Human Experiences

Hi all,

Well, thank God (lol) for that, I've now finished my A-Level exams. It is quite an amazing feeling. By far the hardest two exams were the ones I had today; COMP3 and FP2. Meh, what's done is done, and the results won't change, so there's no point in worrying!

Well, okay, so perhaps I can worry a little bit, you know, seeing as these are the exams that'll determine whether or not I get into Bristol or Sheffield University. I'm obviously hoping for Bristol, but won't be completely buggered if I end up at Sheffield by getting AAB (B most likely from Computing). I guess I'd be lying if I said that I'm not hoping for Bristol largely on the basis that I'd get the opportunity to study in America for a year. I guess I'm a guy who likes travelling a lot, and experiencing new things (within reason and sensibility).

I've never been outside of Europe, let alone been to America, but it's an amazing prospect for me. I guess I have drained all the joy I can (and can find) in London. It's a stubborn place, full of stubborn people, and more importantly, practically everything visible in London is man-made. I'd like to see a bit of greenery more often, you know what I mean? Quite often I stare up into the clouds or at sunsets, gazing at the wonderful complexity of the natural world. Might sound silly to you, but I'd sit there for hours on end staring into landscapes of trees, rolling hills, deserts, mountains, you name it. To me, it really does signify a lot about being human; the ability to observe the world around us; how it works, or our ability to at least try to understand. It makes me feel complete, especially when accompanied by some acoustic or euphoric music. I feel more alive. Our dependency as humans on 'The Big City' is the direct result of capitalism. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes I feel like people are missing the true meaning of what they're here on this earth to achieve: happiness, and as much of it as possible. In Tokyo, lots of people get so depressed living in the big, busy city that they actually PAY to have people to socialise with. Let alone go outside and experience the outdoors, these people are being deprived of human contact, and have to resort to the very thing imprisoning them in the first place; money. That's a terrible thing indeed.

I know you're probably thinking 'okay, so you like the outdoors, but you're choosing to go to America, the capital of capitalism'. Well yes, it may be the capital of capitalism, but only a few cities in the USA are anywhere near as big as London, and a great majority of the cities are easily navigable, and located near to amazing and (more specifically) different natural wonders. Plus, it's about the experience of the different sorts of people as well. I have a few family members who have been in practically half of all the states in America, and they've told me that each one has its own character, and the people there welcome you with open arms, especially once they know you're British. I guess it's good to know what it feels like to be a foreigner. Although in my current area, I may as well be a foreigner. Haha.

So yeah, hopefully in the third year of my Masters course at Bristol, I'll be heading off to California for a year. It'd be cool to get into Berkeley. One can only hope (and try).

Question everything, accept nothing without evidence. Until next time.