A little Old Fashioned?

The Old Fashioned, with recent claims to fame including featuring in most episodes of Mad Men, is said to be the original cocktail, dating back to the 18th century. Its beauty, as with most beautiful things, is in its variety. No two are alike, and the suspense is part of the draw.

The variation in taste is due to the number of preparation methods, and even recipes.
The whiskey used can be Scotch, Bourbon or Rye. A sugar cube may be involved, or syrup instead.
Traditionalists incorporate a maraschino cherry, while most modern bars leave it out, as is the case with the lemon peel.

Equally, the order of ingredients, the stirring periods between each addition, and the amount of ice, whiskey and bitters used will all depend on the bar at which you are sat.

The name 'Old Fashioned' then, seems redundant as a reference to a single cocktail. Maybe.
Nevertheless, you will find the 'Old Fashioned' on the menu of any good bar, and most others will make one on request.

The longer the wait, the better the taste. A rushed 'Old Fashioned' is a 'Young Fashioned', as unmixed and immature as a University fresher, and equally annoying.

£8 is typical for an Old Fashioned in Manchester, although paying a little more in southern bars is to be expected. That said, there is no reason not to try a cheaper one.

Although  my advice would be to drink them wherever you can, below I have listed my 4 Manchester favourites. I am not paid by these places (not even in drinks) so my recommendations are wholehearted and wholly sincere.

The Grill on New York Street

Cloud 23

All Star Lanes

(My all time favourite) Rosso

Happy drinking.

On Victory In Japan Day

The words of Rudyard Kiplng ring clear and crisp as they capture perfectly the feelings of soldiers who returned from the east, met by a Europe recovering from the war that happened there, where few understood the plight of the 'Forgotten Army'.

Performed by Charles Dance OBE, Kipling's Mandalay was received in awe as they were cast like doves of peace across Horse Guards Parade and beyond.

For ever writer the dream is to pen words that read like punches, planting listeners in their seats, so moved that they cannot. Kipling's words and Dance's voice did just this.

The importance of such works go beyond inflation of a writer's ego though, and even beyond the use as commemorative pieces too.

A great issue post-war, as prevalent today as 70 years ago, is that the psychological battle that each soldier undertakes for years after conflict has ended is one all too often fought alone. In so compellingly expressing the hurt of thousands of soldiers who feel unable to speak for themselves, Kipling, today as in the many years past, encourages conversation, the sharing of experiences and memories of that harrowing time, helping them to open up about the traumas of the past.

It is the burden and the privilege of writers worldwide to translate the passions and the pains of humankind, in order that we can all come to understand share our feelings.

What better reminder is there of this responsibility than in Kipling's example?
Below I have included the reading of Mandalay by Charles Dance.

So, 70 years since the end of World War Two, and on the anniversary of Japan's surrender which meant that the thousands of troops in that region could return home, let us all be thankful for the predominant peace we inherit, and remember that we must strive for it absolutely.

I only hope that if I am lucky enough to share the burden, of a writer entasked with bringing the extremes of emotion to bear, then I may do so in more fortunate circumstances than Kipling had to.

On Marketing

Marketing is an amateur hobby and a career ambition. I want to discuss marketing stuff - campaigns I like, ones I don't, and interesting research - here. Please comment, and let me know about campaigns you enjoy.

Marketing is virtually impossible to define. I have no definition to offer. The most effective marketing is often that which we fail to realise is marketing at all. For example, the effect that a bottle colour has on our perception of the product is an unconscious influence on our decision to buy, or not to buy it. Therefore the assertion that marketing 'doesn't work' is not only a little ignorant, but ironically one of the reasons that it does.

There are a variety of advertising mediums, and marketing outlets, and I will try to discuss a variety. I am not keen on TV advertising due to its typically annoying yet forgettable nature, however I will write a little about TV campaigns that have done something a little different, but also about why TV advertising is often ineffective.

Speak soon.
S

Why you should hit the ground running from day one of University !

Clichés are gems of advice, so revered that they roll off of our tongues like ‘water off a duck’s back’, if you’ll pardon the cliché.

Below is a list of clichés through which I hope to offer advice on how to adapt to university life and get off to a flying start.

Cliché #1: Hit the ground running

This is the title cliché, because it is so fundamental to getting the most out of university that the rest of this article will be dedicated to showing you how. But first, why bother?

After all university is (at least) three long years, so wouldn’t it be better to approach it at a leisurely pace? I could respond to this by throwing further clichés in, such as ‘Life is short’ and ‘Time flies’, but that would not be helpful.

Let me offer you this more practical reasoning. You are at university for two reasons: firstly to explore a field of academic interest, and secondly to get a good job.

If you want to enjoy your course, don’t leave all the work until the last minute, because that will not be enjoyable, but stressful. Instead, take the time to do work early on.

If you want a good job, you will not only have to do well in exams, but you will also have to involve yourself in various other activities. To have time to do these things as well as assignments and revision, you will need to make every second count.

In truth you are at university for a very short time – less than four percent of your life – so make the most of it. University is an opportunity you will not get again, and if you waste it, you will regret it for the remaining percentage of your life (and that’s a hefty amount of time).

With that in mind, let’s consider how to hit the ground running.

Cliché #2: Old habits die hard

It takes a very long time to break a habit – scientists estimate that it can take anywhere between three weeks and a year to truly change your routine, and lose the desire to do things in the way you used to.

In reference to cliché #1, don’t land on your knees when you arrive at university, or you might just spend a long time crawling through your degree.

Cliché #3: Start as you mean to go on

Following on from above then, don’t set bad habits. Freshers’ Week might not be the best time to allocate study sessions and set sensible sleeping patterns, so what is important is accepting when it is over. As much fun as clubbing every night, waking up at dinner time and consuming only pizza and alcohol was, they are habits that must be reserved for fond memory.

Get into a good routine as soon as possible.

Cliché #4: Pace yourself

That said, you don’t need to abandon nights out as hedonistic luxuries and enter an academic monastery. Dedication is good, but doing too much too soon will result in a burnout. Pace yourself. When Mo Farah wins gold medals he doesn’t sprint from the off – he runs at a speed that he knows he can maintain for the entire race.

Assign a sensible number of hours each day for work, reward yourself with breaks and make sure that you enjoy yourself. Doing these things will ensure not only that you have a good time at university, and maintain morale, but also that you become a well-rounded person, because it is that which employers seek.

If you hit the ground sprinting, you won’t keep it up. Make sure you can maintain your pace.

Cliché #5: Ambition, madam, is a great man’s madness

Okay, so this isn’t actually a cliché, but a quotation from John Webster’s ‘The Duchess of Malfi’. What Webster meant is that ambition can make people do many things, some regrettable. One thing ambition can make you do is work.

In the years leading up to university, getting there has been your sole aim. You have thought of little else. You worked extensively, you prayed repeatedly and you adhered to every superstition under the sun, in the hope that you would make it to an institution of higher education, such as the one in which you now find yourself enrolled. What next?

If it was university that drove you to work so hard before, what is going to drive you now? It is crucial that you go to university with a new goal in mind. Whatever your aims are, make sure that you regularly remind yourself of them, and measure your progress.

Hit the world running, and you might just run the world.

Original article commissioned by RateMyPlacement.

http://www.ratemyplacement.co.uk/blog/why-you-should-hit-ground-running-from-day-one-university/

On THIS Blog

This is not a lifestyle blog. Heaven knows I'd need a life first. It is not a political blog, though the occassional tirrade might appear. In truth, like the pooh-stick thrown into the stream, provided it makes it under the bridge, it could lead anywhere.

I have named this 'The Journalish' because I intend to share here the stuff in my head, like a journal but more like a clothes line hanging in the sun: to air ideas and random things - but not dirty laundry.

Best wishes.

S