The Pessimism and Occasional Optimism of Juvenile Adulthood

First-hand, if slightly incoherent, reflections on two of the most unusual weeks. There appears to be a great irony in that being surrounded by the people you love and care for most, can make you want to move apart from them all the more. I guess this is just the principle of moderation, yet it appears to be particularly exacerbated when forced companionship is put upon you. In many ways, I am fortunate to have only my mother in the house for company - her ability to work from home meaning she can self-isolate from me, as well as Coronavirus, with relative ease. There have honestly been moments where I have wanted to self-isolate from myself, days where the minute hand could so easily be confused for the hour. Yet I have made it, as indeed we all have, and this should be celebrated - albeit once again in moderation. Each day has typically consisted of me lounging about the house for half of it wishing I could actually write some essay or another (more about why this is the case la...

It’s back! Following on from the moderate success of my Berlin review last year, I’m back reviewing our cultural excursion to Belgium. Given this is written on a coach journey en route to Blighty, excuse any typos... A long coach journey was passed by reading and listening to my music, interspersed only by listening to other people’s music - some of which I wouldn’t classify as such. By the time we arrived in Bruges, morale was draining and stomachs were feeling empty. Initiative was taken though to ensure we feasted on pizza. Except by ‘we’ I mean the 4 of us in the same room. Everyone else went hungry, not that I particularly cared at that point, the allure of an itchy blanket and a weird pillow somewhat attractive after a long day. Friday started for 3 of us with a jog into Bruges just before the sun rose. Bereft of people, the Belfry tower and Burg square could be marvelled without the prying crowds of selfie-sticks and en masse tour groups. Following a mediocre breakfast, we as a ...

Last Monday, I met the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, in his official residence at Westminster. This was because, I along with around 15 other teenagers had been shortlisted to win the Political Studies Association's 500 word blog competition on the above question. In the end, I finished second to my friend and 'rival', meaning that we defeated around 400 other students from both state and private schools. Our Politics teacher was overjoyed. I entered the competition thinking that if I lost I would have a new article to post, and if things went well I could meet a few editors at the Financial Times and go to Westminster. Luckily, I seem to have the best of both worlds.  So here below, is my 500 word piece submitted many months ago in the aftermath of the European Parliamentary elections. And some photos, many photos! Is British Politics broken? The EU parliamentary elections saw a newly-formed populist big tent claim a sweeping victory over other natio...

Over Easter, I was fortunate enough to travel to Nepal with other members of Intrepid and Drake ESU. It is incredibly difficult for me to summarise the entire trip quickly but fortunately I don’t have to. Prior to going on the trip, I was asked to maintain a daily blog for the Solihull Scouts website about our adventures both in Kathmandu and in the city. All of these articles are available online at the following link:    https://solihullscouts.org.uk/blog/category/blog/nepal-19 However, I’d like to repost my two summary articles on the capital and our overall trip here since they are the most concise reflections I could make about the trip. I hope you like them. Nepalese diaries - Kathmandu and the first summary of two. Today, after a horrible day travelling to the capital on roads best suited for animals and hybrid bikes, we woke in Kathmandu, feeling irritated that neither of my roommates had closed either the door or the curtains before going to bed. Consequentially, toda...

My fish died and last night, I cried. This is not an excerpt from one of Dr Seuss' great tales but rather, a part of my life which has spilt out onto this blog for the first time since the end of my GCSEs. It was not so much the concept of death or the end of Stripey's life which caused my emotions to pour out of my eyes (he had been swimming sideways in a darkened tank in the months prior to it and he didn't deserve to live in pain). For me it was the end of continuity, the end of a constant in my life and a reminder of how I've clung so desperately onto what I am not anymore. I'm going to discuss my autism in a way I haven't done before. Not because I feel pressured or because I want to be a case study, statistic or be evoking emotion from both of my readers. I'm doing it because I don't want to live closeted by how I feel and I want there to be a greater understanding of how I work and operate and why I can be so contrasting behaviourally to many ...

I was fortunate enough to receive my English Language GCSE Paper 2 back and with marks back. As it happened, my mock newspaper article was rather well received and I scored in the highest band of marks. So I'm going to repost it here, unedited, to share to the wider world. This was written on a cold Friday morning in my school's sports hall and it took me 45 mins. It's therefore far from perfect but I'm happy with it nonetheless. Enjoy... My exam question was as follows: 'All Sport should be fun, fair and open to everyone. These days, sport seems to be more about money, corruption and winning at any cost'  Write a newspaper article explaining your point of view on this statement. Avery Brundage was a keen advocate of amateurism, the belief that sport should be a hobby and not corrupted by commercialisation. Yet he was also president of the International Olympic Committee in the post-war world for over 20 years. Brundage was a principled man. It...

Since I desire a career in sports journalism, the most obvious thing to do is to gather some experience. So that's why last night I wrote a match report for 'Pedigree Hereford FC Website' Bulls News. Bulls Charge Past The Knights Two Goals For John Mills Helped Hereford To Victory Callum Devereux reports from Stratford. For this midweek fixture. Stratford welcomed the Bulls to a chilly Moodchimp stadium, looking to improve after picking up a largely undeserved point at Slough.   Peter Beadle made 5 changes and only named 4 subs as the injury list began to bulge like Jack Deaman's head on Saturday. Out he went, along with Preston, Richards, Symons and Preen and in came Green, O'Shea (fresh from his loan extension), Murphy, Bird and Lance Smith.   The game began with Stratford keen to make themselves known on their bobbly pitch, with Ben Stephens shooting high and wide. Gradually though, Hereford grew into the game with Haysham and Ref...

I would like to start by writing that this is being typed on a Parisian street corner having now completed a rather eventful and exciting leg spinner of a day. (Note pictures of today and the whole journey will follow) We woke up in a rather large chateau with donkeys, a mad woman and horrible showers -not that any of them were to be enjoyed in great detail. However, I swiftly became aware that my legs weren't quite at their best. Every step felt ever so slightly heavier and it gave a rather impressive insight into how the pro riders do this for 3 weeks with only 2 rest days. The fact that Adam Hansen has completed 20 consecutive Grand Tours is just astonishing! Anyhow, we set off sadly later than planned but with staggered starts!! Though the credit I will claim for that idea is minimal. This would have been brilliant if senses of direction remained unaffected!  Nevertheless as we departed, the fog descended and much like in the Hounds of the Baskervilles,   we were going to ...

Today was the longest day, a full 124.6 125 km, and our first day cycling in the French Republic following a transition day on the ferry.  A choppy ride made the journey long, at times nauseating and shaky to say the least. However it was the 18th Birthday of one Team Froome member, Master Mister Jack Bennett. So happy birthday to him. Anyway... We began today in a hotel F1 (Formula " unn") , renowned for their distinct lack of quality and facilities, stripped bare of any luxuries- like McLaren Honda! We then headed to the docks at Dieppe and departed swiftly after, and one thing was instantly noticeable. The surface. I could wax lyrical about the smooth, divine Tarmac, weaving elegantly through the green and pleasant land that isn't Jerusalem.  In the allegedly United Kingdom, the terrain varied from pothole infested roads to gravel to large stones. On a road bike on road tyres, I was paranoid throughout. Yet in a nation which cares about the bicycle, having devoted cycl...

Today was a day of numbers. Between we the mighty 7, we used 8 bikes had two punctures and one more fall, this time courtesy of Rory Bennett, who went skidding across mud and created a sight to behold. The day sadly began too late for anyone wanting but Team Cavendish had the chance to regain their place in the peloton, and boy did try succeed as with only one puncture they finished strong, just like their their namesake. Beyond their, we headed to our start for the day, in a journey which nearly came to an abrupt end as the deer scarpered across the road, before swiftly leaping over a 5 foot hedge. Soon though, we reached the start and we swiftly departed . The main question I was debating the night before, was how long my legs would last before succumbing to yesterday's fatigue. The answer: inconclusive. Throughout the day, the pace was relatively constant and the main sources of difficulty lay in the hills. Naturally, the gulf between us as a group would inevitably increase as f...