Lotta Fizz

Distinguish Your Store Front

2011-04-06T03:30:00.000-07:00

The 'credit crunch' come 'recession' come 'economic downturn' has had a big impact on UK consumerism. Consumers have become far more discerning in what they are looking for and where they look for it. They want the best possible product at the lowest possible price; they will settle for nothing less than a voucher code, discount voucher or special offer. Unfortunately having all of these things still may not be enough. Plenty of small businesses can tick every box above so how do you get people to buy from you? The first challenge is to get them through the shop door.

Shoppers are no less superficial than they have ever been and a drab shop front just will not encourage them to come in. It may be time to consider researching a suitable building service or possibly carpentry specialist. Find out what they might be able to do to make your shop draw in a crowd. Once they are in your shop you will be able to wow them with your excellent quality, amazing value product.

On the same token, shop landlords should consider how they can make their shops more appealing to businesses looking to rent a shop space. Another drab empty shop front isn't making the landlord any money and occupied or not, a drab shop front isn't likely to make anyone much money. It may be worth contacting a local builder or carpenter to have a look. A small spending spree now could provide a sizable return on investment for a considerable time period.

The Year of the Discount Voucher

2010-12-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

It may not be recognised by any particular culture but it cannot be denied the 2010 has been the year of the discount voucher. Eighteen months ago people would have been embarrassed to pull out a 241 voucher to pay for lunch, now they are embarrassed if they forgot to print it off!

I now receive at least two weekly emails with discount vouchers and deals, one from Money Saving Expert and one from Voucher Codes. These slightly older style of money saving email inform me of any special offers running, any discount codes which I can use and any vouchers which I can print off to use in store.

I have also recently signed up to the daily deals from Groupon and Living Social. These have a slightly different approach to discount codes than the previous category. With these you generally pay £x for a voucher which you can redeem in a shop/restaurant etc for a greater value than you paid, e.g. £2x. This requires you to pay up-front and the deals are usually only available for 24 hours, however the vouchers tend to be valid for at least a month, usually three months. The risk here is that you will not get around to using your voucher before it expires.

As you can imagine, my email inbox is fairly inundated with deals, vouchers and special offers and I love it! I scan the emails and delete them if they are not of interest or save or buy from them if they are. As a result of Groupon vouchers I have purchased I have eaten at two very nice restaurants, which I would not have thought to go to without the voucher, for excellent value in the last month. I will also be getting my teeth whitened at a £110 saving! Not to mention the hundreds of savings I have made from the Money Saving Expert emails which I have been receiving for over a year now. How did we live without them?!?

I think the key question is, what are the implications of this to businesses? Chain restaurants are now almost constantly offering BOGOFF, 241, 241 for £1, 2 for £10/£12 or 50% off, so would you go there without a voucher or deal? It doesn't matter how appetising those excluded sections of the menu are, the food covered by the voucher is delicious and great value and probably what I would get anyway so I am not going to pay full price for something I can usually get exactly the same at a discount.

On the other hand, one meal which was worth around £45 and cost me £19 (for two people) with a Groupon introduced me to a restaurant I had never been to before. I had a delicious meal and liked the staff and ambiance and would happily go back to that restaurant on another occasion. I was willing to take the risk and try somewhere new because it was only £19, however this was a one-off and I am aware that if I go back I will have to pay full price.

The psychology of discounting is a complicated one, which I cannot begin to fathom. However, you cannot deny that 2010 has been the year of the discount!

Why is it always the hard way?

2010-10-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

How many times in your life to you think 'I should have done that when I was younger and had the opportunity'? It could be about any number of things, from a holiday, to a career opportunity, to a lifestyle choice, to learning something new. Sometimes the opportunity re-presents itself, sometimes it does not. My latest one is a combination of all four really. I am trying to make up for it now, but it really is much harder!

I want to learn to speak Italian. I started to study Italian at University but gave up because, to be honest, it was just too much work. My motivation to re-study it stems from all four of the reasons as it will allow me to travel around Italy, improve my career prospects, give me more flexible lifestyle options and obviously learn something new. Unfortunately learning a language at night School once a week, whilst working full time and having a social life is no walk in the park. Hence the 'I should have done it when I had the chance'. Nevertheless, I am determined to do my best and with any luck succeed in mastering a reasonable level of understanding and communication by the end of my course next summer!

Why is it that we have to learn things the hard way??? Still, it seems to motivate people considerably more than the easy option.

How well do you communicate your personality?

2010-06-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

The way you look is the first impression someone will have of you, from your cleanliness to your hairstyle to your clothes and shoes. These should immediately communicate your personality.

It is the way you think and interpret things which influences your choices, whether they are the clothes you buy, the way you walk, your relationships with people, I could go on. Buying clothes is very rarely a rash choice, you spend time looking around and already have ideas of the types of clothes which suit you and what you are looking for. Your hair style will be thought out and will tell people how outgoing or reserved you are, how confident or shy you are, how conservative or outrageous. Do these features accurately represent you?

And what does your scent say about you? How much time do you spend choosing your fragrance? On what criteria did you select it? I find buying perfume stressfull and confusing. After smelling two or three fragrances they all merge and I can rarely keep track of the one I liked the most. As a result I have been using the same perfume, Chanel Chance for the last seven years. But then I discovered the Penhaligon's perfume profiling service. It was amazing and FREE! They literally match a scent to your personality so you know that you will smell as great and unique as your personality. They ask you questions which can be as random as "describe your favourite dress" and "what is the layout of your living room?" and after half an hour or so they will select a fragrance or two from their range for you to blind smell and you ultimately choose one. It was great fun and I love my new perfume, Malabah which is semi-oriental, subtle and just amazing!

So think about how well you communicate your personality to people when you first meet them. What do your clothes say about you? What about your jewellery? What about your scent?

Good Book: Rudolf Vrba, I Escaped From Auschwitz

2010-05-10T05:32:00.000-07:00

I first encountered I Escaped From Auschwitz at University whilst studying Primo Levi's, If This Is A Man. We were required to analyse a related text for perspective. I bought and studied/analysed I Escaped From Auschwitz and thoroughly enjoyed it. As a History and Politics graduate I have a natural affinity to historical fiction. I love books based on real historical events which include a fictional love story or similar. I Escaped From Auschwitz is an entirely factual work which nevertheless appealed to the romantic in me.

Vrba, a Scientist by profession, successfully communicates every emotion, undoubtedly strengthened by the knowledge that they were real, so that you can truly understand his experiences.

In his Prologue Vrba talks about contributing to the defeat of Nazism by opening peoples' eyes. This book undeniably achieves that. I know that when I told people what I was reading they would say 'oh!' or 'that's not very nice' and considered it a horrible topic, or a historical source. Vrba's I Escaped From Auschwitz is in fact both BUT, it personalises an unpleasant subject in a way that the everyday public can appreciate and is a historical source to the general public who can learn so much from one man's experiences and bravery.

I am re-reading this book because I thoroughly enjoyed it and believe that it should be a much greater part of popular reading than it currently is.

Nick Clegg's Vision

2009-12-29T05:16:00.000-08:00

Nick Clegg, leader of the Liberal Democrat Party today published a copy of his 'New Year Message' on his website www.nickclegg.com. This is an interesting read and would probably appeal to a majority of people.

I wholeheartedly agree with Clegg's criticisms of the current government and like his ideas for the future, however you have to consider how viable these changes are. You can't just 'press the political reset button', as he suggests! It is very easy to have ideals and make plans in advance, but when (if) the authority to make the proposed changes is put in the Liberal Democrats hands how will they cope with other things which come up? How will they manage the reactions of the EU, USA and Commonwealth to these drastic changes? How will the changes be moderated to ensure they do not go to far, like in 1930s Germany?

I do not disagree that 2009 has brought to light existing problems within the UK political system and these need to be addressed. Furthermore, I would support a Liberal Democrat plan for change but only if a clear, step by step plan can be put together which considers every consequence of the changes and covers planning for unexpected eventualities along the way. In addition, there can be no better moderator of the changes than the British public, so I would suggest that referendums are required at certain stages before changes can be fully implemented. A fine line needs to be walked between rushing the process, thereby causing upheaval and taking too long so that things do not change/improve.

Yes Clegg's policies are good now, so were Blair's in 1997, but once you get that position of power there is very little the British public can do to influence government policy or ensure that campaign promises are kept, look at our involvement in the Iraq War. I doubt that Clegg will gain support with vague suggestions of drastic change and may even alienate current supporters. Whilst the ideals are good more reassurances are needed as to the when, how and why.

I suggest that the focus of the Liberal Democrat's campaign be formulating and promoting such a plan to incentivise people to get up and actually vote and acknowledge that there is an alternative to Conservative and New Labour.

Fury over Inaccurate and Presumptuous News Article

2009-10-15T05:50:00.001-07:00

So yesterday wasn't my best day at work. I was tired and having computer freezing issues! In the afternoon I saw a tweet which turned my day around!

On Tuesday the Brighton Argus put an article on their website entitled, 'Fury over Brighton's £10 pub crawl'. This article outlined the Brighton community's outrage at a weekly £10 pub crawl being organised by a private company, Boozed Brighton which involves being taken to 7 bars around Brighton and getting 6 drinks included in the price. The article included disapproving quotes from members of Sussex police who said that the pub crawls would probably result in antisocial behaviour, yet the Argus were the first to bring the event to Sussex Police's attention so the preceding event must not have caused any problems!!

The really entertaining element of the article are the comments. If you scroll to the bottom of the article you can read 39 indignant reader's opinions on the piece. They generally are along the lines of:

Great deal, where can you sign up?!
Six free drinks, that's not binge drinking!
The pub crawl is a good idea to help prevent bars closing and offering customers a good deal.

As you have probably gathered most people supported Boozed Brighton and thought the article was ridiculous. All I can say is the Argus created a great piece of PR for a company they were attempting to discourage and discredit, despite linking to every possibly website in the article except Boozed Brighton!

Sussex Internship Programme

2009-10-09T02:37:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in my last post I have got a new job :-) I am an intern as part of the Sussex Internship Programme at a digital search optimisation company based in Brighton. I am working as a sales and marketing coordinator. In addition to organising this scheme, where small businesses are matched up with graduates in Sussex, Wired Sussex put on two days of training for the interns. These took place last week and were excellent.

On the first day Hilary Kelsh talked to us about Presentation skills. She gave us pointers to help increase our confidence (slightly better than the old 'imagine your audience naked' technique!) and showed us exercises we could do before giving a presentation in order to combat nerves or extreme tension. The presentation was quite empowering as Hilary's main point was that you should be yourself. There is no 'way' of giving a good presentation, you are speaking to people and should connect to them on a personal level.

In the afternoon Ian Ozvald talked to us about networking. Rather than throwing Twitter, LinkedIn etc in our faces and lecturing us on their uses Ian demonstrated the power of networking using OpenStreetMap as an example. Ian got us to think about things such as how to connect with people at events, what should be on a good business card and what our skills are which we could teach to someone else. He then told us about some events which are held in Sussex for people in the digital media industry, where we can meet people and keep up-to-date with what is going on. I definitely intend to go along to a few, including the £5 App event.

On the morning of the second day we had a talk on project management from Matt Gould. I have never had any training on project management and didn't know anything about the processes involved. He gave me a grounding in Waterfall and Agile project management and when it is most appropriate to use each. I definitely learnt a great deal, which was extremely useful since I have been asked to do some project management at my internship.

Poor Rob Sheperd got the Friday afternoon slot and there couldn't have been a better person for it! His talk was on Professional writing skills but he started the session by splitting the group into two and having a game of Family Fortunes! He definitely got our attention and went on to give us some very useful tips for professional writing. He covered some basic grammatical errors and gave us a structural template for a press release.

Overall the two days were excellently organised by the Sussex Internship team. I found all of the training relevant and useful and it was great to meet all the interns working at other companies. The SIP guys took us to the pub after the first day of training and we got on so well that we are going again tonight, CHEERS!

CCK Netball Club

2009-09-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

It has been a while, what can I say I have been busy going on another holiday, starting a new job and finally getting internet installed in my flat! To be fair, my last post could count as a good two or three separate blogs considering the length!

Having finally settled in and stopped my 4 hour/day commute I finally got around to joining a local netball club last week. I found CCK Netball through the Sussex Netball site and contacted them, along with the Brighton Netball Club, as these both train near to where I live. I got a rude and 'stuck up' response from Brighton Netball Club informing me that they are not recruiting new players this season and I should consider the Council run Back to Netball sessions. Needless to say, having played competitive netball for the last ten years (from age 10), I did not appreciate this ignorant response! CCK responded by inviting me along to a training session to see what I think - a much more sensible approach to unknown talent! HaHa.

I went along last week where a met a group of friendly women and an excellent coach. The club is in its second season and as such is still working to establish itself. Nevertheless, it has weekly training sessions; Tuesdays 20.00 - 21.30 which incorporate fitness and skills training and of course, match play. The club also participates in the Brighton league, although the entire league has currently been suspended due to building work on the main netball courts, and will be entering two teams in January. I thoroughly enjoyed my first session and will be going back tomorrow.

There are not many competitive netball clubs in Brighton, that I could find anyway, and with the attitude of Brighton Netball Club I hope to see CCK Netball grow and establish itself with a friendly and competitive but inclusive atmosphere. I hope to be involved in this process.

For more information on CCK Netball Club email: ccknetball@btinternet.com. You will get a nice response!

AS/A-Level Results Day

2009-08-20T01:16:00.000-07:00

According to a BBC article today there were approximately 60,000 more applicants for University this year. With a 10% increase in applicants, the current job market and a potential rise in Tuition Fees young people really need to consider whether a degree is worth while.

There are many reasons why young people go to University, some of which are;

they want to follow a specific career which requires them to do so
they don't know which career path they want to follow and hope to find an interest whilst studying
'its the done thing'
their parents pushed them in to it
they want to avoid starting work
they can get a grant so 'why not?'
they want the 'student lifestyle'.

I think most people would agree that the last four categories are causing a significant strain on the University sector and are not good reasons for attending University. One problem is that the government throws money at under-privileged students but does not give them adequate guidance. Grants should be conditional on the type of course studied and attendance assessed periodically before installments are paid out. This should also be made clear up front so that people who apply are aware of the conditions and willing to abide by them. This would significantly reduce the strain on Higher Education and would ensure that government grants go to deserving candidates. The situation is similar for the extremely wealthy, whose parents fund their time at University.

Students should also be better advised before applying to University, in their first year at Sixth Form. They should be supported in choosing a specific career path, possibly getting relevant work experience and applying for courses related to that career path. This will ensure that graduates have the relevant qualifications for the jobs they are applying for when they graduate.

If this support is not given then students will continue to graduate with 'generic', non-career specific degrees and still struggle to find work after building up approximately £18,000 debt (generally more with the potential to increase substantially next year). Many young people would, I believe, be better off going into work after their A-Levels to gain work experience and complete industry specific qualifications whilst working. This will stand them in better stead for beginning a career and allow for career development and will greatly improve their financial situation.

This will also reduce the strain on Higher Education providers, ensuring that more funding can go to areas of study which require a degree.

Ultimately, each person needs to sit down with a competent careers advisor and consider which career they are interested in, the different routes they can take and which would be in their best interests. I am a graduate applying for jobs that I could have got three years ago and I would have worked my way up by now to be in a much better position. My degree has in no way helped me to skip the bottom rungs of the ladder. Each University applicant needs to seriously consider if it will help them, at the beginning and end of their career.

MayorOfLondon, get your facts right!

2009-08-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

As a follower of MayorOfLondon on twitter I was very pleased to see a tweet about support for new graduates looking for work. However, I didn't quite get what I expected.

I was hoping for support and advice in conjunction with a job search engine where graduates could actually apply for jobs. Unfortunately the website contains advice akin to what can be found on most University Careers pages. Furthermore, the link to the very useful Prospects website is wrong! Instead of being www.prospects.ac.uk the link goes to: www.prospects.co.uk. I tweeted @MayorOfLondon to inform him of this over a week ago and when I had another look at the site today it has not been corrected.

Why bother paying to host a website of you haven't bothered to check all the links and ensure that you are providing useful, relevant information????

Ben & Jerry's; too big for their boots or stuck in the in-between?

2009-07-27T01:11:00.000-07:00

For the first time yesterday I attended the Ben & Jerry's Festival on Clapham Common. I had never before heard of this awesome day out and genuinely could not wait! I was going along with some seasoned pros so we knew to bring a savoury picnic, to break up the sweetness and to set up camp at one point and then go off in groups in search of ice cream. This advice was invaluable, however a few things seem to have changed since years past.

The day was a cross between a music festival and a summer fete. There was a big stage with some rock/pop acts, a coconut shy, a mini 'farm' area, a carousel, a children's play area and needless to say many many ice-cream stalls and other food outlets. In true Ben & Jerry's style there were also some quirky additions such as, 'Mystic Moo', people wandering round in cow suits and 'banana bashing' (standing on low platforms and trying to make your opponent fall into the inflatable pool by beating them with an inflatable banana). This was all good fun.

I have to say that the day was good value for money, the ticket was £8.95 plus £3 p&p (per ticket!!!!!) but once inside all ice-cream and attractions were free. The only things you had to pay for were merchandise and other food.

However, from what I have been told about previous years I feel that this time Ben & Jerry's really over-stretched themselves. There were queues for everything, apparently a new phenomenon. We queued for an hour for the pecan flavoured ice-cream, which we had not tried before only to find it had not been delivered that morning! We obviously got a different flavour, but that is not the point! Our picnic area was also quickly encroached on by 1/2 mile long queues and people sitting in the gaps between groups and then being joined by more friends.

I have to admit, I was not there for the music, it was simply a plus on the unlimited ice-cream attraction. However, a bit of background music to build the atmosphere never does any harm. Except, when the speakers are playing up! One minute I was having a completely normal conversation with the person next to me, the next I was being deafened as the near by speaker blasted some really loud notes before apparently giving up again due to over-exertion!

Don't get me wrong, I had a good day despite the dismal weather and definitely enjoyed the ice-cream although I don't feel I had my fill! However, as my friend aptly put it, the festival was in the in-between, it was not a family summer fete style event and was not a hard core music festival.

If I was organising next years event I would make the Saturday the family day, with the emphasis on the attractions and have some more pop-style bands or a local radio station presenting live from the festival. I would make the Sunday the music day, still with all the attractions and obviously ice-cream but with the emphasis on the music. I think this would give people a more clear cut idea of what to expect, would make the queuing situation less loathsome and would enable Ben & Jerry's to truly engage these two separate target markets.

A Rare Glimpse of Transparency

2009-07-23T03:21:00.000-07:00

It was nice to see in my BBC Newsfeed this morning some legitimate justification for the continuation of the War in Afghanistan and the offensive manoeuvres which have resulted in the highest casualty rate so far. Unfortunately, it was not from the British government and will undoubtedly be criticised or overlooked by the British public, due to its source; the American Vice President Joe Biden.

Nevertheless, Biden explains that British and US Troops are now engaging the Taleban in one of their strongholds on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and that by doing so they are destabilising the regime. A key component of this is the destruction of the poppy farms used to manufacture 90% of the World's heroin. This will remove the Taleban's means of funding their terrorist activities and also reduce the amount of heroin for sale across the World. This double advantage should surely be publicised to British citizens so they can whole-heartedly support our troops and be aware that their sacrifices are for a worthwhile cause.

I do not agree with Biden's statement that, "in terms of national interest of Great Britain, the US and Europe, [the war in Afghanistan] is worth the effort we are making and the sacrifice that is being felt" because the sacrifice has been ultimate for many UK families. Nevertheless, the knowledge that the War is being fought for 'good reasons', beyond the US lining their own pockets, should be explained to the British public, by British officials in order to gain greater public support.

To view the full article click here.

'Equal Opportunities'

2009-07-21T01:24:00.000-07:00

I completed a job application form the other day and on one page it said something along the lines of, 'we are an equal opportunities employer, please complete the information below.' From the drop-down list for ethnicity there were four 'Asian' options, four 'Black' options, a 'Not Disclosed' option and one 'White' option! So you can be Asian-British but not White-British or White-American or White-African! I didn't realise ethnicity centred solely around skin colour!

A BBC article today says that there should be, 'greater monitoring of the social background of those entering professions, in the way that figures are published for race and gender' in order to increase equal opportunities in employment.

I 100% agree that the employment process should be entirely meritocratic and do not see why you should have to provide details of your ethnicity, disabilities and so on. By requiring businesses to gather this information and meet targets on the number or proportion of employees from each 'category' they are causing discrimination to go the other way. A white, British graduate who has no disabilities and paid full-whack for the studies is being discriminated against for not being from an ethnic or social minority.

As a pro-active student I wanted to gain work experience the summer before my final year. I looked into doing so at the Civil Service. Whilst they offer a 'Summer Development Programme, open to UK nationals with a minimum 2:2 expected or awarded degree and from an ethnic minority background' and a 'Summer Placement Scheme, open to UK nationals with a registered disability in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA)' there are no opportunities for your average British student who has a British background. Surely this is direct, open discrimination against those people. I do not object to separate schemes for different demographics in society, but surely there should be one for everyone?

Equal opportunities should mean that irrespective of your personal attributes, background, religion or appearance you are able to apply for a job and be considered based entirely on your suitability for the role. At the moment I do not believe that everyone has equal opportunities and I do not think gathering more information and setting quotas will improve the situation.

Brown, Just Tell Us What Is Going On

2009-07-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

You've got to have some sympathy for Brown, he was not elected and inherited a great big mess! Now the economy has gone to pot and to makes things worse MPs have been bleeding us dry, major quangos have been over-spending and going bust and the War in Afghanistan resulting in the highest death rate so far.

HOWEVER, I do not appreciate being treated like an idiot! Rather than write a press release and/or have a press conference explaining the value of current government spending so people understand, Brown has been walking around saying everything is fine. This is not the case and no one believes him anyway! There is no need to give an in depth report on the reasoning behind government policy but some basic explanations would definitely help the government's credibility. For example;

If people understood how the UK benefits from the EU, through a government campaign which countered the BNP's extensive anti-EU campaign, the outcome of the EU elections could have been very different.
If people knew the likely consequences of terrorist supremacy in Afghanistan and the extent that it would directly affect their lives they would appreciate the necessity of our continued presence there.
If people knew what public spending went on and how it benefited them they would not speculate so much and exaggerate the amount which is spent on things which they do not necessarily approve of.

By doing these things, in cooperation with the Press, people would be much more supportive of the Brown government and their policies. The IMF says the UK government has gone too far, pushing National Debt to nearly 100% GDP, equivalent to approximately £1.5 trillion. In order to improve public opinion Brown has increased spending in some areas rather than justifying the importance of current spending. As a result the UK economy is in danger of losing international credibility which will prevent us from recovering as the economic cycle improves, in line with the rest of the international economy.

Just a Quicky!

2009-07-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

So I got a good temp job for a couple of months. It is excellent experience and the people are all really good. The money isn't great but then it isn't terrible either! I've been so busy on my holidays and sorting myself out for the job I haven't had a chance to update my blog for a while. I think I am settling into a routine now and will hopefully be more frequent with my posts!

Just a quicky for now.

When to holiday??

2009-06-26T03:02:00.000-07:00

If anything has given me an incentive to be successful and rich it is the last few weeks. I thought it would be best to have my holidays at the beginning of the summer so I wouldn't have to start a new job and then take holiday. This reasoning seemed pretty sound.

However, things got pretty hectic when the day after I returned from my holiday with my boyfriend I went on holiday with the girls. It was great fun but made arranging interviews quite difficult! To add to that, the jobs I was interested in which were interested in me wanted an immediate start and I am going to the coast for the first week of July, so I've had to mess people around with when I can start! I really don't mean to be difficult, I had thought this way would be easier. Experience says otherwise. O well, at least I am well relaxed and holidayed even if I am not employed (yet).

When I am successful and rich I will be able to jet-set in peace, without so many worries! In the mean time I guess I'll have to live with it. Not exactly the worst thing in the World, I'll admit!

I feel like I should be revising

2009-05-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

Strolling onto campus this morning with my laptop I felt like I should be headed straight for the library. Fortunately not! Unfortunately the wireless router at my house has broken and two months before we move out we are not going to buy a new one. This has left me having to lug my laptop onto campus to apply for every job I possibly can! My exams may be over but its not all about letting the good times role.

Some people talk about the fact there are no jobs for people about to graduate and others are saying that actually there are lots of jobs available and students should ignore the hype. I've tried to be positive and trust me, I've been looking and am inclined to agree with the pessimists at the moment!

I am not going to rant about how I've had to pay higher fees, extortionate interest on my loan (the last two years) and am going to graduate with no job and a huge loan to pay off. ... Well ok, I did a little. But I don't see very much support coming from the government to help me find a job. In July thousands of final year students will graduate and unless some much needed support is provided the unemployment stats are going to sky rocket! (We don't count as unemployed whilst studying).

Yes the expenses scandal is terrible and yes the system needs to change but a lot of time and money is being wasted going on about it. Why can't they just create an open committee to assess all claims and plans for a new, clearer system and liaise with the press so the public know what is going on. The rest of the MPs could, I don't know, work on policies to increase UK employment or strengthen the pound. We are in an economic crisis you know!

And it is all over

2009-05-25T02:04:00.000-07:00

As an eager 18 year old I planned to go off to University three long years ago. My cousins kept telling me to make the most of it, that it would fly by. But three years felt like a life time. Don't you hate it when people are right!

Last Friday at high noon I walked out of my last exam. To say I was pleased is an understatement, I could barely contain my excitement! I wanted scream, dance, jump as high as I could. But then there is that slight disappointment, its all over. I have six weeks left in Reading before graduation to make the most of being a student, and I intend to! The parties, the job applications, the holidays are all to come!

I am ready to 'grow up' and have loved my University experience and I think this is a fitting moment at wish to start my blog ... the first days of the rest of my life!