YouTube

It wasn’t until mid/late last year that I realised there is a lot more to YouTube. It’s strange when you think about it, because most of us go on there just to listen to the latest music. However, there is so much knowledge and information that can be gained from watching videos on there.

I had an epiphany in the shower and what I concluded from it, is that YouTube is the plug to all. It is the video version of Google. Similarly, both use a search bar to explore what we are looking for within the depths of information that is available to us worldwide. The only difference is one expresses solely through moving image and audio, whilst the other one gives you several options (web, images, videos, books etc.) on how to look at it. The bottom line is both will give you the extensive amount of data stored from those couple of words you put in.

You can compare YouTube to being at school. For example, let’s say you have an exam coming up or you need to find out about a specific topic. You can actually watch a whole lecture, plus the fact, YouTube will give you what you’re looking for and some more. The related videos could have or usually does hold relevance to you. It’s like you go to Krispy Kreme and want a box of the assorted doughnuts, but then you noticed there is deal, so you can have two boxes for the price of X. So, you tap on that info as well and imagine just after one lengthy session on YouTube,  you’ve gained sufficient amount of wisdom, so it’s all rosey and you’re happy.

I think it’s way more useful for research than Google is. Just because you can hear word for word what’s being presented to you. Also, it reduces the lack of understanding that can occur from reading text.  It is easier for the ears to hear, than for the brain to translate. I know that doesn’t make sense, seeing as I am writing this blog to explain the concept.

But what I hope is for you to take on your own interpretation about it.

Chanda D

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Who Are You?

No I’m not talking about Chipmunk’s song.

I mean who are you? Do you even know who you are? Or what values and attributes you stand for?

It is easy in this society to get lost trying to conform to what is “right”. That doesn’t mean you have to though. Why don’t you take the initiative and self-express? & not be what society or another person expects you to be.

The next question is how do you find who you are? 

My answer is you find who are you through times of struggle. You see who was down for you and who wasn’t. You recognise what you find joy in and makes you happy. You understand that you are in this world alone, so you have to make the most of what you’ve got. You have to appreciate both bad and good times, because it strengthens you. You have to practice the art of self – control. It’s not everything that should provoke a reaction out of you- that’s purely a waste of energy. In time, you identify what’s important and what isn’t. 

Back to the question.. Who Are You? Could you describe yourself to someone else? If not, think about why.. 

I hope this question ponders on your mind, because it’s not hard to lose track of your individuality, when you’re influenced by your surroundings. Try and remain grounded and live by a set-up that works best for you. 

Chanda D. 

Change

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The season has changed but what else is going on?

See the weather doesn’t give any warnings, one day you wake up and it’s extremely cold, the next it’s just about bearable.

Change is moving on to something different.. or simply deciding to experiment with new things.

Change doesn’t have to be scary, I mean you collect it after a purchase. You gladly accept it after a transaction, so why not accommodate it in real life ?

Change is the unknown, were you not once unknown to those around you? But you chose to remain in their life or for them to stay in yours, on the basis of familiarities & your compatibility.

Change is getting up in the morning and figuring out what could be done in another way. Example number one, I’m writing the top half of the blog, whilst walking to the gym. It’s a change, because I’m usually in bed doing it.

Change doesn’t have to be sudden, but rather an adjustment to circumstances going on around you. Example number two, waking up and realising improvements need to made, by exploring new methods of handling situations. 

Remain self aware, identify and recognise your strengths and weaknesses.

Chanda D

Bittersweet Life

Life is great, you live it and enjoy it.

I’m talking about life, because it presents so many obstacles, regardless of your age and/or circumstances. I mean, some may say that you haven’t gone through anything, but what YOU have been through has meant something to YOU. It’s shaped your views and change your mind set. Who is someone to tell you your problem isn’t a problem, despite how minor or major it may be? 

Your life is what others see from the outside,but not on the inside. Nobody really wants to talk about how life attacks you internally. What I mean by this, is the times you’re in your bedroom alone. Those quiet moments where you reflect or dream and/or daydream..  You often sit up late wondering ‘where am I going’ , ‘what am I doing’ or ‘am I going to get there’. This is coming from a place of fear, which is natural, so don’t be discouraged.  It’s not that you haven’t got goals in places. It’s just you’re apprehensive about the present and future.

The funny thing is you don’t where life could take you. You hope to remain on the right path and succeed. I’ve found during these times to scan through old memories, to help me improve on myself. Find out what works for you.

Everyone has their own story and that’s okay. Think about yours, whilst I share a little part of mine. Let’s get a little personal here… I used to think I had to be a certain way, because that was what I was used to or everyone else was doing it. One thing I realised was I was only hurting myself. In order to grow, you need to accept who you are and run with it. At the end of the day, the only person you have is yourself. I’m not here to talk for everyone, because we are all different. One thing I can say is do not sacrifice your long term happiness, for the incentives of short term gratification.  

From this day, or maybe tomorrow or the next day.. promise yourself one or two things and stick to it.

It was a pleasure to write this.. CD.

Reality TV

Reality TV has been active since the early 2000s, notably referring to one of my early experiences of watching Big Brother. Back then, reality seemed like reality. Sounds silly, but there was so much rawness to it. 

It stood out compared to other programmes and quickly gained popularity. I believe the public were amazed, and played the role of psychologists, watching people in a confided space, like it was a social experiment.

Recently, I’ve noticed reality TV shows are more fiction-based, than an accurate representation of real life. They claim to show reality, but what they are broadcasting is merely their version of a constructed reality. 

Some programmes such as ITVBe’s TOWIE , lets its viewers know “some of the scenes has been set up for your  entertainment”. On the other hand, you have programmes like Keeping Up With The Kardashians, who argue the programme is all reality. Despite the fact, others have contested against this statement, suggesting the scenes are scripted and re-shot if needed to.

The lack of dishonesty from reality TV could cause a decline in its fan base. To avoid this problem, i believe all reality TV shows should mention in its opening credits the extent of reality that will be shown. It would be a way to prevent reputation damage, because the viewers would be aware, so therefore the second guesses and negative comments would be common but eventually detoriate. 

This is just one view. Think about yours. 

Chanda D

Music

Music is truthfully so satisfying. Imagine you’re listening to your favourite song; you feel the penetration of the instrumental and lyrics, in your mind and heart. It is created from an artist’s experience/viewpoint. They are able to express themselves, by rapping or singing, over the variation of beats available worldwide from producers. The global interconnectedness is shown within the music and this is what makes it relatable to us listeners. 

Obviously, you have your favourite go-to genre or song. Think about the real reason why you like it. Usually, on a subconscious level, it appeals to you, because it talks about a past experience or about a lifestyle you wish to have. For example, I like grime, because the lyrics allow me to mentally build an image, to get a better understanding of London culture and its people.

One thing to remember about music is, the industry people are aware of what sells. The more generic a song is, the greater chance of it being a worldwide success. For instance, the tune gangnam style was easy to connect with, simply because there was a universal dance routine, to go with it.

Overall, I hope music will never dies out. How could it possibly? It’s a form of art, an expression of human emotions and a tool to unify people. I’ll just continue to sit back and see how music evolves over the coming years. 

C.D

The End of Education

 

YOU MADE IT!

 

Those long 17/18 years in education all came to end this year. Looking at it in terms of years, makes you realise how much patience you had as an individual for the educational system. Lets back track to those early years of life…

As a toddler going into nursery, you were full of life and essentially a blank canvas to be built upon ,with your own dreams and aspirations. I definitely knew I was, obviously I couldn’t firm the new nursery lifestyle, so I ended getting sent home for painting the walls. More to the point, you were given the freedom to be anything you want to be. This would show in various imaginative games played with friends and those pieces of drawing/art work you would take home to the old folks. During this period, you knew nothing better than to engage in activities that made YOU happy.

Over those primary school years, you started to become more socially aware, because you was developing from a toddler to a child to a pre-teenager. Everything that happened at school was internalised, whether it was done consciously or subconsciously. School, friends and your family were the main influences, which helped carved your personality and contributed to the person you are today. You had probably expressed your deepest desires or ambitions to your parents, which were either shut down or praise upon. Everyone’s story is different but at aged 9, I knew I want to get into media, because I was absolutely fascinated by the industry. Those exams like SATS and minor class tests gave you the ability to measure your academic abilities, which prepared you for secondary school life.

Aged 11, you’re gassed because you think you’re a big boy/girl now. You’re allowed to travel on your own,  hang out in local areas with your friends, you have a mobile phone and the joy of new found freedom. On my life, secondary school has to be the best worst experience ever. Biologically, you were changing from a child to a teenager, you’re learning to come into your own and develop a character. There was considerable amount of peer pressure that began around aged 13 onwards, coming from various aspects of your life, including school friends. As well, stresses from home or other places that added to the experience and development of your true self. By end of year 9, you might have been swayed by your parents by direct influence over your GCSE choices or you were free to pick subjects of your choice. Furthermore, these subjects would be your gateway to further education.

Whether you studied BTEC or A-Levels etc., you were still educating yourself, regardless of the stigma attached, to one being better than the other. Everyone has different academic abilities, so therefore it was good to explore the various pathways out there. The two years spent in sixth form or college were interesting but demanded more of you work wise. Either you handled it or you let it handle you. I think it’s acceptable to call it training needed to firm the university lifestyle, which basically required the same thinking, in order to stay sane. Many of you might have needed to do retakes and fell into the trap of relying on it, if you knew you weren’t going to excel the upcoming exam. It was like “fuck it, they were there, so why not mate”. Overall, results day was one of the proudest moments of your life, because you couldn’t wait to live by “yourself” and away from your parents. Most importantly, it was a personal achievement you conquered, which gave acceptance into higher education.

The end of the road concludes with university, yeah earlier education prepared for it but the surrounding factors you were NOT prepared for. The constant deadlines, dead 2 hour lectures, the fuckin bus journey there and back, them pointless gaps, the people you meet and all the passa that occurs. Despite those factors, it was time to do YOU and get that degree. That dream job you kept close to your heart, well now was the time to perform academically for it. Fundamentally, at 18 years old, you are a young adult finding your way in life. These years were meant to help you grow for the expectations of real world and adult life. What do you think student loan was for? To learn money management, (these times you probably rinsed your loan on nonsense LOL), pay household bills, funding your food shopping and other activities. It helped develop your sexuality, views on a long-term partners by going through nonsense situations with boys/girls. Before you knew it, the three years blew passed and now you’re happily a graduate. I know some people have graduated already and some are still waiting. Just remember YOU MADE IT, you carried out this journey yourself, don’t fall now. It’s only upwards and onwards from that day of graduation.

Hopefully, you are getting to place, where you are growing to be more comfortable with who you are. You have survived through everything that has been thrown at you so far, so therefore use that same resistance to follow your dreams! Failure is nothing but an obstacle, it’s up to you to take charge and fulfill whatever you want to do and get out of life. Remember, it is never too late!

 

CD.

 

The Real World

What is the real world? The life were living now, not the fantasy bubbles we have emerged from. All way through life we’ve been restricted by educational achievements and now we’re free do and please as we like.

Well let’s just say, ‘free’ to an extent. There are boundaries in place for us, to direct and maximise our potential, in our approaches to goals. Our qualifications act as the backbone to support our ambitions. There will be times you may experience episodes of despair and frustration, but the understanding on how to work on these emotions and overcome it , comes from the ability to see the positive within all issues.

Some of you can relate, in terms of, trying to find graduate or permanent well-paid jobs. The transition from education to the dynamics of the public sphere can be more than scary, than you will like to admit but at the same time exciting, because it’s new and fresh. It’s all about using trial and error, to figure out what’s best for your interests. Due to my religious beliefs, I believe God knows what your heart wants & so therefore, will fulfill it as long as you put in the work for it. For example, a rejection can simply be seen as opportunity for something better to come along. Not a insult to what you have to offer. So you aim to work harder to get it. Don’t become complacent, anything is possible!

Finally, another key thing to surviving in this life is to know yourself. Your integrity is most self-reliant system you can have to drive your motivation. Everyone is on their own path moving at a pace suitable for them, so don’t startled by social and external factors! 

C.D

University

I feel like choosing to go uni is a decision that requires thought. Sometimes people go uni for the wrong reasons, for example because of their parents or peer pressure. I use to be critical of people who didn’t choose to uni until I reached second year. Originally I wanted to do a year long apprenticeship in media before coming to uni. My parents didn’t think it was a good idea. The problem with African parents is that their views on education is outdated. They advised me to just go uni because otherwise I would be wasting time. I always knew I wanted to study Media at uni and was relieved my parents accepted my course choice. I don’t really understand why Media isn’t a respected degree, like I mean everything these days links back to the media. It has a dominant position in society. I learn about other subjects within my media degree. I’ve been studying media since I was 14 and for some strange reason found it fascinating. I actually had a weird obsession with gossip magazines for a while actually. Anyways I feel like Media doesn’t get the recognition it deserves as a degree. I would rather pay 9K a year for a course I enjoy doing than ever pay for a course I’ve been forced to do. Or a course that  guarantees employment. Many people choose to do degrees that they are not passionate about, which I think is wrong. Why would you pay money for something you’re not interested in? .. .There is many times when I’ve asked someone the reason for doing their course and they have responded “because of my parents” or “I will have a guaranteed job”. In some circumstances, parents live their lack of education through their kids by pushing them to a course they wanted to do. This is wrong and I believe as a parent ,its your responsibility to allow your child to feel comfortable making their own decisions and support them, not pressurise. I feel like some parents don’t understand how stressful it is revising for exams or trying to complete coursework. Its literally just you and masses of paper work or books in front of you trying to figure out the information which will secure you a good grade; praying that you don’t fail because you don’t want to fail yourself or your parents. Those intense moments of despair where you feel like giving up but then you remember it will all be worth it. I found comfort praying to God in those moments, I have these conversations with Him where I feel the most at peace and immediately I’m reassured that I can do it, I am me and nothing can stand in my way apart from a negative attitude. That mentality is what has got me through this term and I will continue to use it as a driving force in life. One message to remember “I am me and nothing can stand in my way apart from a negative attitude”. Wishing whoever reads this to have success in your coursework/exams/life etc! C.D.W x