Kieran I want to clear out phone messages

I started writing things I’d like to have done before I’m 30; Milk a cow, Learn to Eskimo roll a kayak, Have a go on a Unicycle etc But this all seemed a bit self indulgent. So I asked friends and family what they want me to do for them that I can add to the list…Kieran I want (read about it here)
 


Without a doubt one of the things I wanted to do before I was thirty was to clear out my inbox not just e-mails but also on my phone. I’m overtly sentimental when it comes to keeping messages and e-mails hence the reason my inbox at this moment (9th March 16.20) contains 1537 e-mails (136 unread) and 3016 sent items that I seemingly can’t delete. A good spring clean and purge is something I often attempt but it inevitably leads to a similar hypnosis I get when I start looking at photos – I start daydreaming and suddenly hours have flashed by and I’m no closer to making any progress on the job at hand.

So when I had to take a train trip to Leeds and back in a day (phew wee what an early start and long day that was) for a conference it seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up to clear out my phone.

Apparently I have received 12390 messages but only (!) sent 12176 so first off apologies for the 214 messages that I didn’t reply too, secondly my phone doesn’t tell me in what time scale this wealth of communication was undertaken so I can only assume its since I had the phone. If you have seen it, it is more suitable for a museum and people still laugh when I take it out – I have no clue when I brought this but thirdly that is a lot of messages/time, if I was going to characterise my phone usage I would classify myself as a low usage but that figure has freaked me out. I am still very much of the side of my phone isn’t an extension of my arm, I would rather see you face to face or ring for a chat, Maybe I will reply to a text but No my time keeping for messages isn’t great and yet here I am faced with a reality that I’ve sent 12176 messages.

What my phone might look like

But when I try and purge stuff I often get overtly sentimental and wistful. Part of the problem of not being able to press delete all messages is that I like those messages, they are little prompts, small injections of the past; miniature time machines if you like. I can’t see what I sent back so it makes me remember a time, a place, a situation. So at around six in the morning en-route to Leeds I started writing down the ones I wanted to keep and then pressing delete.

I guess writing them down is no better than keeping them in my phone in the first place but the phone is now clear and no longer greats me with ‘No space for new messages’ every time I try and use it.

The oldest message was at 18.26 on the 27.06.06

He he he thank you very much for my wonderful game, just found it, but only got two words so far. You shouldn’t have but thanks x x x

Some phone hijack and funny ones:

It happened again dude, another wet dream about my mum! I keep doing it and can’t seem to stop. Running out of bedsheets. Any Advice? 20.37 15.01.09

I wish U peace, love and health…Blah Blah Blah F**k that S**t! I wish you lots of sex, alcohol and orgasms and hope you win the f**king lottery. Happy New Year 02.28 01.01.10

Others timely:

Emilia Grace Edwards was born this morning at 8.51, weighing in at 6lb 6oz, and is the most beautiful things we have ever seen. Mum and daughter are doing fine and dad is over the moon! 10.28 03.01.11

Some archived seemingly for no reason:

831849835 09.57 07.05.10

Hey sorry whos this x 19.06 10.02.11

2 words…True legend!!! 09.57 07.05.10

Morning pudding, I had to (banana) split otherwise I would have been in a sticky toffee situation but I don’t want to be trifle I’m back in the gateaux a little bit sorbet after the journey but had a ice scream and more than a raspberry ripple of fun x

07.50 13.07.10

And some characteristic:

Hey K K, snowed in on my first day back at work. We hit the anchor what a blast from the past! Had a fab New Year thanks so much for joining, believe you offered to impregnate my mother which has made her year already! Much Love xxx 18.24 06.01.10

I’m so on fire at the moment it really hurts! But in a good way – Lovin it. Did you get a full house 23.49 23.02.11

Pina Colada 1,2,3 A little bit of Malibu, sounds good to me. Baileys in mugs nearly as lovely as hugs 20.33 19.03.10

Hey how goes it? You seem the type who might enjoy pirate themed festivities. There’s a ceilidh on saturday at the ‘roath park’ on city road. Fancy dress optional…x 16.15 18.10.10

The phone spring clean is the first time I have seen –no messages- it’s a purge I can recommend and I hope to keep control over this. I cleared all message counters on the 17.10 09.03.10 and will see how many I send and receive from then till my birthday writing down the ones that I can’t completely delete into the ether.

Kieran I want you to bake a cake for my charity event

I started writing things I’d like to have done before I’m 30; Milk a cow, Learn to Eskimo roll a kayak, Have a go on a Unicycle etc But this all seemed a bit self indulgent. So I asked friends and family what they want me to do for them that I can add to the Kieran I want list

Kieran I want you to bake a cake for my charity event

As a bit of a useless cook I am quite astounded how successful this cake came out for this Kieran I want you to bake a cake for my charity event and so wanted to share the recipe below. I also made flapjacks but more for selfish reasons as they’re my favourite.

Thanks for the recipe Mum.

Anne from work asked me to add a cake to the selection that she and others bake for a Bake for Bobath event. She could be found covered in flour and eggs for four days previous, furiously baking and as you can see the spread was amazing.

Thankfully the donations were very generous and Anne raised £220 for the Bobath charity. I am pleased to say that all my cake and flapjacks got sold and no reports of food poisoning from them were reported.

The Bake for Bobath event aims to raise funds for Bobath who make a difference to children in Wales who have cerebral palsy which is ‘a permanent disorder of posture and movement resulting from brain damage occurring in the baby or young child’ and that ‘Every 6 hours a child is born who will have cerebral palsy’. http://www.bobathwales.org/

So without further ado the recipe for a Pineapple fruit cake is;

¾ lb Mixed fruit

8oz Self Raising Flour

4oz Margarine

8oz Brown Sugar

1 tspn Mixed Spice

1 tspn bicarbonate of soda

13 ½ oz tin of crushed pineapple

2 beaten eggs

Pinch of Salt

Boil the mixed fruit, margarine, sugar, spice, bicarbonate of soda and pineapple for 3 minutes and let it cool

Then add to it the flour, salt and mix well

Add the eggs and mix well

Bake in an 8” round or square tin for 1 ½ to 2 hours 325f/160˚C/Gas Mark 3

Consume

Anne said of the event:

‘Every year I organise a bake sale within my team in the Council. Raising funds makes a difference to children in Wales who have cerebral palsy. When you realise every 6 hours a child is born who will have cerebral palsy you realise it is an important charity to support. This year my team and other colleagues in the building surpassed themselves by gorging themselves on cakes and savouries, and helped to raise £220!’

Kieran I want you to come to the Bingo for my Birthday

Kieran I want...

One of my first replies aside from writing a blog post on my ‘Kieran I want’ idea which you can read about here was ‘Kieran I want you to come to the Bingo for my Birthday’. To recap I started writing things I’d like to have done before I’m 30; Milk a cow, Learn to Eskimo roll a kayak, Have a go on a Unicycle etc But this all seemed a bit self indulgent. So I asked friends and family what they want me to do for them that I can add to the list

Kieran I want…(your suggestion here)

Here are some thoughts on the first

Kieran I want you to come to the Bingo for my Birthday

What ever happened to:

Two little ducks, legs eleven, made in heaven, you and me, Clickety click and all those other old school bingo calls made from a revolving metal wheel. When I used to play bingo with my Nan along the seafront on a typically stormy British day in Bournemouth there was a sense of the ridiculous to the game which made it so appealing.

Not now. Wednesday the 23rd February as part of my list of ‘Kieran I want’ challenges Kat asked that I go with her and friends to Bingo. With images of quaint frivolity I readily agreed.

But what greeted us was an intensity that I’ve never experienced. With casino lighting, no clocks on the walls, slot machines lining the walls and serious expressions normally reserved for a jury we brought our tickets for the 7.30pm game and found seats in the packed out gladiator arena that is the bingo hall.

And wow it’s fast, furious and slightly intimidating. As soon as the caller starts; silence. A silence you wouldn’t even get in church overcame the room. I don’t deny with six cards per game to mark off I lost track on a number of occasions as my mind started to wander. Everyone is eyes down and locked in concentration, and with some big money to be won there is no messing around. A few false calls electrified the room with excitement as a few games had to be re-started and the link up for major money gripped everyone.

In my naivety I half expected it to be A. empty for a Wednesday eve and B. Filled with little old ladies perhaps with a selection of blue and purple hair rinse.

Neither of which it was. It was filled with people of all ages and I mean filled. It was packed out. I don’t deny it was fun but with no talking during games and the need for extreme concentration it brought out the hot sweats in us. One of our group struggled with breathing due to the need for fast thinking; having to hold his breath during games turned him a lovely purple colour throughout. Plus I’m not sure any of us would have even had the temerity to call out Bingo if we had a line or full house as the majority of players seemed to be regulars who were intimidating in their intensity.

But it’s when you catch sight of the few people cutting a lonely figure, sitting on their own that you remember it’s gambling through and through, basically scratch cards in disguise with its own associated addictions. Computerised and efficient, even the ‘Bingo’ call sounded stunted and unenthused. It’s not like on the old sea front days when a win was greeted with cheer and a pat on the back (excuse the nostalgic recollections I’m sure it was as serious back then) but now it’s tut tut, an envious look and cards thrown down that hails the winner.

Next time I think a birthday meet up might revert back to the usual meet for a drink so that we can actually talk. I don’t think we will rush back to the fabled full house.

Student Bucket List

Each week on the www.cardifference.co.uk on xpress radio show we have been compiling suggestions for our Student Bucket List - what should you do before leaving Cardiff?

Here is the updated list thus far....

Experimental travel around Cardiff by asking bar staff what they drink and where they would drink it then going there and so on and so on

Partake in the Photo marathon

Have photo taken under Brains advert like in Super Furry Animals album

Go to Barry Island and act out some Gavin and Stacey scenes

Take a Roald Dahl book to the Roald Dahl Plas or the Norwegian Church where he was baptized and have your photo taken

Go to Splott Market

Buy a Love Spoon and send to a stranger

Go to the castle dressed as a king or queen and pretend to be royalty

Take the Jaffa cake challenge – eat as many jaffa cakes (or chosen confectionary) on the Bay train – Queen Street to Cardiff Bay lasting no more than 4 minutes.

Go for a Ghost walk in Llandaff

Streak at a sporting event like Varsity

Take a trip on the aqua bus

Have an impromptu rave under the Tempus Fugit sign which - launched on Saturday 22nd January 1994 at the Coal exchange – Time Flies

Stop walking past Wally’s deli and go in

Spend a lazy Saturday buying an antique gift from Jacob’s antique market

Get a spillers t-shirt

Become a food expert at the Riverside/Roath food markets

See a film of someone else’s choosing at Chapter

Row a boat on Roath Park Lake with an umbrella as sunscreen

Walk/cycle/ride to Castel Coch

Go to an international game

Get your stethoscope out with the Aneurin Bevan statue – founder of the NHS

Start or join a flash mob

Be caught doing the walk of shame in fancy dress

Go and watch the Cardiff Devils play, buy a foam hand for the occasion

Shhhh…go to a silent disco

Visit the Manic street preachers plaque at the library bearing the words ‘Libraries gave us power’ – a line from their 1996 hit A Design For Life.

Take a Doctor Who tour and see the who’s who sights

Further suggestions? Please send to cardifference@gmail.com

Nightline

On Friday’s show we talked with Bethan, Cardiff’s newly appointed Nightline coordinator.

Cardiff Nightline is a confidential listening, emotional support and information service for members of Cardiff University, UWIC, RWCMD, and Glamorgan University.

Run by students for students you can ring them about anything from wanting a pizza or taxi number, to feeling lonely, feelings of depression, emotional issues or exam stress.

Nightline is totally confidential, non-judgemental and non-directive. We won't try to solve your problems, but we can help you to do it yourself.

02920 870 555

8pm - 8am term time.

Find out more at: http://www.cardiffnightline.com/

OR on Nigel the Nightline bear's facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NigeltheNightlineBear

Bethan said ‘Nightline is a great service to help you vent any thoughts, concerns, worries or if you just need some advice. With the forthcoming exams people often use the service if things are getting on top of them and we are here to help. We are run by students for students so we can listen to you; it’s anonymous and confidential and we’ll listen, not lecture. If you are interested in helping with the service we are always looking out for new volunteers across all the universities to keep the service open, training will be given and will begin at the start of the new academic year in October’

Today on the show.....

On today's show we will be talking about the forthcoming BigLittleCity exhibition (see below), talking with a guest from nightline, which is a listening, emotional support, information and supplies service, run by students for students, chatting about some great new ideas for our Student Bucket List and telling you about some fantastic charity events that are coming up this weekend and next week.

So tune in to xpress radio 12-1 to bring more of this beautiful sunshine into your life, through your ears and into your soul.

BigLittleCity

BigLittleCity will be having its grand opening on Thursday 14 April, 5pm til late.

After that We Are Cardiff will be exhibiting and inviting you to interact until 22 July


BigLittleWhat?

BigLittleCity is a celebration of Cardiff and Cardiff’s creative talent for photography, art, film, writing, music and performance, animation, illustration, painting and graffiti. BigLittleCity is about the city and the experience of its residents. The team has been invited to stage a four-month exhibition to help launch Cardiff’s prestigious new people’s museum The Cardiff Story at the Old Library building, The Hayes, in the heart of our city. The BigLittleCity exhibition will showcase everything that is special about the Welsh capital and is set to attract tens of thousands of people.

So where is it?

The Cardiff Story is a new city museum for the capital of Wales, situated in The Hayes (between House of Fraser and St David’s Hall). More here The Cardiff Story

We Are Cardiff is a storytelling project in which the citizens of Cardiff are invited to tell their story of the city.

What’s special about your neighbourhood? What do you love about living in the capital, and what do you hate?

We Are Cardiff will be exhibiting a selection of stories athte BigLittleCity exhibition gathered since We Are Cardiff launched in 2010. They will also be inviting visitors to the exhibition to write their own Cardiff story, which they will be adding to their storyboard throughout the course of the BigLittleCity Exhibition.

Cardiff Students represented in new museum

A new museum dedicated to the history of Cardiff has officially opened in the city; The Cardiff Story Museum shows how much the city has changed over the last 200 years. The Museum focuses on telling Cardiff’s history through the eyes of those who made it – its people.

Cardiffdigs.co.uk was asked to contribute to this exhibition and highlight some of the positive influences of students on the city. You can explore a number of photos and quotes from the cities student liaison officer and cardiffdigs.co.uk on the digital screens related to the ‘Changing face of Cardiff’ section in the exhibition.

An example of student volunteering

“As well as the financial benefits students bring to a community they volunteer hours of their time using a wealth of skills to help within the community. It’s my job to encourage good relations between new and existing residents, by educating students about social responsibilities and finding ways where we all can contribute to a cleaner, greener, safer, healthier and more optimistic city.” Kieran McCann. Cardiff Council’s Student Liaison Officer.

The new Museum provides an introduction to the city for visitors and a community resource for residents. The Museum is open seven days a week on the site of the iconic Victorian Grade II* listed Old Library. Entry is free.

Museum Manager, Dr. Kathleen Howe, said: ““It’s been a unique opportunity to start a city museum and collection from scratch – a mammoth but very enjoyable task! I know that The Cardiff Story team has found it a real privilege to work with the community groups, individuals and organisations across the city and county, to gather objects, information and stories that will represent Cardiff’s long history for generations to come.”