The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

'The Rosie Project' welcomes us into the world of Don Tillman, a 39 year old university professor of genetics who has Asperger syndrome. Don is looking for a partner so conducts 'The Wife Project’. Don’s perception of a perfect wife is to be always on time, a good cook, a non-drinker, a non-smoker and must not be a vegetarian. Then comes along the feminist, opinionated and heavy smoking Rosie who is a conflicting candidate for his project. Rosie has had a troubled past stemming from not knowing the identity of her real father. 

The novel brings a certain elements of the classic 1930's screwball comedy Bringing Up Baby staring Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn.

Don being similar to Grant's antiqued professor David and Rosie being a modern version of Hepburn's Susan with her obstinate attitude towards men.

Don decides to help Rosie as a 'friend' to find her real father. This requires him to go out of his orderly routine and for his world to be shaken by Rosie. Simsion has created a realistic take on the struggles of living with Asperger syndrome. There are plenty of Don's out there in the world with their structured daily routines and compulsive behaviours to create new projects. The book is written from Don’s narrative meaning we are able to indulge into his quirky little world. 

I found this novel a light hearted and enjoyable read for this wet and miserable October. I give this book the rating of 4.5/5, the half mark being deducted in that the story is predictable. 

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The Christmas Jumper

We haven’t even gone past Halloween yet. But in my own opinion now is the time to think about the Christmas jumper that you will be wearing during the festive season.

Of course when we think of  Christmas jumpers, we think of that classic scene from Bridget Jones’ Diary when we are introduced to the charming but stubborn Mark Darcy (Colin Firth). 

Last year, eleven years after the release of Bridget Jones' Diary, the rise of the novelty Christmas jumper began.

I went ahead and ordered my festive piece from Beyond Retro, a vintage clothing company based in London.

Me and my jumper

I think it's a nice idea for everyone to have their own unique Christmas jumper to show off at the ol’ work do and the traditional family gatherings.

On the Beyond Retro website there is a range of 'Ugly Christmas Jumpers' to order online.

Here we have the typical 'Christmas Cheese' jumper for all those lovers of Disney and teddy bears…

and 'Nordic Cheer'  for all those trendy hipster types...

Or 'The Worst Noel' for those who don't care about standing out...

'Jingle Our bells' for those crazy Christmas maniacs who start shopping in August...

And finally the traditional 'Nanna Knits’, that typical horrible jumper that your Nan knitted but you wear it anyway.

The choice is all yours,these different styles are available on beyondretro.com and are priced roughly from £14-30.

How to deal with life as a graduate

It has almost been a month since my return from Hong Kong. It almost feels like I am where I was two years ago. A poor penniless graduate only this time with more realistic expectations. So here are my top ten tips to the fresh graduates and quarter life crisees

1. Home isn't all that bad! A guaranteed roast dinner every Sunday, a warm house and a full stacked fridge.

2. Aim high but be realistic: Two years ago I was dreaming of getting a job in the theatre or as a teaching assistant back in London, where I went to University. Yes, it does look like Uni friends are having an amazing time in the city eating at all the trendy burger bars and hitting all the old haunts but in reality they are either still living on Tesco value products or working all the time.

3. Take a hobby up. When I started university I began to forget about the hobbies I enjoyed doing as my weekday evenings consisted of Nightclubs and SU bars. Join an amateur dramatic group, take up sport or do whatever you enjoy doing (simple!).

4. Don’t be critical and compare yourself to others. I am always comparing myself to others on Facebook and Twitter. It's not a healthy thing to do as they are probably in the same boat as you. Try to support each other without sounding too pushy either (its scares people believe me).

5. Cut the people who keep weighing you down. It's hard but it will be better for you and those people in the end.

6. TRAVEL.TRAVEL.TRAVEL. It doesn't have to be that far but travelling is refreshing and when I mean travel it could be for a weekend or a year.

7. Think carefully before making decisions. I started my TEFL course before I went to China on Holiday and loved it so much I moved out there. You have to remember a holiday is different to living in a foreign country as I had experienced in Hong Kong. My experiences have not stopped me from wanting to travel .In fact it's made me want to travel even more.

8. Don’t be disheartened by job rejections. There are hundreds of thousands of people out there in the same boat as you! It's not what you know it's who you know.

9. Don’t binge eat. Yes, your life sucks and your social life has hit rock bottom. But raiding the fridge or ordering a takeaway every night isn't going to make you better! Join the gym or go for a walk if things are getting too much.

10. Take a risk. If you don't try things you will regret it. I don't regret one thing about going to Hong Kong. It was something that I had wanted to do for a long time but I found the lifestyle wasn't for me.

And most importantly stay postive :)