Under the influence

I've been thinking about mind-altering drugs a lot recently. The workings of the brain have always fascinated me and as I've gotten older I've started to think a lot more about how we use our brains. That statistic about only using 10% of your brain has always freaked the frack out of me. I guess I hate feeling like I might not be making the most of what I have. When you're still in full time education your brain is constantly receiving new information and making connections but once you leave I think it's much harder to keep intellectually stimulated, especially if your job doesn't challenge you enough.

I read an article in the New Scientist recently about creativity. Basically the premise was that original thought is linked to daydreaming. The author argued that people who have been wholly focused on an intricate task, during which their mind isn't free to wander, score much lower in creativity tests than others. In the study that backed this, all participates were initially asked to think up creative uses for a brick. After this, they were then spilt into two groups; one of which was given a mindless, repetitive task to do, whilst the other was doing something more complicated requiring full concentration. The interesting part of the findings was that the people who had been carrying out the mindless task and been able to daydream were then able to come up with far more uses for a brick than the other group, despite many of those individuals reporting that they hadn't consciously been thinking about the task. The article concluded that it's the process of daydreaming itself, and the way that the thoughts are left free to meander, that is vital to our creative ability, rather than the content of our thoughts.

If single-minded concentration hampers creativity, the author reasoned, caffeine must act against creativity because it causes most people to focus and concentrate. But does it really? I sometimes find it harder to concentrate on one particular task after having a strong coffee, especially if the task doesn't particularly interest me. My thought processes seem to speed up and dart around, meaning that I get often get distracted easier from the task in hand but am also more able to come up with fresh ideas. If I applied my own experience to this article's findings then I'd say that coffee aids my creative thought process. As a read-a-holic English graduate and a bit of a day dreamer I'd count myself as a fairly creative person. So does caffeine literally just give the brain an indeterminate energy boast like a scattergun effect or does it actually encourage creativity itself? And if it doesn't, surely there must be other chemicals that can? *mind suddenly wanders off into futuristic world where authors are tested for banned substances like modern day athletes*.
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Faster, Higher, Stronger than you

Wow. Well the Olympic ceremony definitely exceeded this cynic's expectations. It was all just so...entertaining. The fireworks, light displays and set were incredible but it was that perfectly British combination of self-deprecating humour and optimism that really swayed me. The NHS montage was a bit bizarre but as the music scenes unfolded I started to feel this unfamiliar sense of national pride creep over me.

I've heard argued that the ingrained British physical education ideologies of fair play and 'it's the taking part that matters' have hampered our performance on the world stage. Compared to societies that prize competition in sport from an early age like the U.S.A and China, our more inclusive educational approach supposedly fails to inspire and prioritise those that could become olympic athletes.

I can see the logic of this argument. When I started secondary school in the UK in 1998 I can remember P.E teachers encouraging those that excelled at athletics to compete at annual regional events. The students that broke local records were encouraged to keep competing but there was no structured programme in place to develop their talent. As a state grammar school, the overall message was that entry to university was prioritised over aspiring to being a professional athlete. P.E lessons felt like an introduction to each activity rather than an opportunity to develop your skills. I was one of the best tennis players in my class but didn't feel comfortable asking to be matched with a partner of my ability during games lessons, so just ended up knocking the ball about with my friends while we worked on our tans.

Hopefully London 2012 already has and will continue to change this, both by ploughing more money into sport development and creating visible athletic role models. The inclusion of established, retired and up-and-coming athletes in the ceremony last night reiterated that we are capable of producing brilliant and successful sporting men and women. I'd like to see more of a sense of competition and support for the strongest students introduced to state educational P.E lessons. If the current passion for sport spills over into these sessions come September then encouraging competition is surely a better motivator for less able students than limply congratulating them for taking part. Because if the most able students aren't helped to improve and praised for this, what hope is there for the others?
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Swings and Roundabouts

I've taken some time off the day job for now and have come back to my university town to celebrate my last achievement to date-my degree! It's odd but lovely to be back. My favourite cafe closed in the red light district where I lived, but I have been swayed by a new Green cafe and their free biscuits. Somehow have found myself drinking herbal tea in a neon green chair and fending off free cupcakes while the cafe owner gives directions to a passer by in Punjabi. God love Leicester.

Angel Hair

Haven't woken up anywhere I shouldn't in a long time *yawn*

Haven't written here in a long time either, and reading my last and only other post has made me hungry for potato cakes. Yesterday I tried out a recipe from my new cookbook: yere it is, over there >>

I made American Vanilla cupcakes and they turned out pretty well, although they were a tad plain. I still can't believe they had courgette in them. Bizarre. The recipes are really easy to follow though so I think I'll try something a little more adventurous next time.

Well that's enough useless rambling from me, I'm off to steal some ginger biscuits.