PAD

Good friends and alcohol has left me feeling a bit worse for wear today.

My housemate told me about PAD - Post Alcohol Depression and it`s something I had never heard about before today.

I don`t feel depressed but I do feel very sorry for myself, in need of attention and cuddles.

But at the end of it all, `I am the designer of my own catastrophy`.

Gay marriages approved for England and Wales.

The right for same sex couples to marry has been a heated debate for years, it still is and probably will always be.

The British House of Commons have passed The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill this afternoon and I personally believe that it is a step in the right direction for acceptance and equality.

The bill was passed with a vote of 400 to 175. That is a 225 vote majority. It will enable same-sex couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies in England and Wales.

Now before anyone religious gets their panties in a twist, it does state that religious ceremonies will only be conducted in religious institutions that have formally given their consent.

Everyone has varied views on this matter and it is our differences that makes everyone all the more interesting. I don`t believe in forcing people to accept things that they don`t agree with but is it so hard to at least be tolerant of peoples differences? 

I don`t like rude, obnoxious, unkind people but I tolerate them because they are human beings and I nor anyone else has any right to persecute someone because we don`t agree with their actions or behavior.

There is no round-about understanding of equality. It has one definition. You cannot pick and choose who it should be applied to.

I have many friends who are absolutely wonderful people and YES some of them are gay. This doesn`t take away anything from their character and they deserve exactly the same rights as everyone else. 

I am extremely happy that this bill has been passed and if not socially, than legally some prejudice has been eliminated. 

 Today, I am PROUD to be a citizen of this world.

Thai Green Chicken Curry Recipe

Thai Green Curry is a rather easy meal to prepare (especially if you use prepared curry paste) and pretty tasty one at that. There are many different recipes for this dish, with the ingredients varying for each one.

To make a meal for 8 hungry people, the ingredients would be:

- 200g green beans

- 100g broccoli 

- 1 red and 1 green chilli (deseeded)

- 180g chicken breasts

- 8 teaspoons Green curry paste

- 1 can of coconut milk

- 4 garlic cloves (Don`t worry , it really isn`t alot)

- Olive oil

- 2 limes (use the juice)

- 1 teaspoons of Caster sugar (Balances the flavor)

The step-by-step guide, is as follows:

1.) Boil veg (beans and broccoli) for 3-5 minutes.

2.) Heat oil in wok/large pan and add garlic. (Don`t let the garlic go brown)

3.) Turn down the stove. Add in the curry paste and stir.

4.) Add in the can of coconut milk and stir. Let the coconut milk come to a light boil.

5.) Add in the chicken

6.) Place a lit on the wok/ frying pan and let it cook +- 10-15 minutes

7.) Make your rice (To keep rice light and fluffy, the trick is NOT to stir it)

8.) Put some fresh basil leaves onto of your Thai Green Curry and ENJOY!

 * It isn`t traditional but a french loaf is great to soak up the remaining sauce.

Organization makes me happy.

The words `color-coordinated`, `timeline`, `lists` and `cleaning schedule` do something to me that is very hard to explain.

To those around me, it may seem borderline OCD but the feeling of going to bed and everything is in its right place, puts a smile on my face.

I don`t know why but as far back as I can remember I have loved to organize things. It started with toys as a child, clothes as a teenager and now, pretty much anything I can get my hands on.

I even have a Pin-interest board, just with pictures of different ways to organize things in your house, your garden - you name it!

Don`t get me wrong, I am great at procrastinating but along with this comes a sense of chaos and irritation, all of which I would much rather avoid.

My family are used to coming home and finding things in their homes reorganize and my housemates are used to coming home to find me moaning about "us getting organized".

Some say neurotic, I say awesome!

Buckingham`s Tea, Coffee & Chocolate Emporium

Gyre and Gimble is seven weeks young and a welcomed addition to Buckingham`s town centre.

Surprisingly easy to miss, even though it is located on the Highstreet, this artisan coffee shop is a hidden treasure.

The staff are wonderful characters, who create an experience that is a combination of science and theatre.

Coffee Siphon, delicious brew of Ethopian Yirgacheffe and an aerator.

Friday night team work!

There are extreme situations when team work is vital. Tonight this is the case.

Friday night, Bloody Mary night.

We have decided in order to be academically dedicated, as well as social butterflies.

The game is the following: one paragraph = one bloody mary, second paragraph = two bloody marys, three paragraphs = 4 etc. etc. Keep on doubling the bloody marys for every paragraph and you know that you will find us on the floor.

For this reason we regret to inform you that we must say farewell. How on earth could you do this in a better way than using the classical, iconic, movie Sound of Music:

"You can`t always get what you want"

I`ve never had any desire to go join the masses in the mud at Glastonbury festival but having just read that The Rolling Stones might be headlining this year, I would possibly reconsider.

As one of my all time favorite bands, I may have to reside myself to the fact that "you can`t always get what you want". Last year November, the tickets sold for up for £950 and as much as I would love to see them, this is an exorbitant amount of money to cough up, for anyone, let alone a student.

I then found myself asking... If I had the money, would I pay that much for a ticket? I still can`t come up with an honest answer. On one hand,I think I would feel quite guilty spending that much on a few hours of bliss, yet on the other hand, it would be an experience that I could keep in heart and musical mind forever.

And then I become skeptical and pessimistic, because there is the possibility of disappointment, which was precisely the case with Bob Dylan at the Feis Festival at Finsbury Park in 2011. Having grown up listening to Dylan, it was a dream come true to see him, but alas no dreams came true that day, as I left feeling completely cheated. I remember reading a Telegraph article which reviewed the day and was convinced that the author had attended another show. Everyone seems to have excused the disappointment by the fact that he is 70 years old. I understand that he might not be "forever young" but if Rodriquez could play the most beautiful set i`ve ever heard, after being helped on stage, then surely Dylan could at least pretend to be enthusiastic?

The impression that I got from Dylans presence on stage was that he was just completely uninterested in what he was doing and who can blame him? How many times has he played the same songs? According to http://hisbobness.info/, he has played over 3000 concerts!

Even if I changed my mind, had the money to spend and overcame the thought of sharing toilets with 135,000 people, it still wouldn`t happen. Tickets sold out in a record 100 minutes.

In the mean time, singing "Brown Sugar" into a bottle of beer, usually with my sister, "Angie" (which is really her name), is more than good enough for me.