APPS: National Rail App

Personally, I will not leave home without the National Rail app, which has stopped me from getting lost on many occasions! This app is free and downloads easily, providing you with information for trains across the UK in an instant.

DOWNLOAD IT HERE

The first section is 'My Travel'. Each time you set a journey, the app remembers your most frequent routes and saves them here. It displays five of your most frequent journeys, automatically displaying a yellow warning triangle if there is a problem, or if the platform has changed etc.

The next section is 'Live Trains' where you input which station you are travelling from and to. Simply select 'go' and it will show the latest trains on that route. As the train arrives at each station, it will flash up showing whether it was early, late or on time, and it will also pinpoint exactly where your train is at any time on its journey. You can also set an alarm to wake you up however many minutes you like before reaching a certain station - how handy is that!

There is also a 'Journey Planner' where you can plan where you are going from and to, when the trains are running, where you will have to change, what platforms you will need to be at and how much it will cost. If they made it any easier, they'd embark on the journey for you!

There are further options including a specific area aimed at London underground stations, stations facilities at every station, alerts on specific trains and much more.

If you are needing to travel by train, particularly on your own, this free app is an absolute lifesaver - you will never feel lost again! I would definitely give this app 10/10 and would recommend you download it straight away!

FIRST AID: The Primary Survey

A lot of people now are opting to take a first aid course as it enables them to become fully trained in a life saving procedure. You never know when you will be faced with an emergency situation which requires prompt, effective treatment to be delivered quickly to a casualty.

Here I am going to talk about the primary survey - ie the first actions you need to take on discovering any casualty.

The easiest way to remember the primary survey is to learn the acronym 'DRsABC'.

D = Danger
R = Response
S = Shout (for help)
A = Airways
B = Breathing
C = Circulation

DANGER: The first thing you must do in any situation is check for danger: firstly to yourself and any bystanders, then to the casualty. The worst outcome is if you become a casualty as well, therefore doubling the work for the emergency services and delaying the vital treatment needed for the original casualty.

Danger could be anything from broken glass, loose wires and needles, to other people, animals and weather (such as a lightning storm).

If it is safe to do so, remove the danger - for example by standing on a telephone directory and using a wooden broom handle to knock live wires away from a casualty who has suffered an electric shock. If it is unsafe to approach the casualty, phone the emergency services and monitor from a distance.

RESPONSE: Next, you must check to see if the casualty is responsive. If they are talking or crying out in pain, you can skip this step, as they are clearly responding.

Response is measured using the AVPU scale:
Alert
Voice
Pain
Unconscious

If they are alert, they will respond as normal. If they are responsive to voice, they will be able to squeeze your hand if you tell them to, for example. If they are responsive to pain, if you pinch their ear, they should react in some way. If they do not respond at all, they are classed as unconscious.

To check for a response on a casualty who appears unconscious, approach from the feet and call 'Hello, can you hear me, can you open your eyes for me?'.

If you get no response, kneel beside the casualty and firmly shake the shoulder, calling 'hello can you hear me, can you open your eyes, I'm a first aider' etc in BOTH ears (in case the casualty has suffered damage to one).

SHOUT FOR HELP: If you deem the situation to be serious, shout for help. When a bystander comes to help, tell them to standby and prepare to phone the emergency services. You will not require them to make the phone call until you have completed DRsABC, as you won't have enough information.

AIRWAYS: You must keep the airways clear, and check there is nothing blocking them. To do this, place one palm lightly on the forehead of the casualty. With the other hand, use two fingers to open the mouth, by pulling down on the chin - do not put your fingers in the mouth!

Tilt the head back (performing the head tilt and chin lift), to open the airway. Have a look to see if there are any foreign objects in the mouth, such as chewing gum or vomit. If the object is right on the lips you can remove it, if it is any further back, leave it alone, as it may cause the casualty to choke, or if they start having a seizure they could accidently bite your fingers off!

BREATHING: To check whether or not the casualty is breathing, place your cheek above their mouth, and look down the chest for 10 seconds. You are seeing whether you can HEAR them breathing, FEEL the breath on your cheek, and SEE their chest rising and falling.

CIRCULATION: At present, C stands for Circulation, which is a quick visual check to ensure the casualty is not bleeding severely (eg an arterial bleed).

After you have completed your Primary Survey, pass the information onto the bystander making the 999 call, and tell them to let you know how long the ambulance will be. You will then either carry out the recovery position for an unconscious casualty who is breathing, or cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for an unconscious casualty who is not breathing; both of these will be covered in later blog posts!

Hope this helps - if you have any questions, please feel free to comment below! Remember this varies slightly around the world - this is the UK version, for area specific information, let me know where you are from!

MUSIC: The Veronicas - You Ruin Me

I have chosen to review The Veronicas - You Ruin Me, because it has quickly become a firm favourite!

The Veronicas are an Australian pop duo, who also happen to be identical twins: Lisa and Jessica Origliasso. Originally from Brisbane, the pair are now famous worldwide.

'You Ruin Me' was released on 19th September 2014, and was co-written by Anthony Egizii, David Musumeci and The Veronicas themselves. The lyrics are based around the frustration the duo felt against ex-boyfriends, and also the record label who had caused them so many problems.

The reason I love this song, is the raw honesty felt within the lyrics, meaning thousands of people can relate to it. The music begins with a slow, almost haunting rhythm, as the words begin to flow from the heart; "Job well done, standing ovation. Yeah you got what you wanted, I guess you won'. This clearly relates to the moment when you realise perhaps it is time to cut your losses and move on, regardless of any political mind set within individuals.

It continues: "And I don't wanna hear, they don't know you like I do. Even I could've told you, but now we're done". Again, this seems to be a sense of resignation towards a given situation. Although they are clearly bitter about the outcome, they have no fight left in them, and hope that it will be resolved quickly so that they can move on and progress with something more worthwhile.

It then moves into the chorus, which seems almost like a mantra, and it is easy to imagine a young woman crouched alone, possibly following a nasty break up, with her head in her hands, mouthing the words to this. "Cos you, play me like a symphony, play me 'til your fingers bleed. I'm your greatest masterpiece - you ruin me". This definitely portrays the feeling of being used, of someone else taking advantage of emotions and leading you on, painting a picture of how that feels.

The chorus continues: "Later when the curtain's drawn, and no-ones there for you back home, don't cry to me, you played me wrong. You ruin me". This insinuates that perhaps the singer is now gaining strength, moving on past the heartbreak and looking towards the future. There is a reminder still that someone has caused great grievance in their past, but that the emotional wounds are starting to heal.

"I know you thought that I wouldn't notice, you were acting so strange, I'm not that dumb". This seems to lean towards a view that perhaps the person the song is aimed towards, has been seeing other women, perhaps even cheating. "And in the end I hope she was worth it" confirms this thought, showing resilience and defiance on the part of the singer, in what can only be described as a difficult situation.

It continues: "I don't care if you loved me, you made me numb" highlights the fact that although the singer is over the cheating, she is still raw to certain elements of his betrayal. The chorus is then repeated, to emphasise the main points of the song.

The pace of the song becomes much less manic and more subdued, as it continues; "We're that song you wouldn't sing" followed by a lengthy pause, as if giving the singer time to gather her thoughts before continuing, "Just a broken melody. You're killin' me..". Here we see an emotional, raw side to her thoughts, as though she is expecting the world to think she is healed, but in reality she is still broken on the inside.

The chorus is then repeated much more quietly, with the final words 'you ruin me' as one last dig at whoever has changed her life so dramatically and in such a negative manner.

The whole song carries with it a definite eerie mantra, as the singer embarks on an internal battle within her mind; one moment declaring that she has completely moved on, the next revealing raw emotion as she lets out a cry for help.

It can be related to any form of betrayal, but sits particularly well with a break up due to some of the lyrics "I hope she was worth it". I feel this is a great song for helping teenage girls and women alike in their quest to find solace following a difficult betrayal in their lives. Definitely worth a listen!

Click here to listen!

Good Morning All!

Here is my first blog post, dated 31st March 2015 (thought I better get it out of the way before April Fools Day!)

The aim of this blog is to have a look at many different aspects of life, providing guidance following careful research, opinions and knowledge to make life that little bit easier for you..

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I am 21 years of age and have worked in retail for the past 5 years. I live at home near Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and enjoy hobbies such as writing, walking, first aid, shooting and working with young people.

 

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