I have recently started to go to tai chi classes and I have to say that I really enjoy it and and I feel that it has great benefits.
My class is made up of a small mixed bunch of people of all different ages and backgrounds and it has a very amicable, relaxed atmosphere.
Tai Chi is a very gentle form of exercise which is beneficial even for people suffering from chronic conditions such as heart disease and arthritis, however you do feel after a class that you have strengthened and stretched the old muscles and the breathing technique is great not only for relaxing, but I have found it useful for other sports too such as swimming.
Aside from the physical benefits, I find the Qi Gong very relaxing indeed and I always come out of a class feeling both very relaxed and like I have really toned up!
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Eeey Aye, Eey Aye, Eey Aye Oh.....
... up the Premier League we go (and not before time!)
I don't know how or why things have just clicked in place with Newcastle United since my last blog entry about them (despite my friend, a Fulham fan, claiming lucky charm status after seeing Birmingham City v NUFC) , but we are now playing some good, solid, attractive football which has been a pleasure to watch. Obafemi Martins has been so fast, composed, and threatening; Michael Owen has been back to his old form and Viduka has made some great contributions. One of my most impressive players this season though has been Habib Beye, a very solid, pacy defender who can pass a ball very well and isn't scared to have a pop. I never thought I'd say this, but thank you, Sam Allardyce.
Long may our current good form continue, especially against the great Unwashed in Sunday's derby game.
Howay the Lads!
I don't know how or why things have just clicked in place with Newcastle United since my last blog entry about them (despite my friend, a Fulham fan, claiming lucky charm status after seeing Birmingham City v NUFC) , but we are now playing some good, solid, attractive football which has been a pleasure to watch. Obafemi Martins has been so fast, composed, and threatening; Michael Owen has been back to his old form and Viduka has made some great contributions. One of my most impressive players this season though has been Habib Beye, a very solid, pacy defender who can pass a ball very well and isn't scared to have a pop. I never thought I'd say this, but thank you, Sam Allardyce.
Long may our current good form continue, especially against the great Unwashed in Sunday's derby game.
Howay the Lads!
To Glastonbury or not to Glastonbury? That is the question
And the answer from my point of view is 'of course I'm still going!'
Don't get me wrong, I can see people's reason's for not going, such as they can't face that much mud again, the headliners are at best uninspired, the ticket system is a mess and it is expensive, BUT I love Glastonbury for all the other mad smaller stages and the overall creativity of the place.
My 2 favourite gigs last year were Neville Staple in the Dance tent and Dreadzone in the Glade. Oh and Iggy and the Stooges were just brilliant on the Other Stage. Combine this with the Greenfields, a laid back and happy atmosphere, bumping into someone you haven't seen for 15 years in a tea tent, and having a tequila slammer served by a full-on Moulin Rouge tart, and I'll be back again. Well that and the fact that we get to spend a whole 5 days with a large Geordie encampment. We're up to 44 in numbers this year. Yep, 44 AND pear cider!
Don't get me wrong, I can see people's reason's for not going, such as they can't face that much mud again, the headliners are at best uninspired, the ticket system is a mess and it is expensive, BUT I love Glastonbury for all the other mad smaller stages and the overall creativity of the place.
My 2 favourite gigs last year were Neville Staple in the Dance tent and Dreadzone in the Glade. Oh and Iggy and the Stooges were just brilliant on the Other Stage. Combine this with the Greenfields, a laid back and happy atmosphere, bumping into someone you haven't seen for 15 years in a tea tent, and having a tequila slammer served by a full-on Moulin Rouge tart, and I'll be back again. Well that and the fact that we get to spend a whole 5 days with a large Geordie encampment. We're up to 44 in numbers this year. Yep, 44 AND pear cider!
benefits of seeing your dissertation tutor
As I'm sure I have already mentioned, it can be a rather lonely process doing your Masters degree dissertation by distance learning. It is also hard to keep up momentum sometimes, so I found it really beneficial going to see my tutor last week.
We discussed my dissertation in general and talked through a particular issue that I have at the moment. I came out of our meeting feeling confident and in full control of my dissertation again, with a good plan of action.
Thank you!
We discussed my dissertation in general and talked through a particular issue that I have at the moment. I came out of our meeting feeling confident and in full control of my dissertation again, with a good plan of action.
Thank you!
Long time, no blog!
Sorry everyone / World,
It's been ages since I last blogged and time just speeds past at the moment. So much has happened too; I've got some more work done on my dissertation, Newcastle United are on a winning streak, Glastonbury didn't sell out and I've discovered Tai Chi. Phew!
It's been ages since I last blogged and time just speeds past at the moment. So much has happened too; I've got some more work done on my dissertation, Newcastle United are on a winning streak, Glastonbury didn't sell out and I've discovered Tai Chi. Phew!
Friday, 14 March 2008
Designing interview schedules and questionnaires - great resources
Many of my fellow students and I are starting to prepare for the 'hands on' elements of our research where we will be conducting interviews and / or questionnaires with a wide range of people.
Designing a good interview schedule and questionnaire is a fine art, and I found this fantastic website from Professor T.D . Wilson on this very subject. Here, Professor Wilson outlines the benefits and pitfalls of various types and approaches to interviews and techniques, and there are some really practical tips too. I have found this a most useful resource.
In the meantime, it's a while since I wrote about Newcastle United. What can you say? We continue to walk a relegation tight rope and we don't instil a great degree of belief in the fact that we can turn this around.
My top tip is that 4-5-1 just doesn't work; stop it right now! If Chelsea couldn't effectively play with Drogba in this formation we certainly can't, especially with one of the shortest teams in the premiership.
I'm off to see the Lads on Monday, v Birmingham City and as usual they will receive great support from our travelling fans. I just hope that the potential absence of James Milner won't impact too heavily on the team as I view him as a key player. Player 4.4.2 though, perhaps bringing in Shola to complement Owen and / or Martins, and we could do this you know. Now is the time to turn it around Lads.
Howay, you can do it!
Designing a good interview schedule and questionnaire is a fine art, and I found this fantastic website from Professor T.D . Wilson on this very subject. Here, Professor Wilson outlines the benefits and pitfalls of various types and approaches to interviews and techniques, and there are some really practical tips too. I have found this a most useful resource.
In the meantime, it's a while since I wrote about Newcastle United. What can you say? We continue to walk a relegation tight rope and we don't instil a great degree of belief in the fact that we can turn this around.
My top tip is that 4-5-1 just doesn't work; stop it right now! If Chelsea couldn't effectively play with Drogba in this formation we certainly can't, especially with one of the shortest teams in the premiership.
I'm off to see the Lads on Monday, v Birmingham City and as usual they will receive great support from our travelling fans. I just hope that the potential absence of James Milner won't impact too heavily on the team as I view him as a key player. Player 4.4.2 though, perhaps bringing in Shola to complement Owen and / or Martins, and we could do this you know. Now is the time to turn it around Lads.
Howay, you can do it!
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Concepts, themes and mind mapping
So, I haven;t blogged in a while. This was primarily due to the fact that I had a few days out in Belfast and then went straight to Woking for a work trip. That and the continued demise of Newcastle United.....
Anyway before I end up like Marvin the Paranoid Android, I thought that I would share with you my mind mapping tool of choice which is FreeMind for OS X. Yes, I am one of those pesky Mac users.....
I took my time getting into Mind mapping. My mate and colleague, Andy, does it all the time and for identifying my initial research themes it's worked a treat. Yes, you still have to manually enter terms and then 'refind' the recurrent information, but I identified my common themes in a couple of minutes from my print out.
FreeMind is available via a link on Wikipedia where you can read all about it too. If you've never tried mind mapping, give it a whirl, especially if you have tasks that you need to think about.
Anyway before I end up like Marvin the Paranoid Android, I thought that I would share with you my mind mapping tool of choice which is FreeMind for OS X. Yes, I am one of those pesky Mac users.....
I took my time getting into Mind mapping. My mate and colleague, Andy, does it all the time and for identifying my initial research themes it's worked a treat. Yes, you still have to manually enter terms and then 'refind' the recurrent information, but I identified my common themes in a couple of minutes from my print out.
FreeMind is available via a link on Wikipedia where you can read all about it too. If you've never tried mind mapping, give it a whirl, especially if you have tasks that you need to think about.
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