On my android I have the free demo version of Virtua Villagers and I love it! After a few attempts and getting used to the phone version (which resulted in numerous deaths and losing the game several times) I have succeeded around 5 puzzles and on my 3rd generation. However, after my two favourite villagers (Bes and City) died I've suddenly realised I have no women under 50years of age. As you gamers will know, females who reach this age become infertile and can't reproduce. So now I'm stuck with a few old ladies and a group of charming young men. I'm really annoyed, after spending a week, using all my free time, breeding and caring for my little tribe, I am face with mass genocide :( why doesn't the game give you one female child then one male. I suppose you can argue that it's realistic however - it's a game and now I'm going to have to watch all my villagers slowly died of old age (they have established self sufficiency now so I don't have to constantly drag them to the research bench or the fields or buildings. I'm a gamer. I get really annoyed with these things. Rant over.
Monday, 2 April 2012
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Your Child: Developing Speech
The day your child says their first word is a day you'll remember forever. Not only is it the start of a very short, vital and steep learning curve for the child, but also the start of hard work and satisfaction when you reach the end. Within the first year your baby will develop babbling and what may seem random patterns of noises into one complete word. From their first word until they reach 36 months, your child will develop full sentences conveying their opinions and needs. A scary thought!
Within this time your child will need your support as much as possible. At the beginning you might hear a load of gobbledegook which you will struggle to understand. The most common mistakes are categorised as the following:
Katherine Nelson (1973) identified four categories for a child's first words; these are - naming (things or people), actions/events, describing things and personal words. Other mistakes such as overextending a word's meaning. This can be anything from labeling the cat as a dog (60%), calling an orange, apple or lemons a ball (15%) or saying 'duck' whilst looking at an empty pond (25%).
After your child establishes their vocab and grammar correctly (so saying 'ran' instead of 'runned'), questions, negatives and pronouns soon follow. 'Where is ball?', 'I no want', 'Tom play'. So from babbling and saying nothing with any meaning at the start of the year you child will be telling you that the dog is gone and there's balls in your fruit bowl.
Enough about the child, where do you come into this? As a parent studies have shown that your language changes. CDS or Child-directed speech is the various speech patterns you use when communicating with young children, which usually involves simplified vocabulary, melodic pitch, repetitive questioning, and a slow or deliberate tempo. So you'll be using a higher pitch than normal, and speak mainly in the present tense (until your child starts exploring future and past tenses in which case you'll start correcting them). Even you will be using one-word utterances to match your child's development, and 'din-dins' with simply yes/ no questions will be your most common dialogue.
After establishing their speech, your child will be introduced to reading. Even before you send them to their first year in school you should be reading bed time stories to your child. Asking them to point to pictures and where certain characters are will be vital to their reading development. A little warning: be prepared to read the same story to your child over and over and over and over and over and over...
Within this time your child will need your support as much as possible. At the beginning you might hear a load of gobbledegook which you will struggle to understand. The most common mistakes are categorised as the following:
- Deletion, such as 'do' for 'dog' and 'cu' for 'cup'.
- Substitution, such as 'pip' for 'ship'.
- Addition, such as 'doggie' (an all time fave)
- Assimilation, such as 'gog' for 'dog'.
- Reduplication (try saying that after swinging a few back), such as 'dada' and 'mama' (so cute!)
- Constant cluster reductions (errr whaa?!?) so 'pider' for 'spider'
- and Deletion of unstressed syllables, such as 'nana' for 'banana'.
Katherine Nelson (1973) identified four categories for a child's first words; these are - naming (things or people), actions/events, describing things and personal words. Other mistakes such as overextending a word's meaning. This can be anything from labeling the cat as a dog (60%), calling an orange, apple or lemons a ball (15%) or saying 'duck' whilst looking at an empty pond (25%).
After your child establishes their vocab and grammar correctly (so saying 'ran' instead of 'runned'), questions, negatives and pronouns soon follow. 'Where is ball?', 'I no want', 'Tom play'. So from babbling and saying nothing with any meaning at the start of the year you child will be telling you that the dog is gone and there's balls in your fruit bowl.
Enough about the child, where do you come into this? As a parent studies have shown that your language changes. CDS or Child-directed speech is the various speech patterns you use when communicating with young children, which usually involves simplified vocabulary, melodic pitch, repetitive questioning, and a slow or deliberate tempo. So you'll be using a higher pitch than normal, and speak mainly in the present tense (until your child starts exploring future and past tenses in which case you'll start correcting them). Even you will be using one-word utterances to match your child's development, and 'din-dins' with simply yes/ no questions will be your most common dialogue.
After establishing their speech, your child will be introduced to reading. Even before you send them to their first year in school you should be reading bed time stories to your child. Asking them to point to pictures and where certain characters are will be vital to their reading development. A little warning: be prepared to read the same story to your child over and over and over and over and over and over...
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
The End.
It dawned on me that my boyfriend and I weren't getting on as I had originally hoped. It the same process I had gone through with my last boyfriend, and to be honest I'm getting tired of listing/ hearing the same reasons. The top one was my strict parents. No one should have cruel parents such as my own who never let their child go anywhere without a 'valid' reason. Not allowing the kid to fall in love, or fall for someone, and ban them from having a boyfriend/girlfriend. This was my trouble. The reason why I was never allowed out to see my man, he lived about 20 miles away and I had recently met him so my parents hadn't heard much of him.
The second reason was, regrettably, another guy I had known for a couple of years. I didn't want this guy to interfere with my relationship, but I had to give in to my childish ways. For some reason, I can't establish what at this present time, I can't get my head over my stupid obsession with this guy. He had ruined my last relationship and now he ruined this one. He knows it alright, but I have no idea what he truly thinks of it.
The third reason would be the timing. We had planned the next year out together, which was why it took me so long to make the decision of ending it. We were going to go to the same uni, staying in the same flat and going back home at the same times. It was nicely planned and all we had in between now and then was the wait, our performance, and booking the accommodation. I didn't want to throw such security and lovely near future away just like a pebble. Yet, somehow I managed to persuade myself that it wasn't fair on my boyfriend. Living with false hope that he completely had me, like he wanted, wished for and needed.
So I made the decision to call it a day. Hopefully we'll stay friends, even still go to the uni we planned and lived the next year like we had always hoped. Only time will tell. The main thing I lost was my motivation to keep going, to reach the next level, waking up in the morning and feeling that warmth inside me, going to sleep with a smile on my face. The most important thing I've lost is that gem we all look for. Like a needle in a haystack. I threw it back and maybe never find it again. But the time I spend searching for it, once again, will be the time I need to get over the other guy and get my head clear and my priorities straight. He's probably reading this, telling himself what a bitch I am, and so are others reading this. It's not a good feeling. Having to tell someone that the life they've just grown to know has to end. Telling them that the thing that's keeping them going, keeping them smiling has vanished. It's even worse when you find yourself telling them that it's the stone you found in the rubble that you're tied to admire. I told him I'm sorry. I said 'night' to him. I left him two kisses. What he's doing now? I have no idea.
The second reason was, regrettably, another guy I had known for a couple of years. I didn't want this guy to interfere with my relationship, but I had to give in to my childish ways. For some reason, I can't establish what at this present time, I can't get my head over my stupid obsession with this guy. He had ruined my last relationship and now he ruined this one. He knows it alright, but I have no idea what he truly thinks of it.
The third reason would be the timing. We had planned the next year out together, which was why it took me so long to make the decision of ending it. We were going to go to the same uni, staying in the same flat and going back home at the same times. It was nicely planned and all we had in between now and then was the wait, our performance, and booking the accommodation. I didn't want to throw such security and lovely near future away just like a pebble. Yet, somehow I managed to persuade myself that it wasn't fair on my boyfriend. Living with false hope that he completely had me, like he wanted, wished for and needed.
So I made the decision to call it a day. Hopefully we'll stay friends, even still go to the uni we planned and lived the next year like we had always hoped. Only time will tell. The main thing I lost was my motivation to keep going, to reach the next level, waking up in the morning and feeling that warmth inside me, going to sleep with a smile on my face. The most important thing I've lost is that gem we all look for. Like a needle in a haystack. I threw it back and maybe never find it again. But the time I spend searching for it, once again, will be the time I need to get over the other guy and get my head clear and my priorities straight. He's probably reading this, telling himself what a bitch I am, and so are others reading this. It's not a good feeling. Having to tell someone that the life they've just grown to know has to end. Telling them that the thing that's keeping them going, keeping them smiling has vanished. It's even worse when you find yourself telling them that it's the stone you found in the rubble that you're tied to admire. I told him I'm sorry. I said 'night' to him. I left him two kisses. What he's doing now? I have no idea.
Thursday, 1 December 2011
UCAS Application mess around
It's been a busy time for me as a prospective university student. As Christmas draws closer the deadline for UCAS applications in January grows more threatening and looms over all university applicants. Also January brings five exams to my timetable. My boyfriend has his sorted before last summer holidays, as his school deadline was set earlier than mine. The deadline for JoGs (my school) Y13's is this Friday, and mine still hasn't been sent of - not the fault of my own. As I hopelessly mucked up two of my AS Levels I decided to aim to get my application is as early as possible. I completed my first draft of my personal statement in the summer holidays, only to realise that I had to wait until September when school started to get my tutor to check it and give advice.
So after completing my personal statement and the rest of my applicaton, I payed the £22 and sent it off to go to my school to check it. Two weeks later and my JoGs still hadn't sent it off. Head of 6th Form imformed me they were waiting for my reference from my AS Chemistry teacher from the school opposite which is a joint 6th Form with ours. It took around two weeks again before they got hold of my reference. But I only got called in to check the application with the head of 6th Form after my parents had phoned to query about it. I was told that my maths teacher hasn't predicted me a grade and that I have been 'hard to track down' - after attending all of my lessons and constantly residing in the common room at break and lunch.
Eventually I tracked down a maths grade and got called to go through the rest of my application with the head of 6th Form. So, has it been sent off after getting the grade? Nope. She (head of 6th Form) found fault with my IT Clait Plus. Noting that it took me 5 minutes to google and find out that I had to label it as OCR Other - Clait Plus, she sent it back to me and made me wait another two days (because of the strike yesterday) to send it off.
All in all, hopefully, I will have a sent UCAS application one day before the school deadline. All in all, I am furious at the school and it's poor communication and organisation skills.
But on a good note...my boyfriend is hoping to go to Plymouth and Plymouth is also one of my choices, so fingers crossed (yn) that we'll end up there. :D
So after completing my personal statement and the rest of my applicaton, I payed the £22 and sent it off to go to my school to check it. Two weeks later and my JoGs still hadn't sent it off. Head of 6th Form imformed me they were waiting for my reference from my AS Chemistry teacher from the school opposite which is a joint 6th Form with ours. It took around two weeks again before they got hold of my reference. But I only got called in to check the application with the head of 6th Form after my parents had phoned to query about it. I was told that my maths teacher hasn't predicted me a grade and that I have been 'hard to track down' - after attending all of my lessons and constantly residing in the common room at break and lunch.
Eventually I tracked down a maths grade and got called to go through the rest of my application with the head of 6th Form. So, has it been sent off after getting the grade? Nope. She (head of 6th Form) found fault with my IT Clait Plus. Noting that it took me 5 minutes to google and find out that I had to label it as OCR Other - Clait Plus, she sent it back to me and made me wait another two days (because of the strike yesterday) to send it off.
All in all, hopefully, I will have a sent UCAS application one day before the school deadline. All in all, I am furious at the school and it's poor communication and organisation skills.
But on a good note...my boyfriend is hoping to go to Plymouth and Plymouth is also one of my choices, so fingers crossed (yn) that we'll end up there. :D
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
A Level English Lang. Investigation: Music.
I am currently doing my A Level English Language B (AQA) Investigation coursework. One part is sending out questionnaires and analysing the results, in which I seek your help. If you could spare some time to answer my questionnaire (linked with this article) I would really appreciate your time and effort.
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
18th Birthday
Another milestone marked in my life. Finally turned 18 today and I don't feel anything different. There was the normal school day, double English Language, double Chemistry Salters and a free which I "did my maths" (I was on the phone to my boyfriend most of the hour). Top this off, most of my friends forgot it was my birthday. My presents from my parents were average: mother gave me an advent calendar and dad gave me fishing waders (I've been fishing twice in my life). My neighbour gave me a teddy holding a 18th Key. SJ gave me an 18th balloon, 18th mug and terry's chocolate orange (all wrapped in 18th wrapping paper). Another friend gave me a magnetic bracelet, then JM invited me over to hers to stargaze (can't wait!!).
Despite the lack of excitement during my actual birthday, my parents gave me £170 and said I could organise a trip to Bath which went ahead the previous Saturday. After meeting up with my mates over a Starbucks and buying Burger King for lunch for a couple of other guys we were meeting (for the first time) who were coming from Chippenham, we all went to see Immortals in the Odeon.
After two hours snuggling next to Andy and trying not to be sick over *SPOILER* seeing women roasting to death, people cutting their tongues off and a guy being hit in the nuts by a wooden mallet, *SPOILER* (end) we wondered around to Victoria play park (because I'm a child at heart) bought a friend an ice-cream and then heading off to say goodbye to three of the guys who went to see Rise Against (must say I'm quite jealous). This unfortunately included my gorgeous Andy :(
The remaining three of us strolled to the gym to wait for HS who was joining us after her shift. She managed to recognise us through our failed attempts at looking like young chavs with our hoods up (HS: I saw JM's blue hair and Morgan's but I didn't recognise Jaki).
We went to a restaurant recommended by HS and had the best night ever. However, the train bringer three other mates were delayed because of a fire at Avoncliffe station. So we had to wait a fair amount of time before we ordered our main courses. We got on with out starters. Coconut coated shrimps are mans best food combination. I felt like I was in heaven. The chicken pot stickers were delicious too. We finally left the place £200 lighter, with full stomachs. I felt like I was carrying a baby. The night ended with a light sobering up stroll and a diverted train ride home (because of the damaged track).
All in all, it was the best birthday of my life!
Despite the lack of excitement during my actual birthday, my parents gave me £170 and said I could organise a trip to Bath which went ahead the previous Saturday. After meeting up with my mates over a Starbucks and buying Burger King for lunch for a couple of other guys we were meeting (for the first time) who were coming from Chippenham, we all went to see Immortals in the Odeon.
| Immortals |
The remaining three of us strolled to the gym to wait for HS who was joining us after her shift. She managed to recognise us through our failed attempts at looking like young chavs with our hoods up (HS: I saw JM's blue hair and Morgan's but I didn't recognise Jaki).
 |
| £200+ from our pockets into a coconut shell |
All in all, it was the best birthday of my life!
Thursday, 27 October 2011
JM's Clear Jump Round
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| JM's 3 rosettes |
HS was saying how they all seemed confident and she lacked a fair dose of confidence. To her and anyone else out there with confidence issues I will say this. "The more you ride, the more natural it will seem. The more natural it seems, the more used to it you are. The more used to it you are, the more confident you will be."
Another issue for her is worrying about falling off. She has witnessed a few falls since she's started riding and it seems like each time she worries more about it. Luckily no one has come out with any major injuries. Apart from JM who "now knows what the inside of your arm looks like", has a dislocating kneecap and has fractured her nose. My advice (I've fallen off twice from jumping - both times my fault) would be to prevent falling off, 'heels down, toes up and grip with your knees'. It's a saying which has been burnt into my brain for the passed two years. But when you know you're falling off, just let it happen. Don't try and prevent it (as I've learnt) and ROLL!! It reduces the impact. Also, no matter how your mum will complain, it's better to fall off into something soft, such as wet mud, sand, grass, etc. Stinging nettles are fine if you want to come out of it with little bumps everywhere.
No doubt there'll be more posts about horses from me as it's my favourite hobby. But all horse riders and their companions must remember that it's one of the most dangerous sports in the world. Despite the risks, more than 2.4 million people still ride in the UK alone! If you haven't tried it, you must get out and do. It's not massively expensive to begin with (the most expensive part of riding is when you decide to own a horse) and most places will lend you the essential safety gear. Here's a website that will help you find your nearest stables: http://www.horseweb-uk.com/stables_search.php The best thing to do is look through the yellow pages or the local directory, or even Google search riding schools. Have fun!
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