Connor's Blog

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoon's blog. I trust you all had a safe and happy weekend. I certainly did - another trophy for Arsenal and another win over the champions. With the new season less than 2 weeks away, it is certainly a positive way to start off the campaign. After a couple of weeks of some different style blogs, today I am back with another thought-provoking, philosophical blog that makes you question what the purpose of life itself is (another blog coming very soon). We are all afraid of things in life, be it a new challenge or simply just trying something different from the menu of your favourite restaurant. What differentiates between the shy and the bold is our ability to face things head on rather than cower away from them. I will start by asking you one simple question. Which category do you fall into (feel free to comment your answers below)? The first thing that I feel needs addressing is how this links in with the title. YOLO stands for 'You...

Good afternoon and thank you for coming back to another blog. I think we can truly say that summer is behind us, with a drop in temperatures and high winds the new order of the day. Although, there is one thing about this time of year that gets me really excited - the new football season. It seems strange saying that since the 2019/2020 season only concluded on Sunday evening with the Champions League final. The FA Community Shield is the traditional curtain raiser of the English game. A fixture contested between the Premier League champions and the Emirates FA Cup winners. Many people will try and tell you this game doesn't really mean anything. And truth be told I understand that view. However, it is a game with a trophy up for grabs, as well as an early opportunity to lay down a marker for the upcoming campaign. For Liverpool, this game might come as an inconvenience as they try to prepare to defend the title they won after 30 years of trying. From an Arsenal viewpoint, this gam...

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoon's blog. Today I wanted to give you an update about me, my life and generally what is going on in the life of Connor (still no mic drop moments - sorry)! It feels like years ago since I got this blog up and running, and it is a very frightening thought realising that it is only a matter of months. They say time flies when you're having fun, which I suppose is slightly more true now than it was for the majority of the year (wonder why that was)? Anyway, here we go. The life of Connor - August 2020... Let's get the obvious event of the year out the way first (and no I won't say the word - I like my blog thank you). The good news is I'm fine, my family are fine and everyone I know are fine. The bad side, well, life still isn't back to normal. Although the pubs and restaurants are open, there is obviously distancing measures still in place, changing the experience customers have. Sitting in a pub reminds me of sitting...

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoon's blog (probably not the right word for this one). Nearly 13 months ago, the 2019/2020 football season got underway. This weekend, just a week before the new season commences, the current one ends. I have enjoyed the last few days watching 4 thrilling semi-finals, full of goals, drama and controversy (VAR strikes yet again). Over the next 72 hours, both the Europa League and the Champions League will reach their conclusion. With 2 great games and 4 strong teams, all outcomes I believe are realistically possible. However, what do I think will happen in these games. You've come to the right place to find out. Europa League Final - Inter Milan v Sevilla This is a competition that Sevilla have really learned to dominate in recent years - they've won it 4 times in this decade alone. Recent victories over English duo Wolves and Manchester United have shown glimpses of what they are capable of, but they have nowhere near hit their ...

Good afternoon and welcome back to another Connor blog. It feels ages since I've last been with you (I know it actually is only a week). But didn't you have a treat on Friday with the incredible Chloe Johnson. And such an important thing to talk about. Yes, Instagram is a lie. Facebook, Twitter and even the news can also fall into this category. Hopefully you will all heed Chloe's advice and not care about these 'perfect Instagram models' which have been clearly photoshopped. If you did enjoy it (and 102 of you already have), then be sure to check out www.wordsbychloe.com for more amazing articles. If you want Chloe back for a part 2, please leave the comment #bringbackChloe below. As you probably guessed by now, Chloe is a friend. And that leads me nicely into today's blog. Firstly, I want to address a question that I hear debated a lot - friends can also be family. A friend is someone who you like, you enjoy spending time with, you enjoy messaging and someone ...

TW: pro-anorexia mention, excessive discussion of body image.   Instagram is a lie - we all know that. But how much of the lie do we believe? Unfortunately, quite a lot of it. The social media platform is full of comparisons, and similar apps like Tik Tok are also jumping on board. It is no surprise that the lies are believable when companies and influencers alike spend millions on constructing that perfect persona. It is difficult to fault them for doing so - is there anything sold anymore that doesn’t conform to some sort of aesthetic, even if that aesthetic is spurning the idea of aesthetic itself? However, those that are not looking to have an inclusive social media platform are doing many people, especially young teens and adults, a disservice. There is no harm in wanting to look good in a photograph or aiming to have a fruitful life full of adventure and happiness, but when looking good in both personality and body image becomes synonymous with discounting various differe...

Good afternoon and welcome back to the 23rd edition of Connor's Blog. Where in the world have the past 22 disappeared to? It feels like only yesterday I was giving you an introduction in This Is Me. That was 11 whole weeks ago. A lot has changed in that time, but sadly, some things haven't. Local lockdown, wearing face coverings and the Covid 19 virus are all still very much in general circulation within the country, and indeed the world. All we can do is keep listening to the Government advice and ensure that we are following the rules to keep everyone safe (that phrase about a broken record...). Anyway, moving on from the boring (yet very important) stuff and onto today's topic. I got this idea while reading a super interesting and insightful article in Eligible Magazine (I can feel you judging already). It refers to one very thought-provoking question - Why do we generalize about culture and identity? I have done blogs before about being unique, different and living our ...

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoon's blog. Before we get into the meat of today's topic, it seems justified to touch on the horrific events in Lebanon earlier this week. The pictures we are all seeing on the news look devastating - let's take a moment to think about those who have lost their homes, their lives and those who were injured, especially in today's climate. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you all. I saw a map yesterday that showed the scale of the damage had that occurred in Central London. Let's just say that I wouldn't be writing to you today (from 13 miles away)! A rather eye-opening thought that should make us all appreciate what we have and a reminder we must never take anything for granted. Today I wanted to talk about how we always compare ourselves to other people. I do this almost every day. Whether I'm talking to a friend or watching something on TV, if I see a good quality in someone I will always question myself and t...

Good afternoon and welcome back to this afternoons' blog. I realise I've not provided an update for a while, so here we go. This Is Me is closing in on 500, I Have A Voice is almost at 400, Swifties Are The Best Friends Ever has been the fastest to 100 and Believe In Yourself is the fastest to 200. Thank you so much everyone for reading, sharing with friends and family and generally supporting my blog. It truly does mean the world.  Today's topic is one that was suggested by my 'twin' (read Swifties Are The Best Friends Ever for background on the whole twin situation). When you use the word beautiful people think about whether or not they are physically attractive. But being beautiful is a lot more than that. We can also be beautiful on the inside - in our thoughts, in our words and in our opinions of others. A truly beautiful person will always look out for other people, putting others before themselves, and is always prepared to go that extra mile to put a smile o...