2016 Review: Sport

In this year to belittle all years, we’ve been given 12 months of drama, intrigue and suspense from the most captivating, gripping and unpredictable sports on the planet. We’ve had history’s greatest underdog story in Leicester City, a Brit topping the tennis world rankings, the monumental rise of Anthony Joshua, an enthralling cricket t20 World Cup, and buried among all this we had an unfortunately underwhelming Euro 2016. From record breakers to leg breakers, the ability of sport to pump adrenaline into our system has never been more prominent than it has in 2016.

Football

In the year that saw a dabbing Youssouf Mulumbu become the most expensive player in football history, the sport still provided us with excitement at every corner across the globe. The 5000/1 underdog story of Leicester City is undoubtedly the most memorable footballing moment of the year, with Jamie Vardy completing his rags to riches story, Mahrez breaking ankles, and the infinitely lovable character of Claudio Ranieri achieving the greatest feat in English football. Perhaps nothing quite embodies Leicester’s season more than the destruction of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s goalscoring record by Jamie Vardy, as he broke away from Darmian and slid the ball through the legs of David de Gea:

'IT'S ELEVEN, IT'S HEAVEN FOR JAMIE VARDY'
Vardy for Leicester vs Man Utd#mufc #lcfc #united #bpl #leicester #blues pic.twitter.com/XjDsElxSSI

— Iconic Commentary (@CommentaryLimbs) 5 September 2016

But the greatest scenes of the season came at Stamford Bridge. All Tottenham needed to do to remain in the title race was to beat an out-of-form Chelsea side, struggling all season from problems on and off the pitch. Spurs went from widespread optimism to abject disappointment in 45 minutes, as Chelsea battled from 2-0 down to equalise, leaving the Spurs players hopeless and despairing. It was a goal of pure finesse, Eden Hazard at his brilliant best, as he exchanged play with Diego Costa and beautifully curved the ball into the top right hand corner; time seemed to stand still as the ball was in the air:

'HAZARD! HE HAS DONE IT!'
Eden Hazard for Chelsea vs Tottenham 2016 2-2#cfc #chelsea #chelseafc #thfc #spurs pic.twitter.com/zhYlpMIuE3

— Iconic Commentary (@CommentaryLimbs) 11 August 2016

 Aside from the Premier League, we had La Undecima, Real Madrid's historical 11th victory of the Champions League, Sevilla beating Liverpool to the Europa League, Man United's FA Cup victory and a first Portugese victory in the Euros after an incredible Welsh effort and an underwhelming English performance. The footballing calendar in 2016 was packed with drama and excitement, and while events off the pitch may have overshadowed the intense scenes on it, the 15/16 season will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest in history.

Cricket

There's not much I can say about cricket. Personally, the sport doesn't excite me, and if I'm honest I barely know the major events in cricket of 2016. But one moment I am aware of is the incredible victory of the West Indies to become champions of the Cricket t20 World Cup. After an incredible run to the final, leaving host-nation India in their wake, it all came down to 6 balls against England in the final. With just one over to go, Carlos Brathwaite needed 19 runs from 6 balls, a seemingly impossible task. But what came next was simply indescribable:

Boxing

This was the year of Anthony Joshua. The once inexperienced fighter known only for his gold medal victory in London 2012 climbed the ladder to become IBF World Heavyweight Champion. The 6'5 giant stormed through opposition with punishing blows, demonstrated most effectively by his demolition of Charles Martin.

The wry smile across Martin's face turns quickly to utter desperation as he realises the strength held in Joshua's right hook. The year also saw the slow and painful destruction of Dillain Whyte by Joshua, alongside other opponents who lasted barely more than a round. Yet, while this year was crucial for Joshua, 2017 is undoubtedly just as vital to his career, with the biggest fight of his life against Klitschko on the cards. His monumental rise is almost complete, but the upcoming year will cement his place in history.

Tennis

Andy Murray's Wimbledon victory in 2013 had for a while seemed like a one-off, with Murray's form  of 2014 and 2015 not adopting the upward trend set between his gold medal victory in 2012 and successful 2013. But 2016 saw the Scotsman jump up the world rankings and settle as the greatest player in the world. Whilst in previous years he undoubtedly seemed out of place among Djokovic, Federer, Nadal etc., 2016 saw him give each of these men a run for their money. 

His victory in the 2016 Rio Olympics is a minor success compared to his comfortable Wimbledon championship, alongside his run to the final of both the Australian and French opens. What's more, he's now been knighted. For a man who began the year as someone who had seemingly reached his peak form a few years back, Sir Andy Murray of 2016 certainly showed us that he still has bags of ability to blow away his opposition.

Olympics

The Olympics is arguably the biggest sporting stage, offering athletes a chance to showcase their wares for the world to see. The Olympics are also a celebration of passion, will and fortitude. The Rio Olympics was no different and had its share of stories and moments that will endure for generations.

One highlight of Rio was the medal-winning performances of Team GB, including a number of young athletes demonstrating the future prosperity of British sport.

The games were the first ever to be held in South America, and featured incredible performances from some of the world’s biggest sports stars, including Michael Phelps, Simone Biles and Usain Bolt.

Usain Bolt, the greatest sprinter of all time and arguably the greatest Olympian ever, signed off in the perfect fashion. He blasted his way through the sprints, and stood out as the only man among the boys and secured a triple-triple of gold medals, taking his tally to a staggering nine gold medals in three consecutive Olympics.

After winning gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m finals in the London Olympics, Farah’s Rio dreams seemed to be dashed when he tripped around half-way into the 10,000m final. Despite seemingly losing all the progress he had made thus far, the Brit showed true Olympic spirit, and carried on. He then displayed a burst of acceleration during the final portion of the race to emerge victorious in spectacular fashion.

The Olympics, despite being so far from home this time, were still gripping, and the success of GB is one which will live long in the minds of many.

2016 Review: A Year of Goodbyes

People die every day. It's not a shocker. But this year, we saw the passing of more notable names in the first 6 months than any year before for a long time.

Here's a description of just a few:

Muhammad Ali
'The greatest'. Some would've called it arrogance but many can now see he really was. The Thriller in Manila, the Rumble in the Jungle, and after the onset of Parkinson's in his forties, his resilience when lighting the Olympic Flame in 1996 showed how strong a fighter and a humanitarian he really was. (Passed away on 3rd June)

David Bowie
Never your standard musician, in terms of persona or his own music style. His last album, released days before his death, was as dark as death itself but that didn't take away the legacy of songs like Life on Mars, Heroes and Changes. RIP Ziggy. (Passed away on 10th January)

Prince

I'm not going to lie. I didn't know too much about Prince before he died, except that he was the one who sang 'Purple Rain'. But that won't take away the legacy he carries within the music industry and it will surely carry with the likes of Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson accompanying him as one of the great 20th century Afro-American music superstars. (Passed away 21st April)

Alan Rickman
Best known for his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series and for chick flick lovers: he was in 'Love Actually'. (He passed away on 14th January.)

Sir Terry Wogan
The BBC's face of radio, Children in Need and Eurovision, his broadcasting career spanned over 50 years. (Passed away on 31st January)

Gene Wilder
Best known for his charismatic and wacky portrayal of Roald Dahl's literary creation Willy Wonka, the film he starred in back in the sixties has stood the test of time and his character has appealed to generations of children. His wish of wanting to be remembered as a friendly face for children and not a victim of Alzheimer's won't be forgotten. (Passed away 29th August)

Johan Cruyff
A Dutch footballing legend who invented one of the most famous skills ever known in the history of the game and played for great clubs like Ajax and Barcelona. (Passed away on 24th March)

Ronnie Corbett

Famous for his partnership with Ronnie Barker in the BBC's 'The Two Ronnies' (which is actually quite funny). A truly funny British comedic legend. (Passed away on 31st March)

George Michael
The man who brought us Last Christmas was found dead on Christmas Day, a cruel tale of irony and a sad way for the life of a musical talent to end. He sold over 100 million albums as a solo artist and as part of Wham! and especially at the all too young age of 53, he will be sorely missed

Other notable names no longer with us are Nancy Reagan, Anton Yelchin, Carrie Fisher, her actress mother Debbie Reynolds (who died the day after her) and Viola Beach, the latter tragically never lived to see the success they were bound to create for themselves in the music industry.

If you ever wondered why there was a sudden rise in the deaths of famous people, well there is apparently a logical reason behind it. 

It's simply that the world is in a period where most of its original stars in the world of entertainment and sport are at an age where death is not 'unexpected', so we effectively need to brace ourselves to lose more of our more aged icons in 2017 and beyond.

To all those who died this year, famous or not, Rest In Peace.

Where Do We Go From Here? Part One

I still remember my first day of year 7 really clearly. I had only ever gone to what was then my new school a couple of times before, and with my mum driving me, I was obviously late (cos you know... black people timing). Rushing down the pathway to the school entrance, I realised that I missed the introductory assembly and I saw everyone filing out. Great way to start a new time in your life! When I look back at it, being late on the first day was just a standard Eman thing to do. It always has to be me.

It was still an exciting new chapter of my life though and I had no idea what secondary school life was going to hold for me. I had no idea what I was getting into...

And now, hopefully a better person than I was back then, I'm on the verge of another exciting new chapter. 6 years have flashed by and suddenly, I find myself 7 weeks away from legally turning into an adult, 7 months away from A Levels and 10 months away from what some call the best years of your life: university. And it's exciting, don't get me wrong, but it's scary at the same time.

When you've been in your comfort zone all your life, with work being organised for you at school, with food already on the table when you get home, with the hassling of teachers to get work done and get it done on time, it will be surely be a shock to suddenly have to do it all by yourself.

Everything instantly just comes your way, whether you're prepared for it or not, whether you're relishing it or not. Managing your money, actually reminding yourself to do beneficial work, having an active social life, keeping yourself and your room tidy, keeping yourself fit. All at the same time. You're not a kid anymore and within 4 months, you move from still being treated like one in 6th form/college to being an independent adult at uni. 4 months with hardly any preparation. So when I write this doom and gloom tale of the standard worries of university life, it doesn't surprise me that some people decide to opt out of paying the £9k a year.

The daily sessions awaits...

But let's stick to the positives. A fresh start, a new opportunity to make friends, (possibly) new surroundings, new social opportunities and new interests/sports to try out. The world becomes your oyster. Life won't just be about grades, you won't be stuck in an exam factory and... AND you can be free from your parents. All of that just 10 months away. You can dream about it all you like but some of us need to make sure we get there first.

Wherever 'there' will be.


Part two is about the process and feelings of applying to uni, interviews and any rejections. Coming in January!

'Grab her by the p****' - A Reflection on the U.S. Presidential Election

Patriotism in politics is today a tricky subject. It's human nature to support what's in your blood. However, our world today is so colourful, ethnically diverse and culturally mixed that it's time the prejudicial body of nationalism was laid to rest. To amend Reagan's powerful damnation of communism:

Nationalism is now 'the focus of evil in the modern world'.

On the day of America's 'New 9/11', the US has sneezed for the whole world to catch a cold. Donald Trump, known racist, sexist, anti-Semetist, xenophobe, homophobe, transophobe and just about any 'phobe' or 'ist' you can think of, has been democratically elected by the people of the United States. And what strikes me most is that of all the words in that sentence, 'democratically' is the one which holds most meaning. 

Whilst the men convicted of the greatest atrocities in human history rose to power through violence and authoritarianism, the people of America have consciously chosen to elect a man incapable of running a country without prejudice. Why? How? What's appealing about a man with no political experience who believes in everything we say is wrong?

In reality, nothing. Except nationalism. Without exploiting the patriotic urges of the American population, Trump has everything against him and nothing for him. It's truly shocking that someone's delusional nationalism can outweigh the clear problems of a character like Trump in government.

And it's not as though the American people can't see this. Mainstream media has made every attempt to paint Trump for what he is, just take a look at the clip below:

The fact is you can't blame Trump for as much as you think. He wouldn't have made it this far without the will of the people (and a bit of cash). Anyone's allowed to run for Presidency. But while the Bolsheviks took power through the storming of the Winter Palace and Hitler wiped out all his political enemies on 'The Night of the Long Knives', Trump sat there in the open, like a sitting duck, waiting to be ridiculed and punished for his bigotry. That moral response never came. The American people have voted for this. For racism. For sexism. For everything.

This is a bleak time for international relations. On the right of us we have Russia scheming to expand their share of the world. Domestically, we have voted to leave the EU based on bigotry and discrimination. And over the Atlantic one of the most vulgar men in the U.S. has assumed power of one of the biggest forces in the world. Prejudice has won everywhere. The modern manifestation of Woodrow Wilson, racism, misogyny and all, is now one of the most powerful men on the planet.

We, us, the 'new minority' of people, without racist motivations or sexist intentions, need to protect those who are vulnerable. Trump's mountain of prejudice will try to crush the minorities of the U.S, and when it drops someone needs to be there to break the fall. Don't be passive. Don't stand and watch as police brutality escalates, as women have their hijab ripped from their head, as those in wheelchairs are pushed from their seat. As the 'new minority', and this isn't debatable after two elections have shown, we need to make our voices heard:

Excessive, prejudicial and immoral nationalism has had its last victory. 

What Dreams Are Made Of

Dreams. Goals. Aspirations. Whatever you want to call it, we all have them in one shape or form.

But... why am I writing about this?

I saw a tweet a few days ago which is so relatable to many teenagers nowadays. It was just a passing comment on how she felt she was so ambitious and yet so lazy at the same time. But I think more than a few of us can easily say that about ourselves.

Despite the typical stereotypes placed on millennials, I've seen my friends (and friends of friends) have so much ambition where they want to do something with their lives. And that's always a great sight to see. People getting great exam results or people reaching some personal target for themselves, it's all impressive. But...

Think back to New Years Eve. Forget about the possible drunkenness or celebration you might have been feeling. I'm really focussing on the New Year Resolutions you probably said you would finally achieve.  I'm going out on a limb here and say that you've hardly done any of that. If you have, then congrats. But you probably haven't, cause teenagers are a lazy bunch.

But that's okay. It can even be backed up by science. We're supposed to be lazy, it's natural and you can't really fight it all the time. Why else can you have a proper night's sleep and still feel like crap the morning after?!

But the point is that despite our tendency to be lazy, it's good to dream and be ambitious. Keeps you on your toes. And when those aspirations are in different areas of your life, it's even better.  I'd be stupid to say that my dreams haven't changed over the years. I was set on being a journalist in year 8 but I've put everything into getting on the path to become a lawyer. I was certain that I had  no potential future in professional sport but my love and enthusiasm for the Olympics has changed all that. Seriously.

Getting onto the first phase of the latest Olympic Talent ID campaign (#DiscoverYour Gold) is amazing. I didn't even think I'd get past the application phase. And I obviously don't want it to end there. I say that but then the #DiscoverYour Power strand is all about speed and leg power... and I have no idea how fast I actually am right now.

But I have faith I can put up more than a good fight against county level, maybe even national level sportspeople and show the potential they're looking for.

No doubt it's a LONG road to becoming an Olympian. And Tokyo 2020 or wherever the 2024 or even the 2028 Olympics will be is just a dream right now. Yet I have no doubt it will take a lot of hard work and a teeny tiny bit of luck for my dream to even start becoming a realistic possibility by getting through this whole Talent ID process. But I'm prepared to take this 'once in a lifetime' chance while praying that it goes my way too.

I can't wait.

Naked Attraction: Stripped Back

Channel 4 have done it again. They had previously really thought outside the box to create programmes like Embarrassing Bodies, First Dates and Gogglebox. But they've really outdone themselves now with their new 'dating' show: Naked Attraction.

This show has already divided opinion but is it a revolutionary but yet ancient method for meeting someone? We've all heard that looks take a backseat when it comes to proper and lasting relationships and that's still true in my opinion. But this show is throwing all of that out of the window and then some. It's not your face, your sense of fashion or your general look being judged here.

Nope, we're talking about EVERYTHING that's underneath that nice shirt you bought yesterday. Yes, that includes your erogenous zones (look it up). You're initially being judged on your birthday suit by someone you can't see behind a coloured screen.

After seeing Twitter erupt over this, I decided to watch it on All4 a few days later. And it left me speechless and grossed out. Very grossed out. I felt damaged. It's definitely the type of show you don't want to come across with your parents right next to you.

And yet some would say this is a champion for the ordinary Briton, for the ones who don't have the classic model look, for the guys with the dad bod and the girls with smaller boobs who can now believe that they can be seen attractive. 

Right, I can see what those people mean. There's nothing wrong with having the things I just mentioned. In fact, most of the rejected people talked about how much it was a confidence booster for them simply because parts of their body were unexpectedly complimented on by the person choosing a date. Does that change the awkwardness levels though?

For people who value physical attraction so highly, this is the perfect process for you to try. But most young people (I hope) don't share that view. The show is essentially based on lust, not love. Plus it's playing to people's 'types'.  Now there's nothing wrong with having a 'type' but sometimes you can really get along with people who aren't your ideal man/woman.

Maybe we should just grow up and embrace it. There's nothing to be ashamed of right? Our bodies are our bodies and we're all fully aware of all the different parts men and women have, so instead of overlooking it and making it an awkward topic of conversation, why don't we just tackle it head on and not get so cringe about it?

But then again, our bodies are our bodies and to be judged on every minor detail from the appearance of pubic hair to moles on your skin can be demeaning. Especially when a guy you've never met before is saying how much he loves your labia and then goes on a little speech about the variety of vaginas (that moment still gives me nightmares) or when a girl is saying how your big legs won't let her be able to sit on you during freaky time.

What I really don't get is the necessity of the show. Do you really need to judge the look and size of someone's penis or someone's vagina before you've even met them? If you're really gonna place the emphasis on looks, surely you can figure out most things when they have their clothes on? You can tell their breast size, muscularity/figure and judge their face all from a normal encounter. To be completely naked is just ridiculous and a bit too far for TV even if it is at 10pm.

But hey, what do I know?

Busting the Myths: My Week in Oxford

Life's getting pretty real now. I've spent the last month or so focused on applying for university and now I'm starting my first job. The feelings I had a year ago in Feel old yet? are still there. So don't blame me when I tell you that I don't feel like I'm on the verge of being a student at university. And until a week and a bit ago, I definitely didn't feel like I could be a student at Oxford. After all it's pretty tough to get into, it's one of the best universities in the world and it has a history for only being a place for the white elite.

The stereotypical view of Oxford students. Recognise anyone?

But UNIQ definitely changed my perspective of Oxford. UNIQ is a summer school run by Oxford for state-school Year 12 students with one huge benefit for us. It's completely free. They pay for absolutely everything. You have the experience of an undergraduate at Oxford by studying whatever course you applied for (e.g. I did Law with 29 other people). It's VERY competitive with over 5800 applicants for 875 places this year and they aim for those from low socio-economic backgrounds and areas to prove to us that we are good enough to apply there.

I'm not gonna lie, I was actually quite calm in the days leading up to leaving for Oxford. I didn't know what to expect and I didn't know how I was going to make friends but I hadn't had time to fret over that sort of stuff. I had finished school just two days before after all! And it wasn't exactly a chilled end to the school year either.

So let me take you through the different aspects of UNIQ and Oxford in general:

THE COURSE

Now I can only obviously talk from a Law student point of view. 

The lecturers were very nice and really good teachers.  Though some of the law group might like some of the Faculty staff a little too much... They know who they are.

They managed to pack a lot into a 50 minute talk and still keep it interesting. We only had 4 proper lectures anyway but 3 of them basically left everyone in awe.  The other had half of us half-asleep! 

Most other subjects had to submit an essay to discuss in a tutorial (a meeting between a academic tutor and a handful of students), but we were lucky enough to do a moot instead (a mock court appeal) where we just made arguments in a 5 minute speech about a fake case with the odd question from a 'judge'. As daunting as it seemed at first, it was actually quite good! 

And our tutorial was basically groups of 6 having a legal discussion with a PhD student at Oxford. Although we were challenged to an undergraduate level with all the tasks we were set, our last two afternoons in Oxford was basically the whole group sitting in the park on a warm day chilling and 'preparing' for the moot and tutorial. It gave me something to boast about to the other subjects!

OXFORD: THE CITY

Oxford looks like a city which was built around the university. And I wouldn't fault it for that at all. The historic setting just fits perfectly with the modern life bustling around it. Bikes are everywhere though... I had more close encounters with bikes than cars during my week there! I was always sceptical about city universities (hence my desire to get away from London) but something about Oxford just gave a different feel.  I can't really explain why.

I hated the amount of walking I had to do ( I walked 20km in total on one particular day...) but only because it was basically the hottest week of the year. The fact that the college I was staying in was the furthest one from the centre of the city didn't help either...

THE PEOPLE

Now I hardly talked to any Oxford locals but all the UNIQ mentors (they're all students) and the staff were amazing. Just helpful, supportive and just generally nice people.

And what about my fellow 'Uniqers'? Well it's always weird being surrounded by complete strangers  at first but the people I got to know at the college I stayed at, and while doing the Law course, (without being soppy) are the nicest people I could have asked for.  It's actually amazing how quickly you can get to know people. It didn't feel like I'd only known them for 6 and a bit days either.

The Law Gang before our BOP.

The LMH crew also before the BOP.

Shoutout to Nell!

THE SOCIAL SIDE

One of the mentors at the very beginning said that we were gonna 'work hard, play hard'. And in the evening activities, we got to experience the different type of stuff an Oxford student would do in their free time. From seeing an improv comedy troupe live to playing sports in the park to having a BOP (big open party) in a nightclub on the last night...

And of course, we had loads of time to spend with people just exploring Oxford during our free time. Some even mingled with some international students who were at another summer school going on in Oxford.

Being on UNIQ definitely changed my view of Oxford. It's not as posh and white-privileged as I had thought. The work wasn't exactly too far beyond me and the social opportunities available definitely busts the myth that Oxford students are all work and no fun.

Academics aside, the experience was unique (pardon the pun). Making friends from all across the country and just having a good time has created memories which I won't forget in a hurry. I'm still even suffering from UNIQ withdrawal to be honest...

If you're in the UK, in a state-school and you've just finished your GCSEs, check out their website. It'd be worth it, trust me! www.uniq.ox.ac.uk

Brexit: What Next?

Warning: If you are on the Leave side, you won't like this one bit. :)

24th June 2016. Take note of the date. It could be one of the most important days in British history.

It was a fair, democratic vote but that won't change the fact that in the midst of the decision by the UK to leave the European Union, there's now a country deeply divided who WILL have at least two years of economic uncertainty and instability.

I'm 17 and therefore, I couldn't vote in this referendum. But like a very good proportion of 16-18 year olds, I would have voted to remain. This was for various reasons, some more common than others.

Going into school, all I saw was disappointment. So far, I only know of two people in my whole year who would have voted to leave if they had the chance. It didn't seem fair that the opportunity to have a say in a decision (which would affect the younger generation the most) wasn't given to people who are old enough to drive, join the army and have sex.

Either way, it's done now. Apparently it's Independence Day. (Nigel Farage's words...) But it could trigger the break up of the United Kingdom as we know it. Scotland and Northern Ireland were two of three regions which voted to remain in the EU (the other being my home city, London) and talks of independence referendums have heartened up.

And I wouldn't be surprised if it happens, in a way, I want to happen. People are crying out that this is a victory for democracy. So if they really meant that, let the Scots and the Northern Irish leave if they want to.

To rub salt in the wound, David Cameron will stand down in October. Now I support Labour but I don't think anyone can legitimately say there's a better candidate for the job. The universally hated Michael Gove and the British version of Donald Trump (guess who) are the front runners and it's likely the public won't get a say in who will be in charge for 3 and half years until 2020.

And I haven't got to the economic bit yet!

To sum it up:

• Pound fell dramatically but it has risen back again, it probably will go back to it's pre-Brexit level in the next couple of days
• FTSE fell to it's lowest point ever and I feel that will take a bit more time for that to recover
• Economic uncertainty and instability will be common now for the next two years
• It will be very tough to negotiate trade deals. It takes 7-10 years to sort those out and guess what? China and India are officially some of the hardest countries to do business with. So much for easy trade alternatives.
• Funding for certain industries (agriculture, fishing etc.) and institutions will be gone (e.g. universities)

I'm glad so many young people have stood up for what they've believed in. We have a voice and it's a shame more of us couldn't be able to share it. The uncertainty over the next few years is not something to be excited about. Instead of trying to improve the EU, we're running away from it, screwing everyone else over in the process and we're not gonna do too well either.

If you think the EU is not democratic enough, then fight to change that. It's not an authoritarian state. If you think immigrants take all the jobs, they are mostly taking the jobs you're either not qualified for or you are too lazy to do, so don't moan about it. I personally think migration numbers won't change. Only a change of border control would change that, not membership of the European Union.

WATCH: @Nigel_Farage tells @susannareid100 it was a 'mistake' for Leave to claim there'd be £350M a week for NHShttps://t.co/JNkl5k8IlK

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 24, 2016

Christ alive.https://t.co/yhJfCfKO84

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 24, 2016

I won't add anything more to that. These videos sum up millions of people's frustration and worry for their country.

The Tinder Experiment

After the interest in the Social Media Experiment I did back in March, I thought I might do another one to give you guys more of an insight into teenage life, something which you never really noticed or something you perhaps underestimated. After all, that's the reason why I set up this website in the first place.

So let me give you the lowdown on how this is gonna work. I've given an anonymous guy (not me) the challenge of handling two Tinder accounts. One is his own and the other...is one of a random male model.

This is all about comparison. He will use different conversation starters and methods to try to get the number of each of his matches on both accounts. I'll post the screenshots of each conversation he has (only up to the point he gets the number though, IF he even gets a number) so you can see the different reactions between some girls (if there are different reactions) with the two guys.

The whole point is to see exactly how much a model can get away with on Tinder, which a regular guy can't as well as see how easy it is for a male model to be 'successful' on Tinder. This isn't a vendetta against girls and Tinder is an app where looks are obviously the key factor in the swiping decision, but it could show how superficial a lot of girls can be (I'm not saying guys can't be either).

Will girls still give their number to a model who starts off with a 'boring' first message like "Hey", the type they are sick of? Will they go nuts over this guy and do whatever to keep his attention even if he's only interested in hooking up or if he's as dull as a post?


Only one way to find out!


NOTE: Any girl involved in a screenshot will not be catfished any further after they give their number and obviously the real Tinder account can carry on as normal while the fake account will be deleted when the experiment is over.

Here's 5... Quotes to Get You Through Exams

So it's exam season, and I'm sure those of you who still have exams left are either working hard or hardly working. It can be a stressful, demoralising time and you can never beat a good quote poster to change your thinking and maybe, just maybe, give you some sort of motivation to get that book out and actually do solid work.

QUOTE #1 

This one is deep. But also a good reminder. You've got to remember the significance of the exams that you're doing and how it's going to impact your future. After all, no one ever regrets doing well.

 QUOTE #2

 If you're looking for a contextual explanation, here it is. Forget about the exams that didn't go so well. They're done now, no matter how well or badly it went. You can only look forward to what exams you have left and obviously, you've got to appreciate any other opportunity you have to boost your grade in a subject.



QUOTE #3

 Unless you're some genius, you're probably not a 100 UMS kind of person for every subject you do... And obviously that's okay. Obviously you have your goals and some are more reachable than others. But as long as you work to your full potential, you will achieve it but don't be too disappointed if you didn't get that high A or that solid B in that one particular subject. Sometimes it's out of your control (and it's in the hands of some self-hating examiner who are having their 10th cup of coffee at 12am while marking your paper.)

QUOTE #4

This one's quite simple really. You get what you give. So put a lot of effort into it. How bad do you want the grades you want to get?

QUOTE #5

Nothing more to add here really...

Good luck to those who still have exams!

1 Year of Being a Teen...

Thank you for your support and of course, the views!

A Month Without Social Media: What I Learned

Click to see some updates of how I got on!

It is done. Completed. Fertig. Finito. My month without social networks has come to an end. Those 31 days went by quickly but were so long at the same time. I knew I was going to do it, I'm not battling an addiction here but I was really hoping it wasn't going to be a complete waste of my time.

Social Media in general

You can't completely escape social media. In the first week, I still experienced some of the things I disliked about social networks.  I got shown a picture of yet another girl who use poor, poor reasons to post something sexual ( Nice new T-Shirt, but I can't see much of it since it's mostly your cleavage on the screen) as well as being put on someone else's snapchat against my will. (You know who you are...).

Productivity

Can I honestly say the hours I didn't spend scrolling through my Twitter timeline were well spent? Yes and no. Obviously I have exams coming up and I'm not a fool, I revised. And it definitely encouraged me to not get distracted so easily. 

When I asked people who hardly ever go on social media, they just gave me a simple list of things they do or have done when they couldn't get on social media: It ranged from watching TV to cleaning. (I know right?!)

But I just made a revision timetable, stuck to most of it and I went straight in. With no use of YouTube, I also spent some time on the piano, trying out different stuff, playing some songs I know (e.g. I know about 3/5 of Paradise by Coldplay). Maybe I could have read more in my free time than I did instead of watching shows on BBC iPlayer, SkyGo and All4 though. 

BUT... Boredom

There were only passing thoughts of boredom in the first two weeks of this 'break' but as soon as I hit 20 days, I was starting to feel the effects. Spending your Easter holidays with minimal contact with other people (Believe it or not, I don't use WhatsApp that often) actually took its toll. Days were getting way too repetitive and I started to miss being able to procrastinate on YouTube or see the funny/hyped up reactions to the football. Got to be honest, I underestimated how much I had started to depend on YouTube for entertainment. That element was definitely the hardest element of it.

Should You Do It Too?

Let's get this straight. Social media is just needed in a young person's life. How much of it you need to indulge yourself in though, well that's up to you. Some can handle it and some let it take over their life. I can't think of a single person who would do what I did without any incentive, especially as some people think there's no point in doing such a thing. It's just not natural anymore to not spend a certain amount of time on some sort of internet platform communicating with other people, posting about your life or just being weird to be honest.

But still if you want to challenge yourself, if you've ever wondered how much self-control and discipline you actually have, then do it. People lived without social media once, they can do it again.

Problems with Preeing - Why it's actually slightly worrying

You have 20 minutes to find out as much as you can about a random stranger. If the Internet was your only resource, how much do you think you could find...?

This entry is ambitious. I'm hesitant writing it and I've deleted it and started again almost a dozen times. Perhaps it's because I am myself guilty of excessive preeing on multiple occasions, or maybe it's the fact that many of you won't see preeing as a necessary topic of discussion, since it doesn't really harm anyone; either way, I'll give it a go.

This week I was 'binging' the heavily commended hit US crime-drama 'Mr Robot', winner of the 2016 Golden Globe for 'Best Drama Television Series'. While the show is predominantly in its infancy with just 10 episodes released, it has already covered a vast range of modern day issues, causing me to think deeply, perhaps in excess, about the virtual society we live in today. I'll take the same approach to this piece as Sam Esmail did when creating the show: This is merely food for thought...

The Positives

First off, let's actually discuss why preeing is possibly one of the most useful Internet concepts of the 21st century. On a serious note, it makes it simple and easy to identify whether someone is who they say they are, limiting the risks of catfishing and scamming. It's not difficult to recognise if the person behind the screen is real, as long as you ask yourself these key questions:

1. Do they constantly post on and update Twitter/Facebook just like the average person?

2. Do they upload Snapchat stories?

3. Do they use profile pictures?

4. How realistic is their Instagram/other photo uploads? Let's be honest, if they never upload pictures of themselves, or they upload clearly edited pictures of models and claim it's them... They're not who they say they are.

On another note, and I hope I speak on behalf of most teenagers (else this will probably stain your view of me), preeing is absolutely essential for determining someone's appearance. While there are a frequent cases of deceit and manipulation on Instagram, with filters and angles, preeing someone on more than one form of social media helps us to create a well-formed, detailed mental image of what someone genuinely looks like. (Sidenote - never, ever solely judge someone by their Instagram - that's criminal). And if you're one of those people having a moan at me for judging someone just by their appearance on social media - Twitter is genuinely a good way to judge someone's personality.  

Why it's worrying...

Ponder on how much effort you really need to put in to 'pree'. When you peek into someone's private life online, how hard is it for you to dig deeper? When I think about it, if I was given 10-20 minutes, I could find out where someone lives, where they go to school, what their hobbies are, who their friends are, where they ate dinner last week, what music they like - I could do all that in 20 minutes. And unless you lack basic computer skills, so could you. Be honest.

so awkward when you meet someone you've stalked and don't know whether to play it cool or ask if they enjoyed dubai in 2011.

— carlos (@b0redinbucks) November 1, 2015

Okay, at the end of the day 999/1000 cases of preeing are harmless. But the other week someone was trying to find the location of a party and I offered to help. The only tool I had: The host's Instagram. Truth be told I failed to find the location of the party and ultimately didn't succeed, but I did manage to find his ex-girlfriend's house, his dad's house and 3 places he went on holiday in the last 4 years...

Thankfully, I'm no online groomer, so I didn't do anything with the information I found; nonetheless, you surely get the point. If anyone ever had serious, threatening motives, analysing someone's online footprint would lead them straight to vitally important information.

The frightening anonymity of our 'preers'

In the modern day, every single on of us has built up an online clone of ourselves, which makes us increasingly at risk. Every online bank account, Facebook profile, Twitter page, Instagram feed, Tinder, Tumblr, Vine, LinkedIn etc. adds to our online footprint. The fact is that the more websites we subscribe to, the more Tweets we post, messages we send, pictures we add, the more and more detail we add to our online personas. By existing in the online world, we scarily make ourselves more vulnerable than ever before. All it takes is one password for your entire world to unravel, think about that. 

"Real? You wanna talk about reality?
We haven't lived in anything remotely close to it since the turn of the century"

It's true, we live in an online, virtual world. You're essentially communicating we me right at this moment by reading my article. You can take that a step further and turn my message to you into a conversation, by commenting.  But before commenting, let it occur to you that everything you comment on nowadays is realistically a public conversation. If you were to comment, anyone in the world with access to the Internet will see what you said about my post, and there are almost 3 billion Internet users worldwide. Imagine that, one click of a button and 41.9% of the world's population can read what you said. Crazy, isn't it?

What am I trying to tell you?

Honestly, this post has no moral substance. I'm not telling you to take courses in Internet safety so that my friends don't crash your party, I'm not saying you're all vulnerable to paedophiles and rapists and I'm certainly not implying that we should all shut down our various forms of social media. No, that would be pointless because no matter how many times we are told about the problems of the Internet, it's simply too entertaining to stay away from. Really, I should be writing a history essay right now, but instead I'm scrolling through Twitter because watching 45 angles of fan footage of Liverpool fans fighting Man United fans is thoroughly enjoyable. 

So no, don't take this article any more seriously than I mean it. It's food for thought, something interesting and relatable. My ideas all sparked from Mr Robot, and I began this article by talking about the show, so it seems fitting that I end in similar fashion: The following clip gives you an insight into the show, and it sticks with the topic of my discussion today. So sit back and enjoy 71 seconds of pirated TV:

Oh and by the way, it goes without saying that Mr Robot is a stroke of television genius which I thoroughly recommend watching. Rated 8.8 on IMDb and with 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, you know it's got to be good.

Synopsis: 'Young, anti-social, morphine addict Elliot Alderson works as a cybersecurity engineer during the day, but at night he is a vigilante. He is recruited by the mysterious leader of an underground group of hackers who strive to take down the heads of multinational companies that he believes are running -- and ruining -- the world.'

Digitalised.

Technology is forever advancing. And quickly too. Just 10 years ago, smartphones weren't even on the scene but now they are everywhere and they've been joined by smart TVs, smart watches and virtual reality goggles.

The Internet is taking over...

But it's the advancement of phones and the Internet which affects Generation Y (that's us 10-30 year olds by the way) the most. We can't get enough of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr etc. And there's nothing wrong with socialising, don't get me wrong. Sure there's funny memes and videos, you get to follow your favourite celebs and like/favourite the constant selfies that fill your timeline. But no one can deny that they use it way more than necessary.

And yet just think. Can you go a whole day without going on any of your social media accounts? Just a day? Can you keep yourself entertained with a book or an instrument or even just watching TV?!

I personally don't use social media that often. I find it weird to comment on everything or tell the world what I'm doing every single day, especially when it really isn't anything of interest. If you're one of those people that puts random, pointless snaps on your Snapchat story just for the sake of it, please, stop.

Are YOU obsessed?

We feel like we need to consistently portray ourselves as 'perfect' people who are constantly having fun and are attractive who have big muscles or in girls' cases, a big bum and breasts. It must feel like a needle stuck on a broken record but how many times have you seen cases of people being exposed for using photoshop on Instagram? Or they tweet or post something but delete it and re-post it because it didn't get enough likes/retweets the first time round? Take a look at Buzzfeed's funny take on it.

 

When did social media become such a priority? There's too much self-induced pressure on our part. If people put as much work into 'more important' areas of life as they do with their social life, they'd have so much more success in school, music, sport etc.

But is it now impossible for a modern teenager to live without social media? Is it just a fact of 21st century life? Only one way to find out.

Challenge Accepted.

So I'm going to spend a month without social media. The rules I'm imposing on myself will be  published on the update page here. I'll try to give updates as much as I can during the month as I try this social experiment. Hopefully it will be interesting and the true effects of social media can be known. It won't be easy. No more reactions to the football on Twitter, no more football updates, no more funny vines/videos/memes. Wow, what am I letting myself in for?? 

Don't forget to check to see how I get on!

Coming of Age

Shout out to a past guest contributor, Harry, whose birthday was on the 11th Feb! 

People change. Fact. Sometimes it's just a gradual thing that takes years, but it can also happen in just a few days. You can't honestly look in the mirror and say that you are the same person, inside and out, you were when you started secondary school. It can't be helped. Just take a look at all the #Gloupchallenge pictures on the Internet.

 Not familiar? Urban Dictionary defines glo-up as: When someone becomes really attractive after they hit puberty AKA ugly duckling syndrome

Change: For better or for worse?

Our experiences often shape us, for the better and occasionally, unfortunately, for the worse.

Last summer, thousands of Year 11 students, free from exams, went on NCS (National Citizens Service). Most of the people in a particular whatsapp chat I'm in went as well. It was advertised as a way to meet new people, make new friends and gain valuable experiences to help us develop as people.

When it was being sold to us in April, I thought " Yeah, why not?". Then I just got lazy when I had to make a decision, the idea just didn't appeal to me. And I regret it, well sort of.

It seems like those who did go, had a really good time (for most of it), they made lots of new friends etc. But people seemed to have changed because of it.

When I was in years 7-9, my school had a 'bad' reputation to other schools. We were "neeky and sporty". (Not my words) Now I think about it, I don't think anyone liked us...

Exhibit A. Need I say more?

Anyway before I knew it, nearly everyone in that group was way more social, partying, drinking and constantly talking about girls. I ended up calling the group the 'gossip chat'. Out of nowhere, people suddenly had girlfriends and were out every weekend. Nothing wrong with that obviously, but it felt like I must have been in some sort of a coma or something because it did honestly feel like "they just woke up one morning and realised they had a penis" (CN, 2015).

I don't know. I guess something like this was going to happen sooner or later.  I doubt anyone is still the same person they were 6 years ago. I just never expected NCS to be the turning point. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with it. It just makes me wonder why they seemingly changed at that point.

Was it because they were around loads more girls and getting some numbers made them more outgoing?  Either way, change can be good (BUT you should always try to be happy within yourself unless we're talking about something damaging like obesity) but only if you let it. Too much though and it's going to come back to bite you. Hard.

If you're going to find yourself to be a changed person, make sure it doesn't turn you into a bad one. It's easy to ignore what you once had or what the right thing to do is. Don't lose your morals, standards or friends. There's no point in making other parts of your life suffer. If it does, then it's not worth whatever advantages it brings, whether that's more money, sex or whatever fills your heart's desire.