Laura Mvula

Happy Birthday Bob

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

 
It's been a little while since I last wrote on here, and in a time of major changes to the dynamics of my life, I have decided to return to something comforting and familiar.

Last week was the one year anniversary since I left my university town and moved home to my parents house, marking what was to be a chain reaction of big changes around me. Not only was I leaving the carefree student lifestyle I had so quickly slotted into four years previous to that, but little did I know that friendships, relationships and priorities would change as well.

Going to university away from home allowed me to lead a life of hedonistic fun with an easy-going attitude. Making friends was simple, getting in-between jobs was easy,and that blessed student loan would come in three times a year to help fund what was without doubt the best three years of my life. I left Oxford knowing exactly who I was, not knowing where I was going next, but believing that everyone I cared about would be a part of the next chapter.

Then life got in the way.

Now, a year down the line, I have forced myself into another life shake-up. I am quitting my current pub job after clearing my overdraft and getting all that I can out of it, to search for greener pastures. Where these greener pastures lie I am yet to discover. The major hurdle I have to jump is deciding which direction to focus my attention - not because I am great at everything I do (that is certainly not the case) but because there is a lot I want to do.

I want the boring clothes, the smart shoes, my own desk with the same view, the regular emails, the familiar commuters in the morning - I want a routine.

Not only is my professional life undertaking a big change, but my social life has as well. After spending nearly every waking hour in the company of friends I love for three years, where the longest trip to see lots of friendly faces was a ten minute walk up Cowley Road, I am now booking bus tickets to travel 2 and a half hours to see a very close friend I haven't seen in months. Oh yes, the times have definitely changed in a year.

I find myself in what will be a familiar quandry to most of my generation - where will I go next? I'm dying for a job that keeps me busy, stretches my capabilities and pays me more than expenses. Failing that, I'm keen to see more of the world, to go to places that are alien to my way of life and test my strength of character.

So, a year after I moved on from the last chapter in my life, I've achieved more immediate financial stability, started writing a sitcom with a work friend, taken a brief trip abroad to chase the journalism dream, and learnt more about myself and those around me than I did in years prior to this. Time to regroup, reassess my options, rewrite my CV and brave the unknown. Now where did I put those smart shoes...

Destiny's Child (Cyril Hahne Remix)

The Next Stop is.. Shepherd's Pie!?

The daily commute can often make every weekday Groundhog Day. The same train, same carriage, same seat, same page of the Metro, same route into work. So how much do we actually notice on our travels?


The idea of slowing down and taking more time to notice the little things has cropped up a lot in London recently. First came the rogue stickers on the London Underground, using the same designs and fonts as the everyday warnings and notices used by TFL. But instead of the usual 'Mind the closing doors' warning, commuters were instructed 'Don't acknowledge fellow passengers or sustain eye contact beyond 2 seconds. Please respect urban solitude', 'Shepherd's Bush' was changed to 'Shepherd's Pie' and one sticker directed Londoners to 'Platform 9 3/4'.

Then came a campaign called 'Look for Longer' from marketing company CBS Outdoor, using posters on the tube and a '#lookforlonger' trend on Twitter to encourage Londoners to look more closely at a poster to find the 75 Tube and DLR stations illustrated. (If you want to play the online game, go to their website. I wasted three hours of my evening on this yesterday instead of job-hunting or going to the pub, so if you're planning on doing anything productive or sociable, consider this your warning.)

And then yesterday, A sneaky blogger called Patrick has been dumping 'shit' all over town. His blog, Shit London, documents hilarious edits to London's many adverts and slogans, and yesterday he spread the joy by leaving packages across the city for his followers to scoop up and admire. (To clarify, 'Shit' in this context means 'stuff' or 'things' as in, 'that was some good shit', rather than 'shit blog', which it definitely isn't.) The site provides a platform to share often overlooked comic details to everyday London life.

So on Monday morning, when you're about to settle into your journey with the Metro or your latest ebook on your Kindle, take a moment to look at your surroundings because they may not be what they seem at first glance, and what you could find may give you your first smile of the day! :)

You can follow Shit London and Look for Longer on Twitter! @shitlondon @lookforlonger

Make Some Change and Give It Away

All across the world, thousands of people are taking part in a movement that acts as an innovative way of sharing wealth amongst society.

Today is 'Free Money Day', a day in which strangers give away two coins or notes with the understanding that the receiver pass on half of what they've been given, encouraging us to look at our relationship with money in a different way. As someone who works in a pub for minimum wage, I've found my finances are quickly becoming a regular headache of mine (particularly after a night out with tequila, wine and rum). This day has come at a good time for me. 

So do we actually need money to be happy? On September 15th, the Lehman Brothers, one of the largest investment banks in the world, filed for bankruptcy in 2008, which fuelled the fire for this idea. Of course, it goes without saying that a certain amount would make life easier - enough to cover bills, rent, food and the regular trips to the pub - but beyond a certain point, does excess money make our lives that much happier? Do we obsess over money when we don't have it, or does having a lot of it make us obsess over it even more?

I have always said that if I ever won the lottery I'd give away 90% of my winnings - not because I'm 'noble' or can 'live simply' or any other bullshit egotistical reason that comes to mind - but simply because I wouldn't know what to do with it all. How are you supposed to spend £92million in one lifetime without becoming weird and unrealistic? I'd probably want to make a good impact on things that are important to me (like sloths, I love sloths, and I'd like to buy a pub one day), pay off my friends and family's debt, buy a house, do all the sensible things one's supposed to do. Then I'd do the silly stuff, like throwing lavish parties on a big boat with Greg Wilson and Earth, Wind and Fire as the headline acts and have lashings of champagne and smoked salmon. 

Anyway, Free Money Day is an opportunity for us to spread some joy and be positive in an environment where we are told 'life is tough, making money is hard, working for free is acceptable'. There is no amount too small or big - the gesture is supposed to act as a catalyst for conversation, rather than providing a life-changing sum of money. 

So if you are approached by a stranger offering you money today, don't be a typical cynical Londoner (as seen during 'Wearelucky's attempt to spread some joy), accept the generous gesture, pass on the wealth yourself, and spread some financial joy.

Follow @freemoneyday on Twitter! Or check out their website for more information.

Rainbow Brown - Till You Surrender