hi

[daisy_chain]

ok so i'm new here, and haven't done anything like this before, hence the lack of knowledge about how to start, um, hi. my name is becky, i'm a 1st year chemistry student in edinburgh, but i'm originally from newcastle. i play oboe, violin, guitar, bass and piano, and i'm currently deciding what to pick up next. i have a piercing addiction, i'm currently at 12, and eagerly awaiting my next one, but i'm saving it until my exams are over, so i have some incentive to work. i love to read, my favourite book is gormenghast by mervyn peake, closely followed by norweigan wood by haruki murakami (if i've spelt that right it's a miracle). i'm a christian, and a vegetarian with equal fervour, i've been a veggie for 2 and a bit years, and i'm contemplating veganism. i love music, almost all genres, but at the moment folk especially, i'm eagerly awaiting the new peatbog faeries album, i love them so much :) i'm really frustrated by passivity in people i meet regarding issues i see as important, mainly looking after the people that need it most, be that the homeless on our streets, or the children orphaned by the widespread aids epidemic, while pharmaceutical companies that could provide some form of help, in relieving symptoms, and providing people with a more comfortable existence, price their help out of the entire 3rd worlds price range. as far as i know, thats me, apologies for the mini rant, i'm really lovely, i'm just passionate. love bec xx

[phoenix_indigo]

welcome to the UK Hip Forums. =)

what are you hoping to do once you graduate?

[daisy_chain]

i'm not sure, i'm currently having a minor crisis and wanting to switch to medicine, so if i manage that, i'd love to be a paedeatric doctor in a hospital, if not, maybe post-graduate medicine, although that'd put me in huge amounts of debt. i guess debt isn't that bad, i can pay it all off if i'm a doctor anyway. if i continue in chemistry i had planned to go into teaching, but i'm not sure i could anymore. drug research and development would be good, but it'd mean working for a massive evil company, as seen in my previous rant, and i'm not comfortable with that at all

[Peace-Phoenix]

Welcome to the forums :) What do you have pierced, and do you like the Levellers?

[daisy_chain]

i have 4 piercings in each ear lobe, tragus in one ear, rook and helix in the other ear, and one in my nose. i can't decide where to get pierced next though, i'd like a lip piercing, but i can't play oboe with one. i do quite like the levellers, but i've not heard as much of their music as i'd like, i came across them by accident, cos their album had a pretty cover.

[Peace-Phoenix]

What, for you, is the most serious political issue facing, first this country and second, the world?

[daisy_chain]

um, in this country, i think there are a lot of issues relating to the nhs, and i don't think the government really understand how to organise it properly, they put too many people in supervisory organising type roles, and don't leave enough money for nurses and doctors to be employed with, which is stupid. in the world, i really think the whole israel - palestine thing needs to be sorted out, but i also know that that's not possible without making at least one group of people unhappy. it'd be nice if that could be worked out. i also don't like how massive corporations exploit the 3rd world, fair trade is so important to me. and 3rd world debt is unnecessary, we could easily cancel it and not be in any financial difficulty, and that would give the countries a chance to cope on their own from scratch

[Peace-Phoenix]

Which Levellers album did you get by the way? And yes they do have pretty covers :)

[daisy_chain]

zeitgeist, that one's particularly pretty

[Peace-Phoenix]

What's the longest daisy chain you've ever made?

[lithium]

Don't be filthy!

A daisy chain refers to sexual relations among three or more people, with each person both performing and receiving oral sex simultaneously. Some sources consider only groups of five or more people to be a daisy chain.

[Peace-Phoenix]

Hahaha! Oh dear....

[daisy_chain]

I've never done one of those daisy chains. I'd like to think of myself as innocent. I did make a daisy chain that was 3x my height, I think I'm about 5foot4 ish, so that's make it about 15feet and 12 inches. How many inches are in a foot?

[lithium]

What are your thoughts about Emmanuel College?:eek:

[daisy_chain]

I got a lot out of studying at emmanuel. I fully support the school, mainly because I've been through that system, and I know it works, although it doesn't suit everyone. It doesn't aim to brainwash people into Christianity, but it does come from an evangelical christian background, so students do understand the religion, but that's not the only religion they teach there, and there are students of other religions, though most would be agnostics. The school has an amazing reputation, because the results are good, and it's well disciplined, which again doesn't work for a lot of people because they find it oppressive. I enjoyed being there, I understand why they are so openly Christian, and, although Dawkins isn't in support of the ethos, it works, and that has been recognised by the government I think.

[Peace-Phoenix]

What's your opinion on evangelical (fundamentalist/charismatic) Christianity as opposed to other forms of the religion?

[daisy_chain]

What's your opinion on evangelical (fundamentalist/charismatic) Christianity as opposed to other forms of the religion?
I was raised in an Anglican church which was about as far from charismatic as it could get I think. Now I attend a charismatic church, and I think that charismatic Christianity is more biblical. Obviously I'm not condemning any other forms of the religion, I know many people who wouldn't necessarily agree with me on some theological points that are just as Christian as I am. I think the church tends to split too often, and that's not how it was meant to be, it's come about because as humans we are flawed, and so will interpret things differently. At the end of the day, all Christians are worshipping the same God, and I don't think the way in which we do it is as important as that.

[Peace-Phoenix]

Have you ever spoken in tongues or witnessed healings? Don't worry, I'm not poking fun as some people might, I'm studying charismatic Christianity alongside fundamentalist Islam on my course....

[daisy_chain]

Have you ever spoken in tongues or witnessed healings? Don't worry, I'm not poking fun as some people might, I'm studying charismatic Christianity alongside fundamentalist Islam on my course....
Yes and yes. And not in the manner that is shown on TV a lot of the time, I'm not sure I agree with televangelism. For a week last summer I was camping at a youth event, with around 5thousand other young Christians, and one of the evenings the speaker prayed for healings and around 100 people, I think, I'm not certain of numbers, were cured of various things. I had major hip pain for about 4 years before that week, irregularly, and I was prayed for, and it's not hurt since.

[Peace-Phoenix]

Do you find it hard to maintain a liberal/progressive outlook on life in that environment? I don't know much about British evangelical Christianity, most of my research in on American movements, but would it be difficult to speak up in favour of gay rights, for example, as it is in America?

[daisy_chain]

Yes, I don't want to compromise my views, but arguing does become tedious with time, so it's not something I discuss at great length a lot of the time. There are people who are fairly liberally minded, but only just on that side of the spectrum.

[daisy_chain]

What do you study, by the way?

[Peace-Phoenix]

Social and political sciences, in which I'm doing a paper on religion and politics....

[lithium]

What is your favourite chemical element and why?

And may I take this opportunity to apologise for my first post in your thread being a mention of a perverted lesbian practice...
http://www.hipforums.com/forums/images/newsmilies/drool5.gif

[daisy_chain]

I'd say lithium, but that would be too obvious. Carbon I guess, cos I like organics, and it's all over the place there. No, maybe potassium - it burns lilac, and I only really do chemistry cos of the pretty colours. Chlorine is good cos of it's reactiveness. There are too many, I just can't choose!

[daisy_chain]

And I forgive you for lowering the tone of the thread.

[lithium]

What's your favourite chemical reaction? And why did you choose to study chemistry (apart from the pretty colours)?

[daisy_chain]

I think reactions of primary/secondary alcohols with SOCl2 to form alkyl halides, just because the mechanism is fun to draw out. I live for curly arrows. Chemistry just happened, I don't remember thinking about it too deeply, I think my parents have always wanted me to do science in some form, so I'm vaguely influenced by that, but I wouldn't say they pushed me into anything.

[xZx]

First of all I'd like to say I’m in awe of anybody who understands chemical reaction mechanisms, my mantra throughout my chemistry a level was 'why do the curly arrows hate me'.

Do you have a favourite word, and if so what is it?

[daisy_chain]

Thank you. I hope I understand the mechanisms anyway, exam on wednesday, argh! I have two favourite words - ovoid and illicit, because they're so much fun to say.

[xZx]

Ovoid is a great word! I think mine might be 'spatula'.

Do you have a favourite famous scientist?

[daisy_chain]

Spatula is quite fun, and easier to slip into conversation than ovoid. I think Marie Curie is my favourite famous scientist, her entire life is so inspiring, and she did so much for chemistry and physics, I'm in awe.

[xZx]

Marie Curie rocks! Erm, if you had a choice between never being able to eat chocolate again, or never being able to wear shoes what would you pick?

[lithium]

What made you decide to go vegetarian?

[daisy_chain]

I would stop eating chocolate, I love shoes far too much, it's bordering on obsession. It's a close call though. Could I have chocolate ice cream? I'm vegetarian because I'm not comfortable with the idea of eating meat, I don't mind cooking it for other people, and it doesn't bother me that other people eat it, but I came to the conclusion that it wasn't something I wanted to do, and haven't really looked back. Except for a wee while at the start when I craved bacon sandwiches, nothing else smells like bacon being cooked.

[lithium]

What's your favourite type of cheese?
(Assuming you still eat cheese)
http://www.hipforums.com/forums/images/newsmilies/leaving.gif

[daisy_chain]

I like camembert. Not sure if I spelt it right, and I'm not sure if this is a good enough reply to revive this thread, but there we are. Camembert it is.