(Chicken curry, dal and coconut sambol)

I used to spend a fair bit of time a few years back when I did my postgrad and subsequently worked at Monash University. And Gedera used to be one of our favourite lunch spots.

I suddenly had a desperate craving for egg hopper one day and since Josh had never been to Gedera, we would drive to Caulfield for this little treat.

(egg hopper, and plain hoppers to the left)

The cafe was minimally decorated but the warm greetings from our hosts who were more than happy to help us out with the menu. Although I was a regular, the cafe had changed hands and I was relieved to hear that you can now get hoppers everyday rather than just on Wednesdays. Hoppers, as you may be aware, are a type of popular Sri Lankan pancakes made rice flour and coconut milk. I promptly order the egg hopper pack ($9.oo), which consisted of one egg hopper, two plain hoppers and a dish of Sri Lankan-style chicken curry, dal and coconut sambol. The hoppers were perfectly crunchy and coconuty – just as a good hopper should be. The chicken curry was spicy and the dal and sambol complimentary.

(masala dosa pack served with sambar and coconut chutney – $9.50)

Josh, being a newbie to the world of Sri Lankan cuisine, took ten minutes to decide on a dish and settled for the dosai, which was a type of South Indian savoury pancake (also popular and made also native in Sri Lanka). Trust him to go and pick a non-Sri Lankan dish.

(the spicy potato stuffing)

He had settled for masala dosa (or dosai, or thosa, or thosai) which was the dosa stuffed with spicy potatoes. It did not disappoint. The dosai was fresh and the potatoes well flavoured. He enjoyed it greatly and preferred it to my hoppers. How can anything beat hoppers I would never understand…

(pistachio kulfi – $4.00)

Because the dessert seemed to interesting to pass up, we both decided to order desserts. Josh had settled for the pistachio kulfi, which was an Indian ice cream – made from condensed milk and spices. It was lovely and creamy with just the right hint of cardamon and pistachio. In fact, it was as good as the kulfi from Bombay By Night (who the Age famously advised to not leave without trying the dessert) at half the price.

(wattalappam – $4.00)

My choice was the famous Sri Lankan dessert, wattalappam, which was a set custard made from eggs, coconut milk and the flavoursome strong palm sugar. It was sweet and coconutty. Something uniquely Sri Lankan that I never tried before. I have to say I rather liked it. Josh preferred the kulfi.

What a lovely simple meal. This will now be my place of choice when the hopper hunger (or kulfi, or Sri Lankan rice & curry) strikes.

Gedera,  17 Derby Road Caulfield East VIC 3145 Phone: (03) 9572 5720

For truly unique designs, manage projects of Mexican onyx, or small designer that were created by Spanish flamenco or small African Jewelers, precious and semiprecious stones used in fashion jewelry designs that are surprisingly cheap – at the door to less than the price given a taxi to get to a store near you. You will be surprised that there are many top-name designers who sell their creations at the end of the season for much less than the price of designtend to be. There are houses winding exclusive online for jewelry design at low cost and accessories that you never see in a store.

Fashion jewelry with precious stones or precious stones

Jewelry should not be buying more and more stressful, jewelry, fashion should be fun and people `s jewelry should be cheap and only because they can carry less ladies. Ornaments for the body is in fashion and should reflect individuality for youth and young adults who may not have a budget or high endreal gold or gemstone jewelry.

However, it is very interesting that while you might think is just cheap plastic jewels or acrylic, or "jewels" junk, it can be pleasantly surprised by the fact that many Asian distributors, designers feature is available, the real gems or semi -precious gems contains … maybe not the best buds, but better than imitations, and often with metals that last for long. Some types of stones leading into rings and usedEarrings are the following:

Agate, Amazon stone, amethyst, aquamarine chips, Aventurine, Black Agate, black shell, black onyx, crystal blue, blue sandstone, quartz, agate, gray, green Aventurine, mottled green stone, green, rutile quartz, jade, malachite, stone moon, pearl, flower opal, peridot, rock, Aventurine red carnelian red jasper, red coral, red, pink quartz, sapphire, quartz, rutile, quartz, tiger eye and many other genuine stones, rings and earrings are made of cheap MarketMade and sold online.

How do you spend your energy does not run to the jeweler to jeweler to find what you want and compare prices when you can do everything right from your computer. Cheap Jewelry is a way to free up your time for other things while watching big silver jewelry, gold jewelry and trinkets, which is better for you from head to toe.

I pulled a project I started over the summer out of the UFO closet and I hope I will finish the top by New Year’s.
So this is going to be me for the rest of the evening:

E. Hopper: Girl at Sewing Machine

Hey everyone! I got an exclusive look on the new Treasure Book! Check out these awsome cheats!

If you click the cloud you can get a viking hat or the t-shirt!

There’s no cheats on this page!

And all the rest are not new ones! There is one exclusive page. But you need to unlock 5 items to get to it. You can get a beta t-shirt,or a dress! Yeah its really cool,hopefully i can get it!
IMPORTANT:
1.There will be an upcoming coin code contest so follow me on twitter for a better chance of winning!
-Zerosk8der,Club Penguin SP Owner

RockHopper is offcially here! And i have a great tracker! Use these trackers,tips,tricks,to find him!

• He goes on servers that are 3/5 full.
• He wears a black pirate hat,white beard,and is red!
• He  is going to have a crowd so if there is a crowd,go on the buddy icon,and see if he’s in the room.
• When you meet him,click him,and hit the brown box to get a background!

Server:LoadingRefresh
Place:LoadingRefresh
Recent Server:LoadingRefresh

Get Zerosk8der chat group | Goto Zerosk8der website
Happy Hunting!
-Zerosk8der,Secret Penguin Cheats Owner(ClubPenguinSP Owner)

Rock Hopper was recently spotted on the Club Penguin Telescope. Now he is even closer! He is so close,you can the the presents,and decorations thats going to be around clubpenguin! Take a look!

Pretty cool! Since RockHopper is comming,he is bringing Coins For Change! I will give you more information when the Migrator comes to clubpenguin!
-Zerosk8der,Secret Penguin Cheats Owner

1. Expedition Everest: Expedition Everest is a high-speed train adventure that combines roller coaster-like thrills with a theme based on the folklore of the ferocious yeti or abominable snowman

2. Kilimanjaro Safaris: An open-sided, 32-passenger safari jeep takes you on a fascinating adventure through the 100-acre “Harambe Reserve” in the remotest regions of Africa during Kilimanjaro Safaris, where you can view some of the earth’s most incredible creatures.

3. Festival of the Lion King: Based on the extremely popular animated movie, this production features songs from the film and a cast of familiar faces, including Simba, Timon and Pumbaa.

4. Pangani Forest Exploration Trail: The Pangani Forest Exploration Trail is a walk-through attraction that takes you through a beautiful tropical forest with many interesting animal habitats along with way.

5. Maharajah Jungle Trek: The Maharajah Jungle Trek is a walk-through attraction that winds through the ruins of an Indian temple and takes you through a variety of exotic animal habitats.

6. Kali River Rapids: Climb aboard a 12-passenger raft and prepare to get soaked as you experience the turbulent rapids of the Chakranadi River during the Kali River Rapids flume ride – an amazing whitewater adventure!

7. DINOSAUR: The DINOSAUR thrill ride allows you to travel back in time 65 million years and come face to face with a variety of menacing prehistoric creatures!

8. Primeval Whirl: A wacky roller coaster, Primeval Whirl allows you to take a spin through time and features plenty of sharp turns, curves and dips along the way!

9. It’s Tough to be a Bug!: This incredible 3-D adventure features characters such as Flik, Hopper and Princess Atta from Disney’s 1998 animated film, A Bug’s Life.

10. Tree of Life: The icon of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Tree of Life is a 14-story, 50-foot-wide tree sculpted with animal carvings by more than a dozen skilled artisans.

Seeking great deals on spacious and comfortable accommodations that provide convenient access to Walt Disney World Resort? Look no farther than Westgate Resorts! For more information about Westgate Resorts, visit www.westgatedestinations.com.

WMF 1400 Super Automatic 2 Lockable Hopper Espresso Machine Review

Check Price Now!

WMF 1400 Super Automatic 2 Lockable Hopper Espresso Machine Feature

WMF 1400 Super Automatic 2 Lockable Hopper Espresso Machine Overview

This fully automatic WMF 1400 Super Automatic 2 Lockable Hopper Espresso Machine prepares fresh Espresso, Cappuccino, Cafe Creme, white coffee and Latte Macchiato by the push of a button. The height adjustable double spout allows you to brew into cups as well as pots. It features simple display that guides you through programming as well as maintenance of the machine in simple language. The ergonomic product keys can be exchanged and that allows you to customize your machine to your personal needs. The coffee waste is disposed into a grounds catcher which can hold up to 70 cups of waste coffee. The aperture allows you to brew one cup with a different coffee type easily and is often used for decaffeinated coffee. The double frothier head allows you to brew two cappuccino or latte in one go. The foam quality can be adjusted from fine to course, just the way you want it. This machine is the perfect coffee station in small restaurants or bar. The vending units (card reader, coin checker, coin changer) can be connected to the self-service version.     We will bring your Espresso Machine Inside! We won\’t leave it curbside like the other guys.

WMF 1400 Super Automatic 2 Lockable Hopper Espresso Machine Specifications

WMF

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Nov 29, 2009 06:15:04

32inch lcd hdtv

Lizzie Miller weighs 11 stone 1 lbs and when this picture was released in Glamour magazine the small “roll” on her stomach sparked global debate about whether or not she should be accepted as a model.

The news is claiming that were all getting more obese and were slowly catching up with americans and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition telling us that we can increase our recommended daily amount of calories by 16%. For those of you who aren’t good at maths like me thats the equivalent of a cheese burger or two bags of ready salted crisps.

Weighing in at 8 stone 5 pounds I know that I make peoples eyes roll. Whats this girl talking about obesity for? She’s not fat. Looking at me you wouldnt think that I weighed that much. I have however only just reached a weight that I’ve been dying to reach for the past 4 years. No I haven’t lost weight. I’ve gained it. I’m proud of that. There are girls bigger than me and there are girls ALOT smaller than me, thats just the way life is. Nobody is perfect, but everyone in their own way is beautiful.

This beautiful that I’m talking about may not be on the surface but it can be stored underneath in a hidden personality, an extremely clever brain or a wicked sense of humour.

I’ve witnessed my friends growing up doubt themselves and I’ve been through my own doubts. Like Lizzie Miller though, I’ve learnt to love my own body.

When I was 18 I watched a friend get so stressed about her own body that she bordered on developing an eating disorder. By eating smaller meals she thought that noone would catch on. She exercised til she was exhausted and didn’t put the calories back into her body. However I did, I confronted her about it and asked her why she was doing it. Her answer? Because she was too fat. Wearing size 12 clothes I didn’t consider my friend to be fat, and neither did our other friends. We kept a close eye on her and then when we begun to worry about her, we told her Mum.  Those few months around my 18th birthday were dreadful, my friend never actually developed an eating disorder but it was a tough few months to help her realise that we all thought she was perfect the way she was. Thankfully she’s never gone back to thinking that she’d need to resort to putting herself through that again.

Asking my friend why she had put herself through all of the angst that she did, she said that she wanted to be “skinny” and “pretty” just like the girls in college that looked like they should be in the magazines. My friend couldn’t see the stuff that made everyone love her. Her booming laugh, her caring nature and the ability to make braver style choices than every other “topshop coathanger” in college.

A few of my inspirational ladies

The media has alot to do with influencing the way that young girls picture themselves. Choosing models who only fit the “skinny” criteria to feature on catwalks and in magazines influences what us girls should really look like. The role models featured in these magazines can also have a bad influence on the way that people think. Kate Moss who is deemed one of the best models in the world last week shocked the nation by stating

“Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels”.

I don’t really follow alot of what Kate Moss does, apart from when she releases a new range at Topshop. Like the rest of the nation though I was shocked to see that someone who knows she is a role model to plenty of young girls who are easily influenced. The quote however was originally said by Steven Tyler Aerosmith who had no influence whatsoever on anyones eating habits, the word skinny was originally thin.

For me, I believe that if you love your toothy smile, make the most of your assets and even grow to love that “big” nose you are one of these people that are beautiful and represent a member of today’s real beautiful nation.

]]> http://hansardblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/mysterious-whisper/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:38:10 +0000 Tim http://hansardblog.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/mysterious-whisper/

Hon. RE SCHWARTEN (Rockhampton—ALP) (Minister for Public Works and Information and
Communication Technology) (10.09 am): [...] The principal also provides a copy of the school’s BEMIR before work commences to ensure that contractors are always aware of any asbestos present.

Dr Flegg: We can’t hear you.

Mr SCHWARTEN: I am sorry, I have a voice complaint. I am doing my best.

Mr McArdle: Have a glass of water.

Mr SCHWARTEN: It is not actually a glass of water that I need. I have a throat complaint. Wake up to yourself.

Mr Hopper: That’s not like you, Robbie, to be nasty.

Mr SCHWARTEN: I am doing my best to speak.

Subject: QBuild, Asbestos in Schools [Legislative Assembly - Ministerial Statements]

Date: 6 October 2009

Hansard reference: pp. [online (pdf)]

Dziś ciekawa reklamy telefonu komórkowego, która nie musi być ani denerwująca ani głupia. Reklama jest tylko częścią akcji marketingowej, która wykorzystuje zjawisko flash mob. Na stronie hopperinvasion.com każdy internauta ma możliwość stworzenia swojego Hoppera, którym bierze udział w internetowej inwazji Hopperów.
Skoczki są sympatyczne i wzbudzają zainteresowanie młodzieży. Prawdopodobnie jest to główny target, do którego skierowano nowy telefon SE Satio. Przeglądając nową odsłonę witryny SonyEricssona można odnieść wrażenie, że jest odrobinę podobna do strony Play. Oczywiście tylko kolorystycznie.

Pierwsza inwazja Hopperów w Barcelonie. Gdzie będzie następna?

Today I had a day off and I decided to visit the ‘Kunsthal’ in Rotterdam. It featured an exhibition called: ‘Edward Hopper and His Time.’ Hopper represents American Modernism but never really belonged to one of the groups of modernism. The exhibition shows eight works of Hopper and I was struck by the tranquility in his paintings. Almost photographic, frozen in time. Alongside the works of Hopper other ‘Modernists’ are shown. The ‘regionalists’ who pictured people in rural areas. The Ashcan school with their urban paintings, cubists and abstractionists. But I liked the works in the ‘Machine Age’ section the most. What you see is what you get. Still impressed and inspired by this exhibition I decided to go up and see the the photographic work of Jacob Holdt and Vanessa Winship. Holdt made hundreds of photos during his travels through the United States from 1970-1975. An unconformistic view on America in the early seventies. From rich to poor and from black to white. A bit tired of all the impressions I considered leaving, but for one reason or the other my feet went left to Vanessa’s Winship wing. And my feet were right!

I was struck by the portraits of girls in East-Turkey. The Kunsthal website states: “Winship chooses to portray the children in the exact same way every single time: frontally and at full-length. Moreover, each frame is made at the same distance. Due to this all the girls become similar each other. Clothing and pose further attribute to a sense of congeniality. All girls wear dark blue school uniforms with small white lace collars and refined embroidery, as is obligatory in all state schools in Turkey.”

If you take a close look at the pictures you see the individuality and the awaking puberty. Each girl is portrayed the same, but all girls are very different. The photos excited me and made me emotional. Maybe because I have two daughters, maybe because of the innocence and purity. I am still impressed. Bought here booklet and watched the photo’s over and over again. Go see this! Until 17 January 2010. Or visit her website: http://www.vanessawinship.com/projects.php

I made this photo of my favorite picture with my iPhone:

:

Within the last two weeks, I had noticed an increase in the number of customers who have called inquiring about wanting to install some type of motorized controller to open and close their skylights and windows.  The windows of concern are usually hopper or awning windows, and are typically mounted up high, making manual operation cumbersome at the least.  Just so you know, a hopper window is hinged at the bottom, whereas the awning window is hinged at the top. The skylight, of course, is mounted through the ceiling.  Regardless of window, you need to have a tall ladder or a telescoping pole crank to operate these units.

Home Controls does not sell ladders or pole cranks, but we do carry motorized chain actuators that can be used on skylights and on both types of windows.  Two of the more popular chain actuators are the Ultraflex Vega and the Sintesi.  Both units are powered by line voltage, and can be controlled either by a wall switch, or if automation is required,  a module with environmental sensor and contact closure inputs can be used.  RF control is an option, too.  The Vega is the recommended actuator of choice for most appliations.  Though its pull-in force is not as strong nor is its chain speed as fast as that of the Sintesi, here are some key benefits that the Vega has over the Sintesi:

• Lower electrical current draw.
• Self adjusting, electronic limit switches simplifies installation and requires less maintenance.
• The chain exits the center of the case for a balanced, aesthetic look.
• The Vega is supplied with pivoting mounting hardware.
• The Vega is readily available in stock through our supplier.

Take a look at the comparison chart between these two chain actuators, and note the stroke and force of each unit.  If your window falls within the capacity of the Vega, you will not be disappointed with its performance. If, however, you need that additional ooomph when pulling in a heavy hopper window, then the Sintesi will be the one to meet that task.

If you need additional information or have questions on either unit, you know how to get hold of me. I’ll be glad to share with you the installation and wiring diagrams.

Dryland's a myth! Or is it...? (It's not. Spoiler alert.)

A trip down junior high memory lane has led me to do another Twice Baked Potatoes quickie review. This time I’m watching “Waterworld” starring Mr. Kevin Costner as the lead role, also known as The Mariner. The Mariner is along the lines of Mel Gibson’s Mad Max, although Costner plays him as a Dazed, Creepily Quiet Max. There are other actors in the film, but none of them matter whatsoever. Not even the little girl. Sorry. She’s little more than a plot device. The only other performance worth noting is Dennis Hopper as the villain. Hopper was enjoying his mid-90’s Renaissance, where he was more or less doing variations on his performances in “Speed” and “True Romance”. Walleyed heroism versus wily psychosis. Great. Casting. All. Around. Extra special shoutout to awesome that-guy actor Kim Coates as the coolest pseudo-Irish, would-be rapist pirate this side of The Atoll.

To the film’s credit, every cent of the $180 Million price tag shows up on screen. Yet for all that money, would it have killed the production designer to splash on some more colors other than various shades of fecal brown and rust red? Every single room looks like a serial killer’s cleanup shack after it’s been wiped down for evidence. Costner’s sleepwalker acting choices actually fit the film in that respect: Expensive, intentional, and completely boring.

The action, thankfully, is the best part. The setpieces are large and dynamic, chock full of explosions, goop, and blood. More goop than blood. I also appreciate that there are a lot of sets and practical effects. Today, adjusted for quality, this film would have been a CGI cheapfest and most likely have been a SyFy channel clunker starring Lorenzo Lamas. The film also doesn’t waste time with logic. It challenges you to accept the world it’s presenting, and there are so many questions that could be asked, but why bother? It’s an B-action flick masquerading as a summer sci-fi epic. I can forgive the illogics, but where did they get all of the bullets? What about the airplane? Airplane fuel? These things take real science, not just welding torches. I’m just saying.

If this flick is on during late night, it’s not a bad way to spend the hours between 2am and 4am. I just hope that the sequel is called “Desertworld”. You think I’m crazy? They’ll make a sequel to anything. Anything. Just give it 10 more years. 15 tops.

Last time we started a look at 10 great villains and will continue that study with the help from a pirate, a teenage rebel, a terrorist’s little brother, a gunslinger, a nazi, and even a grasshopper. Bad guys that you may have seen but never took the time to remember. Well here’s a reminder of how awesome they really are.

90. William Stryker (X2: X-Men United) played by Brian Cox

” I was piloting Black Op’s missions in the jungles of Northern Vietnam while you were sucking on your mama’s tit at Woodstock, Kelly. Don’t lecture me about war. This already is war.”

89. Simon Gruber (Die Hard with a Vengeance) played by Jeremy Irons

“Said Simple Simon to the pieman going to the fair, ‘Give me your pies… or I’ll cave your head in.’”

88. Johnny Ringo (Tombstone) played by Michael Biehn

“I want your blood. And I want your souls. And I want them both right now!”

87. Hopper (A Bug’s Life) voiced by Kevin Spacey

“Let this be a lesson to all you ants! Ideas are very dangerous things! You are mindless, soil-shoving losers, put on this earth to serve us!”

86. J.D. (Heathers) played by Christian Slater

“Your society nods its head at any horror the American teenager can think to bring upon itself.”

85. The Kurgan (Highlander) played by Clancy Brown

“Tonight, you sleep in hell.”

84. Hando (Romper Stomper) played by Russell Crowe

“I want people to know I’m proud of my white history and white blood. One day it might be all I have.”

83. Bucho (Desperado) played by Joaquim de Almeida

“Now you drive around town. You see someone you don’t know, you shoot them. How hard is that?”

82. Agent Smith (The Matrix) played by Hugo Weaving

“Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You’re a plague and we are the cure.”

81. Captain Hector Barbossa (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) played by Geoffrey Rush

“Don’t dare impugn me honor boy! I agreed she go free, but it was you who failed to specify when or where. Though it does seem a shame to lose something so fine, don’t it lads?”

There you go, tune in next week for 89-71.

-Tyler Correa

]]> http://wellroundedquest.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/rememberance-day/ Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:13:37 +0000 Jessica http://wellroundedquest.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/rememberance-day/

This is Lance Corpral Tom Neathway. He is a hero.

As you can see he’s missing both legs and his left arm, this is due to being injured in war. Earlier in the year I watched a BBC documentary called Wounded. The title was described the programme perfectly as millions of viewers were able to see soilders recovering from their injuries in war. I’ve never really been one for sitting and watching programmes about war, as many of the nation will agree I find them boring and sometimes too upsetting. The thing that got me interested in Wounded though was the contrast between the two main featured soilders on the programme. Firstly we were introduced to Andy Allen who was the more seriously injured of the two.

I’ve never met anyone who had lost limbs and could only imagine it to be an extremely painful process to go through. Losing limbs that you take for granted is one of the hardest things to imagine. Watching Tom on screen I was taken aback. He had shrugged the whole process off as if it was just a cut. To Tom the whole process was a whole new challenge in life. We watched him learn how to walk again, how to use a prostetic arm and we were even shown Tom walking on his new limbs to recieve his medal, which brought a tear to my eye…and I NEVER cry at television.

My point of this blog today isn’t just to tell you how inspiring Tom is (who is now a skiing instructor!!) But to mark 11th November which is the anniversary of the end of the First World War. Every year throughout the UK the Poppy Appeal is everywhere in sight to sell Poppies to donate money to commemmorate the Armed Forces. Alot of Media sources are saying that younger people don’t care about the Poppy Appeal and are uneducated upon the matter. So if you don’t know why poppies are sold have a look on one of those websites above.

Maybe some teenagers are ignorant about the fact that people are out their fighting for the country and they may not have supported the Poppy Appeal, however for those of us that do know what it’s about, we should make sure that we pay respect to those that are out there today, could be out there tomorrow and those that will fight in the future.

Most importantly though, remember those that have fought in the past.

To my Mum and Dad.

Congratulations on your Pearl Wedding Anniversary.

All my love

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Back when I was 12 years old and spent hours listening to the ringing of dial up internet I was constantly having the messages of “give out no details” and “NEVER meet up with anyone you meet online” drummed into me by my parents and the websites that I used to visit.

However eight years on and using the internet is considered to be a part of everyday life, from using it to research homework or to in fact procrastinate from actually doing any homework. I know this. As I’ve done it…a lot.

When I first used the internet I was limited to half an hour on a night after my tea to talk to my friends on MSN and to look on any websites that I wanted to. ‘Kidzworld’ was the main website that I visited where I sat and scrolled through many message boards talking about the things that 12 year olds talk about.

On there I spoke to many people who live in America and from other parts of the UK. On the ‘Kidzworld’ chat room monitors always sent out messages reminding users to never give out personal details or to meet up with anyone we had become friends with.

Social networking is about as everyday as reading a newspaper, its something that most people do. It’s fitted into daily routine without even thinking about it. Many students sit in the library or at home updating their friends about what they’re up to and look at many photos from nights out.

The one thing that people have forgotten is that anyone can have access to the same sites that we use to stay in touch with our friends. There are settings to prevent people from looking at your profile and there is also the concept of friend requests where you can accept or deny people from joining your profile.

Ashleigh Hall, 17, was recently murdered after meeting someone she’d become friends with online. My instant reaction was “she shouldn’t have done it”.

That was until I started thinking about my own personal experiences. Two years ago when Myspace was the done thing I started talking to a girl from the local area and on bonfire night I went to go and pick her up from work with my Dad (who then went off to Ikea with my mum and left us on our own). Hollie could have been a psycho, thankfully she’s not and thankfully my Dad had come with me to pick her up from work. Since then we’ve stayed friends and thank Myspace for bringing us together.

There was however the creation of “Myspace Celebrities”.

A good friend of mine was once considered to be a “celebrity” and was often approached in the street with people asking her “Are you FRANKII™ from Myspace?”

While our group of friends often found this comical we were all shocked when earlier this year whilst looking through her added friends

Frankii found herself looking at the profile of “$usie Kay”. Someone had created a profile using her photos posted on her profile and claimed to be 17 and living in California. Our first thoughts were that it was some girl just imitating her; it then began to cross our minds that it could be an internet predator.

Now I’m not saying that we should all live in fear of what a dangerous place the internet could be, but I think that people have become less aware of the things that can occur on the internet.

We should think about whether it is safe to put our mobile numbers and email addresses onto social profiles, whether we want people we don’t know scrolling through any amount of photos of ourselves.

We need to re educate ourselves and others about the dangers of the internet and not just put ourselves out there into positions that could potentially put us into harm without realising it. It shouldn’t have taken a 17 year olds death to make the nation think about internet safety.

Like any other 20 year old, the biggest interest in my life is my friends, university and work. I live in the little bubble of Jessica and don’t pay a lot of attention to much else thats going on in the world.

However, I work eight hours a week in a pharmacy where I’ve had my eyes opened to the lives of drug addicts who give me insight into their lives daily.

Before working there I hadn’t thought about drug addicts and how they live. The needle exchange and methadone programmes opened my eyes to another part of society . It felt really good to learn and form an opinion on people that are often looked down upon. I want to burst the little bubble that I live in and learn more about life.

In 2002 Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman were murdered by Ian Huntley. At the age of 13 this was the very first news story that I became aware of. Before then I knew that things happened around the world but these girls were so close to my own age that I became obsessed with someone finding them.

I had was constantly checking around myself to make sure no one was following me and I was checking the newspapers and any form of media I could get my hands on while I was on a family holiday. I can’t remember anything from that holiday other than the panic I felt.

Since then I have slowly become more aware of big news stories but have never really thought about how I would feel in that situation.

Back when I was 13 I had long blonde hair and a chubby faced smile. A lot of people when I returned to school after that summer said that I resembled Holly Wells. The fear hit me once again as I thought that someone might target me next.

Ian Huntley was later charged with perverting the court of justice and murder of the two girls. After this happened I forgot about the story until I was reminded about that holiday.

I was brought up by my mother and father who never really educated me on topics of politics or taught me a lot about the history of different things around the world. I learnt the basics at school and just trundled through life being unaware of what was going on around me until I was affected by that news story.

I’d never looked at pieces of news and wondered how I would feel in that situation, or how that situation could effect the people in the surrounding culture. At the age of 11 two planes hit the twin towers causing approximately 2,792 deaths. I knew that America had gone to war but I didn’t understand why, in all honesty I still don’t really understand why today.

“Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can –there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did.” Sarah Caldwell

I take inspiration from the quote above and am now going to adopt it as my mantra.

As a 20 year old female studying journalism at university and working on a pharmacy I want to learn more about the world.  I want to understand politics for the first time and know that who I’m voting for is going to be the right person for the job.

I want to stop sitting in coffee shops and looking puzzled as I listen to other people debate the pro’s and con’s of Barack Obama. I don’t want to just be another clueless 20 something who doesn’t understand whats going on around them.

In this blog I will chronicle by quest to understand more about life!

Hopefully you’ll enjoy reading my blog as much as I do writing it.

Jessica