Babysitting

 

 

I loved babysitting when I was younger. It was a really easy way to make money. All I had to do was sit in my neighbour’s house and look after the kids. That was the easy bit, because the kids were usually asleep in bed. The parents would give me a lot of money for watching DVDs and eating snacks. When I was even younger, I liked it when my babysitter came round. She would always play games with us and let us stay up late. She would send us to bed just before my parents came home. I know in some countries, babysitting isn’t so common. It isn’t part of the culture. I suppose that’s not such a bad thing. I read a lot in the papers nowadays about babysitters hitting the children because they don’t sleep. That’s really bad.

 

Bad Habits

 

 

What are your bad habits? I think everyone has bad habits. Not everyone agrees on what bad habits are. Some smokers don’t think smoking is a bad habit. Young people don’t think listening to loud music on the train is a bad habit. In Japan, slurping your noodles is a sign that you enjoy your food, but making a noise while eating in England is not good. Have you ever tried to break your bad habits? I have quit smoking and have stopped leaving things laying around the house. I wish other people would stop their bad habits. I get annoyed when people are late for meetings or talk loudly on their phones in public. I also think many motorists need to think about their driving habits. Perhaps I should point out their bad habits.

 

 

Banks

 

 

I’m not the world’s biggest fan of banks. I’ve had too many bad experiences of them. I really don’t know how they can advertise and say they look after you. They don’t. Bank charges are way too high; you spend ages waiting to be served; and then they say no if you want a loan. The bank I bank with makes dozens of mistakes with my account. The thing they’re best at is making excuses. I’m not at all surprised so many banks did badly in the credit crisis. I hope they change. Bankers get far too much money. All they do is desk work. Banks need to focus a lot more on real customer service. At the moment banks only offer an excuse for customer service. They don’t even offer you a drink when you sit down and open an account.

 

 

Baths

 

 

One of my favourite times of the day is bath time. I absolutely love taking a bath. Baths are so much better than showers. Having a bath is the most relaxing thing. There’s nothing better in life than sinking into a hot bath and letting the water take away my troubles. A bath really makes you feel great. I especially like taking a bath before going to bed. Bath time is pretty much the only time of the day when you can really pamper yourself. It also means a lot of quality time to yourself. It’s perfect for listening to music and reading a good book. The only thing I don’t like about bath time is when I fall asleep and the water goes cold. Or even worse – when you want a bath and there’s no hot water.

 

 

Beauty

 

 

People say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That means if someone thinks someone else is beautiful, then they are beautiful. I think the idea of beauty is interesting. Why do we think some things or some people are beautiful and others aren’t? Some people think a building is beautiful, while others think the opposite. People nowadays spend too much time and money on beauty. I agree with the expression, “beauty is only skin deep”. This means that what’s really important is someone’s heart and character, not what they look like on the outside. It’s a little strange, and unfair, that you have to be beautiful to be a top actress or even a news reader on TV. I think there should be equal rights for most of us “non-beautiful” people.

 

 

Being Afraid

 

An American president once said the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. Can’t remember which President, but never mind. I think that’s an interesting quote. It’s so true, most of the time. We all spend a lot of time worried or afraid that something bad will happen, and then nothing happens. It is the fear that frightens us, not the thing that might or might not happen. And then there are phobias. Millions of people are afraid of something that the rest of the world thinks is quite normal. How can you be afraid of things like peanut butter? There’s actually a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Amazing. Fear is sometimes good. It makes us alert and can keep us safe in a dangerous situation.

 

Being Married

 

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Getting married is one of the happiest days of anyone’s life. Being married is also full of happiness, but there are also many difficulties. It isn’t always easy to be married. You have to put up with your spouse’s bad habits and moods forever. You have to negotiate and compromise on many things from who’s first in the bathroom in the mornings to where you go on vacation. Of course, being married also has many wonderful sides to it. You have a lifelong friend who will love you forever. You share many wonderful times together and support each other through good and bad times. And you grow old together and look back on years of happy memories. I think being married is great for your soul.

 

 

Being Single

 

 

Being single has its advantages and disadvantages. I think it’s better to stay single when you’re young. You need to live and have fun. You also need the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Being single in your twenties gives you lots of time to go travelling, see the world and experience different things. Most people like being single in their twenties and then want to settle down in their thirties. I think being single later in life can be sad. All of your friends are married or attached and people tend to go out and party less. I think being single when you’re old would be very lonely. The longer you stay single, the harder it becomes to settle down. In some countries, people think you’re strange if you’re single later on in life.Being single has its advantages and disadvantages. I think it’s better to stay single when you’re young. You need to live and have fun. You also need the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Being single in your twenties gives you lots of time to go travelling, see the world and experience different things. Most people like being single in their twenties and then want to settle down in their thirties. I think being single later in life can be sad. All of your friends are married or attached and people tend to go out and party less. I think being single when you’re old would be very lonely. The longer you stay single, the harder it becomes to settle down. In some countries, people think you’re strange if you’re single later on in life.

 

Birthdays

 

 

Birthdays are brilliant. I’m 62 years old and I still love them. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad birthday. In fact, I think birthdays get better and better the older you become. Sure, kids love birthdays because they get presents and get to eat cake. But when you get older, birthdays make you feel special. It’s your special day. Even if no one wishes you a happy birthday, it’s still your special day. A lot of my friends think I’m mad. They hate their birthdays because it means they’re another year older. I hope I get to celebrate my hundredth birthday. I’m not sure if I can blow out 100 candles though. When I look back at all my birthdays, it’s difficult to choose the best. I’ll just say my last birthday is always the best one.

 

 

Blood

 

 

I hate the sight of blood. Looking at it makes me go all weak at the knees. I can’t even look at my own blood. I don’t know why. The thing I hate most is giving blood for a medical check. I fainted once after I saw my blood in a small bottle. If I have a nose bleed, I have to sit down for 30 minutes before I feel better. It’s impossible for me to watch operations on TV. I wish I could donate blood to others. I can’t. I know giving blood is really important, but I’m not brave enough. One thing about blood I do find interesting is blood types. I think your blood type can affect your personality. I know that in some countries, people with blood type A would not be a good romantic match for someone with blood type O.

 

Books

 

 

Don’t you think books are the best thing in the world? I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t reading a book. I still have memories of being in my school library when I was about five years old. I have been a bit of a bookworm since then. You’ll usually see me with my head buried in a book. I love all kinds of books. Novels are great for getting to know other worlds and cultures. A good book is one where you never want the story to end. I also like autobiographies because I think it’s interesting to read about people’s lives. Encyclopedias are cool too – you can learn everything about everything in these. I still prefer books to the Internet. Books need to be in your hand and made of paper.

 

 

Bullying

 

I’ve never understood bullying. Why do people have to make the life of another person so miserable? Why do they think they have the right to punch and kick someone they think is weaker than them. I was bullied when I was a child. It was a living hell. I was really afraid to go to school, for many, many years. I knew I was not safe during break times. It was always a group of bullies that got me in the corridors, or on the playing fields. They made me hate school. I know they also changed me for life. I have no confidence now. I’m 32 years old but I’m afraid to speak up for myself. The school bullies took away my belief in myself. They didn’t know that they would scar me for life. The physical scars have gone but not the emotional ones.

 

 

Business

 

 

Business isn’t so good at the moment. In fact, it’s the worst time for businesses for decades. Many businesses are going bust because of the global financial crisis. Even sound businesses like the car industry and electronics are going through a really bad time. Many small businesses have gone out of business. It’s a real shame because so many lives are being ruined. With a lot of businesses it’s a real fight for survival. I really respect people for trying to make a go of their business. I don’t have much business sense. I wouldn’t know where to start in opening my own business. I suppose the best thing would be to look at business startups on the Internet. An online business might be good. There seems to be less risk.

 

 

Busy

 

 

Are you busy? Do you lead a busy life? It seems we get busier and busier in our lives. I hate being busy. I’d much rather have nothing to do. Being busy makes me stressed and I end up making mistakes or forgetting something. Who’s the busiest person you know? I bet he or she is really stressed. The busy people I know are always looking ahead to their next holiday… and then in their holiday they are busy doing other things. I think we busy ourselves with too many things. We need to learn to relax and take things slowly. Even at work we have to look busy, even if we’re not. When the boss comes, we tell our friends, “Look busy!” That’s silly. It would be great if the word ‘busy’ disappeared from the English language.