to my new job with the company and I may still have lots to learn but it's a brand new experience and a company that I am excited to be part of for the future.
Friday 5 August 2011
Have you ever thought about the lives of the people that pass you in the street?
I'm sitting in Starbucks sipping my grande caramel coffee frappuccino with whipped cream (yes it's my day off but I clearly can't get enough of the place!) waiting to feel inspired to write something. Earlier today I was lying in bed with lots of ideas but I thought I would take my laptop in to town and chill out in Starbucks whilst I wrote. That was about 5 hours ago now, I'm sitting here watching the world go by with all my ideas from this morning, vanished. However, as I watch all the people pass by the window it's got me thinking about all the different people in the world. I don't know these people but they all have lives, they've been places, they've seen places and just because they mean nothing to me they have families and friends and lives full of different things.
Obvious right? The point I'm trying to make is that there are some extraordinary people in the world. Not just the ones that are famous and have done famous things for the world to know about but what about all the people that have fought in a war, saved someones life, given blood, donated an organ, survived a life threatening illness, raised money for a charity, flown out to underprivileged countries to help people that aren't as fortunate? What about all the nurses and doctors in the world that we don't know that are helping to save lives each and every day. For all I know the old lady with a pretty floral bag that had just walked past the window of Starbucks may have once upon a time saved a life or of had her life saved.
Have you ever thought that in a crowd of people there might be someone that you've met before but you'll never know or someone that grew up in the same town as you or maybe even someone that was born in the same hospital you were born in. Things like that must happen all the time but unless you have a reason to talk to these people you'll never know. It's like the saying goes "It's a small world." It's not, but sometimes you meet people that you share experiences with, I often find that. I often bump in to people that share mutual friends or something similar and often I use the phrase. If you think about it though, it's a silly phrase. The world is not at all small but it can often feel like it, especially when you are a long way from home and meet people that are from the same place as you.
There are so many people with a story to tell in this crazy old world so I think when someone has something to say it's worth listening because you never know what they have seen and what they have experienced. One day someone might open their mouth and say something which shocks you, pleases you or maybe even something that changes your life. Everyone has something to say.
Obvious right? The point I'm trying to make is that there are some extraordinary people in the world. Not just the ones that are famous and have done famous things for the world to know about but what about all the people that have fought in a war, saved someones life, given blood, donated an organ, survived a life threatening illness, raised money for a charity, flown out to underprivileged countries to help people that aren't as fortunate? What about all the nurses and doctors in the world that we don't know that are helping to save lives each and every day. For all I know the old lady with a pretty floral bag that had just walked past the window of Starbucks may have once upon a time saved a life or of had her life saved.
Have you ever thought that in a crowd of people there might be someone that you've met before but you'll never know or someone that grew up in the same town as you or maybe even someone that was born in the same hospital you were born in. Things like that must happen all the time but unless you have a reason to talk to these people you'll never know. It's like the saying goes "It's a small world." It's not, but sometimes you meet people that you share experiences with, I often find that. I often bump in to people that share mutual friends or something similar and often I use the phrase. If you think about it though, it's a silly phrase. The world is not at all small but it can often feel like it, especially when you are a long way from home and meet people that are from the same place as you.
There are so many people with a story to tell in this crazy old world so I think when someone has something to say it's worth listening because you never know what they have seen and what they have experienced. One day someone might open their mouth and say something which shocks you, pleases you or maybe even something that changes your life. Everyone has something to say.
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