Offline

Hey guys,

Sorry it's been so long. I know I'd promised to be a little more regular with my blogs, but it's been a bit mental lately. I will reveal all with Manchester International Festival's press launch in March. Until then, we're back to my perspective on this weird little world we live in.

Offline. That's what Egypt is. If you've missed it, seriously start tuning into this series of events because it seems like such an other-worldly thing to our generation of internet-lovers. A few nights ago, the Egyptian government disconnected it's country from the internet in an attempt to stop the protest efforts against that very government. The New Scientist has the full story here: http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/01/egypt.html but what's making my head tick most is what it's making the rest of the world think about it. For most people, including myself, their first thought is that we couldn't live without the internet, especially since most of us now have it on our phones, but on second look, it's so much more serious than that. This is just one step towards a removal of freedom of speech. Not only are people cut off from saying things that others don't want said, but they are cut off from speaking to loved ones around the world. It's all a bit scary if you ask me...

Now, on a lighter note, I've been progressing through my fabulous This Book will change your Life. Time to update you on Benrik's advice for the last two weeks of January? I think so...

Day 17
Write an uplifting message on a bank note.
I'd never heard about writing one on a bank note before, but I friend of mine did a vlog a while ago about leaving uplifting messages on post-it notes in public places. Such a nice thing to do. Now, I'm a true believer in smiling at people - if a stranger smiles at you in the street, it always makes you smile back. So next time you see a smiley face on a bank note, you never know, it might be from me =)

Day 18
Sabotage Hollywood day.
The 18th January advises readers to tell people false endings of films in the cinema... just like said friend of mine used to tell people the false endings to books. Always the same false ending - "They all die". Tee hee!

Day 21
Today, help put an end to loud mobile phone conversations.
Last week I was advised by Benrik to put an end to loud, embarassing mobile phone conversations by recording them and publishing them on the internet, shaming those who partake in such pastimes. I have to say, I wish I'd had this idea when I was on a late train back from London a couple of months ago - A woman spent the entire journey to Manchester Piccadilly talking about how she "obviously wasn't going to sh*g him" to a friend who clearly didn't want to know. She then proceeded to bully said friend into letting her come round to her house at stupid o'clock in the morning so that she could tell her more. I wanted to gag her.

Hurrah for the new blog!

Much love.
CC.

A Lesson from the Ancients

Whilst I was planning on taking my Grandmother to see the Tutankahmun exhibition which is coming to the Trafford Centre in Manchester in the next month, I stumbled across the BBC's pages on the Ancient Egyptians - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/

I've been obsessed with Ancient Egypt since I was 9 years old. My class in primary school studied them as part of a history project and, although it was more of a "Horrible Histories" approach back then, I was instantly fascinated. My fandom of them has grown to the extent that I now have an Egyptian ankh incorporated into the tattoo on my back. The Ankh's meaning is not yet completely clear to Egyptologists; it could mean "life" or "death" and it is the current ambiguity of this symbol that really intrigues me, hence my permanent tribute to it.

I feel that the Egyptians have such a wealth of stories that they add to our world history. For example, the story of Hapshetsut, a queen who ruled as pharoh, and who's nephew destroyed her monuments because he wanted the thrown. Add to this the famous story of Cleopatra - the ancient world's first Celebrity, who's love life and suicide where talked about as if in one of today's tabloid newspapers.

Another thing which greatly interests me about the Ancient Egyptians is there belief in the afterlife, which was not just a belief but a detailed description of how to get there.

Their many rituals and poly-theistic beliefs may seem silly and unneccessary to today's secular society, but the fact that they once had 400 years of peace suggests that maybe we should take a leaf from their book. If spirituality has something to do with that, we should look into it. And that's coming from an atheist.

Oodles of Ancient love.
CC.



N.B: This Tattoo has since been touched up and looks a lot less red! I just haven't got a final photo of it yet =)