Marty Meets: Rin Simpson

Photo Copyright Rin Simpson 2009.

Her popular blog A Year ‘Til I’m Thirty shows you just what can be achieved in one year. One year. Many challenges. One inspirational woman. Marty Meets: Rin Simpson.

Why did you decide to start a blog?

I’d been thinking for a while that I’d enjoy writing a blog, since I’m a serial journal keeper, but didn’t want to just ramble. It was only as I was approaching my 29^th birthday, and thinking about all the things that I wanted to achieve before the big 3-0, that I realised my last year as a 20-something could make for an interesting blog topic. And what better way of motivating myself to actually do the things I wanted to do, than sharing my goals with an audience?

What are or were (if you’ve already achieved them) some of the things you’d like to achieve by the time you turn 30?

It’s a really random list which runs from small, easily achieved goals like baking a pie in my as yet untouched Pampered Chef pie dish (still haven’t done that one!) to getting published in a national newspaper (something I achieved just a fortnight ago, when my first, albeit anonymous, article appeared in the Guardian). Other things I’ve ticked off include completing a teaching course, knitting a jumper, and seeing the balloons take off at 6am at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta – but I’ve still got loads to do, like cycling from Bristol to Bath and cooking a three course meal for my whole family.

Are the things you want to achieve before you turn 30 recent goals or are some of them lifelong ambitions?

Getting published in a national was a pretty long standing goal, as are a few of the other, but others are more recent. I think the very act of writing down my goals made me realise how many more I had that I hadn’t even realised – and I seem to be adding to the list all the time!

A lot of people have goals they’d love to achieve but, for whatever reason, they just don’t “get round to it”. What advice would you give to someone who wants to achieve a goal or ambition but doesn’t know where to start?

Put a date in your diary. Honestly, it’s the only way you’ll do it. It could be that you need to block out just one Saturday afternoon to actually get yourself to that museum you’ve always wanted to visit, or maybe you need to pencil in half an hour each morning to train for the marathon you keep saying you’ll run. Whatever the case, having it there in black and white is a great motivator.

Is planning important? Is it important to make lists and write your goals down on paper?

I would say definitely, but then I’m a visual learner (something I learned about myself on my teaching course!) Not only will it help you stay focused, and not let you forget anything, but there’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing items on the list get gradually crossed off. Whether you prefer pen and paper, like me, or an electronic version, I would definitely recommend making lists.

It’s August and, once again, the promised barbeque summer has materialised as a monsoon (well, it has here in Cardiff anyway). How are things progressing? Have you had any major successes you’d like to share? Have you achieved many of your goals so far?

The most exciting thing I’d like to share is that, after writing fiction for about 25 years but being too scared to let anyone other than close friend and family see it, I finally sent in a short story for publication – and had it accepted! I just cannot believe that the first thing I submitted is now going to be published. It’ll be out in January – just in time for my birthday in February – in an anthology of fashion related stories called Cut on the Bias, which is being published by a Welsh women’s press called Honno.

Have any of your goals proved more difficult to achieve than you had previously expected?

Probably those that involve other people. It’s all very well motivating yourself, but motivating other people can be a nightmare. I want to go ice skating at one of the outdoor rinks at Christmas, for example, something which should be simple, but I know it will prove a lot more complicated than some of the goals which I can get on with quietly without any input from anyone else.

Achieving just one goal takes a huge amount of confidence, tenacity, motivation and inspiration. Who or what motivates you and who or what inspires you?

Different things motivate different goals. Sometimes it’s people (cooking a three course meal for my family, for example, is less about achieving culinary greatness than blessing my family), other times it’s curiosity (I really want to know what my Austrian great grandfather’s letters to my grandmother say, something I’ll never know until I get them translated). But mostly I guess it’s just a quirk of my personality – I like to achieve. It makes me happy.

Would you agree with the statement that, in terms of achieving goals: talent is nothing without tenacity?

Definitely. The world is full of talented people, so why should anyone pay attention to you? You can’t wait for things to happen to you, you have to make them happen, and you have to keep persevering until you reach your goal.

My challenge brought me many unexpected rewards: I can order a pint of beer in Cornish and I got to meet a few of my heroes. Has trying to achieve any of your goals led to any unexpected rewards and/or unexpected positive things being added to your life?

I think what I hadn’t expected was the overall change it has caused in me as a person. I’ve always been a real dreamer – full of ideas but pretty lazy – but that’s started to change now, and I’m starting to get off my backside and do more. Which was the whole point of the exercise really, so I’m glad it’s working!

Can you speak any foreign languages?

I’m not fluent in any one language, because I’ve never really tried hard enough, but I can speak little bits (literally the ‘hello, how are you, my name is’ stuff) of a few obscure ones – German, Afrikaans, Xhosa and Japanese. Oh, and British Sign Language. I can also say ‘where’s the party?’ in Spanish, on account of one very cool holiday in the Dominican Republic a few years back!

What do you think of my language learning challenge and blog?

It’s a great idea. People think that there’s no point in learning a language unless you go the whole hog and get fluent, but I think we need to change the reputation Brits have for steadfastly refusing to learn any language other than our own. Even if you only learn how to say please and thank you, or to ask for directions, it shows willing – and you might discover you want to learn more.

Do you think it is important that all of us celebrate the things we achieve in life (no matter how small the achievement)? If you do, why?

Absolutely. Who’s to say someone’s ‘big’ achievement is any more important than someone else’s ’small’ one? Also, if you don’t encourage yourself the small achievements, how will you ever have enough enthusiasm or belief in yourself to reach the big ones? Remember, they didn’t think ‘hm, let’s put a man on the moon’ and then do it the next day.

Finally, the recession seems to be impacting on a lot on people’s lives. One of the main things that hold people back from achieving their goals is money. Any tips for making positive changes to your life when you’re on a budget?

Actually, I’ve recently gone through a break up which means my finances are well short of what they were when I started my blog, and if anything the lack of funds has encouraged me. Where I used to eat out, I’m trying more recipes at home. Where I would have spent a fortune on Christmas presents, I’m now making my own. There is absolutely nothing that can stand in your way if you really want to achieve, so don’t let a little thing like a tight budget get in your way.

FOLLOW RIN’S PROGRESS BY VISITING HER BLOG:

A YEAR ‘TIL I’M THIRTY

White Dove

Ok, this one is slightly different. Most of this was written when I was younger (a few months shy of his 28th birthday and he’s already going on about when all this used to be fields and what people did or didn’t do in his day. Honestly…what’s next? A flat cap, pipe and slippers?). Most of it comes from how I was feeling after my grandparents died and then again after my godmother died. But it’s not meant to be a sad poem. To be honest, I’m not sure what this poem is about. For an accurate explanation, one would have to talk to my teenage self and, even if you could get hold of him, he’d probably have earphones on so nobody would realise he’s been playing that Celine Dion CD quite loud for the past hour or so. Ok, so I happened to like power ballads whilst everybody else liked either heavy metal or indie music.

White Dove,

By Marty Drury

Bird in flight, stirring the weather,

A feathered friend, sitting on the shoulder forever,

Small, tiny, a bird in the hand,

Your power lies in what happens when you land,

Healing those whose souls are aching,

Those whose hearts are breaking,

Comforting all those who have lost love,

It has begun, the flight of the white dove,

 

Who has sent you? Will you answer me that?

Visible to all, a beacon sat,

Some higher essence is your master,

That tiny heart of yours beating faster,

Comforting all those who have lost love,

It has begun, the flight of the white dove,

 

Clouds billow around you, concealing your light,

Yet you answer them by taking flight,

Unfurling wings that once seemed so small,

But now could hold us all,

Darkness rushes towards you, yet you beat your wings,

Truly, we cannot comprehend such things,

As you.

Comforting all those who have lost love,

It has begun, the flight of the white dove,

 

At long last you make your perch,

And for today, you end your search,

For those who need your touch,

Those who need a little, those who need much,

But your eyes remain open,

And through your pupils he has spoken,

The one you will tell us nothing of,

The one from here and above,

Comforting all those who have lost love,

It has begun, the flight of the white dove,

 

Where will you go oh little one,

When the next day has begun,

Off on another adventure no doubt,

One you will tell us nothing about,

A secret safe with me, safe with thee and safe with we,

When we open our arms to those we see,

Who go through troubled times,

Or are the victims of all sorts of crimes,

Never an hour with a fool spend,

Or else be counted as his friend,

But spend a second with thee and one can find,

The strength it takes to be kind,

Comforting all those who have lost love,

It has begun, the flight of the white dove.

 

They whisper you’re a figment, that you’re not really here,

But the truth is you’re present and it’s you they fear,

A pulse, a smile, a strength,

And one we shall use at length,

To walk through the days, the noise, the fuss,

With you behind us, within us,

A shadow of sorts,

Or perhaps an echo in our thoughts,

Comforting all those who have lost love,

The flight of the white dove.

Beatrix

This poem was inspired by my relationship with the works of Beatrix Potter. I loved her works as a child and I still do as an adult. But sometimes, in Beatrix Potter’s world, some things strike you as being ever so slightly odd.

Beatrix.

By Marty Drury

My dearest Beatrix,

Would a dog really run a shop?

Seriously, I think you should stop,

And take a look at all of this,

Glaring errors, too many to miss,

It’s fine to hark back to pastoral days,

But there are much better ways,

Of telling a good story or two,

You know how to do it. I know you do,

Of course, I miss the wonder and the bliss,

My nose in a little book, an inked kiss,

Those times when I would run away,

And within your pages for hours I’d stay,

And learn of the squirrel, the badger, the fox,

Come rain or shine, plague or pox,

It would always be summer,

When, just before slumber,

I would settle down,

And let you release my frown,

And show me that animals were people too,

Beyond the confines of the zoo,

Hush. Footsteps of a foxy whiskered gentleman,

I guess I should be going then…

The witching hour is close at hand,

And a cast of characters will disband,

Time to dream of what might have been because,

Like our beloved fiction, it never was.

This Place

There may be autobiographical references to places where I’ve lived within this poem. But, for the most part, this poem is pure imagination and what it depicts does not, to my knowledge, really exist.

This Place,

By Marty Drury

I have never been to this place,

Never soiled it with such a disgrace,

As the touch of a stranger,

That illicit danger,

Of a disturbance of the peace,

An ever-present noise you wish would cease,

Each step a burden, an affront, a violence,

A physical interlude that disturbs the silence,

That gathered here years ago,

And, as it happens, put on quite a show,

Then closed its doors in the heat of an hour,

To take shelter from an infrequent shower,

And now all that is gone and lost,

A forgotten city lost in a biting frost,

Hidden by a forest where no one can see a tree,

For the concrete foliage is looking back at me,

And covering everything around,

Time to place unsteady feet on unsafe ground,

Not where angels fear to tread,

Simply where no one wants to live instead.

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The Death Of Natasha Richardson

The British actress, Natasha Richardson, has died.

I never met the woman. Not even a brief glimpse on the red carpet of a film premiere. Like the majority of us, the closest I ever got to her was through one of her films. The cinema can help us think we know someone but, when the lights go up, we are always reminded that all we’ve seen is a celluloid representation of that person- a reflection on film. There is, as always, so much more to a person. I never met the woman but, like the majority of people, I never wanted to read or write the words that told others that she’d died.

The death of a loved one permeates. I never met the woman but, unfortunately, most of us can, at the very least, understand and appreciate what the family of Natasha Richardson must be going through at this time. You fall asleep and wake up and, for that tiny second, there is the slight hope that all the bad stuff was just part of some dream- a whisper in the darkness. But no. There is an empty space where they used to stand and, no matter what we have to do during the day or what we may want to do during the day, we have to look at that empty space. In time, we will turn things around. In time, we will remember  the fact that the silence left by that person’s absence hurts because they mattered. It hurts because we loved them and were loved by them. It hurts because they made a difference.  Deep in the forest of our grief, we will discover the secret that each and every one of us is special and, once we discover that, the empty space stops being an absence and becomes a reminder.

Natasha Richardson was one of my favourite actresses and this blog is dedicated to her from today onwards.

His bite was worse than his bark

Ok, this has nothing to do with language learning but I want to write about it because it bothered me. I popped out to the shops this morning (otherwise known as: the bread and milk run) only to come face to face with a rather large canine digging up the grass verge next to the allotments (yes, I live in a village). The dog was making a huge mess and I suddenly got the feeling that this dog was bound to be trouble. I made a big effort to get past the dog without causing him any bother. I even put my life in danger for a moment by walking in the road.  But that morning wasn’t to be good for me.

Instead of ignoring me, the dog hurtled towards me and leapt up at me. And this dog wasn’t being playful and he wasn’t saying hello. Oh no. The teeth were showing, he was barking and his main aim was to either push me over or bite me at the earliest opportunity. The whole experience was, to be honest, very scary. I didn’t look at the dog because I’d read somewhere that looking a dog directly in the eyes can be interpreted as a challenge by the dog and that was the last thing I needed.

Anyway, it didn’t take long for the dog to encircle me. He was quite a large dog and he was obvious very aggressive. I felt that it was only a matter of time before he’d bite me. I will always be a middle class liberal when it comes to confrontations.  I don’t want to cause harm to anyone or any thing if I can possibly help it. Eventually, I made a noise and kicked out (not at the dog) and the dog backed off. I don’t know why he backed off. He just did.

Five minutes later, a tall man not much older (or possibly not much younger) than me came out of a nearby house. This man wore a medallion around his neck and he shouted: “Oi! Come ‘ere!” at the dog. That was the last I heard and the last I saw of the dog and its master because, by this point, I was as far up the road towards the shops as I could possibly be.

What bothered me the most about the incident is that it happens to be a week of school holidays here in the UK. A child could have been playing happily in the village, only to come face to face with a very aggressive dog without a muzzle or leash or owner. I’ll admit that I am a lot short of a “He-Man” type and the most manly thing I managed to do during the whole confrontation was yelp in a manner which made me appear to be some kind of secret thirteen year old girl. But I, at the very least, was old enough to provide some sort of challenge to the animal had he successfully managed to bite me. A child would not have been that fortunate.

So, that was the start to my Thursday. What’s next? Skippy the bush Kangaroo harasses me whilst I try to go for a quite drink down the local?

Verging on the ridiculous

Just returned to the blog after a few days holiday. Thanks for visiting whilst I was away and thanks for the comments. I really appreciate them. One comment in particular struck me. I don’t think you can really call it a negative comment. The Internet is the soap box of the masses and, somehow, the idea that you can launch a tirade against someone you’ve never met by posting a negative comment online has become acceptable to some people. However, this was not a negative comment so much as a challenge to the whole premise of this blog. Thank you, kind person, for such a comment. You see, I enjoy a challenge.

The comment stated that the whole premise of learning as many languages as possible in 1 year seems ridiculous. You’re telling me! I am seeing if this can be done. I am trying to see what happens if you try to learn as many languages as possible in 1 year. I am not saying that this is the best approach and that anyone who takes a more traditional approach to language learning is wrong. I am trying to encourage people to learn 1 language. Just to have a go and see where the learning process takes them. This is not a charade. I am not pulling the wool over anyone’s eyes and I am certainly not asking people to do exactly what I do, believe what I believe or say what I say. I want people to become inspired by this challenge of mine. Not inspired to learn as many languages as possible in just 1 year. Inspired to have a go at learning one language in the time frame they find acceptable.

I realise and accept that, in just 1 year, I will not become fluent in any language and I am not trying to deeply know or understand all the languages of the world in that small time scale. I am not trying to show off my mental prowess or any new found ideal way to learn. I want to make resources available to learners and make learning fun. It is up to other people to decide how best to use the resources presented on this blog and elsewhere within my learning network. I am not trying to become fluent. I am not trying to deeply know all the languages of the world. I am not a genius any more than anybody else is and all I want to do is get the issue of learning a language back in the public eye where it belongs.

Sometimes you need to do a ridiculous stunt before people start paying attention to something you care about.

I am not trying to demean the whole process of learning a language in depth or say that people who spend their time teaching one or two languages on courses that take years are wrong, bad or stupid. I applaud and admire all educators and teachers who bring their passion along with their compassion to school classroom, college campus, university lecture theatre or evening class. You go your way and I’ll go mine. Both ways are good. They have their merits and their drawbacks but neither of us is necessarily taking the wrong route.

If you want to take 7 years to learn a language, that’s brilliant. The fact that you’re dedicated to learning is brilliant. That’s what I want to encourage. I’m not in need of copycats. However, I know some people think that traditional linguists have not done enough to solve the problem of perception. Far too many people are put off learning languages because they feel it is hard work, will take years and will cost them a fortune. There’s nothing wrong with hard work and you get what you deserve in your life and maybe, just maybe, there’s nothing wrong with learning costing a fortune either. But it is this perception of language learning which is stopping hundreds of people from having a go and seeing where learning a language can take them. My challenge might be ridiculous in some people’s eyes. But in some people’s eyes, the traditional approach to language learning is dull, tired, overly expensive, restrictive in terms of format and far too bogged down with getting bits of paper to hang on your wall to prove you’ve got a qualification you’re never going to use.

Now, before some of you launch for the “how dare you!” button, read it back and notice that I said “some eyes”. Perhaps those people who think that the traditional approach to learning a language is dull, expensive, restrictive etc, are wrong? That is not for me to decide. What I do want to make clear here is-although I have my own views on education (don’t we all?)- I am not the enemy of traditional teachers and educators. In many ways, I am trying to get you more students. I’m not a teacher or an educator and I will never claim to be one. I am the guy who finds things that, for brief moments, make learning fun. It is up to you- traditional teacher or radical experimenter- to be the guardians of that learning when students of languages, inspired by this blog (perhaps), knock on your door.

By all means comment and by all means challenge me (keep it decent and respectful, please) but be ready when the people who were previously too worried about making mistakes, expenses, tests etc to have a go at learning a language look to you for answers. On this blog, they’re just looking for advice.

Oh, and it’s not much of a charade, is it? I mean, you’d think it would have candles and a black curtain that you peeled back to reveal a gift shop or something, wouldn’t you? Or are we talking about charades? In which case, it’s a film and it’s not Goldfinger.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is my reply to a recent comment.

Are You A New Man?

Are You A New Man? Topics discussed in this new personal development podcast include: what women want from men.  And no, I don’t think they’re talking about the stuff you can find if you dig around for long enough in the movie channel section on SKY (a satellite TV service here in the UK).

As far as I can gather from reading through the episode summaries, this podcast series sits somewhere between a detailed and entertaining discussion of real issues and that bit in all Disney movies where someone is facing a problem and, for some reason known only to themselves, they have to either sing a song have a song sung to them along the lines of: “But you can do it if you really try!”

I’m talking about this podcast on my blog because I believe the role of the male in this new modern world of ours is a legitimate topic of discussion. Before anybody starts using downloadable kits to make their own protest placards, let me just say: I recognise that each person is an individual and is defined by their individuality. I am talking about the role of the male in a general sense and I am not trying to say that men are more important than women or have a more important role than women.  The sexes are equal or at least that is what we should be striving towards. Right, ok. Let’s go on.

The modern man can experience a lot of conflict in his life. We’ve got two brains but only enough blood to think with one. We spend far too much time thinking with our (ADULT WORLD ALERT) penis.  Most of my friends are women (and no, before you start, we don’t lunch together every day and talk about what is and what is not fabulous in the world) and I do my best, like most men in this world, to be respectful towards women. If you happen to have a sister or more than one sister, the last thing you want is some guy talking to them disrespectfully so you tend to do your best to speak to women with proper respect.  If you haven’t got sisters or siblings, you still do your best to be respectful towards women.

And yet, there they are, sitting seductively on the shelves of the newsagents. Lad’s mags. I’m not talking about the “insert this here” sort of magazine you get on the very top shelf. I’m talking about the FHMs, the Maxims etc. Lots of gorgeous women wearing very little clothes. We should be reading gardening magazines or filling our minds with the knowledge of what world leaders are up to and which parts of the world need our care, kindness and attention. But what we actually end up reading is articles on how to hide the porn collection before you Mum/step parents/guardians or even your girlfriend or partner come up the stairs. What to do when you hear that first creaking floorboard.

Then- and only then- do we get to stare at the breasts of some Russian model who has probably been airbrushed to such an extent that- despite the fact that we’ve been ogling her for five hours- we wouldn’t recognise her if she stopped us on the street to ask for directions.

The New Man Podcast might make you feel enlightened and it just might make you want to throw a chair through a window. Discover it for yourself by clicking the image at the top of this post.

The Best of Turkish – Easy Tour

The most common words, sentences and phrases for everybody who would like to visit Turkey, start to learn the language or just to get to know its basics a little bit.

It is a project of the Literature Course on Schiller Hight School in Münster.

Warning: Starts off with the basics but then progresses to more complicated words and phrases.

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