Here's To 2011

At the time of writing, it's 23:57 on 30 December 2010. Tomorrow will be New Years' Eve...the world around will unite at 00:00 (subject to differing time zones, of course) in a mass celebration of the incoming 2011. The clocks will strike, the cheers and applause will echo throughout, the fireworks will light up the night sky, friends, families, couples and strangers alike will exchange New Years greetings and alcohol will, without a doubt, be consumed in great volumes (start the year as one intends to go on - apparently, blind drunk and throwing up everywhere!).

There's an unnecessary pressure to have great plans for your New Years' Eve celebrations. However, for me, as long as it is spent with loved ones (friends, family or both) and everybody is in good spirit, I'm not particularly concerned about the venue of the gathering.

This year, a small group of friends are travelling with me to Chop Gate, North Yorkshire where we will be staying with one of our best friends, Anita. Her family have recently taken over a lovely country pub (The Buck Inn) and we will spending it with them in the countryside, before the open fire...and propped up against the bar ;-).

So, I won't be blogging again before 2011. Thus, it is time to wish everybody a truly heartfelt Happy New Year! May 2011 be all you want it to be and more.

Take care and enjoy your New Years' Eve celebrations, whatever they may be. =)

RB x

In The Bleak Midwinter

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, Whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, Whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Hello again!

The festive week has begun and Christmas Day is no fewer than 4 days away! How exciting!

To kick-start a week of festive spirit and seasonal celebrations, I enjoyed a short weekend trip to the great city of London. I love London. It's such a vibrant city that is entirely drenched in history! Every time I visit I feel the buzz and fast pace of life.

My friend, Anita, and I enjoyed a walk around Camden Market, Camden Locks and Camden Christmas Markets. We ate some lovely food and drank hot chocolate to keep us warm in the sub-zero temperatures. The weekend also included a trip to a snowy Portobello Road for the famous Portobello Market, a fun visit to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park (which included a mug of mulled wine) and a brisk walk from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace.

We stepped things up for a final treat before our return home with a cocktail in the glamorous and trendy Mayfair Bar in the Mayfair Hotel.

The heavy snow caused much chaos with traffic and I spent 11 hours on a bus trying to get home!! I didn’t complain though, the view outside was stunning and the experience was quite an adventure.

The following day, after catching up on some sleep, I met two friends and enjoyed a walk through some snowy woods, ate carvery and drank mulled wine in a local country pub and took some beautiful photographs of the stunning winter scenery.

Below is a selection of photographs that I took over the weekend.

  

Photography Focus: New York City

New York

After an enjoyable and comfortable 6-7 hours' flight from London Heathrow Airport, we disembarked from the aircraft and made our way through Passport Control, Security and subsequently collected our luggage.

We weren't tired. We were ecstatic and excited for the adventure that lay ahead.

It was surreal to contemplate that within an hour we would be wandering the streets of New York City. The city that never sleeps. The city that I had longed to visit for many years.

After a highly frustrating first journey on the subway from JFK Airport to West 49th Street, I recall a short episode where I feared that the city would let me down. I feared that my expectations of the city had become too big, too fantastical and too surreal. The subway was grim, old fashioned, damp, murky and difficult to understand. 'Surely this station is out of town...somewhere in the suburbs maybe...', I remember thinking. The decor in the station was too out-dated and unimpressive to be in the centre of New York City. New York City. The concrete jungle where dreams are made of. I was wrong. It was on West 49th Street, leading directly onto Broadway and literally around the corner from Times Square.

First impressions didn't succeed in 'wowing' me as envisaged. However, we grabbed our cases and proceeded to climb the steps leading up to the exit...THIS was the moment I had been expecting.

As we stepped onto West 49th Street I immediately looked up towards the sky. There was an unusal white glow throughout the city. The tall, imposing buildings were incredible. I was overwhelmed at how impressive the city looked. Hand over mouth, eyes wide open in disbelief, a surge of excitement within, I ran some steps forward and reached the corner of the road. We were on Broadway. I turned to the right and saw The Winter Gardens Theatre where Mamma Mia was playing. I turned to the left. Sean Combs' billboard - taller than my own house, lights flashing. Straight ahead was a billboard for one of my favourite musicals, Wicked.

I could hardly contain my excitement.

A yellow taxi drove by. Another yellow taxi. Another and another and another. It was surreal. I had seen so many films and television series' featuring the famous yellow taxi and now I was standing before one, in real life!

The digital billboards, the lights, the city sounds and the atmosphere were utterly captivating.

We crossed the road and headed towards West 54th Street. The Theatre where the David Letterman Show is filmed was within sight. Incredible.

There was too much to take in. Brakes. Horns. CRASH. Smoke. Cries of 'Oh my God!'. A yellow taxi and a black limousine smashed into one another directly before us.'Welcome to New York City', we said to one another.

Needless to say, New York City didn't let me down.

By the way, I went to Gran Canaria the other week...

I had such a good trip in Gran Canaria!

I didn't have massive expectations. Admittedly, all I knew of the Canary Islands was that they are a Brits paradise...and I generally hate other British people on holiday! I had an idea in my mind that it would be full of chavs. A warmer Blackpool, for example, or on par with Benidorm.

However, whilst Las Palmas isn't the prettiest or most impressive of cities that I've visited, I grew fond of it during my stay. Apparently, the south of the island is more Blackpool-esque. But it's also home to some beautiful sand dunes in Maspalomas. If I ever return to the island, I'd certainly consider a day trip down to the south.

I was able to do exactly what I had hoped - have fun, relax and soak up some rays! I spent days on the beach lying under the glorious sunshine and beautiful 27°C November heat, I met a brilliant group of people who made the trip even more enjoyable and I drove at sunset, for the first time abroad, through a stunning coastal mountain range called Andén Verde...I'm planning to go back soon!

The Traveller

"He knows not where he's going,
For it's the ocean that decides,
It's not the destination,
But the glory of the ride."

A quote by Edward Monkton.



Daydreaming about...Big City Life.

Yesterday, Monday, arrived almost as soon as I had taken my shoes off on Friday evening. Another Monday, another dark cloud hanging over Bury, another thousand droplets of water on the window, another day in the office.

I was working through my caseload but my mind was somewhere else.

I was physically present in the office. My bottom was positioned firmly on my seat, my eyes were staring at the computer screen and my fingers were speedily tapping at the keyboard but my mind was elsewhere.

I was dreaming about city life.

Cities are where I like to be most. Cities make me feel alive. The pace of life, the people, the buzz, the boutiques, the restaurants and bars, the music shops, the libraries, the architecture, the theatres, the networks of public transport, the buskers, the coffee shops, the city centre parks, the night life and the glamour! I could go on.

Throughout my travels, two cities have stood out to me: Paris and New York.

Paris. La ville d'amour. La Ville-Lumière.

New York. The Big Apple. The City that never sleeps.

I ache to return to wander aimlessly through their streets, to sit in coffee shop windows and observe the buzz and fast pace of life rushing by, to immerse myself in the culture, visit art galleries and shops and spend a lazy afternoon in a park listening to music or reading a book.

New York is boisterous, obnoxious, in-your-face, incredibly imposing, incredibly cool, incredibly fashionable and has the absolute 'wow' factor. I love it.

Paris is beautiful, elegant, chic and stylish. I also love it.

Neither city can claim to be my number 1. Whilst different in many aspects, each city has such amazing qualities that it is near impossible for me, as a relatively indecisive person anyway, to choose between the two.

Thus, I'll settle with them being joint first place.

Remember, Remember The Fifth of November...

It is late but the spectacle continues to light up the night sky. A high-pitched whistle echoes as the spark flies into the clouds only to be followed by a stunning explosion of colour and glittery sparkles. Animals and the young whimper as the incredible explosion rumbles throughout the neighbourhood. The streets are dark and damp and laden with a layer of smoke that lingers eerily in the air. I breathe in and inhale the smokey, firey scent through my nostrils. The smell is comforting; a memory of playful nights and childhood innocence.

"Remember, remember, the 5th November,

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder and treason,

Should ever be forgot."

5th November; Bonfire Night. A night to commemorate the failed 'Gunpower Plot' of 1605.

This Is Me

This is me. Hello! Now you can put a face to the writer. =)

I had to attend a meeting at work today at 17:30. It was organised by management and the trade unions to address concerns over the budget next year. There are a number of proposals designed to try and save jobs...but with the vast amount of savings that we are expected to find by April 2011 compulsory redundancies are a real and imminent threat. ARGH.

Well, if it happens it will be totally out of my control and things happen for a reason, right?

For now, I'll look forward to next weekend's trip to Gran Canaria (!!) and listen to The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby.

RB x

There Must Be More To Life Than A Mundane and Monotonous Daily Routine

I’m sitting at my desk, trapped within the confines of the four walls of my small, over occupied workplace and working through my case load, making small talk with my forty to sixty-something colleagues and throwing in the occasional fake laugh. I take a glance through the window and look out to the dark, blustery world outside with the intense longing to be able to just run freely along with the wind. A standard day in the office.

I didn’t go to university. Instead, I opted to commence full-time work on an Apprenticeship/Trainee-type scheme immediately after graduating from college. It was an unusual and very difficult choice to make. I always had good grades. My A Level results secured me a place at Manchester University’s Law School. What an opportunity. But, everybody goes to university these days. It’s no longer for the “elite” as I believe it once was. ‘Do something different’, I remember telling myself. 'Stand out from the crowd'. My decision was also influenced largely by the fact that my law qualification would be paid for wholly by my employer if I opted to take the job instead of university.

Four years on, here I am. I successfully sailed through my legal studies and gained quick promotion from Trainee to Legal Officer with an attractive salary to match and some designated letters for use after my name that I occasionally like to whip out. I have little regret over the choice I made between university and full time employment. Had I gone to university, I may well be stuck fighting amongst the hundreds of other law graduates struggling to find a job.

However, I do feel a little regret. Is law the right choice for me as a person? It’s certainly what I wanted to do for a long time. It still interests me a lot. I think I have a good understanding of the law and am suited to the profession. But, you grow up a lot between 18 and 22. Nobody had warned me of this. My interests, views and goals for life have changed.

I’m now at a stage in life where I am most comfortable with myself as a person. I dealt with insecurities throughout my teenage years and there is a hidden residue that bubbles to the surface now and again. But, I’m the happiest with myself than I’ve ever been and for this, I have matured and learnt a lot about myself.

Along the process of naturally maturing into adulthood, I embarked on a process of self-discovery (which is by no means finished!). My keen interests became more apparent than ever and have shaped me and my lifestyle. Travel, photography, writing, theatre, socialising and languages – they’re all things I liked and enjoyed before, but now I really love them.

Throughout my four years experience of working in a full time, 9-5 job, I discovered how shit working actually is. I have become completely disheartened. Everything in society (including parents, teachers, the government and the media) leads us all to believe that we must get a good secondary education, go to college, go to university, and get a good degree and then work around 40 years until retirement. Forty years of our life spent working. Forty years of our ONE, sole, precious chance at life. People save for a rainy day. People pay into pension contributions. People put off dream plans (i.e travelling) until they’ve retired. But, as depressing as it may sound, nobody really knows if they will be lucky enough to be healthy enough, or even live long enough, to fully enjoy the free time that retirement gives them.

I refuse to put my life on hold in order to work for a living.

It is for this reason that I am becoming increasingly incensed and exhausted with working in an office for 37 hours per week. 37 hours of a week spent stuck in an office working for somebody else. I will never get that time back to use properly ever again. Living for pay day. Living for the weekend. Surely, there’s more to life than this mundane and monotonous daily routine.

Unfortunately, we need money to live the lifestyle we want. I couldn’t live my lifestyle with little or no money. Therefore, it’s my belief that job satisfaction is one of the most fundamental aspects to ones career. If you are lucky enough to land yourself in a job that you genuinely love and work with people that you genuinely enjoy working with, you have something rare and amazing (and I'm incredibly jealous of you!!).

I am searching for the career (whether it be in law or otherwise) that will give me job satisfaction. I want a job that I want to wake up for in the morning, a job where each day is different and exciting and thrilling and a job that involves world travel.

I know my dream job would be to model or to act or be a travel writer or a photographer, but how realistic a prospect is that? Many will say...you'll never know unless you try. They are right and I hope that I will try. But, I need a realistic alternative if my attempt to break into them fails.

To date, I have no alternative. Suggestions welcome.

RB

Rhys Bevan: Nomadic Behaviour

Hello and thanks for dropping by!

Being my first post, it only seems natural that I use this opportunity to introduce myself to you - although, I'm sure you'll get to learn a lot more about me in future posts.

My name is Rhys Bevan. Male. 22 years of age. I currently live in one of the only pleasant streets in a small, dirty town called Radcliffe, Manchester (North West England, United Kingdom - for any international readers that might not know where Manchester is!).

Radcliffe is...well, not a lot actually. It's little heard of beyond Manchester and, for those people who know of Radcliffe, when people find out that you live there the standard response is normally a sly step backwards whilst awkwardly smiling in a strained attempt not to look scared or disgusted or both. But, I pride myself on not being a typical resident of Radcliffe. Actually, most residents aren't stereotypical Radcliffe residents - they deserve a tad more credit than people give them. But, even so, Radcliffe (or 'Ratsniff'/'Dog Shit Valley') really isn't nice at all and it IS home to a large number of 'scallies', 'chavs', 'alcoholics', 'druggies' et cetera, et cetera, et cetera...

10-15 minutes' driving to the North and you arrive in Bury - a larger town and more widely known throughout England. Self-proclaimed as being home to a 'world famous market' (you tell me, have you heard of the famous Bury Market?) and the Bury Black Pudding (made mostly, I believe, from pigs blood), Bury is the lead town in the district - governed locally by 'Bury Council' (known more formally as the Metropolitan Borough of Bury).

Bury is the town in which I spent a lot of my childhood, where I attended Secondary School, where I attended Sixth Form college and where I am now currently employed as a lawyer. I say this with great pain and some embarassment. On paper, I appear to have achieved a lot. But, when I look at it in terms of location...I have lived, been educated and worked within a very small perimeter and I am BURSTING with desperation to escape to new horizons...cue my obsession with world travel...

I LOVE to travel. I simply love to travel. There are very few places on Earth that I wouldn't want to visit at least once and it's my aim to visit every country in the world.

Being able to travel as much as I do is something that I am incredibly fortunate and grateful for and I really hope I continue to be able to do so. That's why, despite my woes and daily complaints, I mustn't lose sight of the following big, massive advantages for being in the position, work wise, that I am in at the moment:-

1. I currently have a job. It'd be impossible for anybody who's a living, breathing human being not to be aware of the GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS!!!!! So, having a job at all is pretty awesome right now. How long I have my job for...that's another question. I'll keep you updated on that.

2. I am on a fairly decent salary - this enables me to escape and see the world - something that would be so much more difficult if I was unemployed.

3. My employer has a great work life balance initiative which REALLY suits me and my lifestyle.

Thus, it's my intention to continue fully reaping the benefits of my current employment and my employer's work life balance initiative. Used wisely, it can enable me to continue living my lifestyle on the basis that "I work to live, not live to work".

I intend my blog to be a place where I can throw together my thoughts, keep a written record of my memories, my experiences and my adventures and showcase examples of my photography. The blog will be centred around travel. However, I also want to write a more personalised memoir and I hope you continue to join me throughout my journey.

That's all for now. I'll blog again soon.

RB