Jake Borrett's Writing Blog

Stunning YouTube Videos (7): January/February 2015 Edition

Warning: Some of the videos in this article may contain sensitive content

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the YouTube videos embedded in this article. All rights are reserved to YouTube and the YouTube Artists mentioned on this page.

If I have breached any issues, copyright or otherwise, please do get in contact with me and I will be happy to remove your video on your request. Thank you for reading.

Hey everyone! Jake here!

I hope you are all having a brilliant 2015.

‘Stunning YouTube Videos’ is well and truly back for 2015. In case you were unaware, this blog feature has been created to celebrate the fantastically entertaining and deeply haunting videos across the web.

So what are we waiting for? Which videos make have made it onto the list for edition number seven?

Video 1: The Desk – Short Film

‘The Desk’ is a brilliant short film written and directed by Albert Gonzalez. The video description notes ‘The Desk’ is a story about communication. While this is very true, it is also a story discussing other strong themes such as identity, sexuality and individuality. Just by looking at the YouTube comments it seems you can have your own interpretation about what the film is really about, mainly because there is an element of ambiguity. This ambiguity is one feature which makes the video so powerful. Another is while this short film is about communication there is hardly any dialogue. It is through music, writing and acting that emotion can be drawn. ‘The Desk’ is in an essence a short film definitely worth watching.

Video 2: Stunning Time-Lapse Video: Elemental Iceland

What National Geographic have produced is simply stunning. Their time-lapse video of magical Iceland is breath-taking. You can see the amount of time and effort photographer Stian Rekdal has put in in order to produce this short film. The video description notes he spent three weeks and more than three thousand miles on the road and took more than forty thousand photographs in order to have sufficient footage for this project. This takes real dedication. I may have been slightly biased here as I only visited Iceland back in March 2014. It was a trip of a lifetime. Some of the photographs of the geysers and the northern lights really bring back good memories. Thanks for producing this video. If you like to read about my own experience in wonderful Iceland click on the link below.

Copyright © 2013- by National Geographic. All rights reserved.

‘My Life: Iceland’

http://jakeborrett.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/my-life-iceland.html

Video 3: ‘Ronan’s Escape’ – Short Film on Bullying

Bullying is such a sensitive subject which unfortunately many of us have gone through some point in our lives. ‘Ronan’s Escape’ is an emotionally affecting and at times quite a controversial short film dealing with this issue. The narrative follows the character Ronan as he struggles to deal with bullies at his school. The rural wheat belt of Western Australia provides an excellent backdrop for some amazing images in this captivating tale. A.J. Carter’s writing and directing along with the acting of David Lazarus, who plays Ronan, has to be commended. Needless to say that this video does contain scenes which some may find distressing. Nevertheless it is a film that will stay with you for a long time after watching.

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Thanks to everyone involved in producing such incredible videos for all of us to enjoy. If you liked them, then why not subscribe to their pages?

See you again in two months’ time where a video of yours could be selected.

Until then thank you for the great support and have a brilliant week.

Next Stop: Colonoscopies and Endoscopies

Next Stop: Colonoscopies and Endoscopies

Previous article on Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis:

‘More Than Just Imaginary’

http://jakeborrett.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/more-than-just-imaginary.html

The next stop on our journey is a particular treatment which those with Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis are likely to experience some point in their lives. This treatment is often referred to as ‘colonoscopies’ and ‘endoscopies’. So what are colonoscopies and endoscopies?

‘What are Colonoscopies and Endoscopies?’

A colonoscopy is a test which allows your doctor to look at the inner lining of your large bowel. The doctor or gastroenterologist uses a flexible tube with a small video camera attached, called a ‘colonoscope’, in order to evaluate your colon. The colonoscopy can help find ulcers, colon polyps, tumours and other areas which may have inflammation or bleeding. During a colonoscopy tissue samples called ‘biopsies’ can be collected for evaluation later.

An endoscopy is a similar process to a colonoscopy. Often endoscopies involve inserting an ‘endoscope’ into the body through a natural opening, for instance the mouth and down the throat, but for a similar purpose.

The two procedures described here can help diagnose conditions including Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Alternatively they can be used to check to see if there is any present or ongoing inflammation in the body. Often the doctors’ prior examination will determine whether a patient will have a colonoscopy and/or an endoscopy.

For further information on colonoscopies and endoscopies please have a read of these brilliant articles:

› Bupa ‘Colonoscopy’

http://www.bupa.co.uk/health-information/directory/c/colonoscopy

› NHS ‘Endoscopy’

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Endoscopy/pages/introduction.aspx

Jake has a Colonoscopy and Endoscopy

Back in 2007 when I was thirteen years old I was deferred to ‘Doctor Number Two’. He was rather good in speeding up the process to find out why I was suffering from severe abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting. He suggested for me to have both a colonoscopy and an endoscopy. As I was quite young and this was my first time with any sort of procedure, he suggested it would be best for me to have general anaesthetic. This is not always provided to patients and instead local anaesthetic through a cannula in the arm is used as an alternative.

Like many other people I was asked to undergo some preparation for this procedure. I was asked to completely empty my bowel. To do this I had to fast the day before and was asked to take strong laxatives. I can tell you now this is not a good memory for me. In all honest laxatives take worse than sick. Still this bowel preparation had to be done so there was a clean passage for the colonoscope to pass through.

Admittedly on the day I was extremely nervous. I had never experienced anything like this before and was kind of worried about being put to sleep with general anaesthetic. My main reassurance came from my loving family. I asked my mum whether I would ‘peacefully’ come around as television often showed. She was rather positive about this. At least I would not feel the uncomfortable pain those experience whilst being awake; which now I have had the ‘pleasure’ of experience and I am sure many of you have too.

The time arrived and the general aesthetic was given to me as I counted down from ten. As the doctor took photographs of my now famous intestines I was dreaming. People have often said when they are ‘under’ they have dreams. Even after seven years I still vaguely remember mine. In this dream I remember standing in a field alone, looking over at a city below. I seemed to be enjoying the calm wind tickling my arms. Make of that dream as you will. What dreams have you had whilst being under general anaesthetic? It would be interesting to know.

Unfortunately my mum and I were wrong. As I came around my stomach was in extreme pain and I was on the verge of screaming. Actually I think I might have. It seemed that I had reacted quite badly with the anaesthetic as my body was not used to it. So I had to spend a while in the recovery room. As you probably know everyone reacts differently to these procedures and it was just a shame ‘my dreaming’ was abruptly stopped. This sort of thing does happen and I will blame anyone for this, asides from my naughty insides.

It was only a few weeks later, if that, I found out why I had been in great pain over the last four years. A diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease was waiting for me and so was a journey; a journey, which I had only just begun.

In summary, colonoscopies and endoscopies can be daunting process but try not to worry about them. Each person will experience them differently. As many individuals with Inflammatory Bowel Disease find out, they are just another form of treatment to help identify any problems we may be having so we can find a way to stabilise the condition as best we can.

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Thank you so much for reading this article. The support I have received over the last year since starting the writing blog has been overwhelming. I could not have done this without you. Until next time I hope you have a fantastic weekend.

Sixty Seconds

Warning: May contain sensitive content

Sixty Seconds

If you knew you had only sixty seconds left to live, what would you do? What would you think about?

Would you think about all those people you loved? All those who cared for you? All those who made a positive difference? All those who supported you, those who made you strong? How about all those who stayed or all those you lost along the way?

Would you look over your life? Would you see the times when you laughed, the times you cried? Would you see the times you said hello to new faces or goodbye to the old? Would you see the goals you achieved, the dreams you reached? Would you see any regrets you wished you could change, or would just keep it all the same?

If you knew you had only sixty seconds left to live, would you think about? What would you do? Would you scream? Would you weep? Would you say your goodbyes for the very last time? Or would you, just that for one moment, accept it?

The truth is no one really knows. Well, not until those sixty seconds actually arrive.

New Year’s Resolutions (2015)

New Year’s Resolutions (2015)

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you are having a fantastic 2015 so far and it goes on to be a great year for you all.

It’s the ninth day of the 2015 so I've had a lot of time to think about this blog post. In the past I haven’t really set myself any proper New Year’s Resolutions. Perhaps it’s because I never thought I would be able to achieve them with much success or if I did set some they would not be very meaningful.

This year is going to be different. I’m going to give it a go. So here are my resolutions for 2015. What are yours?

Developing ‘Jake Borrett’s Writing Blog’

Without your continual brilliant support ‘Jake Borrett’s Writing Blog’ would not really exist. The blog has been running since Friday 28^th February 2014 and so far it is had nearly 20,000 views, which is amazing. This is down to you.

With this in mind it is only right for the blog to continually improve. So one of my resolutions this year is to make the blog a more attractive and interactive place to visit. This will mean more features more videos will be found here. I guess I have been put off making videos for confidence issues but don’t worry there will be more in the upcoming months. There may even be a few surprises along the way.

So make sure you stay in touch.

Raising Tons of Awareness

One of the main reasons for setting up this blog is to raise tons of awareness. I wish one day many people will familiar with or have a greater understanding of what Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and Dyspraxia are and how they affect people in everyday life. You or someone close to you may be suffering from any of these conditions. I want to show you may support by raising awareness across the web.

Asides from the blog, I will be trying get more involved with the many of the amazing charities and foundations helping thousands of people every day. They may be helping you this very moment. The volunteers are doing a fantastic job so I would to thank them in some way.

Skydiving in the Clouds

Now I have been saying this for many years that I would like to a tandem skydive. It started in 2009 when my dad completed a tandem skydive for Multiple Sclerosis. Even though he said he wouldn’t do it again, he also said it was an unforgettable experience. It was a wonderful thing he did for charity. Hopefully this year I will have the courage to do a tandem skydive of my own. You may even see a video of it.

Other Bits and Bobs

There are hundreds of New Year’s Resolutions to choose from. You could learn to play an instrument, learn to drive, take part in a flash mob or travel to Japan. Ultimately you should do things that make you happy. So I am going to do one thing every day that makes me smile.

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Thank you for reading the first blog post of 2015. You are brilliant. Lots more content will be published in the near future. Until then have an extra fun weekend and good luck with your own resolutions.

Stunning YouTube Videos (6): Christmas 2014 Edition

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of the YouTube videos embedded in this article. All rights are reserved to YouTube and the YouTube Artists mentioned on this page.

If I have breached any issues, copyright or otherwise, please do get in contact with me and I will be happy to remove them on your request. Thank you for reading.

Hey everyone! Jake here!

It’s back and it’s back for Christmas. For those of you who are unaware ‘Stunning YouTube Videos’ was a blog feature where I looked at some of the videos across the web that caught my attention over the last month. So I thought it was only fitting to give you some festive treats produced some excellent film makers.

Right, here is the selection for the 2014 Christmas Edition. Enjoy!

Video 1: ‘“The Night Before Christmas” Short Film’

Dead Set Films has produced a simply magical video called The Night Before Christmas. The cinematography and visuals produced here are simply professional. The real detail focused on the Christmas tree, decorations and presents is wonderful. There is a real Christmassy feel to the overall sense of this short film. Without spoiling it, the video set on the night before Christmas day where one man commits a desperate act. Through the atmospheric scenery and music DC Kasundra, along with their colleagues, has produced a stunning piece emphasising the importance of family during a festive season such as this.

Video 2: ‘Decoration (Short Film)’

Decoration is a highly imaginative tale created by ThirdTakeProductions. Daniel Pursue has done an excellent job in producing both an atmospheric and a darkly rich tale about what could happen if one of your Christmas decorations came to life. Sam Cliff’s acting and Luke Neumann and Kevin Macleod’s music should be credited for their believability and the way they create both a warm and sinister atmosphere. I have watched this short film a number of times as it simply haunting. So take care when deciding which decorations you are going to hang on your Christmas tree.

Copyright © 2013- by ThirdTakeProductions. All rights reserved.

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Thanks to everyone involved in producing such amazing work for all of us to enjoy this Christmas. If you liked them, subscribe to their pages for any future videos they may produce.

Right, that is everything from Stunning YouTube Videos this year. The blog feature may appear in 2015 with your videos being praised.

Until then I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Pages

Stunning YouTube Videos (7): January/February 2015 Edition

Next Stop: Colonoscopies and Endoscopies

Sixty Seconds

New Year’s Resolutions (2015)

Stunning YouTube Videos (6): Christmas 2014 Edition