Big Brother Tuesday 29th July 2014

It was the episode of big brother last night that everybody loves, the one where they get their letters from home. Winston was given the task of choosing which housemates could receive their letters and whose should be sacrificed, I think he made the right decisions by choosing to give the letters to those with children and the younger housemates. I thought Ashleigh's letter from her boyfriend was by far the sweetest and most emotional of all of the letters, it was sad for those that didn't get theirs but as we know there is always a twist where they can win them back again. I still think Chris does have a weird creepy crush on Ashleigh, as he kept looking at her a bit oddly and possessively when she got the letter from her boyfriend. There was a nice moment at the end of the episode when all of the housemates gathered together to look at a perfect rainbow that had appeared in the evening sky.

Big Brother Monday 28th July 2014

So, last night saw Pav, Zoe and Chris all put up for eviction and Ashleigh granted immunity from being nominated. I think the general consesus on twitter last night was that Pav and Zoe are just resented by the original housemates because they have come in at such a late stage, but still have just as much right to win as them. I have been a big fan of Chris since the start of the show, but I really didn't like that stuff last night with him telling Pav not to look at Ashleigh. I know we only see a really small amount of their time in the house, but I haven't noticed Pav looking pervily at Ashleigh or making comments about her. Ashleigh herself said she hadn't noticed Pav doing anything, so it wasn't really Chris's place to say anything, he just made himself look a bit creepy and possessive.

Reading Group Questions And Answers On Perfect By Rachel Joyce

I read Perfect by Rachel Joyce last week, and it was one of those books that left me feeling very emotional and asking myself lots of questions about the characters and themes of the book. The following is my attempt at answering some reading group questions on the book.

 

Question 1: The attempt to achieve perfection is central to both Diana's and Byron's behaviour. Has the novel changed your perception of what it may mean to be 'perfect'?

 

Answer: Both Byron and Diana are trying to live up to the ideals of being perfect people, for Byron this is being a first class academic and for Diana this is being a perfect wife and mother. These ideas have been placed on them by somebody else, which increases the pressure on them to live up to them. My perception of 'perfect' changed when I had a nervous breakdown at the age of 29, I believed that I had to have a career at a certain level, earn a certain salary and have married and had a child by 30. When these things started slipping I tried to grab on harder to them, to the detriment of my health. In recovery I have realised that all that matters is happiness, there isnt a certain thing that makes you secure of successful. We are all made different and living a life that makes you happy as an individual is all that matters.

 

Question 2: Rachel Joyce portrays time as a slippery and un-predictable concept. Has this affected your attitude towards the ways in which we measure the paths of our lives?

 

Answer: The book makes you consider how time is something that can both break and heal things. Time is unpredictable, as you find out in the book, a split second decision can alter the path of our lives. I think people can become too obsessed with time though and running their lives to schedules. I liked the part in the book where Diana stops using clocks, I have tried in the last year to be a bit freer from doing things when I think I should and it can be very fulfilling to be free from routines.

 

 

Question 3: Responsibility is a theme that plays a key part in the novel. Who do you believe holds the greatest responsibility for the accident?

 

Answer: If the accident really happened then of course Byron was responsible for distracting his mother and his mother was responsible for taking her eyes off the road. The question is though, did the accident actually take place or did Byron imagine it? or did Beverley just take the opportunity to con and manipulate Diana?

 

Question 4: Is Jim's mental illness the inevitable result of the events of his childhood??

 

Answer: We find out early on in the book that he is an anxious child, the idea of time changing scares him. A lot of the issues with his mental health would have come from the pressure to live up to ideals placed on him by a father who was absent mostly from his life but still expected him to live and behave to his standards. He is also very responsible for his mother who is struggling with life, so that coupled with the burden of the accident would have of course pushed him over the edge later in life.

 

 

Question 5: Diana says: 'I'm beginning to think chaos is underrated' do you agree?

 

Answer: Yes I do agree, Its a great thing to throw caution to the wind and be spontaneous, when we live our lives ridgidly and to routines then we miss out on a lot of the joy of life.

 

Question 6: Byron identifies the moment at which he no longer considers himself to be a child. How does the novel question traditional definitions of childhood and parenthood?

 

Answer: In the book Byron strikes me as a character who was born old and Diana comes accross as somebody who was forced to become an adult too quickly and still has a childlike nature. I think in life we just expect parents to be the responsible ones who have it all figured out but sometimes I think children can end up having to guide and be responsible for their parents. Its comes back to the point of does time really exist as we think it does? Just because we are in adult or child human bodies, does it necessarily determine the intelligence or wisdom we have, the roles we are here to play or the journeys or souls have been on?

 

Question 7: What is the significance of class in the relationship between Beverley and Diana?

 

Answer: Class is what ultimately causes Diana to have to confront herself and a lot of the demons she is holding inside. She is living this wealthy lifestyle, but really inside she is a free and very natural person and meeting Beveley lets her unleash that side of her nature. I think both Beverley and Diana use class as a power over each other but in subtle ways, Diana has the money to buy and do what Beverley would like to do but Bevereley has the freedom in her lifestyle to obtain the happiness that Diana craves.

 

Question 8: Diana believes that the course of her life is determined by destiny. What part does spiritual belief play in the novel and do you agree that our actions cannot influence our own fates?

 

 

Answer: In the novel Byron believes that you can control things and he has a deep need for that, its part of the reason why time being altered scares him so much because it is something that is unnatural and out of his control. It is a grey area, but I believe that I think we are all destined to fulfill a certain role or to experience certain things. Acting in a certain way cannot control that but sometimes actions we perceive to be bad really end up leading us to our ultimate purpose.

 

Question 9: Seymour and Andrea Lowe express strong views about feminism. How does Rachel Joyce represent the role of women in the novel?

 

Answer: I think the way that women are represented in the novel is very significant and relative to the time period that the book was set in. In the 1970's most women did aspire to be at home living off men and rasing children and were told mostly by men that it was their place to be at home. However there was a new breed of women like Diana emerging who challenged sexism and believed there was more to life than just keeping a house. As the novel moves on to present day, we see that the women working with Jim in the cafe are stronger fiestier characters and this represents the change in our culture.

 

Question 10: Diana is lonely despite having a family and friends; Jim experiences intense loneliness. What do you think makes people feel connected to each other, and what creates fulfilling relationships?

 

Answer: I think the feeling that we are understood and accepted is what makes us feel connected to people. With Diana she was represseing her true nature to live a so called perfect life so she wasn't meeting people similar to her or developing deep connections. I think we create fulfilling relationships by being true to ourselves and by being accepting of other people.

Big Brother Tuesday 22nd July 2014

So the big question of last nights episode, is it romantic or creepy to be planning your wedding with somebody you have known six weeks? With Steven involved it can only be creepy in my opinion! Ashleigh has taken like a duck to water at being the power housemate, she isn't afraid to make decisions like a lot of them have been who have previously had the power. Although I do think that putting Mark in the alliance was a mistake as he is far from discreet and will probably end up blabbing stuff to other housemates. Funniest moment of last nights episode was Mark thinking he saw himself in his tea leaves, then thinking it was a map of Scotland and then realising it was Pav staring at him from the bottom of his tea cup!

Big Brother Sunday 20th July 2014

So, last night the big announcement was that Kimberly will not be returning to the house due to a medical condition. Obviously we don't know what is wrong with Kimberly and how seriously unwell she is, but based on the fact she was well enough to be able to take a live on air phone call to Steven, I have a speculation on the matter. I think that when Kimberly went to hospital she either saw some of the show or was told by someone how the relationship with Steven was making her look, and she saw the opportunity of getting a way from it by not returning to the house. I would lay money on the fact now, that Kimberly and Steven won't be together again outside of the house!

Big Brother Friday 18th July 2014

I finally got caught up with big brother in time for last nights eviction, and I'm so glad I did as it was a great eviction to tweet along with other viewers too. I was glad to see the back of Biannca, I appreciate that she did stir things up a bit, but she was just too much and the tone of her behaviour with the boys would have brought the show down to an all time low. Her exit kind of said it all really, so I'm glad that the public kept Zoe and Pav in as they are way more interesting characters to watch. I was gutted to see Danielle voted off by the two new housemates, I think she went for one reason only, that she was judged for appearing in the web cam documentary. I found Danielle such a fascinating character, I think the mystery around her morals and beliefs that she portrayed on the show comes from the fact that perhaps her family don't know the extent of her glamour career. So she put on this act of having pure beliefs to protect their opinion of her, although I am sure they have seen that documentary by now! What was all the stuff with Dexter Koh about? She sold a story on his dick that she hadn't even seen? Everybody was ready for a kick off on bit on the side, but they were both very meek when they saw each other on there. It will be interesting to see now what Ashleigh is like without Danielle, I think she will come in to her own a lot more and have a bit more fun.

Book stuff: Perfect by Rachel Joyce

I just finished reading Perfect by Rachel Joyce and I absolutely loved it! I randomly treated myself to it in Waitrose on a bit of a down day, as the synopsis seemed to connect with how I was feeling in that moment. Perfect tells the story of a summer in 1972 when two seconds of time are added on and a young boy Byron who thinks he witnesses the time change on his watch and in that moment something awful happens. Failing to get the incident out of his mind, Byron and his friend James launch 'operation perfect' to attempt to put things right, but events spiral out of control with life changing consequences. This book links both summer 1972 and present day time together with alternating chapters, each chapter ended on such a good cliff hanger that I was desperate to find out what happened next. I really want to read Rachel Joyce's other book, the unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry now, so I will be looking out for that in the library. I will be posting a reading group questions and answers session on Perfect up on my blog next, I will flag that it contains spoilers, so don't look if you haven't read the book yet.

Big brother bits!

I'm finally nearly all caught up with big brother after missing it for a week whilst I was on holiday, I only have yesterday's episode to watch now. It was no surprise that Marlon went on Monday night, I knew the public would turn on him for saving himself from eviction, but aside from that I found him incredibly dull. Once Kimberly tore down his fake ladies man persona, he didn't seem to have a real one to replace it. Three new housemates also entered the house on Monday night, and I immediately recognised Zoe Birkett from the first ever series of pop idol. I remember when Zoe was on pop idol I used to think she was really cool and had a very individual style, I remember telling people I thought she would be a big star, so it's a bit sad to see that she has become just another one of those people who are happy to be famous for anything as long as they are getting paid. It is also getting a bit annoying that big brother is becoming a low grade celebrity version of the show, in all of the series since it moved to channel 5 in 2011, I have recognised housemates from other reality shows. Come on channel 5! we like the celebrity version of the show, but give the main big brother back to regular people, we don't need to recognise people to be drawn to watching it!

Book stuff: Brida by Paulo Coelho

I've been continuing my spiritual journey with another Paulo Coelho book, this time I went for 'Brida' which I found in my local library. The book tells the story of Brida a young Irish girl on the search for her soulmate and trying to understand her gift for magic while also trying to balance her everyday and real world relationships. Her journey sees her encounter and learn from both a witch and a magus and gives a great insight into the world of magic and witchcraft. My favourite quote from the book was this "I will always remember you, and you will remember me, just as we will remember the evening, the rain on the windows, and all the things we'll always have because we cannot possess them". I think what the quote means is that when we love something or someone we never lose it, because we never owned it, so it will always be there. Aside from this book I have only read Aleph and The Zahir of Paulo Coelho's books, and I am going to say that I didn't like this one as much as the other two. If I ask myself why this is, then I would say it is because the lead character in the Zahir is male and The Aleph is autobiographical so I got more of a sense of Paulo himself coming through in those two books. I'm going to see if I can get some more of Paulo's books from the library next week, I am keen go find out if there are any others of his that I will love as much as The Zahir.

TOWIE

How are you guys liking the new series of TOWIE? To be honest, all of the Ferne and Charlie drama is driving me mad as I feel like its just a repeat of the last series. It's quite obvious with them two that the respect between them has gone, they have both slept with other people so they have physically moved on, they just need to do the same emotionally. Jess is also doing my head in with all this stress about Ricky not making enough of a commitment to her, she is just having the freak out that everyone has in their 29th year where you suddenly realise you are nowhere near to the life you thought you would have aged 30 (remember that episode of friends where Rachel turns 30?). She should just chill out and enjoy her relationship, life rarely happens on schedule, also can her mum stop talking over the top of her whenever she says anything? Thank you. Gemma is still my favourite cast member but all of this stuff with Bobby and Harry seems very odd, to be honest I think her and Bobby are too old to be hanging out with someone Harry's age and they can't really expect someone of his age to have the same views on relationships as them in their late 20's/ early 30's. On a final note can Billie hurry up and have her baby!!

Benefit Sugarlicious make up kit

I was on holiday on a cruise ship last week that had a fab beauty and perfume shop on board, with lots of products that I haven't seen in UK shops, I literally could have bought so much in there! I was really intrigued by these Benefit make up sets they had which contained various mini Benefit products to give you a certain look. I decided to go for the Sugarlicious set which gives you a nude make up look with products for your lips and cheeks. The set contains 'high beam' which is a dewey type fluid that highlights your cheek bones, 'benetint' which gives a subtle reddy/ pink stain to your cheeks and lips, 'sugarbomb' powder which is four subtle shades of browns/ pinks and oranges to lighltly bronze your cheeks and finally 'sugarbomb' lip gloss which is in a light pink shade for a nude look lip. I have used the set several times this week and have to say it is great, my complexion has had a very healthy and bronzed glow, I have to keep reminding myself though that the kit is miniature so I can't use it everyday! I have my eye on the primping with the stars set now as as potential birthday gift!

The Armstrong Lie

I was looking forward to watching the Armstrong Lie on channel 4 last night as I have been curious to see it for a while now. Ever since the truth came out about Lance Armstrong two years ago now, I have struggled to clarify my feelings on him and the subject of doping. I remember being 23 years old and reading 'it's not about the bike' and thinking it was the most amazing and inspirational thing I had ever read. When I struggled in the gym I would think of that photo of a bald and skinny Lance drained from chemotherapy cycling away on an exercise bike, I would answer quickly with the name 'Lance Armstrong' when people asked me who my favourite sportsman was and I wore my Livestrong band with pride. Hearing that Lance cheated throughout all of his career was definitely illusion shattering, all of his books had inspired me but it all suddenly felt meaningless. The documentary was great in that it gave us an insight into the specifics of how Lance managed to get away with cheating, as that is something I have been wondering about as it conflicts so much with things mentioned in his books. Some of the tactics that they used were crazy, like removing their blood with the EPO drug in it into bags before the pre-race drugs test and then putting it back into their bodies during the race. It still felt kind of sad to me to be watching a documentary like that about Lance Armstrong but it was still incredibly interesting. I think while Lance has lost all credibility as a sportsman, I will always respect him as a cancer survivor and fundraiser. I feel a bit like the documentary has left me still wanting to know more about all of this, so I am definitely on the look out for some great books about it.

Curvy girl dressing: ASOS curve range

As a curvy size 16 girl I find it difficult to find clothes, particularly dresses that flatter my figure. Clothes from the main stream shops on the high street are just made as bigger versions of the items for slender people and don't sit right on curves, or plus size clothes like those from Evans are just made like tents! I went away on a cruise last week which involved a lot of formal evening dinners and I really struggled to find dresses to take with me that would suit my figure. I managed to get a couple in Debenhams and Coast but in a last minute mad dash to find some more before I left on my trip, I tried ASOS online and found that they have a plus size range called Curve. There were two dresses that I instantly loved, but I was sceptical, would they be undersized and leave me struggling to get into them? Or would they hang off me like a sack? I decided to order them anyway and find out. The dresses arrived and were gorgeous, trying them on they fitted me perfectly, accentuating my curves in all the right places and hiding those wobbly bits that I'm not too keen on! Wearing the dresses on holiday, I felt like a million dollars, they were so glam, I only paid £25 for each of them but I felt more confident wearing them than in the dress I paid £160 for from coast. If you are a curvy girl like me and you battle to find clothes that work with your figure then definitely check out the ASOS curve range.

Catching up on big brother

Hope everyone is okay this weekend. I haven't written any blog posts on big brother over the last week as I have been away in holiday. I am spending a lovely Sunday catching up on the show today and will write some more big brother views on my blog next week xxxx