Big Zuu - Warm Up Session Review (My Thoughts)

If Valentines Day Wasn't Bad Enough

What's worse than February 14th for single ladies... Monday 16th. If you're lucky, so far you have been able to avoid social media, turned a blind eye to all in-store flower promotions and even managed to side step the hype of the 50 Shades of Grey film (which I have been told is terrible, although that person was a bitter single lady).

I have out lined this day as being even more devastating than the 14th for 2 reasons:

1. Women show off.

Women enjoy talking about themselves, fact, but there is nothing women love sharing more than a story that involves their partner showing their appreciation for them. Better prepare your interested story listening face because the realisation that you are alone will come thick and fast.

Now guys that have a good woman and even those with bad women know they cannot get away with doing nothing for their partner on the day of love (it's just not worth the arguments). So whether they love their woman or hate her with a passion, you can guarantee he did something. Whether it was taking her to Paris and admiring the Eiffel Tower or picking up a bunch of wilted flowers after work from the petrol station, he made sure he ticked that box.

Before...

One thing that women are the brilliant at, other than arguing, complaining, taking things out of context and only seeing things from their perspective is exaggeration, and with the new art form of Instagram filters, exageration has became an effortless exercise, that once bouquet of wilted flowers can be transformed within seconds to a never ending bed of roses (so don't take their pictures literally).

...After

2. Everyone got engaged

It seems this was a bumper year for the diamond industry because everyone got engaged! Everyone except you! Facebook, Instagram and twitter are all full to the point of explosion with pictures of proposals, engagement rings and cute couples. Damn them and their happiness you say as they continue to rub your noses in it, you reluctantly "like" their picture, they have over 100 likes, it would be rude not to you think to yourself and you are no hater, hmm.

But don't worry single ladies, I've got a good feeling about this year, it's going to be your year, you will take a walk down the street, bump into someone, drop your books and gaze lovingly into that strangers eyes as he attempts to help you pick them up. He will become besotted with you and ask to be your boyfriend, you will conquer the world together and live happily every after (Disclaimer: If this hasn't happened by February 14th 2016 re-read this paragraph). To surmise, if you're sensitive about having noone special to share Valentines Day with, do yourself a favour and call in sick.

In reality though, it's just another day and if you really want to know it's origins and why so many people are made to feel so sh*tty on this day every year, you may want to watch this video. The origins of this celebration are more screwed up than you think. Would you care about this day if it wasn't so commercialised...probably not. Happy Valentines!

"7%"

If you are ever feeling a little lost, look no further than this list. It's contains everything you should keep in mind when going through your everyday trails and tribulations. Enjoy.

"7%" Written by Regina Brett

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short – enjoy it.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first pay cheque.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye, but don't worry, God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative of dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you need.
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

The Time They Had a Holiday Romance

Holiday Romances, everyone's had one, haven't they? Chances are if you have been on holiday you have been in a relationship that has swept you off your feet, got you into situations that you didn't expect and left you quivering for more. Broadly they come in two forms.

The Fraudulent

If you've ever been to Jamaica, you will notice there are guys just chilling and walking around the beach with seemingly nothing to do. They are known as Beach Boys and have quite a reputation. Beach Boys generally seek out a female tourist, sweet talk her panties off, make her feel like the sun shines from her anus, mentally and physically transport them into the stratosphere, only for her to come crashing down to earth once she finds out that he is after one of 2 things, her money or marriage. But not marriage for honourable reasons, marriage so he can get his "papers a foreign" aka a visa.

Well it was worth a try wasn't it Susan, after all, maybe you could have been the one to change him. These women can often be found with a pay day loan application in hand screaming..."I thought he loved me!" Nope, "that gannne man" as my dad would say and like a puff of smoke he disappears and is on the prowl for another. Caribbean countries are pretty notorious for this but I hear waiters and bar men in general, specifically those in Turkey, Spain and Greece are prolific at selling dreams.

The Legitimate

You meet someone on holiday that you are instantly attracted to, the feeling is mutual, you end up spending all your time with them, they show you new things, they speak with an accent, they touch your soul spiritually, they blow your mind sexually (you didn't know you were that flexible until you met them), you think about them constantly and then are left wondering what might have been once you board you flight and return to your boring reality. Now some people are fortunate enough to never meet their holiday romance again and can forever live within the memories of their dream relationships. Others however are less fortunate and meet them again only to realise it was not what they thought it was and of course there is also the minority that maintain a good relationship and the minuscule that make it work in the long term.

But why do they happen so frequently and why do they seldom work in reality? Why would you allow yourself to drift into deep water whilst in unfamiliar territory? Particularly when you are at your most vulnerable, but not when you are on a night out on friday in liquid (do people still go there?).

Once again I posed these questions to my trusted network of friends and came out with a variety of answers ranging from, "cos your on holiday innit" to the more thought out response of "on holiday people are more open and relaxed and as a result are more open to new experiences and are less critical of thier partners".

I have to agree and think that the reason we become so quickly besotted with people abroad is due to a few things; we are more open to new experiences, we let go of our inhibitions, we are less critical of the people we meet and we give people a chance, (although the sun, sea and alcohol plays a key role). It also makes me wonder how different this world would be if people were a little less serious and did what they wanted to do rather than what other people think they should. There is a part in the video above which talks about being trapped in someone else's master plan, where all she feels she is doing is almost following a repetitive cycle, like a lemming, "go to school, get a job, get a mortgage". What if rather than reserving that free spirit mind frame for our annual summer holiday, we used it on a day to day basis. Sure nothing would get done, but I'm sure you will be much happier doing it.

Overall, although most people think holiday romances are destined to fail in the long term and they kind of are by definition, I don't think it matters. If you are able to really be yourself around someone, I think you should. Go out there and enjoy yourself, we only have 5 weeks of annual leave a year, best to spend at least 2 of them being happy.

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

What Do Women Want?

I heard this joke and found it quite amusing.

"A woman needs four animals in her life: a mink in the closet, a jaguar in the driveway, a tiger in bed, and a jackass to pay for it all"...funny, but could there be any truth in it? Could women be that shallow?

What do women want? It's the age old question that has been irking men for years. Four simple words. This is probably the most frequently asked question that has never had a definitive answer. What do women want? It has been a topic of discussion of hapless men all over the world since the dawn of man and it recently became the topic of discussion between a few of my friends. I'm sure many smarter men than us have asked this question and failed to achieve an answer (even Sigmund Freud gave up after 30 years of research!) but hey, why not give it a go, lets find out what the average East London lad thinks women want.

I gather a few friends and go straight for it "What do you think women really want? I ask inquisitively, "A sharp groan comes across the table from an obviously dejected and defeated male. "Listen yeah" he begins "women don't even know what they want, so how would we know!" A cackle of laughs akin to a pack of hyenas rapture around the room. 'Naah, have you seen my car, they like nice cars" interjects another. "Ahh...so that's why you got that car?" ponders someone else. After a series of jokes I quickly realised this wasn't getting us anywhere, until someone shouted out, "what about what we want!?"

Worked for him, kinda...

Interesting, I thought. After all, in a successful relationships one of many decisive factors is the ability to  meet each others needs. So I changed my stance...what do we want from women? It actually turned out that our list was pretty short and slightly unrealistic. "They need to make a specifications tab on Tinder" quips one, "I'd search for a good cook that doesn't talk through Match of the Day, then I'd set my location to within 15m" He chuckles. The room erupts with laughter again. As the evening wore on and the alcohol vanished from our glasses, one thing was certain, we still had no idea of what women wanted, but at least we had achieved something, intoxication. We decided to call it a night and left in our blissful ignorance.

Ultimately, although we all have the same core fundamental needs of physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self-actualisation (fulfilling your potential) everyone is different and you cant tarnish everyone with the same brush, all women aren't indecisive and emotionally needy and all men are not self confident and able to put up a shelf.

We've all been there!

In my opinion we all have the same needs but in order to satisfy them for a woman you need to put in a bit more effort. For example, men like to be listened to when they have a story to tell, women like to be listened to all the time. Men occasionally like to be complimented, women like to be complimented all the time. But in the end i'm just as stumped as the other 3.5 billion males in this lonely world. Maybe it's the kind of assumption from the opening sentence as to where men have been going wrong all along? So to surmise, what do women want? Why don't you ask them?

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