This is my second OU course, I just finished AA100 The Arts Past and Present at the end of September. I won’t know my final result until December, but completing it was a big achievement for me. I’ve abandoned several courses over the years, I even dropped out of uni when I was 18. It’s so easy to quit when it gets tough, to talk myself out of continuing, to give myself excuses not to carry on. Weirdly enough, I’ve wasted hundreds of pounds on ditched courses, but this time I received funding to cover the course so I didn’t have to pay a penny towards it.

AA100 also improved my essay-writing ability, although I’m still not so confident in that area. I might have even gotten a distinction overall on the tutor-marked assignments if I hadn’t messed up the 4th assignment on English Christianity in the 16-19 centuries…

To be honest though, I decided to study AA100 to pass time as I waited for the next scheduled Creative Writing course, and because it’s the compulsory course for most of the Humanities degrees. I’ve wanted to do the writing course for years, but always talked myself out of it. Now I’m enrolled, and I’m really nervous about it. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, since I was a kid. I used to write all the time until about 10 years ago when I started working full-time and got bogged down in crap. I’m hoping that this course will give me the support and structure to get my flabby writing muscle fit again. I’m not a fan of writing exercises, though I know that many people find them helpful. When I used to write I just followed my own inspiration, and I find it hard to follow random prompts. However, I’m going to try to be open to the process, even if I find it uncomfortable at first. No pain, no gain – right?

Quiz: Hogwarts Sorting Hat: Based on Myers-Briggs Personality Typing

The first riots in Tottenham on Saturday night were bad enough but now they’re happening all over London.

There’s no excuse for destroying homes and shops, looting and terrorising. It’s all so mindless, and is just ruining the lives of innocent people.

The police are overwhelmed, the army needs to get involved now.

So, at this moment I’m at an internet cafe in The Gambia, West Africa. I’m halfway through my 2 week holiday here, staying in the Senegambia / Kololi area. It’s my 3rd time in West Africa (my first trip was around my 30th birthday last year, when I went to Senegal, then I went to Gambia again last June). The whole story about my previous trips would take at least another blog post or two, so I’ll leave that for later.

I’m going to have to work on a proper journal of my activities this time, as I’m already starting to lose track, but the highlights so far were holding a Royal Python in my hands at the reptile farm in Kartong (I was too chicken to hang it around my neck like another guy), and visiting the clever monkeys at the Bijilo Forest Park. Photos to follow!

I’ve gotta say though, that this can be a challenging place for an introvert to visit. The people here are very friendly and gregarious and are naturally curious about tourists, so you’ll often get stopped as you walk down the street and asked your name and where you come from, etc. It’s almost impossible to go for a quiet walk anywhere without being interrupted, so I prepare myself for that whenever I leave my accommodation. It is so beautiful though.

I’ve just had dinner and I’m just planning to relax for the rest of the day and wait to see if my folks like their presents when they get around to opening them. It’s been a quiet one this year, with just one of my uncles coming (at 10am). My brother is supposed to be coming at about 7pm (as he’s been spending the day with his girlfriend and her folks).

Sky Movies has been showing Avatar continuously since last night, and my dad keeps on watching portions of it when he’s in the living room. He’s probably watched the entire ridiculous movie by now. Twice.

Anyway, in case you’re in a cheesy Xmas mood, click on the following link to hear Shakin’ Stevens singing that classic tune: Merry Christmas Everyone

I was only in the busy Accident & Emergency waiting room for a few minutes, as my chest/heart issues were prioritised over the old guy with the crutches and other victims of mishap. My heart rate and blood pressure were checked, I was X-Rayed and then my blood was taken. I waited on a trolley bed for a doctor to review my results. I was unprepared for the hours of waiting as I hadn’t brought along a book, so I drifted in and out of sleep until my mum turned up.

In spite of my sickness, I couldn’t help noticing Hot Doctor. He was a good-looking fella, probably in his late twenties. However, I think he probably knew how hot he was as he wasn’t wearing blue scrubs like his colleagues; he wore khaki combat pants and a tight blue top which had sleeves that ended just above a tattoo on his bicep. Though I spied the beginnings of a bald patch near his crown, he was still a hottie, and I hoped that he wasn’t going to me my doctor, as I wasn’t sure that being in his proximity was going to help my misbehaving heart.

Luckily I was seen by a female doctor who said that my heart was beating normally again and all my other results were okay, so I could leave. I was so happy to leave the hospital – there was so much misery and pain in that place – plus I was worried about catching MRSA or something worse.

One thing that struck me was how professional and pleasant the staff were, from the nurses to the porters who took me to and from the X-Ray Unit, and the doctor too. Of course the NHS isn’t perfect, but those at the front line are trying their best to deliver a good service.

Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Saturday will be my 30th birthday. Funnily enough, I’ve been so busy worrying about malaria tablets and mosquito coils, etc. that I haven’t had much headspace left to agonise about turning 30 and being unemployed.

I may be able to update you on how things are going during the trip, but if not I’ll definitely give a summary of my experiences after my return on 31 March.

Cheerio.

The truth is that there are just a couple of people who I know in real life that know about this blog (because I chose to tell them about it), and they aren’t actually people that I deal with on a regular basis.

There isn’t anything on this blog that I’m ashamed of. Sure, I wouldn’t want to share this blog with a future employer, but it’s not half as revealing as some people’s Facebook pages. I’m hardly Belle de Jour (and yes, I know that she’s been unmasked now).

I can be quite open on here because this blog isn’t linked to my real identity; I never use my full name, I change the names of any friends I mention, and I am usually vague about locations. I use a contact form so my email address is hidden unless I choose to reply and my domain ownership info is masked for privacy, so I think a random weirdo is going to have a hard time finding me in person.

What do you guys think? Should I be more concerned?

Photo by rpongsaj

Tomorrow will be my last day at my current workplace. It will be such a relief to leave there and have a fresh start. Last week was quite a nightmare; it was impossible to get any of my work done and I ended up taking some reports home to write up.

One of the counsellors fell ill and I ended up taking him to the hospital as the emergency services apparently had no ambulances available due to the snow…

While I was in the waiting area, waiting while the counsellor was seen by a doctor, a guy sat down a couple of chairs away from me. A minute or two later he got up and asked me to keep an eye on his bag as he’d dropped his hat and wanted to retrieve it. I nodded my assent as he didn’t look like a nutter.

After a minute or two I became concerned about ‘suspicious packages’ but he came back, hat in hand, not long after that. Then he started talking to me, telling me about something that he said had changed his life for the better; it was basically to do with reciting a Japanese phrase as a mantra. What I found most interesting was when he said that he didn’t say this stuff to everyone, but he was telling me because I seemed ‘open’. Anyway, he was called away by a nurse, so that was that.

Later that day I met up with my previous manager at the talking shop. Spending time with her again reminded me of how supportive she was as a manager, and underlined how bad things had become for me since she’d left. She was very encouraging of my plans to leave and start my new life and made me feel a lot more positive about everything.

This evening I finally told my mum that I’d quit my job. She was surprisingly okay with it. That’s one thing I don’t have to worry about anymore, though I know she might change her mind if I don’t find a job soon.

Onwards and upwards.

Funnily enough, a guy that I used to know a few years ago told me that he was in the running to play the title role in this movie, but I’m quite sure that he was just trying to impress me.