On my first ever Lufthansa flight, I figured I would write my typical Christmas post, reflecting on the past year and the achievements that have been made by us. Now that i think about it, 2012 has been an eventful year! Unfortunately, I do not really have any one topic to ramble on about, but anyway, it has also been an Intriguing few weeks for me. I have progressed well in my various projects, namely, BaloonSat, where we are due to send a radiation monitoring experiment into the atmosphere; my IP ArdPi buggy (more on that later) and my various controlled assessments and courseworks that I am required to do. However, perhaps most interestingly, I have now become a standing candidate for the Richmond borough for the UK Youth Parliament.
It's quite a funny story actually. The leaflet advertising it came to my tutor group and I took one, figuring that it might be a fun thing to do. Once the first meeting came around and went, I became apprehensive of my willpower to carry this through, due to the work it requires and my own personal workload, especially with A levels coming up over the next two years. Another person from my school decided to drop out that evening for precisely those reasons. I, on the other hand, decided to hedge my bets and hold out making a decision until the next meeting.
So, this Saturday I went to the second meeting, full of apprehension, hoping to make my decision following it. We discussed many things, including how to put together an effective manifesto, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself! I met many new and interesting people of about my age from demographics I had never had the pleasure of interacting with, often with different, yet valid, opinions, for which they were willing to argue with a passion. We discussed and debated many local and national issues, such as transport, energy and the recent education reforms. I even encountered people from a rival school just down the road from us, and despite the many stereotypes my school made of them, we greatly enjoyed ourselves. I managed to greatly embarrass myself, as I always do, by saying that she looked similar to "Sue" from the American TV show, "The Middle". Luckily, she still spoke to me afterwards...! (She kinda did though, just better looking and without the braces!)
Hence, I have decided to continue with the process, and as such I ask you, as I am currently compiling my manifesto, to bring to my attention any issues, both on a local and national level, that you would like me to take a look at and consider putting into my manifesto. It is, after all, you that will be voting! I shall keep you all updated as the process goes on, but for now, the mock GCSE exams are looming, and so, revision is in order [Oh dammit, the Geography! All that Geography!].
In terms of the bigger picture, it is a daunting task to concisely and interestingly list all the big events that have occurred this year. I mean, there are highs: the (unconfirmed) discovery of the Higgs Boson, Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the upper-atmosphere and of course the London Olympics, as well as the lows: the death of Neil Armstrong and the recent Newtown, Connecticut shooting, for which I send my genuine thoughts and condolences. Yep, 2012 was an eventful year indeed, and I think that no one does it better justice than Google and their annual Zeitgeist video.
So for now, I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season, and if I do not get back to you by then and we are all still alive (get the 2012 apocalypse reference?), a happy new year!
