Posts Tagged by friends
AJ’s Advice – finding inspiration
| March 23, 2013 | Posted by Alaa Jasim under AJ's Advice |
Yes, I know, it’s been a bit longer than a while. Honestly, I’ve been lacking in inspiration lately, and trying to sneeze out a piece of writing can often just result in a blank page and a massive headache. And believe me, there have been many headaches. Finding something to inspire you, not just to write, but to paint, to work to generally enjoy being alive can be difficult, but you just have to find a system, or a set of things that won’t fail to inspire you. That way, you won’t be blank for more than a bit longer than a while. Here are the things that inspire me most (in no particular order): 1. People I have quite… more
AJ’s Advice – leaving home
| September 22, 2012 | Posted by Alaa Jasim under AJ's Advice |
It’s been a while, readers, because I’ve left home for university. I’ve moved about 220 miles away and it’s probably the most frightening thing I’ve ever had to do. For a lot of us, it’ll be really scary – and for good reason. Moving away for university is a really big life decision, and leaving home and jumping into unfamiliar waters can often just make you want to cry (and goodness have I cried!), but it’s something that most of us heading for uni will go through and we’re all in the same boat. So. Leaving home. You’ve got to remember that there are always those people who will settle in much more quickly than others and that everyone is… more
AJ’s advice – anxiety
| August 4, 2012 | Posted by Alaa Jasim under AJ's Advice |
Anxiety. That thing everyone hates and that everyone has felt. That thing a lot of students may now be feeling in the tense lead up to the A-level results day – I know, I had to mention the “R” word. I didn’t want to do it (trust me, I’m dreading results day as much as the next person) but I think it probably is the major cause of anxiety in students in Britain right now. Those emails from UCAS hardly help, do they? The problem is, anxiety can affect you pretty badly. I’m not saying that results day-induced nerves will necessarily be causing you anxiety so potent it is literally debilitating, but it’s still not very fun and is liable… more
AJ’s advice – scary movies
| July 7, 2012 | Posted by Alaa Jasim under AJ's Advice |
So here we are once again, a week later and with our Twilight bashing all finished. Today, I want to talk to you about scary movies; I love scary movies. They can be really good fun, though there are people who just can’t handle the stress and that’s fair enough. For the rest of us, however, I want to ensure we make the most of our scary movie experiences. I’d like to think that over the years I’ve worked out a pretty decent way to watch scary things – at least, it works for me, so it might for you too! One of the perhaps harsher things that you could do (I confess: I’m a terrible person) is bring someone who hates… more
What is the role of the comedian in our society?
| June 28, 2012 | Posted by Ellys Sugarman under entertainment |
What is the comedian’s role in our society? It would be simple to say, “to make people laugh” – that’s what comedians do, it’s true and obvious. But is that their sole purpose? Or is there more to it? In our British society it’s certainly more; the role of a British comedian hasn’t changed since Chaucer’s The Miller’s Tale written hundreds of years ago. Comedians question everything, from the things we say to the laws passed by our government; that’s what comedians do and have done for a long time. Their role is to take all the stupid, dark things that litter our society and use them to make people happy; to take the things no one is supposed to… more
AJ’s advice – various
| June 23, 2012 | Posted by Alaa Jasim under AJ's Advice |
So this week, I’m going to answer a few questions as best as I can. It’s hard to believe how quickly the weeks are going by and I hate dumping suggestions that I get given, so in a compilation of questions and answers we’ll cover a few topics from teeth to university. Here we go! Q: I just got braces. How can I stop my teeth hurting? A: Ah. The dreaded brace-induced pain is actually pretty bad. I have experienced this horror first-hand and I’m glad that it’s over! The braces are putting pressure on your teeth, so they’ll hurt for a few days – I usually found that they stopped feeling tight and painful after two or three days, but… more
AJ’s advice – summer
| June 16, 2012 | Posted by Alaa Jasim under AJ's Advice |
And we’re back! After a couple of weeks of absence, AJ’s Advice has returned just in time for summer. A lot of us this year round will have a pretty long post-study leave holiday, and we may not really be sure how to spend it. Whatever you do though, make sure you enjoy it – get into the sunshine and make the most of it, because let’s face it, it’s not going to be there for long. For a good proportion of us, this might be the summer before we jet off to university, which is exciting and scary at the same time. Let’s all just have a good summer and enjoy it before the madness of going back to… more
AJ’s advice – dealing with drunk friends
| May 26, 2012 | Posted by Alaa Jasim under AJ's Advice |
As many people do, I have a close group of friends, and often when they get together a large volume of alcohol will be consumed. Honestly, I don’t know how they do it. Large amounts of alcohol often mean large numbers of drunken friends, who can be pretty hard to look after. I’m fortunate enough to only have heard tales of the really bad bits, but I thought it might be prudent for us all to have a checklist for when we’re in the “designated driver” or just the “I don’t drink” scenario and everyone else is completely trashed. Keep them hydrated Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it flushes all the water out of the body, so after a certain… more
AJ’s advice – tackling boredom
| April 28, 2012 | Posted by Alaa Jasim under AJ's Advice |
We all have those days, don’t we? You just sit and sit and sit, staring at the wall a little while you continue to sit. Being bored is, well, boring, and sometimes you just have no idea what to do because you’re that fed up. There are some really easy answers to tackling boredom; namely, you’re usually bored because you’re not doing anything, so do something! The world is your oyster: you can do anything you want – and really, if you’re that bored and you’re not revising or doing work, you’ve probably got the time to. So get out there, find something you enjoy, and have a bit of fun. Here are a few suggestions for ways to get… more
AJ’s advice – awkward moments
| April 14, 2012 | Posted by Alaa Jasim under AJ's Advice |
We all have them, don’t we? I’ve had several in the last few days and I’m sure you will have too – hey, we’re all in the same boat here. But aren’t they only as awkward as you make them? There are those friends with whom you’re just never in an awkward situation, and then those friends where you have one every other day. This constant awkwardness can get a little wearing over time, but at least there usually ends up being something to laugh about. But then, then comes the awkward moment with a stranger: a moment with someone you will likely never see again, making the awkwardness about fifty thousand times more intense. What do you do? How do… more
