14 reasons 2014 has been pretty damn great.

2014 has, like any other year, been a blend of the good, the bad and the downright mad.

Knee deep in essays, novels and deadlines at the start of January, December has certainly offered a dose of the unexpected. Early morning lectures have been replaced with early shifts serving coffee. Instead of fuelling late night library sessions with caffeine, I'm now pouring it into a cup and asking if sir or madam would like a croissant to go with their medium cappuccino today.

Despite the fact post-graduate life hasn't quite been the marvellous new adventure I'd hoped it would be, 2014 has in fact treated me pretty well. Here's just a selection of the reasons why.

1. As Co-Editors of our University magazine, my friend Darcy and I finally had our first proper edition printed and published. We battled with it for months and months, struggling to get the layout finished whilst juggling work and other deadlines. The finished product was printed in February, and we couldn't have done it without the help of our brilliant little writing team.

2. I was lucky enough to get a week of work experience at The Times and I absolutely loved it. I met some wonderful people and even had three (tiny) feature articles published in the paper.

3. June was a life-changing month as my time as a student came to an end. I completed my degree, I left my favourite ever job at Touchdown Café and said goodbye to Canterbury. Lots of tears were shed. :'(

4. I had my first ever job interview in July and it was TERRIFYING. I've had three others since and they weren't any less scary.

5. The World Cup was on this summer and it consumed mine and millions of others' lives for an amazing 4 weeks. Thanks to Germany, I also won the family sweepstake. Ha!

6. As well as the football, we had The Commonwealth Games to keep us glued to our screens in July and August. I personally developed a weird obsession with watching bowls.

7. At the end of the summer, I went on a little holiday to Wales with six friends, and for some crazy reason we decided to try out the biggest Zipline in Europe. It was an experience unlike any other and probably one of the best things I have ever done.

8. My brother was accepted into Derby University! He moved away in late September and it's become really weird (and really quiet) without him around.

9. After working in the city for 30+ years my Dad finally escaped and found a fantastic new job in Brighton. I speculate the early morning East Grinstead train to London Bridge misses his snoring immensely.

10. I finally graduated in Canterbury Cathedral on September 16th, and had the most amazing day celebrating and reuniting with my friends from University.

11. In October, I turned 22 and got very drunk to celebrate. Woo!

12. I completed a big freelance book editing job in November - it was great to get the experience but I was so happy to finish.

13. Nancy won The Great British Bake Off.

14. I dressed up as an elf at work to introduce our new Christmas drinks menu. It was bloody great.


If that's anything to go by, I'm really looking forward to whatever 2015 has in store - the good, the bad or, indeed, the downright mad.

I must, of course, also say thank you to those who have read my posts this year - regardless of how many you looked at, and whether or not you actually thought they were any good - you're all pretty damn super.

I wish you a very Happy New Year :)

Love Nats. X

A nation divided - to wear a poppy, or not?

With the ceramic poppies at the Tower of London aside, it seems a growing abundance of 'poppy fascism' has wickedly stolen the limelight from Remembrance Day more so this year than any other.

Articles, columns and opinion pieces covering both sides of the debate have indeed been filling the pages of papers for weeks, with such headlines as: "Why I wear a poppy"; "Why I won't wear a poppy"; "Should you wear a poppy?"; "Shouldn't you wear a poppy?"; "Man dies of heart attack brought on by stress of deciding whether or not he should wear his poppy." (Fine, I may have made the last one up).

Today is, of course, a day during which millions of people pay homage to the fallen soldiers of wars both past and present in memorial services up and down the country. While often bitter-sweet, it is a beautifully British celebration which offers us an opportunity to express our thanks and gratitude for the great heroes of our nation.

www.combatstress.org.uk

I, like thousands of others, have bought and worn a poppy for as long as I can remember, and have attended the parade in my local town centre each year since I was a little girl. For many, the commemoration is an almost perfect way to show appreciation for the indescribable sacrifices made for our freedom throughout modern history.

Yet, it seems in recent years that Remembrance Day has rapidly become tainted by the haughtiness of a certain few taking it upon themselves to name, shame and humiliate others who refuse to join in with the anniversary of the Armistice by not wearing a poppy.

These poppy-wearing enforcers have indeed been cruel in their chastening of any public figure who dares step out of their own house without wearing the famous red flower upon their breast. ITV News presenter Charlene White has faced the brunt of the backlash both this year and last, the most recent of cases seeing Wigan footballer James McClean booed by spectators every time he touched the ball on Friday evening's game against Bolton, simply because he chose not to wear a poppy during the match.

I do find it quite baffling that these people, who appear to go out of their way to point fingers at those not 'joining in', have even the time or the energy to bother sending in complaints against these innocent people, who have just as right to not wear a poppy as those who choose to wear one. Do they not have better things to be doing? Like polishing and ironing their own poppies? (Obviously, they are far more wonderful and moral than the rest of us.)

The other side of this debate has come in the form of articles like Lindsey German's, which argues that the best way to protect and respect soldiers is to not send them away to fight in the first place. Others have made great proclamations of refusing to comply with a concept which glorifies war, unfairly accusing politicians and celebrities of only wearing a poppy to avoid the backlash of not doing so. It is little more than an accessory for the politically correct, they claim, even suggesting the existence of a poppy hierarchy in which "white is better than red".

Such division is ludicrous when the emblem is, in part, supposed to represent the end of poisonous, bitter feud between two sides. To be a nation divided on a day such as this is surely nothing but an insult to those who fought for peace and unity, and enough is quite frankly enough. We are done with the opinion pieces, newspaper columns, articles and television debates. Either wear a poppy, or don't - you have a right to live freely as you please.

On Remembrance Day, isn't that supposed to be the point?

The world is changing, and we're all invited.

When Emma Watson began her speech at the launch of the United Nation's gender equality campaign in New York yesterday, she made a point of addressing every person in the room.

"Your excellences, UN Secretary General, President of the General Assembly, Executive Director of UN Women, and distinguished guests, today we are launching a campaign called HeForShe."

Her intention, much like the campaign itself, aimed to promote unity and inclusion within the audience she was speaking to, a sense that each and every person in that room was invited to listen, regardless of their race, their religion, their ethnicity and of course, their gender.

HeForShe is indeed a campaign which aims to make an immense impact on the movement towards abolishing gender inequality. What makes it unique is that both men and women are being encouraged to play a part in instigating change.

What makes Emma's Watson's speech especially unique is the recognition of an ironic gender imbalance in the fight towards total gender equality, as well as the negative connotations brought about to this movement by the word "feminism".

www.unmultimedia.org

In modern society, we are graced by the presence of female ambassadors like Caitlin Moran, Suzanne Moore, even Beyoncé, who triumph feminist ideologies and encourage women to express their sexuality and female empowerment in an often male-dominated world.

Caitlin Moran's 2011 best seller How to be a Woman indeed addresses the issues of the modern woman, guiding readers both old and young through an age in which women can find themselves oppressed by society, the media and their peers.

But how is a man supposed to understand and support the concept of feminism when every piece of literature written about it seems to be aimed at women?

"How can we affect change in the world if only half of it is invited?" Emma Watson says.

While the word "feminism" is not in any way defined by "male-bashing" or female superiority, associations with it have become too tainted to encourage any real support for the ideas it is striving to achieve. The etymology of the word itself connotes "a state of being feminine". The "fem" part of the expression is enough to assume that it is for women only, even if this isn't the case.

Does the problem of capturing the attention of the masses therefore lie with the word itself, rather than the meaning behind it?

It is this new approach that can guarantee this movement's success. Everyone needs to be involved if any impact is to occur. It is, after all, not just women who face monumental tribulations in their day to day lives. Watson makes a point of highlighting the shocking global volume of male suicide rates, and that men can too be victimised.

It will be difficult to shift the tainted reputation of the word "feminism", but this campaign does indeed have the potential to formulate a new and successful space for total gender equality. Let's not waste time trying to convince people what feminism actually means. Let's instead work on what it is intending to achieve.

Zipworld - the nearest thing to flying.

The beginning of September saw myself and six friends do one of the coolest things I think I will probably ever do.

It was my best friend Alice's idea to sign up to Zip World, home to the longest zip wire in Europe and located in the beautiful Penrhyn Quarry in North Wales. We stayed in a lovely little cottage for four fantastic days in Bethesda village, only a short distance from the seaside town of Bangor.

With Busted's back catalogue and the Frozen soundtrack as musical accompaniments, our adventure began on a sunny Thursday afternoon. Minor departure delays came as a result of my incompetence and failure to remember important items like my phone, purse, house keys etc. Suffice to say I wasn't exactly the most popular member of the group at the beginning of our journey.

Friday morning saw us experience an undesirable combination of nerves and tiredness from the previous night's antics. It was upon our arrival to the Zip World site that butterfly sensations began flapping at maximum velocity. (Probably the single most ridiculous sentence I've ever written). The zip line was really bloody high.

We were weighed, instructed to dress up in our safety gear - goggles, helmets and all - and headed up to the first of our zip line rides. The 'Little Zipper' stood at around 72 ft and intended to give us a mere taster of the full experience (yes, really). Rather than sitting upwards as you would with a regular playground zip wire, the harness was hooked up so we were laying flat, offering an almost authentic sense of 'flying'.

The anticipation for the 500 ft 'Big Zipper' was painfully long after the incredible adrenaline rush of the smaller one. After being strapped up we were left dangling at the top for what seemed like an eternity as the instructor waited for the previous person to reach the other side of the line.

A countdown finally commenced and we quickly found ourselves shooting down the wire at around 80 mph, cutting through the air above the picturesque view of the quarry beneath. The scenery was utterly, and almost literally, breathtaking. It truly gave you a buzz like no other.

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't absolutely terrifying, but it was without a doubt one of the best experiences I have ever had. I recommend it to anyone who believes they too can face their fear and take on the challenge - I know I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

Have a look for yourself here at www.zipworld.co.uk

Is the album soon to be six feet under?

I would probably best describe the music my 19 year old brother blasts from his bedroom as, at the risk of sounding very old, "just noise".  Never an ideal supplement for a headache, a hundred times worse in the case of a hangover.  Very rarely are there any lyrics - the occasional yell, I suppose, but nothing really ever worth mentioning.

travelingsoutheastasia.com

We speak often about our differing musical tastes, what is good, what is not, where the industry is heading and what we can expect to see or hear in the near future. My inability to face facts about the relevancy of albums has been the core of many an argument, and I am reminded on an almost daily basis that my frequent purchasing of said item will inevitably become no longer possible in years to come.

In my dismissal of this sad reality, I have attempted to ignore reports of dilapidating album sales and the rise of a growing single-based culture, but there is no denying the fact that soon albums will indeed meet a sorry end, and unfortunately there is little we can do to stop it.

The Guardian reported on Tuesday that "30 million fewer albums were sold in the UK last year than there were in 2009",  with music lovers instead streaming an estimated 7.4 billion songs in 2013 on services like Spotify.  Head of Music at BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, George Ergatoudis comments that "in terms of creativity and musical statement, albums still have relevance and merit", but making a living out of music is far more difficult in an age where streaming has become the mass market.

The death of the album has been developing gradually "over about 10 years", according to music industry analyst Mark Mulligan, yet the birth of online services like Napster has instead allowed people to enjoy tracks "on their own terms".

Rather, we have entered into a playlist-dominated era with consumers "cherry-picking" their own musical selections and grouping them together under umbrellas of genre, mood or popularity.  People are granted the power of song choice and order of play depending on what they may be doing at that particular time.  Guardian journalist Harriet Walker argues that we are a part of the generation where you don't have to wade through the drudge to hear the good bits - "you are in charge, you decide exactly how much dross is in there," she says.

As an audience, we can break free from our role as spectators and creatively formulate, in one respect, our own piece of art inspired by the palette of the musicians we love the most.

With this in mind, if music is indeed a piece of 'art', it is also just as important that we are able to enjoy it in its intended, original condition. A painting does not offer onlookers the option of choosing a favourite 'chunk' to then disregard what is left over. Would it be normal for an audience to exclusively watch the best scenes of a film without seeing the rest?

Streaming services and playlists are and will continue to grow as dominant aspects of the music industry; to deny it would be a waste of your time. If you can embrace such a change, I applaud you.  But its contagious appeal won't stop me buying albums, not until they're officially six feet under. And even then, I'll be dancing to the best ones at the wake.

So, you've finished University. What now?

If you've just completed your degree – congratulations! Not everybody that started managed to finish, so count yourself as part of the special club that did.

There are few sensations in life that I can compare to typing the last word of my dissertation or completing my final exam. As peculiar as it sounds, they are challenges I would be more than willing to undertake again purely for the unique feeling that washes over you as you compose that final sentence.

I recall whinging at the prospect of waking up each morning and trudging to the library rain or shine to endure an eight-or-nine hour day staring into my laptop screen, and hoping in one way or another it would prove beneficial in my quest to seem smart. Two months on and I actually miss it – strange, don’t you think?

This entire academic year in actual fact undertook an odd countdown-like structure as a result of an underlying yet constant fear of finishing University and wondering what in the hell would come afterwards. Back at home that fear has worsened, amplified by friends' parents and parents' friends who ask the infamous question of "what are you going to do now?"

It is nearly always the same questions which are asked, with nearly always the same answers which are given as a reply - a conversation I almost have rehearsed. Its de ja vu nature is often enough to make you want to shoot yourself in the face, and the response of "I'm not sure just yet" is also guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows.

It's a scary old place to be, and right now I feel like I'm in the thick of it. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, and I know I'll find my feet one way or another.

I'll continue to live the façade with my student discount in Topshop, but University life is finished, and like a tragic break-up we've somehow got to get over it.

Tissue, anyone?

What the BBC can learn from the Brits

Today the BBC announced the launch of the BBC Music Awards which will take place at Earls Court in London. The show will hit our screens on BBC One on 11 December, plugged as a "prime time event" with Chris Evans and Fearne Cotton hosting at the helm. 

BBC Controller, Charlotte Moore has acclaimed the ceremony as a "unique celebration of music in the UK" and awards will be given in three categories, namely British Artist of the Year, International Artist of the Year and Song of the Year. The latter will be decided by a public vote, while the two former prizes will be judged by a panel of broadcasters and producers from the Corporation.

Executives have insisted the BBC Music Awards will in no way rival or attempt to trump the Brits, which have been hosted annually at the beginning of each year since 1977. Guy Freeman, producer of the show, said "Just because it happens to be a music show on the television does not in any way mean it's the Brits. There are a million music shows on television that aren't the Brits."

In haste, the BBC has been totally dismissive of any comparisons made between their own new show and the ITV alternative. Indeed, with an audience loss of 6.2 million in the last decade and a half, it is hardly likely that the Beeb will be taking any tips from the commonly-controversial music show, which this year suffered heavy criticism for being, well, generally crap.

It is the painfully corporate approach of the Awards which has seen the show slated in recent years, with as many ad breaks as there are guests in the audience. Tolerance levels of James Corden’s arse-licking ran dry in 2012, and a growing investment in acts like One Direction and Justin Bieber and a lack of lesser-known British artists leaves many with a mere blemish of screen time. The Brits have lost their rock n roll edge – they have become tiresome, mediocre, predictable, and boring.

If the BBC are going to make this work, they're going to have to offer something unique and almost totally different. The event has already promised to focus on "music lovers of all ages who enjoy listening to music from across the BBC", rather than the "younger end of the market", and brands like BBC Introducing have already shown that the Corporation can and do appreciate the less commercial aspects of the music industry. 

For the sake of my music adoration, I would love to see this show succeed. But if "different" goes as far as the contrast between The Voice and The X Factor, I fear it won't be long before the same trap snaps shut.