Lisa O`Brien

Very sad to hear that former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown has died. Always one of my most favourite politicians; I didn't agree with half of what he said, especially on the EU. However he came across as being a thoroughly decent, kind man. RIP.

Oh I was sure it was you, and that you said you were a Chelsea fan. Apologies !! ( Confused now. Not unusual for me these days).

Well well. After my being ecstatic around two years ago that the lovely, delectable Jose Mourinho was going to become Man United's manager, Alison warned me on here about getting my hopes up. As a Chelsea fan, Alison had told me that Jose wasn't all he was cracked up to be, as had proved to be the case with him at Stamford Bridge. Of course I was blinded by my crush on the man and thought he was going to be the true successor to Sir Alex, finally, after two previous failures of managers. Yet here we are. United woefully inept and looking for yet another manager. Think i'll still have a crush on him though, even though he has left Old Trafford ( did he ever really move in to Manchester at all though? Strong feeling of "only temporary" about his stay). Sigh. Those lips and eyes of his. Wherever he ends up, i'll still be a fan of his ( and United, of course, hailing from the Old Trafford/ Stretford area originally) !!

Congratulations from me too.

No it's 4 years of student finance here too. But he has already used up 2 of those years of funding on the HND he did at college ( and failed). He didn't want to go to Uni directly into year 2 anyway, which if he had passed his HND he could have done. He wants to go into the first year and be there at the start with everyone else. Student Finance will pay for years 2 and 3 but we will have to fund the first year ourselves. Which is why he is staying here in Northern Ireland to study, as it is so much cheaper than England. Thankfully, during his HND at college he was living at home, and therefore he's still entitled to all his Maintenance loan for housing etc. Most degrees here are for 4 years, but luckily the ones he is interested in last for only 3.

Why are /were some of the females wearing pointe shoes during the warm up /Barre? Not seen this before.

Thank you x

Many thanks, Sim. I don't care about myself as much. As long as Sean is alright, then i'm alright. x

Been struggling financially since my son started his Adult Access course in September. While the course is free, and he is also working PT in a supermarket, my inability to hold down a job means that things are tough. However, i'm determined to get him through this course, and he is applying to University for next September. Wants to apply for Liberal Arts with History in Belfast and also a few other courses. So he is still working on his Personal Statements, and wants to be able to write about a few books and DVD's about the second world war he has read and seen. I ordered for him a second hand copy of the Schindler's List DVD off Ebay the other day,( it was cheaper than any copy of the book, so I thought it would be best to buy the cheaper one first] only to have to cancel the order. Found myself with absolutely no money in my account ( or purse), and even though the DVD only cost £1.99 it was £1.99 I simply didn't have. Anyway, the lovely man offered to send us the DVD for free anyway, which was just wonderful of him. I thanked him for his generosity. He has messaged me again tonight. He said he has an old copy of the book the film is based on, Schindler's Ark, and he is going to send my son the book for free as well. It has really lifted my mood tonight. The kindness and generosity of this complete stranger in helping us out has brought a smile to my face that I haven't had in a while. Been worrying also how we are going to get the four thousand pounds tuition fees together for September, as he has already used up 2 years of his Higher Education funding, and will have to pay the first year of Uni tuition fees himself. Then I remembered when his father died back in 2007. He had some money; not much, which his mother inherited, as she was his next of kin. I know she put this money into an account for our son. Remembered it a few weeks ago. His grandmother has died too now and the family were sorting through her finances. Not sure exactly how much there is, but I have a feeling it will be at least a couple of thousand pounds, which can be put towards his tuition fees. Who knows? Maybe his quite well -to- do father's family will put the rest towards the fees? Sean's dad has 6 brothers and sisters, all in well paid jobs. Even if not, I think there will be at least two thousand towards the four. Might be able to take out a Credit Union loan for the rest. Things are looking a lot more positive for me and my son tonight.

RIP. I remember her I think was on the BBC news, talking about the Government cuts to disability support and how it had personally impacted her. Felt very sad for her indeed.

Very nice, but if not already resident in London, where is everyone supposed to live during the month of rehearsals and then the performances, while being paid £385 a week? A hotel?

Welcome to the Forum, Nadya.

Very well said. Although sadly, I doubt it will make that much difference.

I really enjoyed Killing Eve, and noticed it was by Luke Jennings. Didn't for one moment think it was THAT LJ though.

Oh, and to answer your specific question. A BTEC will ( hopefully) include plenty of experience to add to your CV that an A Level won't. But academically an A Level will be seen as being much "stronger" than a BTEC if you ever wanted to go to University. ( Although most unis accept BTEC these days too).

Hello and welcome to the Forum. Can we just confirm, as you are only 15, that your parents are aware you are using this Forum and they are OK about it? What sort of dance training have you done so far? Would you study other A Levels alongside the Dance one? You say you wish to persue dance as a career. The vast majority of people who wish to become professional dancers audition for one of the vocational schools to enter at either age 16 or 18. Someone can correct me if i'm wrong, but studying Dance at a local Sixth Form college will not enable you to reach the standard required for auditioning for professional contracts.

Sending you many thanks too, Julie. You, like all the other Mods, give your time freely and so generously for the benefit of others. It is, and always will be, greatly appreciated. The very best of luck to you.x

You'll have to wear socks for hygiene reasons. Best to wear some as close to the socks or tights you will wear at class, so the correct thickness can be felt.

Remember when buying your ballet flats that they have to fit your foot like a glove fits a hand. No spare room for growth whatsoever. No baggyiness or sagging.

Well today i'm thoroughly fed up, cheesed off, the works. One of my references went through no problem. Was told they were still waiting for the second one, even though she told me she had sent it to them the next day after they asked for it. Didn't hear any more. Until last week, when I was sent to Portadown to one of Four Seasons Healthcare's other homes, for a day of training. It was mainly Moving and Handling and health and safety, but lasted 7 hours. Finally I thought, things are moving on. The manager I spoke to on the phone who told me I had to go for the training said once the training is done they can start to sort out my hours and shifts. The 7 or 8 other people on the course with me, who were all due to start at other Four Seasons homes not in Newry, had all already been allocated their hours and were all due to start their shifts the following week. They had been given their uniforms, ID badges and everything. So once the training was over I was half expecting a phone call any time after that. Nothing. So on Monday I phoned the nursing home. The manager was away on holiday until Thursday ( yesterday). The other person I was speaking to didn't know the reason for the hold up. I wanted to know if it was because they hadn't maybe received that second reference yet. If that was the case I could contact my referee and ask her to kindly re-send it. But if the home didn't contact me and tell me what the problem/delay was, then how am I supposed to know? So, I patiently waited until yesterday. I telephoned the woman who was back from her holiday, which is the same woman who interviewed me and offered me the job, FIVE WEEKS AGO !! She sounded different on the phone this time; not as friendly or cheery. She said she didn't know either why there had been a delay; perhaps they were still waiting for that second reference. She said she would phone me back later on today ( yesterday), once their secretary came into work and find out what the issue is. She never phoned me back. No-one has phoned me today either. I'm starting to lose my patience with them. Sick of phoning and no-one seems to know anything. Do they want me to work for them or don't they? I'm wondering if they have changed their minds. On the training day, one of the things we had to do was kneel down briefly beside a patient's bed. Can't even remember what for now. I couldn't . Not even for a second. My knees have been bad for years, since I was about 19 and the pain was unbearable. The woman training us told me I must tell my employers that in no way must I ever be expected to kneel down as I am unable to. ( Four Seasons had hired a local training agency to train us all). I'm wondering if this woman told the care home I physically couldn't kneel down and they now think i'll not be fit for the job? But if that's the case, you would think someone from either the home itself or the company would have the decency to tell me. To say, "sorry Lisa, but we don't think you'll be physically suitable for this work, because of your knees", instead of just keeping me waiting. I keep looking on Job Centre Online at other different jobs I could be applying for. So I've decided to give them 10 days. Between today and a week on Monday. If I don't hear from anyone by then i've seen another job in a warehouse I can apply for. I'm not even going to ring them anymore. If they can't be bothered to contact me, and don't even have the decency to tell me what the problem/delay is, they can shove their job. ( Rant over) !!!

At Urdang, many moons ago, we had to use pump whitener too.

Sorry Anna !

How is Oscar getting on?

Thank you munchkin. Will take a look.

Oh, many thanks for that !!