Constance Briscoe recounts a horific childhood, full of abuse and neglect. I read it, this is what I thought of it.

She stared at me, I stared back, but neither of us was startled by the other. The stares were out of curiosity, then as suddenly as she appeared, she was gone.

The sky over the sea is pale blue, cumulus clouds hang over the hills that line our route. The greenery is lush from a distance, up close hardier. Our shuttle pulls over and up ahead I can see the sign that says Diaos Cove. We’ve arrived

I’ve looked forward to this trip for ages, hopes and dreams about breaking the bank and coming home with a million dollars. Since you’re only allowed to take $10,000 out of the country, I’m not sure how that can be done, but since five of us travelled, I figured spreading it around the group would help ease any customs worries. Still, the infamous Las Vegas strip beckoned, a 5 day 4 night stay in one of the city’s most prominent and brightest hotel the Venetian. ...

This is a little gem of an idea, it’s not new, been around for donkey’s years, but the simplicity with which just doing this tiny thing, keeping a list, can change so much you may rue the opportunities missed before you took up the practice.

Careers is what I am talking about today. Had a conversation with a few mates last week about how many careers you can have in your lifetime. I figure everyone is entirely justified in having at least three. Of course, this can depend on how much you enjoy what you do, but if you don’t and you fancy a change, how many times can you switch lanes before you end up losing out on earnings (due to starting again), promotions, position etc. ...

A few years ago, I decided to indulge myself and went back to college for a year and did a course in Journalism. It was a part-time evening course, once or twice per week, which I enrolled upon to satisfy my curiosity about the world of news reporting. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and although I did not do it to change my career, I did learn much about the skill of writing news and crafting engaging copy that others would be compelled to read. ...

It is inevitable, don’t even try to deny it, at this time of year, we all look back and reflect on the past 12 months, and judge ourselves against a bewildering level of social barometers as to whether we’ve done well, or failed miserably. In fact, some people do this every month! Measuring your achievements or lack thereof, is something that can be quite a useful exercise but how can we avoid the pitfall of becoming bogged down with our failures? ...

More an extravaganza than mere musical, the audience is as much a part of this show as the performers on stage.

I joined a new club about six weeks ago and the affect of being able to luxuriate in a wet spa that’s very very nice is absolutely wonderful. The one I go to is a David Lloyd place and their steam/sauna and 4 pool jacuzzi ha become an important part of starting my day. Getting an early start is crucial, the club opens from 6.30 so I can be in the swimming pool by seven am, a cool 40 minute swim and off for 20 minutes in the wet spa and I am Zen, and raring to get on with my day. ...