This Wednesday ...

... if you're a fellow university student, I hope to see you there or hope that you're at least supporting it. Higher fees for universities that are undergoing severe cuts? I'm sorry, but f- that.

Lishieomancy has posts detailing what I put myself through in getting into university. There were tears cried, sleepless nights worrying about results and interviews, the pouring of blood and sweat into every piece of work created for my portfolio, and as a result, I got into three of the four applied to. I'm now at a university, loving my new course, getting on really well with course buddies, joining societies, having my own little accommodation room to look after - university life is great, and I believe everyone should have a chance to experience this, if they'd like to.

Education is a right, not a privilege.

From a comment I wrote when I signed this petition, altered a little for this post (the point remains the same):

Lord Browne, Mr Cameron, Mr Clegg et al, I say this: if you or your parents could pay for your prestigious university education - that's great. Good for you. If you can pay for your kids' university educations - that's awesome too. I have nothing against those who pay for their university educations without the use of loans, and I have nothing against the wealthy. But with all due respect, the rest of us may not be as lucky, and we deserve a chance too.

Money does not equal intelligence, a willingness to learn, and a desire to go far in life.

April Fools!

Alright, before I turn in for the night (and before I forget) April Fools' Day went by unnoticed offline, but online was a different tale ... a very twisted, mischievious tale ...



I was brainwashed into losing my memories by (Koru disguised as) Planetary Quasar. It was quite bothersome.



Speak of the devil, here he is.



Our admin HP Zoner seemed a little moody ... maybe it was just because he'd been demoted to a moderator position while B-Mask took on the role of Big Boss. (Or it could be just JB in voluminous green robes.)



And bmT (and Rob, too) turned up with monocles, old film grain effects and top-hats to say hello. Whether it was them or their ancestors who acquired a time-travelling machine is still a mystery ... and they also drank my entire supply of tea. Bugger.


Other mishaps included BZR1 trying to take over the world, Fake Smaz taking the Real Smaz's place as moderator, Vegg and papupapu coming back for a natter, Alen becoming a gingerbread man and ... DA assigning me to 'Team Jacob'. I don't like Twilight nor do I understand its hype, but as long as I didn't get sparkle-boy, I'm not too offended. ;)


Screencaps from the day:
(Sorry there aren't many! Click on them to enlarge.)

Cheer up, love, it might never happen!

Not art-related in the visual sense, more in the literary sense.

Why is barely anybody happy anymore when they write poetry? I've always been aware of the existence of sad and dark poems, I used to write a few myself when I was about 13 and sadness is of course a human emotion that needs to be expressed - but my problem is with the lack of happier poetry. Heck, even humorous poetry (of all different types of humour) is an absolute gem to read when I find it. And I know I'm not the only one who feels this way.

I'm not necessarily on about published works, I'm more on about the poetry I see fellow forum-members* writing or occasionally classmates'** poetry back in high school. I'd say about ... 85% of the forums I've visited have had a writing or poetry thread, if not a subforum dedicated to it. And in those threads, about nine out of ten poems have been on the huge dark deep abyss of your tormented soul.

I'm aware that many of the forums I visit have teenage members, and being a teenager - especially your early and mid teens - is a real rollercoaster. One moment you're in the sky, on top of the world, then you swoop right down into a pile of proverbial festering cow manure. That cute boy turning you down for the upcoming prom does honestly seem like the worst problem in the world at that time and it's only in retrospect you realise how trivial that issue really was. I don't deny it's a difficult time, and letting it out is a healthy thing to do (not through self-harm, I hasten to add, self-harm is never a good thing).

But you can write happy or funny poetry too. And ... that'll probably cheer you up a lot more than writing weepy stanzas. All you have to do is give it a try. See, I'm not just here to moan, I'll give you all a challenge. I'm certainly going to do it - and to you, the reader, I challenge you to do it too.



Pick somewhere, anywhere, a comfortable environment. Your favourite chair at home in your pyjamas, a cafe in town, the park, a little place where you can relax.

Write a piece of prose or a poem, about a side of A4 paper (more if you'd like, but certainly no less than half a page). This piece doesn't have to be humorous (if you do though, you get extra points) but it does have to be optimistic. Imagine a scene in your head, or draw inspiration from things around you.


When you've done, you can post them in response to this post, in your own thread, in your DeviantART, on your blog, send it to your friends ... anything! All that matters is that you do it.



If I'm wrong and it doesn't cheer you up in the slightest, I cheerfully admit defeat. Look on the bright side - if you usually write the less-happier stuff, at least you gave something new a shot. Trying new things prevents us from going stale.


Oh, and check this poetry anthology out, it has a wonderful selection: 101 Poems That Could Save Your Life by Daisy Goodwin. There are some real inspiring, uplifting pieces in there.


Now do it. If you're on summer break and have no plans, you have no excuses.


* - NOT anybody or any forum in particular, just a general thing I've noticed. Please do not turn up on my doorstep clamouring for my head on a pike. :3

** - No, it's not anybody particular there, either!