Milestone

It’s funny, but sometimes all we need in order to succeed is somebody to tell us that we’re going to fail.

Now, I don’t proclaim to be an expert in reverse psychology, nor do I hold out to have any sort of knowledge of the intricacies of the human thought process but I do know that, as a rule of thumb, if somebody tells me that I’m going to fail at something then I’ll do my damn hardest to prove them wrong.

I was recently told by an old school teacher that I would never make it as a barrister; I’m not dedicated enough, I lack the shrewdness and astuteness required to be anything more than a legal executive and said teacher said it was questionable whether or not I had the academic capability to do so. I was also advised by one of my teachers not to apply for a particular course at university as “it would be a waste of an application – the chances of being accepted don’t justify using up one of only 5 choices.”

Now accredit it to what you will; an inherent disregard for authority, an abnormal susceptibility to reverse psychology or blatant arrogance, I refuse to change my entire focus on one person’s say so. If said person is an expert then yes it gives food for thought, equally if the advice is from somebody I respect such as the latterly aforementioned teacher. However, if this contrary view comes fired from somebody on the cuff or is given with seemingly little contemplation then often it has the opposite effect on me. Take, for example, the former teacher. At the time they taught me I was 11 – a rowdy, boisterous year six with ideas above his station and an ego which could barely be contained. Many things change over the years; I’m now a year 13. I bumped into said teacher quite randomly in the town centre, she asked what I was studying and, as most people do, honed in on law. Now, on the whole people have huge misconceptions about those studying law. It may be surprising to learn but as I’ve had less than 12 months of legal teaching I’m actually not qualified to give legal advice, nor am I in a position to debate the confines to which we should limit current legislation. I can’t get your ‘mate’ off a traffic offence charge and I certainly shouldn’t be the one to read over a draft lease agreement! Yet alas said teacher had the pre-conceptions.

“You’re studying law? (At this point the abnormally large eyebrows have gained considerable altitude) Not going to be a lawyer are you?”

“Actually I’m considering becoming a barrister, although I’m not sure what area of law I’d like to specialise in.”

“Hm, I don’t know. I can’t see you in court. Not on the right side of the dock anyway! [laughs]” (said laugh was the sort of laugh where the defendant clearly meant what she had just said but was attempting to disguise her evident despise with a cover of severely unconvincing cachinnation.)

“Well I’ve changed a lot since Morton (primary school.) I expect everybody has.” This statement was a lie – the chances of her being any less of a miserable child-preying bitch than in 2001 are absolutely nil, as was confirmed by her response.

“Indeed.” Now that’s a response and a half. Which she followed up with a frankly unneeded soliloquy in which she outline how she thought I’d be unsuitable for the bar as, from what she knew of me, I wasn’t quite astute or shrewd enough. She then told me (because obviously I had no idea) that the bar is a very competitive career choice to take and that statistically I wouldn’t succeed.

Now this point has always been resonated whenever the issue of the bar has arisen, usually I take note and becoming adequately conscious of the gravity of my dreams. However, for some reason in the situation I completely disregarded the comment.

So finally I reach my point. If we only heed advice from the people we trust and/or respect what happens if we become distant from those closest to us and embark upon a path on which those whom we trust know nothing about. Surely we leave our pool of light and walk an entirely darkened path? And what happens if we perceive those around us as not knowing the ‘real us’? I don’t believe that Miss Norbron knows the real me, therefore I disregarded her opinions out of spite – the spite was only born from the fact that she once knew me but now clearly doesn’t. So, if I were to change in myself so dramatically that I thought those around me didn’t know what I’d become , would I listen to what they had to say about me? Not listen as in the physical sense of the verb, but heed advice, acknowledge opinions and subsequently challenge my own. Surely this is how some people we brand as ‘extremists’ come to be?

Hypothetical situation:

Tom, 32 years old working in an accountancy firm. 9am-6pm Monday-Friday. £24,000 per annum with a £250 Christmas bonus if he’s lucky. Tom hates his boss, but everyone else at work seems to get along with him. As a result Tom doesn’t go out with workmates and likes to keep work and private life very separate. Tom has a close group of friends he’s known since university; 5 of them that go out most weekends and spend the odd weekday in etc. Here Tom’s in what I guess you could call the normal situation. So what happens next?

The accountancy firm Tom works for decides to increase productivity; thus increasing working hours. Tom now works 9am-7pm Monday-Friday and 10am-2pm Saturday. Because he works later he doesn’t see his friends in the evenings. He also doesn’t see them on Saturdays anymore. He works a 6 day week so on Sunday he’s knackered. Work’s getting him down and the last thing he wants to do is get pissed on Sunday to awake Monday with a hangover. Because he doesn’t spend as much time with his friends he feels distant from them. The longer he goes without going out, the harder it becomes to take the plunge. A month goes by and he hasn’t been out for 4 weeks. At this stage he feels detached from his friends, he doesn’t have anyone to go out and grab a coffee with, noone to go out and have a walk and a chat to.

An opening for a promotion comes up at work; Tom thinks he could do the job, he knows it would be hard but it’s something that he really sees himself doing. The promotion requires extra knowledge and lots of preparatory work, so he sets about learning the additional material and skills required. A month down the line Tom has been studying and reading up on the areas and has really progressed; he’s also got talking to a couple of the other candidates and has revived some form of social life. In the elapsed time he hears that one of his old friends has got married, he wasn’t surprised not to receive an invite but it did make him think a little.

A week before the first interview Tom is nervous; he enjoys the new area of accountancy but it’s a massive change from his usual comfort zone and he’d be throwing himself into the unknown with no guarantee of security. His boss has clocked on that Tom hates him; Tom had confided in one candidate who, it transpired, was a close friend of the boss. The boss wants Tom out, the other candidates are now hostile as everybody wants the job. Tom really needs advice, or someone to talk to. As fate would have it he bumps into one of his old friends, Mark, on his daily trip to Starbucks.

They exchange niceties and both take orders to drink in; Mark orders a Cappuccino as he always has, Tom orders a Latté (a drink which he’d first tried after a recommendation form a candidate at work.) Things start to go wrong from here.

Mark: Latté? Since when have you ever liked Latté?

Tom: Since, well, ever.

Mark: You were always a Macchiato man, double shot with cream.

Tom: That’s a long time ago.

Here Tom is beginning to become hostile, Mark has made an issue out of a change. As far as Tom is concerned, however, this is Tom. Not a changed Tom, but Tom. After some discussion of their mutual friend’s wedding (Mark: they tried to phone you every day for two weeks. We all did, just after you’d have got back from work we phoned – you never answered. I came over personally one Saturday but you weren’t there.) they then progress to the topic of Tom’s promotion. Mark doesn’t understand why on earth Tom would want to go into tax accountancy.

Mark: No offence mate but you’re not one for tax. You’re more of a property guy, that’s what you’re good at. You love your job, you’re dedicated to it – we all know that.

Tom: But tax accountancy would give me so much more scope career-wise. (Tom has been studying really hard for the past couple of months and is really excited by the prospect.)

Mark: yeh but you shouldn’t take the job. There will be more, this one’s not for you mate.

After an “oh, so sorry, I have to go” get out Tom is alone again.

What would Mark know? He doesn’t know Tom anymore, he doesn’t understand what makes him tick what drives him, he doesn’t even know his coffee order! Mark doesn’t understand taxation and certainly doesn’t understand the firm. Tom won’t listen to him and heed his advice. Source of advice number 1 = ignored.

The other candidates want Tom to drop out. But of course they would, he’s the competition. They don’t actually care about him do they? Source number 2 = ignored.

The boss hates Tom as much as Tom hates him. He says he should quit the firm and drop out of accountancy all together. Source number 3 = ignored.

So how does this relate to me? Well, Tom has 3 people telling him that he shouldn’t go for it. Yet none of these people are of significance to really stop him. He may be about to make a huge mistake, and there is noone close enough to him to really understand his situation. A close friend would understand exactly what it meant to him, appreciate the sacrifices he had made and share, or at least have a inkling into Tom’s vision. Tom doesn’t have anyone like that. Perhaps this is how extremists come to be; perhaps they become fascinated with a political or ethical ideal to such an extent that it becomes a part of them. When others do not understand the ideal then it appears that they do not understand the individual. Said subject then becomes detached from those closet to him/her. Here the safety blanket is burned. The only guidance which will be heeded is that of the conscience – yet if this has been replaced by a dependency or fanaticism then people can be ‘controlled’ by third parties; literature, protagonists; dictators. How do we know when our safety blanket is burning?

I guess it’s hard to tell; we all go through social changes and upheavals. Friendships change, disappear, reignite and sometimes stagnate. But so long as we have at least one constant, one reference point so-to-speak I guess we can all cling on to the ledge of normality. Without a ‘rock’ (apologies for the clichée) we cannot set a bearing for a new path. We need a point to start at, a point which we know is fixed and shall be there should we decide to return, or flee back to. We are all dependent upon our friends, yet perhaps we may not realise to what degree until it is too late.

I hope Tom finds happiness,

and that Miss Norbron needs a barrister in ten years time.

Rush, write, relax.

The proverbial faecal matter hit the fan this morning.

It would seem that buses near me don’t run on a Sunday. Therefore I cannot get to Doncaster train station by bus. No Doncaster station = no train to Newark. No train to Newark = No mini-bus to Stanstead. No Stanstead = No Berlin = Untimely and gruesome death.

So this is karma well and truly bending me over and kicking me with its size 11 steel toe-cap boots firmly up the arse. I tried to be slightly spontaneous recently. That will not do!

Thankfully when I panic I think of lots of situations/possibilities. So an hour later I’m now getting a lift (which I’m paying for in Euros) to Retford train station and then I’m getting a direct service to Newark. Thankfully it won’t cost me as much. Not so thankfully it’ll mean I’m in Newark 2 hours early and without starbucks. Oh the sacrifices we make. So, should you bump into me today in Retford or Newark before 2pm allow me to give a word (or three) of advice. DO NOT APPROACH! lol, I’m all flustered now so methinks a bit of alone + ipod time is required. Thankfully I love travelling, more so at times than actual holidays, so I’m not too worried about all of this. Now I know I can actually get there I’m fine. I even considered taking my mum’s car, well for part of the journey.

Anyhoo, I need to go soon and I think a cup of tea is in order before-hand.

I feel much calmer now than when I started writing, oh the wonders of blogging, lol.

Bis bald x

Bonjour. J’ai eu un bon jour :D

So, today has been epic.

I awoke relatively and mooched around the house until about 10am. Then I dressed and walked into town and caught the first bus I could to Lincoln. It turned out that I got on the OAP service, being as I was the only passenger under the age of 50. Until half way through the journey. Then an old friend from secondary school got on. We spent the rest of the journey comparing our experiences of our different colleges. His sounds so much better than mine. Namely as he has a social life, lol.

I got off the bus and decided to take a walk along the river for a bit. So I followed the river out of the city centre for about 10 minutes and came to a quiet spot. Then I sat for a while and listened to my ipod and watched random pieces of litter flowing downstream, I even decided to video one piece. Becaus, well, I had nothing better to do. It’s only a short (and, I expect, mind-numbingly boring) clip because my camera seems to increase battery-usage ten-fold when videoing so I made it short for fear of wasting my batteries before I’d started the day properly. I had brought spares of course.

And then I walked up the hill, and back down. On the way down I found a little alleyway which was quite quaint. And then I made my way back to the bus station. Then I made my way to Waterstone’s. Firstly the big one, I had my usual flick through the latest satirical political commentaries – as recommended by the Waterstone’s e-mail I get weekly (ok, maybe a tiny bit sad, but I don’t care.) I then considered buying a book about Berlin because I’m going there for four days tomorrow. I then thought against it and instead decided to make my way to Starbucks. But on the way to Starbucks I remembered a letter I got recently asking me whether I’d read anything interesting or not recently. The answer is no, so I diverted myself to the second Waterstone’s in Lincoln and set about finding a book. I wanted something fictional for once, because recently a lot of my reading has been very factual, and often technical. But I wanted something that would be interesting and make me think. Thankfully I stumbled upon an absolute gem. (Note; I’ve only read a quarter of the book so far so it may not be a gem, just a quarter gem.) The book is called “Jack” and it’s by A. M. Homes. The author wrote Jack when she was 19, and you can perhaps tell from the writing style. It’s also written in the first person, so it reads almost like a blog. The plot is sufficiently complex enough to adequately mirror the life of the average 19 year-old and the use of humour and suchlike makes it really easy to empathise with the writer. Yes, the events of the story are slightly more extreme than some of us are used to, but so far so good. I’ll endeavour to tell you my opinion of it when I’m finished.

So, having bought the book (£7.99 – £5 of which I paid with a book token, yet still got Waterstone’s card points for the entire price! ) I made my way to Starbucks where I had planned to meet a friend. I got myself a Caramel Latte and a Belgian Chocolate Fudge Brownie (as pictured above) and sat down to read. Unfortunately the aforementioned friend had neglected to wake up that morning Eventually, an hour and fifty minutes later, I reached for the brownie and there was none left. (Let me please highlight the momentousness of that statement – I made a brownie last 1h50mins! Which proves that the novel is extremely engrossing!) So I closed the book, drank the cold drags of the caramel latte and started the hike up to the cathedral.

Any of you who’ve ever attempted to scale steep hill in Lincoln will know that it’s more than capable of giving the late Edmund Hillary an exhausting run for his money (well, especially now being as he’s dead and all.) But it wasn’t too bad actually. The air was cold so it was quite thin and I managed it with much more ease than normal. Then I walked around the Bail briefly and then the Cathedral. Adequately awed, and with a now adequately filled camera memory card, I made my way down the curvy hill past the Usher Gallery and back to High street. I had a walk down to the football stadium and then back up and then decided to call it a day.

(I quite liked this picture: http://img406.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lin082ba5.jpg just because of the lack of clouds )

It seems that during the day, the amount of old people that it is possible to fit in a bus increased massively! So after an hour long spell in God’s portable waiting room I found myself back in Gainsborough. I walked home, via a takeaway where I purchased egg-fried rice with House Special Curry (the special bit is that it costs £1 more and has what vaguely resemble mushrooms in it.) I then scaled another hill to get home and heated my cuisine and ate it.

Then I had a bath, then I took all of my neatly ironed vetements and threw them onto my bed. Then chose a random selection of trousers (read: jeans,) T-shirts and jumpers. I then folded them so they were even smaller and shoved them into my hold-all for tomorrow. Shortly afterwards, they were joined by underwear and two towels. I’m yet to sort out what toiletries to take, and then of course come chargers, electrical devices, weapons of mass destruction etc.

Having almost packed my bags I decided to write about what had actually been quite a nice day. And so, a considerable number of minutes later here I (that “I” was the 1000th word in this post by the way!) am. So in conclusion, today has been pretty good. I risk sounding socially retarded here, but I actually enjoyed being alone but being surrounded by people. It was quite refreshing.

I’m quite excited about Berlin now. I set off at 9am tomorrow morning, we get to our Hotel (the Hotel Domicili – http://www.hotel-domicil-berlin.de/ ) at around midnight CET (GMT+1.) I’m really really excited because it’s a small group of us, and I’m really good friends with everyone that’s going. So yeh, if things were looking up anymore they’d be looking behind me That made sense in my head too!

Now I shall love and leave you all, for now.

Bis Bald! x