JonNeil

Apologies for the lack of an update for the past two days! I'm now able to catch up with you guys about how awfully my challenge has spiralled out of control!

Thursday was meant to be the only day where I would give myself the liberty to speak, due to the fact that a group assignment I had to start and finish on the day would contribute towards my course mark, so I do not apologise for talking then! However, since that afternoon, it's been just too hard to keep quiet! The group assignment was the last task in a module we have now completed on my course, and my friends went for a little drink to celebrate. I therefore joined them, and from that moment I have not been able to keep silent for longer than half an hour at a time!

When no-one's around, most people would believe that I would talk as much as I want to fill in the silence, and no-one would know, however this is not the case. To keep as true to the challenge as possible, I have even refrained from speaking out loud to myself behind closed doors (and seeing as I can't amuse myself with late night solo karaoke to my iTunes, it is almost an impossible task!!) but now I've even let go on that front.

Thursday evening spelled disaster when I had to return home to not-so-sunny Lichfield for the weekend, and it took just 15 minutes for my parents to break me! I only saw them up to twice last year during each term, if that, and this year hasn't been much different, so I hope those of you doing similar challenges this week, or those who don't see their family as often as they would like, will forgive me just this one time! If the challenge was on any normal week, things might have gone a bit more smoothly, but alas, I am very weak-willed. I cherish the fact that I can say whatever I like and not be afraid of the consequences of my words. Unfortunately, other people in different countries don't have that luxury.

Some of my favourite programmes on TV are satirical comedy shows, and if anyone in a country like Cuba, North Korea etc. were to lampoon their government/media in the same way, I can assure you they wouldn't be around for very long. So many little things contribute to the restrictions placed on those who are not allowed to express an opinion, whereas we take the ability for granted. The last few days have really shown me that when it has almost been physically awkward for me not to speak in certain situations!

Hope I haven't rambled on for too long for you, but to end on a happier note, I've just chanced upon a BBC article which gives a more promising outlook to China's state of affairs when it comes to communication: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11576592 

It's definitely worth a read! Oh and by the way, Thursday's exam and assignments were not that bad! And a good hearty meal afterwards always puts a smile on my face!

Today's horoscope for Leo must have just read epic fail, because that's what today has resulted in. Firstly, I would just like to say that staying silent whilst ordering a Subway sandwich is not a viable option, especially if the staff are about to put those nasty plastic cheese triangles on your sandwich! And secondly, revision with your friends is too hard to do when you can't help anyone else, which made me break the rules not an hour ago and help my friend.

If I was attached to a shock collar for this week, I would have died of electrocution tonight! But tonight I only spoke in helping my friend, and it was all in the name of altruism, which, at the end of the day, is what charities try to undertake in helping the impoverished. So my conscience should let me off just this once, right?

Wrong. At first I only foresaw the poster task in the exam itself as my only stumbling block, but a question from a stranger or a hilarious quip from my friends can just solicit an unconscious reaction to reply, and that isn't helpful to me at all! And it isn't strengthening my message to raise the awareness of those in dire straits due to their government's harsh and unfair restrictions on their voice as a collective. Tip for the week: MUST WORK HARDER.

And I leave you tonight with my mid-week paper collection update! My notepad has been the extension of my vocal chords this week, and already my thoughts are generating the need for trees to topple! Don't worry, I am planning to recycle it all as soon as the challenge is over to ensure that I'm not failing at helping to combat climate change either! And I do apologise for the mitigating circumstances tomorrow, I just really don't want to fail my degree!! 

A bit over-dramatic title/lyric (hehe) to this one, but I felt I needed something to document the 48-hour mark! It's so tough to keep a tight lip, and especially with friends who are as awesome, hilarious and sly as mine, I can get caught out quite a few times in one day! And with the pressure of studies, exams and the silence, my room has bore the brunt of the backlash, as you can see below!

I have foreseen an unfortunate catch-22 on Thursday - as part of a physiology exam, small groups of us must create a poster that contributes to our final mark, and it must all be done on the one day. And as I really don't want to be dropping crucial marks that will contribute to my future, I will have to ungraciously put my challenge on hold for that afternoon. This however has spurned me on to be extra vigilant in my challenge to stay silent for the remaining time!

This evening's debate went amazingly, which I am glad to say, wasn't terribly awkward for me! Harriet, one of the committee members of the Oxfam society, spoke on my behalf about my feelings on human rights and poverty, and I've been doing a little more research to further understand the plight of those around the world who do not have the power to speak out against those who deny them their rights. Amnesty International are another charity that champions those who need help to stand up and be counted. They have a produced a striking animated video that you can watch here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm2zDEYmpIg

which depicts their vision of changing the situations that some countries face in their plight to be equal and free. Please check it out! And if you see me around, do try to talk! I may not say much but I'll respond! :D

It's only day 2 and my challenge is already going down the pan - I got an E-mail saying that my tuition fees had not been paid and if the problem was not sorted I would be 'financially suspended' from university! This unfortunately broke my silence with a phone call to Student Services, nevertheless I will soldier on!

It's hard to go through most of the day wihtout being able to talk - my friends are generally hilarious and banterful, and it's so hard to stand by and not throw my two cents in! One of my friends Emma said today it was 'as if I actually had lost my voice', does that mean they miss the sound of my voice, or that I probably just talk too much? (Probably yeahhh)

Luckily I haven't had to make any other phone calls, and my friends know not to call me, cause all they'll hear is me breathing! (Scream much?) At least I can text them to my heart's content! Unfortunately, people in many other countries who also enjoy privileges like mobile phones and instant messaging are in fear of their own government screening their conversations! If any content present could be seen as creating dissent or denouncing the image of the state, that person could land in very hot water. This Orwellian-style spying on the nation isn't right.

I'm off to a poverty debate now, where I will be 'speaking' if you know what I mean! :D

I really faced a dilemma tonight with the restrictions on my voice. I attend a scriptwriting group in my university and whilst trying to write a play, the lack of an opinion definitely does not help to contribute to making a story!

Although I will have lost my voice for this week (I've even had to stop singing out loud in my room!!) I will be back to normal as normal can be at the end of this week, so it does give me great perspective on those who live under regimes of constant censorship and fear.

For example in China, people can have their mobile phone networks disconnected if they are sending messages that appear to contain 'illegal or unhealthy content', meaning that anyone who believes that the Chinese government isn't handling a certain civil issue correctly and discusses this with a friend via SMS or even on an internet chat room, the consequences could be severe for that person just for the simple fact that they hold an opinion! The Chinese government has even put complete nationwide restrictions on the websites Google.com, Youtube and Facebook! Self-expression on a political or social scale is completely taboo there, and that isn't right.

I will feel better when my challenge is over, but for now I will happily continue to blog my thoughts throughout the rest of this week, completely unrestricted. And don't say I do nothing for my audience, here's a little light reading here if anyone is interested: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_words_censored_by_search_engines_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China (methinks this is taking censorship a bit too far!!)