I'm Hungry/Hiatus

I've got great news.

I've been offered a place on the Teach First Leadership Development Programme! I'll be a maths teacher next year for two years given that I get a 2.1 or First in my degree. Coming from a struggling school and making it to top university - I have found that if it wasn't for my drive and determination then and my desire to be better, I wouldn't have made it. I believe that there are so many students who are in a similar position. A couple of weeks ago I was in a school for a couple of days and the level of some of the students' mathematical ability was shocking! I want to make a difference - when I was at school maths was one of my favourite subjects but a lot of people hated it. I want to pass on to students, who come from a similar inner city low socioeconomic background like myself, my passion for maths at KS3 and KS4 and also show them that you have the biggest say in your own destiny not other external barriers that you cannot control - you just need a little help sometimes.

I think I have rediscovered my thirst and hunger for success. The past couple of years has probably been my least ambitious and depressing. I have rarely stepped out of my comfort zone and I feel as though my life has been in complete stagnation. Unlike many people, I am someone who doesn't really care about what other people think about me but more about what I think about myself; I am my biggest critic. If I feel as though I have not been successful in my eyes then I am failure - Fullstop! I rarely give myself credit and think that I could always have done better. I think this is partly down to my upbringing. Being hard on myself is part of who I am and I don't think I'd want to change it but I think in order to feel like I am going somewhere in life I need to feel as though good changes are occurring and that I am becoming bigger and better. I have seen a couple of great opportunities that have been advertised for the summer which I'll apply for while I revise for the exams that I have got coming up over the next month and a bit. I have been blogging for about 4 months now and I can honestly say that I have been enjoying it (this is all a part of feeding my hunger and viewing my personal progress).

I'll be AWOL for the next month due to revision but I can't wait to continue on this journey when I get back.

Things will get bigger and better - I owe it to myself!

Olola

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The Perfect Person

'You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.'

Sam Keen

Taken from 'Thoughts from Earth (2004)'. The author was exploring and questioning the concept of love and came to this conclusion. I honestly believe this; there is no such person as a perfect person; no human is. But when you love someone, you should love a person that is perfect for you. 

Olola

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Emergency Biscuits

While I was experimenting with cocoa power, porridge oats and water, I accidentally added too much cocoa power and the end product was nasty. I was then left with a watery, chocolaty oaty mixture which I wanted to use up because I didn't want to waste it. So I made biscuits! They turned out lovely.

They were made in the same way as the biscuits below but with the mixture also added.

I think these will become my signature biscuits now...I should come up with a name for my baking brand. Consider that my next challenge.

Olola

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Vince Kidd - You and Me

I discovered Vince Kidd on The Voice. Though I am not one to stereotype I must say that I didn't expect such a soul voice to come from him. It was a nice surprise. However my little brother showed me this video of him singing this song and I instantly fell in love with it. The chorus is reminicent of a Motown track and his voice is so different from what you hear on the radio today. This song is amazing!

Olola

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Model 1

I am finally posting my first architectural themed post. Yay! I recently downloaded the Google Sketchup software as I have always wanted to design 3D images of buildings. I never actually realised that Google had the software (What doesn't google have?!) so I was really excited about downloading it and finding out what I could do. It took me a while to get my head around the different tools but what was so good about it was that it had an instructor window which demonstrated what every tool I selected did, which was very useful. At the moment I'm trying to discover what type of houses I most prefer - although I like to but my own twists to my designs I have found that my designs tend to be quiet modernist and minimalist (I will post about my favourite buidings very soon). I will also at some point in the future hopefully in the summer make a start on designing a house, modelling it like the blogger Fashitects did which I loved. Perhaps I'll turn it into my summer project, going around London, doing reserch and collating all my ideas into a large book and eventually coming up with a final design - Just like I did with my Art GCSE. I'll make a 3D model on the Sketchup software and make a model out of card etc. This should give me something to work towards. I am excited! So here's what I came up with on my first attempt, hopefully with time I'll become really great at it. I've given the rather unimaginative name of Model 1:

Model 1: Front

Side Front

Back

Olola

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Sleepness nights...

'You know you are in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.'

Dr. Seuss

Now I am starting to understand, that's what the sleepness nights will be all about. 

Goals 1

Okay if I write these then this will motivate me to achieve them: These are my long and short term goals at this particular time as I am not good at thinking on the spot:

I will (be)...

Short Term (Within the next 3 months):

• Keep myself preocuppied over summer 2012.
• Get a 2.1 in 2nd year and eventually a 1st or 2.1 in 3rd Year.
• Start my book.
• Acquire a graduate position with Teach First. 

Long Term (From the next 3 months and beyond):

• Get down to a solid size 12.
• Begin to perfect my look.
• Get underway with my architectural project
• Sort out wardrobe
• Finish my book
• Be able to hold a conversation in German
• More content with me and how my life is.

I'll continuously add to this list and state my progress as time goes on. Wish me luck!

Olola

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Flat Choco-Banana Cake

Unfortunately my brother broke my scales at home so I was left guessing the right quantities of ingredients to use. I had some banana left over so decided to used them as well as my cocoa power to make a choco-banana cake.

The reason why it's so flat could be down to several things such as the fact I decided to split the mixture into two tins, the flour proportions was just not enough or that the self-raising flour had been left open for over 3 months (trhough no fault of my own - I was at uni after all) and had thus lost it's ability to rise properly.

Either way, I quite liked the finished product - though I received very mixed reactions on the banana filling.

Olola.

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Jai Paul - Jasmine

I've been waiting the whole year for Jai Paul to release something.

BTSTU is such a classic and as usual I feared that whatever he brought out after it would just never meet the high standard that he set himself. But he has proven me wrong; Jasmine is refreshing, soulful and totally different from his first offering which is good because it's not an imitation but he's staying true to himself by being different.

I really cannot wait to hear more!

Olola.

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The Minimalist

'Less is more.'

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (Architect)

This can also be attributed to Robert Browning, one of my favourite poets.

This is the philosophy I use when it comes to architecture and fashion - I hate the over the top look - I like efforlessness in fashion and beauty and simple shapes in architecture - Less is so much more.