Cito Says...: February 2014

Ever since tuition fees went up and with them set to rise again the question on every students lips is "Is University even worth it?". Well from someone who is at university I will try my best to answer this question.

My initial response to this question will be yes, it is worth it. People these days look at university as just obtaining a degree, but is more than that, much more. The steps you take toward achieving that degree are some you can't possibly take outside the university world. First of all it is not just the degree you get at the end of uni. Instead you gain experience, friendships and a whole bunch of other stuff. Getting into university in the first place whether it's Cambridge or UEL (sorry UEL students) the fact that you got into university says a lot about you. Not only does this show that you have academic potential but it also shows you have ambitions in life and want to achieve something greater than working in retail or a boring 9-5 job. So credit to all you guys who are at Uni or applying.

As I previously said the degree is obviously the big part. And I hear a lot of people saying that "employers no longer look for degrees, they look for experience" and even though to a certain extent this is true, just to say "I have a degree in so and so" is a great achievement. But also i think people are forgetting that experience comes with a degree. If an employer sees you have a degree this automatically tells them a lot about you. University is no walk in the park. It takes a lot of independent work and all nighters in the library to bang out a 2:1 or a first. I don't know about other courses but for my course it is compulsory that we do at least a 4 week placement which means not only will we have a degree but experience in the industry as well. Winning.

Moving away from the academic side going to university is great for meeting new people. You will meet a whole range of people from different backgrounds and cultures which is pretty amazing to be honest. You will create friendships that will literally last a life time. Who knows, these friends may be future collaborators of yours. All about networking you see. When one of your uni friends gets a job at some top business you already have a connection to someone that can maybe bring you in. It's so important to make those connections and just meet as many people as you can.

University also just teaches you skills that will help you live life. It will help with independence because you're living away from home. If you get a job straight after college/6th form chances are you're still going to be living with your parents and then when that time comes for you to get a place of your own you won't have a clue what to do. Or even worse you will become so accustomed to life at home you're going to stay there... forever.

I was going to answer the question from an anti-uni perspective but yeah that would mean for a gigantic blog post and I don't want to bore you guys. I hope this has persuaded most of you to apply to university, remember this is just the surface, it has so many other benefits. I'm pretty biased but I stick with my original answer and say yes... University is worth it.

OOP. ONE DOWNSIDE TO UNIVERSITY IS HARVARD REFERENCING. NOW THAT IS A BITCH!

You've all probably heard of Camp America or Camp Leaders and other camp related agencies that find you work at camps in America. And I bet most of you have thought about doing it, well let me just say as someone who has done it I encourage you to do it!

I just want to tell you about the realities of it first. It all starts with a pretty straight forward but strenuous application form. You basically just tell them a little bit about yourself and what not. But oh boy thats just the beginning. The application process for these kind of organizations are probably the most grueling you will ever go through. Some of them even require you to make a short video but by this point half of the people that were applying have probably dropped out.

And a huge part of the process is money. Serious money will be coming out of every single orifice of your body. There's the money you pay to the agency then there's visa money, police checks and the daddy of them all... flights. Expect to fork out around £700/£800 of your hard earned cash (or your parents) to finance this adventure.

But once you get past all that it's plain sailing from there pretty much and you're well on your way to have one of the best summers of your life. It will certainly be a culture shock but two different kinds of culture. Both American and Camp culture. I don't know about other camps but the camp I went to was just totally wacky. It was like a 2 month High School Musical film, will literally break out into song and dance all the time. But still great fun. I guess that's Americans for ya.

The people you meet will just be amazing. Not only are they Americans but they're also camp people which makes them all that more awesome. Your fellow counselors and children you are looking after. You will not want to leave.

But WARNING. The work is hard and it will probably be one of the harderst things you ever do. After the first few days you will be thinking "What have I got myself into?" But it gets easier. Much easier. You start to become more used to minimalistic lifestyle and regimes of camp and it will feel like you've been working there all your life. You will become so used to it in fact you will forget about all the perks of western life.

So for all you thinking of applying as long as you can afford it, are willing to go through the application process and are ready for some of the hardest work of your life, I say go for it! It looks great for future employers and you will find out you have skills that you never even knew you had.

I loved it so much I'm going back for a second year...

Sorry guys for the lack of posts the past week but I was a tad busy! Let me tell you a bit about what was probably the best week of my life.

So I was up in Newcastle on a BFI Screenwriting programme where we basically spent the whole week developing a script for a short film. But before I delve into all that let me just tell you that Newcastle is one of the best cities I have been to. Forget how it is depicted on Geordie Shore and although I did see a few Geordies which fitted this mould the city is amazingly historical from a an architectural perspective anyway. The buildings are beautiful and once you get past the accent the people are great! Even though I didn't get a chance to "hit the town" I am still pretty satisfied that Newcastle has a lively night-life. We also got a chance to visit the Gateshead Millennium Bridge which is beautiful.

But more about the week itself let me just say that I have never met a nicer bunch of people. Even though I was verbally and physically abused by a couple of people (who secretly love me) we had an outrageous number of "jokes". Being among people who share the same passion and ambition as you is amazing and I hope to keep in contact with these people in the distant future.

Throughout the week we worked with professional script editors and had a number of talks from people within the Industry, including Tony Grisoni, writer of highly rated 4 part drama Southcliffe. I felt as if I learnt more the past week than I have in my past year and a half at University.

Even though it was a Screenwriting programme we had the privilege of learning ballroom dancing which was an experience I probably never want to have again. However the programme leaders made up for this by taking us bowling the next day which was a load of fun. I hadn't been bowling in like a good few years so this was like a new experience for me. I came second.

We also ate out every night which was just... well yeah! Chinese, Italian, Italian, Thai (I think), Spanish. So it was a nice variety and also all expenses paid shall I add.

But back to the writing on the last day our scripts were read out by professional actors which was a terrifying but rewarding experience and something I had never experienced before. The praise I got not only from my parents but my fellow writers was also overwhelming and only enhanced the overall experience.

If you're interested in film I urge you to apply for one of the BFI Academies as it will really improve your film making skills and the connections and friends you make will be invaluable.

I would just like to add if you're a budding film maker and are interested in producing or directing a short I now have a script which you may be interested in. I'm feeling a collaboration and really want to get this ish produced.

Thanks to those 23 people who gave me one of the best experiences of my life!

So it's Valentines Day and it only seems right that I write a blog post on it.

Valentines Day: The day when your spouse or partner (normally the male) does something to show you how much they apparently love you.

Now I have nothing against Valentines Day nor do I have anything against the people who celebrate it as I think a day based on "love" can only be a good thing. However I do think it has become heavily materialistic and no longer about us showing our love for each other but more about us buying gifts and being extravagant just because it's Valentines Day. Did that make sense?

First of all why is it always the guy that's expected to do something. You know that's sexist. What's the difference between a girl saying that the boy should be the one to do something on Valentines and a guy saying that a woman belongs in the kitchen. I'll tell you, none. I think society has led us to believe that men should be the leaders in a relationship. You fought all those years for equality and the right to vote yet you still choose to distinguish gender roles between male and females. Wouldn't it be nice if you did something for each other? Now that's equality.

Secondly why do people think they NEED a man or woman for Valentines. You do not. You've survived all this time without a partner why do you need one just for Valentines? Go out with your friends you love them don't you? You don't need no man, you're an independent woman (or man).

Thirdly and finally... do I even have a third point? Oh wait, I do. If it takes a day to get you to show how much you appreciate your partner then I pity you. If you really do care you wouldn't wait for this day you'd just do it anyway, any time you wanted. Don't be governed by external forces and what society says we should do.

To be honest I don't believe in Valentines Day, well I don't support what it's become. But having said all this I think it is nice obviously to spend the day with your partner but don't just do it because it's Valentines Day do it because you want to.

Race plays a huge a part in our society today bringing a birth of preconceived stereotypes.

White people can't dance

Black people like chicken

Asians are smart

And bla bla bla....

But I think race nowadays has become a common subject of jokes leading people to pass straight up racism as merely a joke.

Now I think we all have made a joke about race before. I'm not going to lie I do it! Even about my own race but I know I'm not racist just like most of you guys are not.

I always remember this one guy who used to constantly call people a piece of sh*t and when he said it to a black guy he had to reassure them he's not being racist. First of all I don't know whether the fact you're not being racist makes the fact that you're calling me a piece of sh*t any better. Also I don't see this as racist or offensive. I'm pretty sure some people do but I do not. The guy would then say that black people are not ALLOWED to get offended by it. People are offended by all different things and calling someone a piece of sh*t is pretty offensive anyway so if they see it as racist because poo is brown and so are they then I don't see the problem to be honest.

Moving on... When guys or girls say "I don't like black guys" or "I don't like white girls" (relationship wise) and reh teh teh... Sorry but does anyone else find this slightly racist. Like we all have a "type" or "preference" I understand that. And you might prefer white guys over black guys or vice versa. But to say that you just don't like them means you're basing your judgement on the colour of their skin and most of you have probably never been with a black guy or white girl or black girl or white guy. If you say you don't like white guys, then you meet a really nice white guy who really likes you, you're interested in all the same stuff and you get along really well are you going to turn him down just because of the pigment of his complexion? But having said this I think a lot of it comes down not to people's own opinions and choices but also down to societies perception on interracial relationships. To be honest I have nothing to say on this.

At the end if the day we're all the same colour on the inside and didn't someone once say "it's what's on the inside that counts"?

Dreams are something that interest me but there seems to be some common tropes that run through most of my dreams and I just want to see if you guys can relate.

1) When you dream about a familiar place like school or where you work. You know you're dreaming about it except its a little bit different. Rooms that don't exist, corridors appearing out of nowhere... madness.

2) When you're having a fight with someone and you're using every last ounce of your strength to throw a punch but the punch is just pathetically weak.

3) Flying - You can fly or believe you can fly in every dream.

4) When you have a dream so amazing and vivid you believe its real. Then when you wake up in your bed you're just so disappointed.

5) Lucid Dreaming - If you have not experienced this then I pity you. For you who don't know lucid dreaming in a simple sense is when you know you're dreaming so you're like able to consciously control your dream. I think I am able to do this on demand now. Oohhhh the things I've done ;)

6) Sleep Paralysis - The biggest bitch ever. You wake up but your body didn't get the memo and you can see stuff but you can't move. And you try to scream but nothing comes out.

7) People appearing more than once in your dream - This ones quite hard to explain but you're like with someone you know and you'll be talking to someone else but its the same person you're with but you don't realise until you wake up. I think that one may just be me.

8) INCEPTION - That ish is real you know. You wake up, well you think you've woken up, but in fact you're still dreaming. Then you have to constantly wake up until you're actually back in reality.

9) Spaz attacks - I think we've all experienced this, when you're like falling or you trip or you kick someone or any sudden body movement and you end up imitating it in your bed. And afterwards you just feel like such an idiot like "why the hell did I do that?"

10) Forgetting - When you wake up and you know you've had a dream but you just can't remember what it was about.

People say I get annoyed easily, and I'm not going to lie I do. So I've compiled a list of annoying things and things I just don't quite understand.

1) Advertised Relationships - I didn't care when you were single so why do I care now you're in a relationship?

2) When someone's walking straight towards you and you think they're going to move and they don't and you're having this stand off (or walk off) and you shimmy to your left/right right at the last second to avoid the collision. Sorry but if I didn't move just then we would have walked straight into each other. What kind of mind games are you trying to play here?

3) Crap chatters - When you're just there minding your own business and you over hear a conversation of someone just chatting complete and utter... well.. crap. You wanna jump in but you know that's not socially acceptable.

4) Slow Walkers - Walking on a narrow path and the person in front is walking in slow motion and you're waiting for that right time to overtake. You wait and wait but that integral moment never comes. So your walk turns into a slight run or skip and you find yourself meandering into the road or a bush then when your mission is accomplished you make that swift getaway.

5) Breath - Breath... oh my gosh... breath. Probably the worst thing about the human body. Your breath can either stink or just smell like nothing. No one has naturally nice breath if you know someone that does please introduce me to them. Also why does it have to be so hot? Damn hot breath on your face is just vile.

6a) Conversation Stoppers - We all know those people who send a single text that says "Lol". Why are you deading this convo? I'm using every last ounce of wit in my repertoire to keep this conversation going and all you want to say is "Lol". If you don't want to talk then I would rather you just said or just didn't reply at all. "Lol" how am I supposed to respond?

6b) People who just don't reply to messages - That message was a good 3 or 4 lines. I want a damn response.

7) "Can I Help you" - I know this is the norm and just the thing to say when working in retail but if you think about it, it is pretty dumb. I'm standing in the queue so yes I would like your help, I don't have a fetish for queue standing.

8) "Do you want a bag with that" - Sorry for you people who work in retail, but yeah you can obviously see the item in question is too large for me to carry without a bag or I have bought like six items, I think I'm going to need a bag.

9) Receiving Change - This is the last one to do with retail I swear. My hand is out in an open palm. This clearly identifies the geographical position of where I want my change to be placed. So tell me, why are you putting it on the counter?

10) Pigeons - Is it me or are these things getting a bit too brave. You know something's wrong when you stamp near a bird and it doesn't even flinch.

Going to let someone else do the talking today. The one and only Alan Watts. This video is sure to have some sort of effect on you. and if it does I suggest you listen to some of his other lectures. I'm bound to post more though. Enjoy!

So I recently got home from university and even though it feels good, home doesn't feel like home any more...

As sad as it may sound my house just feels like a house now maybe because I haven't been at home for longer than month in over a year now.

This got me thinking... I'm getting old. Times going so fast and soon this will no longer be my home. In around 5 years time I'll either be in a nice bachelor pad or a scummy bedsit.

When I was younger I used to think 19 was so old. And now that I'm 19 although I don't feel as old as I used to perceive the age I still feel semi-old if that makes sense. When I see teenagers that are still at school, I kind of envy them. Life is literally handed to them on a plate and they are at that age where they can still have fun. But everything changes when you leave 6th Form/College and either go to University or enter the world of work. It is a big jump to make as for me when I was in year 13 i still felt like a kid but as soon as I left I am now being treated like an adult. Although the responsibility and independence is good to a certain extent a part of me still misses my younger days.

I will soon be 20 years old. That's 2 decades on this earth. Do you know how long that is. 20 is still consider young but in a different world when you look at say, The Lion King which is also 20 years old you'd consider that old right? But still I'm starting to realise that it's time to grow up and I knew what the deal was ages ago. We're born we live and we die. But the most important thing is how we live our lives.

If I could give my younger self a message I definitely tell him to do more with his life and focus on school. You probably hear something like that all the time but it's true. Even though grades and academic excellence isn't maybe as important as it used to be it does certainly help.

Just do what you're good at and don't let life pass you by. Before you know it you won't be a teenager any more. Try not to get too engrossed in the trivial things like relationships. You certainly don't need t be worrying about that in your early teens. Focus on what it is that's going to get you safely and successfully through life. Even though you might think that a boyfriend or girlfriend is the answer to this, if you're broke and stupid how great is your relationship going to be?

Existing isn't the same as living.

Have you ever thought about friends?

No, not the popular American sitcom but those people who you trust and claim "they will always be there for you".

Let me tell you a true story for why the meaning of the word "friend" has changed for me.

The story is very simple and may be one that seems a bit familiar to you. It starts with me and a girl I called my "best friend". To tell you the truth I don't know how we became so close, it was only until she left my school that we became "bezzie pals". So I spoke to this girl a lot saw her a lot and before you start speculating it was completely platonic and she had a boyfriend anyway. I would tell this girl stuff I wouldn't tell most people. Everything was cool.

But then she broke up with her boyfriend and we became even closer like REALLY close maybe even pushing the boundaries of "friends". But then I went to University and I guess we just started to drift apart as you do, but I still spoke to her.

Then she got a new boyfriend and you can probably guess what happens next. She just stops talking to me. But no, it's more than that. She blocks me off every social network there is so I have no way of reaching her. So after months of texting her and wondering what's going on my other good friend informs me of a photo she has posted to instagram of a snapped sim card with the caption "Cutting off certain people from my life" or some utter bullcrap along those lines. So I'm still wondering what it is I have done to this girl to make her completely stop talking to me. People were forever telling me she had a controlling boyfriend which I didn't want to believe as I didn't think she'd stop talking to me because her boyfriend said so.

So I tried to forget, which I did for a good amount of time, but I was still wondering what it was that I had done for her to completely shut me out. So then came that fateful day when I finally wanted answers. So I get my cousin, who she hasn't blocked off Facebook, to message her for me. And she gives me the most dumbest, ignorant, naive and just plain crap excuse I have ever heard. Apparently I started "acting weird" when she got her boyfriend. First of all that's complete nonsense. And anyway if she felt that was the reason wouldn't you want to at least sort it out. Doesn't seem like a reason to completely block one of your best friends from your life. So still to this day I have no answer, well no answer that completely warrants my exile from her existence.

And that's it... just be careful who you call your friend. There are people out there who wouldn't think twice about completely dropping you from your life. I'm not saying be suspicious of everyone and expect them to "betray" you but just be a bit cautious.

There are still the odd few people out there that WILL totally stick by you through everything and I'm lucky to have people like that around me. Real friends are people who talk to you just for the sake of it and not just because they want something from you. People who care about your problems and offer comfort and advice not just listen and nod. People who go into relationships but still maintain the same level of friendship they had with you before.

If you know me, you probably know who inspired this post. But it will be wrong for me to name her. And if by some miracle said person is reading this all I have to say is Thank You. And I'll never forget you, but not in the good way.

So how many friends do you actually have. Less than you thought right?

There's only one thing I hate more than Ketchup and snakes (in the slang sense) and that's Spoilers.

Let me just thank all the spoilers (people who spoil things) out there who inspired this post. This wouldn't have been possible without you, so thank you.

Being a writer you can probably understand why I hate them so much. But why do people intentionally go out and seek spoilers? They're called "spoilers" for a reason. When is "spoiling" ever a good thing? Can you please tell me. Are you gonna "spoil" your KFC by swapping your chicken for a carrot. Not even multiple carrots, a single carrot. Are you gonna "spoil" your children so I actually physically want to drop kick them? No and No. See no good comes out of spoiling.

Don't get me wrong if you want to spoil things for yourself then by all means go and do that. But don't try and spoil stuff for ME please. It offends me okay. A lot of TV shows nowadays rely on the "shock" factor. Why are you going to ruin this for others. What did we ever do to you? I don't wanna know what's going to happen BEFORE it happens. You know what that's called? Witchcraft, and I don't know about you but if there is a Heaven I want to go there.

To summarize. Spoilers are bad.

GRAVITY! GRAVITY! FRIKKIN' GRAVITY. Let me just start by saying if you haven't seen it. WATCH IT! Watch it now in fact... I can wait...

...

You watched it yet? What you waiting for? I'm not gonna start talking until you watch it.

...

You watched it? Good.

(I know some of you haven't you rebels)

Gravity is not just a film it's an experience. I can only imagine what it would have been like to watch in IMAX. Unfortunately I had to watch it on a 15.6" screen on my laptop. But still, I was still totally engrossed and immersed within the film.

To give you a brief outline, 3 astronauts in space I have to try and make it back to Earth before they are a hit by incoming debris. A film totally set in space, you would have thought it would be more complicated than that, but nope. That's IT! I think the simplicity of the plot also makes it such a great film. The fact that we are in the biggest possible arena we can have, the story is ultimately about one person and her need to survive. Simplicity is beautiful isn't it.

The special effects are immaculate and is one of the most visually stunning films I have ever seen. From the gigantic rock we call planet Earth to the intricacies of the space stations and flying debris the visuals are second to none. I didn't know what to expect but it surpassed all expectations.

Great performances given by both George Clooney and Sandra Bullock gives the film a certain credibility. I would've loved to have seen Robert Downey Jr in the lead role, who was in fact considered for the role, but Clooney makes a good replacement. Some of the dialogue did seem stale and cheesy at times but the compelling story and visuals certainly make up for it.

I don't know whether non film buffs will appreciate this film as much as it should be as I have heard some people mention that it is a bit boring at times. These opinions mainly due to the fact that a large portion of the film is just Sandra Bullock's character alone. However because of her characters story her isolation from other characters and the Earth itself may at times see boring but is necessary as the audience goes on this journey with her creating an emotional attachment.

I could talk about this film all day but to wrap up all that is left to say is Kudos to director and writer Alfonso Cuarón as he has what is arguably a masterpiece.

Flappy Bird, the game that made me question my own existence. Why is this bird flying through pipes? Why are there even pipes? Why does this bird have such big lips? What kind of species of bird is this?

Still with these questions lingering over me I can not stop playing. Something tells me that if this bird got some lipo on his lips then he would actually be able to fly properly. So the game is pretty simple, only giving you one instruction at the beginning. "Tap". And that's literally all you need to know. You tap and Flappy Bird goes up a short distance then begins to free fall. You must tap at the right times to navigate your way through a series of pipes that extend from the top and bottom of the screen. Somewhat reminiscent of the popular helicopter game, Flappy Bird takes the same concept but integrates a new dynamic.

If you have not yet downloaded this game I warn you, you WILL get stressed. Not for the faint hearted or easily angered. When you start playing you'll find yourself only being able to reach 3, but with some practice and failure you begin to understand Flappy Bird's physics and your score will start to slowly increase. You'll then laugh at how you were so crap when you started playing.

Something tells me that this game will soon fade out and a new app will claim top spot. But hey, let's enjoy it while it's here and lets hope Flappy Bird eventually gets to wherever it is he's trying to go.

Some Tips:

Don't hit the pipes

Don't hit the ground

Go THROUGH the openings

And most importantly, don't die.

Good Luck... I'm talking to your device not you as your stress may cause some physical damage to whatever device you're playing the game on.

Good Luck! Now I'm talking to you...

So let's start from the beginning...

You've probably read loads of blogs, and if you haven't then I guess you're new to the game, don't worry so am I, kind of. I'm not a preacher or a political activist or a Jehovah's Witness, just a teenage guy with a passion for writing, hence the blog.

A little bit about me...

I am a student at Bournemouth University, currently studying Scriptwriting. (Bet you didn't know you could get a degree in that, don't worry neither did I). Like i previously said I like to write and have a keen interest in the Media industry, mainly Film and Television and one day I hope to enter this industry. But don't worry this blog isn't going to be a bunch of Film and TV reviews it's literally just going to be me talking about whatever the hell I want to talk about. I am origially from East London although people like to label me as an Essex boy. No. East London. You can probably guess the town.

So I hope you enjoy the blog, my main aim is to get ya thinking and laughing. What is life if you can't think and laugh eh? So are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin...

Who am I?

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