that's fine (pause) erm, what's, what's your favourite sport? (pause) what are you good at?

(pause) phworgh now (laughter)

you do so much don't you! (laughter)

yeah I do a lot of sports now

now err it'd be mixed martial arts, fighting sports combat sports what I do now mostly

oh (interruption) wow

(interruption) hopefully a bit of wrestling soon but

didn't you used to do basketball?

err, yeah basketball was always what I was best at err played all the way through secondary school, sixth-form played in like a national league

oh wow

until I was in year twelve and then, with the year above and then when they left there wasn't enough players so the team got disbanded so

oh (laughter)

I pretty much stopped playing then

ah right (pause) erm (pause) do you have any idea how long your family have been living here? Like, have you lived here all your life? Have they? Have (pause) When did they move?

erm (pause) I think my family's always been from around here (pause) 'cause em my grandparent- my mum's from South Shields and my grandparents are from South Shields

ah right

so I think it goes back and back (pause) because erm I think my grandad and people used to work on the ships 'cause S- South Shields used to be a big shipyard and stuff like that. But my dad's from Hong Kong so he's definitely not from around here!

(laughter)

(pause) when did he move over?

erm he moved over when he was eighteen because his dad sent him over for academic (pause) education over here, and so he came over here and then he went to boarding school for (pause) a year and I think he did his A-Levels in like a year

really?

and then he went (pause) then he went to uni (pause) to do medicine (pause) in Dundee in Scotland (pause) then he moved (pause) then when he like graduated and everything then he came (pause) to this area, and that's how he met my mam, because he was a doctor (pause) erm in South Shields hospital and my mum was a nurse and she had to work on the same ward, like he was the doctor above her

oh right

so that's how they met (laughter)

aww (pause) did he like, did he speak English before he came?

erm

or did he learn it

I think he did because I think in Hong Kong it's kind of like mandatory that you've got to learn English as a language

mm

but erm (pause) his English (pause) it is good now, I don't (pause) find it hard to understand him, but sometimes when he's got to write things for work, he got to get us to check it (pause) just that his verbs are right

oh right

or that he's been using the right words and stuff so he does get muddled up (pause) sometimes he says funny things though because he gets mixed up (pause) one time we were try- trying to tell him what a charver was, so we explained the whole concept to him, and then one time we were driving he was like 'there is a Trevor'

(laughter)

like 'what do you mean dad'? he's like 'a Trevor, there is a Trevor'!

(interruption) (laughter)

and we're like (interruption) we don't know what you're talking about! And then I was like 'oh do you mean a charver dad?' and he's like 'oh that's what I mean'

aw

and do you know the expression (pause) like erm (pause) 'bright spark'? like oh he's

yeah

a bright spark? Well my dad one time was like 'oh he's a right sparkplug'!

(laughter)

and we were like 'what?' 'sparkplug'? 'no you mean bright spark! Dad' (laughter)

sparkplug

(laughter) (pause) aw

so it's just like the little phrases, the English phrases we have, he doesn't get them (laughter)

yeah (pause) I suppose it's difficult though (pause) like, do you think he still kind of thinks in Chinese?

I don't know, 'cause I asked him once because I said when we talk to you, since we're talking to you in English, do you have to think about it and translate it in your head?

yeah

then s- and he's like no it just comes naturally now, but

oh right

it's weird because one of his friends down the street, he's called (NAME) and erm he is Chinese too, but the -- he's a dentist and he lives in England so they both speak Chinese and English but when they meet up, they'll talk, but they'll switch throughout the middle of the sentence without realising so they'll be saying 'this this, that that' then they'll -- can't think of the English word fast enough they'll say it in Chinese then they'll continue the rest of the conversation in English, it's really weird!

really?

yeah

oh man

I wish I was bilingual though, 'cause it's so cool how he'll just like pick up the phone and if it's from Hong Kong, if it's my grandma or something he'll just be like 'oh' and just start speaking away you know in Chinese

yeah, yeah it's good (pause) I mean did your dad ever talk to you in Chinese? Or did

erm well (pause) I w- I said why didn't you teach me, why w- why am I not bilingual but (pause) my mum says because my dad worked away from home a lot when I was little and he used to do night shifts and stuff so I wouldn't have had enough exposure to it

(interruption) yeah

(interruption) and also (pause) erm (NAME) he has two sons and they brought them up bilingual but they had a really hard time when they started going to reception school in like first year and stuff because (pause) they couldn't really tell the difference between the language (pause) that (interruption) easily

(interruption) ah really

so sometimes they'd speak Chinese at school by mistake and the teachers didn't know what they were talking about but

oh

now they're fine with it so I was saying well if -- if you're only going to struggle a little bit in the first few years of school then you're fine. I'm wish, I just wish I was bilingual

yeah

'cause I remember em when my grandma came over and then (NAME) and his sons were round our house I had to keep asking them what they were saying because I can't understand it

yeah, I do think it's good, like (pause) and you, you've been to Hong Kong haven't you (interruption) since like?

(interruption) yeah I go across, it's or- it's weird 'cause when you've been there for like a few days, you start to like get the gist of what they're saying and I don't know, but I can't respond but li -- they'll talk to us and I'm like yeah I know what you're saying but I don't know how to talk back

that's cool (pause) erm (pause) erm where do you live in Tyneside? (pause) Whereabouts?

(pause) erm my family live in Chester-le-Street, which is in the middle of Sun- Sunderland, Newcastle and Durham (pause) er

ok

so I get a bit of the regional accent from all (interruption) three

(interruption) (laughter)

(laughter)

erm I live there -- like I live there a- all my life in the same estate and er now I live in Heaton

ah right

with some mates (pause) which is er (pause) nice

(laughter)

y- do you like the area? what -- what do you think?

yeah we've got a great set- we're situated perfect, just on a road with er shops, takeaways, the gym

ah that's good

the gym is about, that I go to is about thirty seconds walk from the house, close to town, perfect, never ne- I can just walk everywhere

yeah?

mm yeah, what about you?

erm (pause) I've lived in South Shields when I was little for ten years and then I moved to Washington which is bang in the middle of Sunderland (pause) Newcastle and Durham so I don't know (pause) where you'd exactly say I was from but (pause) it's good, I re- really liked living in South Shields because it was so close to the sea and it's so close to family and everything, but I really like where I live now

mm

I -- I -- I like it more

do you think you'd ever live anywhere else?

(pause) you mean when I'm older and I've got a family and stuff?

(interruption) yeah

(interruption) erm (pause) I think the North East will always be home (pause) I

yeah

I love Newcastle, I think it's a really good city, that's probably why I just stayed here for uni

yeah

but erm (pause) oh I -- I want to travel, I wouldn't mind living abroad, but I think I'd always have to come back to England, I don't think I can (pause) live like, in Australia or something for my entire life

no, 'cause if your family's all round here

yeah (pause) my sister just wants to get away though, (NAME) (pause) she just wants to get

does she?

a degree and then she wants go to America and just live there, 'cause she hate English weather, she hates this (pause) but I've said, you've never been to America before so you can't (pause) say that you

yeah

love it when you haven't been (pause) but I think I'll probably (pause) I think I'll probably end up living in England I just don't know where

yeah

but I do like living here, w- it's not like I'd want to move here -- from here

yeah, and what about you?

pfft, I can se- my dad's been trying to persuade me to join up the navy like he did

(laughter)

so I can possibly see us travelling round the world er probably a good idea, I can see myself travelling round all over, probably be based in Scotland (pause) and so I'd have to live there for a few years but I think I'd always have some sort of home here, be my base I'd live here if I could. I like the area, I know everyone, all my close family are living here, friends, don't see why I'd move away

yeah

I think the North East is really friendly as well

yeah

everyone's really friendly here and erm (pause) they say that, like I've heard people who aren't from here say, oh I chose to come to Newcastle uni because everyone was so friendly when we came

(interruption) yeah (pause) mm

(interruption) and (interruption) so

(interruption) Yeah it's not as friendly down south, I don't th

yeah

no I -- I think I am quite like patriotic, if that's the right word, to the North East

(interruption) yeah

(interruption) and people s- will be like taking the mick out of my accent and I'm like no, the North is brilliant! (interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) yeah, I'm quite loyal, I'm quite a loyal northerner I have to say. Not that, like (pause) I have met some nice southerners but just the whole (pause) I don't know, (interruption) a lot of them

(interruption) I think they think they're better than us because we used to be (pause) the industry like the shipping industry and the building industry so they kind of see themselves as being a bit higher

yeah, like, they were the ones that controlled us and we

yeah and we did all the (interruption) work

(interruption) although

but

my dad's a southerner

(laughter)

from Kent, and when he first moved up here, he says a lot of people err, gave him a lot of stick of thinking, that he was better and

mm

he got into a few fights or

(laughter)

arguments with people

did he?

thinking, calling him like posh, or thinking that he was stuck up and better than them, when really he was just friendly, trying

yeah

to be normal

I think some (pause) like (pause) some of the time it's just the way they are (pause) like it -- it's not (pause) I think it's how they come across, rather than them

yeah

actually thinking they're better than you, just I feel like they look

(interruption) down on you

(interruption) sometimes I feel that there is a divide though between the North and the South (pause) in England

mm

(pause) but not with everyone, I mean everybody has friends who proba -- who h- probably live in the south, and family who live there but

ye (interruption) h

(interruption) there's some like oh we're from the North

yeah

we've got this and that and you don't have it

(pause) yeah, I was talking to my -- my friend and she said like that they don't have any major, like big like cities like Newcastle (pause) 'cause London is just so close and that's the you know the

yeah

biggest one, they don't have like other, they have, she said they have big towns, but nothing kind of in comparison to Newcastle, and I

mm

don't think I'd like that like

I -- I like the city

yeah

I really do. I like London though so saying that like I'm not a fan of the South (interruption) I really do like London

(interruption) I -- I'm not a big fan of London

do you not?

no, I found everyone, nobody was polite, everyone knocked into you, (interruption) especially on the underground

(interruption) oh

under (interruption) ground

(interruption) well (pause) everywhere I went

(interruption) I just get really annoyed

like I remember when I went to McDonalds just randomly when I was there and em (pause) I went to ask the person just for like a McChicken sandwich and fries or something and he was foreign and he couldn't understand a word I was saying and I was like 'fries, fries' and he was like 'I don't know what you're saying' and I was like 'I don't know what you're saying!'

(laughter)

and I just thought like in the capital city like

yeah

I was just like 'oh' 'cause it was -- it was just so full of foreign people, but that's a good thing I think, I like it being

yeah it's quite diverse isn't it

yeah, it is diverse

yeah (pause) erm (pause) has anything really big happened round here, like has er a big fire or a murder or an accident or something? (pause) anything like that that you remember?

erm

(pause) the only thing I can remember lately is the Raoul Moat shootings, happening

oh yeah

really close to home err the girl he shot was a tenant of my dad's so

really?

yeah I -- so me and my dad were one of the first people in the house after it happened to make sure err that everything was fine and locked up and th- the lasses pets were (pause) like cared for and we ended up with eight puppies

oh man!

th- that had been abandoned by Raoul Moat at the house and re-hou- re-homed most of them but err it was just a bit of a shock happening so close to home

yeah

so involved

I mean, did it not scare you? 'Cause when I heard about it at home I was like 'oh no!'

I was really s- scared, just because it's -- like you always hear stuff on the news, but when it actually came up about how the area, how it had actually happened here I was like 'ohh', and it was like that erm, ee where was he? Was he in the lake district that shooter? The (interruption) other one

(interruption) yeah

who just went round (interruption) on

(interruption) Cumbria

like a killing spree?

yeah

Cumbria? Yeah I thought that was scary as well 'cause that was so close to home

yeah the person was from where we live as well

oh (interruption) no

He -- (interruption) he, the shooter, he was about five minutes away from where we (interruption) live

(interruption) oh no (pause) that sort of stuff scares me because -- cause when it's like oh this happened in London, or this person, it's like well yeah 'cause London is quite dangerous

yeah

there are parts that are really li- rough and (pause) but where we live it's not a -- really rough, it's full of old people

(laughter)

where I live (laughter)

yeah same (interruption) there's load of old people

(interruption) (laughter) there's just loads of old people?

(interruption) and then there's stuff like that that happens really close to you're like oh no (pause) but I can't really remember any big fires or (pause) things like that (pause) I'd -- I've never had to have the fire brigade round mine

mm

apart from one time my mum set our tumble dryer on fire

(laughter) oh no

and the fire brigade had to come round and that was on bonfire night as well!

really?

so they were just like, 'cause of all the things, 'cause they'll -- there's bound to be like loads of bonfires out of control on bonfire night and then

yeah

my mum goes and explodes the tumble dryer

(laughter) how did she manage that?

I don't know, I think like the wire at the back had become a bit frayed and there was like

ok

and there was water leaking from it as well, so it was just a bad combination (laughter)

oh no (pause) ah, I bet that was quite scary like (pause) I know my brother, he once, well, blew up the microwave

(laughter)

(laughter)

stupidly (pause) but I wasn't even there so it was all right (pause) err (pause) erm (pause) do you do any work like in the community, to help out?

erm (pause) (laughter) (interruption) what? (NAME) points at me!

(interruption) (laughter)

well I'm actively involved with my church

ok

so that's really good because there's lots of opportunities to serve and I like doing that so there's been lots of times (pause) I remember when I was younger, when I was a teenager and stuff we used to all the, like all the teenagers in the area used to meet up and we'd go and we'd -- I remember going to a farm once and painting

oh wow

all the hen houses and that was fun (pause) or we were doing hay -- hail bailing is that what it's called when you like role (interruption) and we had to do that

(interruption) oh yeah (pause) yeah

but erm at the minute at church I'm the primary president which means I'm in charge of -- I know, it -- that's the little title, and erm so it's just voluntarily and I'm in charge of the children in, 'cause I have, the closest branch of my church is in Gateshead so that's the one I go to, so I'm in charge of all the children from eighteen months to twelve years old

oh wow!

and I've just got it recently and I'm like oh no, like I've took, I've taken on so much so, s- but it's so fun and it's just so funny 'cause all the little kids just come out with s- such funny things, there's a little girl called (NAME) and erm (pause) one time I was saying like oh we're going to sing this song today and it's in the purple, it's pur- it's in the purple writing and then she'll just put her hand up and she's like 'I love purple, I have purple sparkly shoes on!'

aw

and it's like 'oh ok then!' and

aw bless!

but I do really enjoy it so (pause) there's stuff like that, and when we were at sixth-form we used to help out didn't we with (interruption) like

(interruption) did we

well like Children in Need where -- (interruption) where -- when er

(interruption) yeah I suppose (pause) dressing up

yeah our school for Children in Need we'd get dressed up in erm different costumes and go with like buckets like round Newcastle

(interruption) ohh really?

(interruption) asking people to collect money (pause) yeah

aw that's good

that was fun erm (pause) but (pause) mm that's about it with us really

did you like school? You know the schools that you went to?

I lo- I loved primary school when I w- 'cause I went to primary school in South Shields and

oh yeah

then like half way through I went to one in Washington em (pause) and I -- I loved that, but it was just because I was a total swot

(laughter)

I really was, like I was such a goody two shoes, I always wanted to (pause) do the best and be like the pu- the teacher's favourite pupil and erm I -- I did like secondary school but I like, I loved it at sixth-form

yeah

I loved sixth-form because it was just so

I hated it

I know you hated it, I don't know why, you were with me why did you hate it?

did you go to the same

(interruption) yeah

(interruption) yeah

secondary school then?

(pause) yes (pause) do you want to know how me and (NAME) were friend -- are friends?

go on (pause) yeah

well (pause) we kind of didn't really talk to each other when we -- 'cause we went to separate primary schools

ok

but th- but we went to the same secondary school

you were too much of a swot for me to speak to you

aw (laughter)

and erm (pause) but we -- you know when you take your options for GCSE and you've got to choose (interruption) which ones you want

(interruption) oh yeah

we both chose business and erm we were in the classroom and there used to be like girls sitting on one side and boys on the other and Mr (NAME), our teacher was like 'I am having none of this, he's like people are complaining that you're not like integrating, he was like so boys you've got to choose a business buddy who is a girl and (NAME) chose me!

oh really?

and so now we're friends

for the reason that

(laughter)

I thought who else is quite smart

so you chose me for my (interruption) acade-

(interruption) w- who'll help me get a good grade and

do all the work for me

yeah I thought oh, I thought

what! No you didn't you were half my friend!

(NAME)'s quite smart so er I'll sit next to her

(laughter)

(interruption) and so

and it worked out well, did it not?

yeah, it did! (interruption) And then

(interruption) A*s!

(interruption) woo!

(interruption) did you? (pause) (interruption) that's good!

(interruption) yeah we were Mr (NAME)'s golden children

yeah

really, we did everything and erm then we took pretty much the same A-Levels didn't we

did we?

s- did we? Yes business business, biology biology

oh yeah, yeah

so we sat next to each other in that as well and (NAME) helped me out because I transferred 'cause I decided to do Art for my A-Levels even though I'd ne- I don't know why because

(laughter)

I didn't even do Art for GCSE or

oh really

anything, I just decided to take it and then I realised it

was awful (interruption) so

(interruption) was it not something to do with Photography you wanted to do?

It was, but it was like (pause) I was going to do like Art but like specialise in Photography I

oh right

I don't know why, 'cause it's just so unlike me and so I did it for about a month and a half and then decided I didn't want to do it anymore so then I switched to Biology and (NAME) was in the Biology class I switched to so he helped me out

mm

(interruption) not that

(interruption) but, (interruption) well

(interruption) not that I'd had any notes done or anything

(laughter)

no but he used to scare me because he'd be like saying all the biological terms that like they'd learnt and obviously I didn't know what they were, so he -- what was it endoplasmic reticulate

yeah

and he just kept saying it over at me again I was like I don't know what that means (NAME) will you just help us learn them?

aww (laughter)

but erm (pause) no worked out well

why did you decide to do English then? At uni?

em (pause) I took English, Business and Biology for my A-Levels

ok

and I liked all of em like I like them equally, like if there was a degree with all three in them I would happily take it so it was -- because for ages I thought I was going to do Biology like when there was an open day at Newcastle I even went to the Biomedical Science open day

oh really

and went to the lectures for that and everything and I sh- student shadowed business students and then I was like 'hm I'm going to do English!' But erm I think it's because (pause) with bio- well especially with biology like I had to try really hard, like I had to study loads and I had to read up on everything

y- y- yeah

I remember

For -- for our A-Levels I was studying like months before the exam so I could get decent grades (interruption) then (NAME) was like I bought this,

(interruption) A-Level Biology in a day, (interruption) oh in a week

(interruption) no, I bought this,

what was it?

I got

A-Level

A-Level Biology in a week

and

really

and then I read it the day of the exam

and he read it the day of the exam, I was like (NAME) it says in a week and I was like that's pushing it, you're supposed to do it in like

be all right

and he was like 'oh I'm a fast reader, I'll just read it all in a day and I'll be fine!'

(laughter)

I was

and he still got the same grade as me!

really?

He still got the same grade as me overall!

were you just like naturally clever?

yeah I can't remember ever like really studying for exams, I've always thought that I was going to do it, like planned to study and then something's always come up and I've thought 'ah I'll be all right

(laughter)

I'll manage

I think a lot of boys seem to be like that though (pause) (interruption) like

(interruption) I

(pause) girls just put (interruption) more effort in

(interruption) I do put more (interruption) effort in

(interruption) I wish, I wish I'd tried, I wish I had your work ethic (NAME)

(laughter)

and put loads of effort in cause I think I'd be an Oxford student right now

well you would be 'cause em our like what was she Miss (NAME)?

yeah

the year like co-ordinator

oh yeah

she was always telling us, me and (NAME) to apply to Oxford or Cambridge

yeah

but erm Oxford or Cambridge don't do English language

don't they?

No they only do literature because it's like er

ohh

prest- literature's more prestigious and language is more newly developed, but I didn't want to do literature, I wanted to do language. But erm (pause) no like it was -- I drove my parents crazy 'cause right up to the last second of applying I was like am I going to do business, am I going to do this, I couldn't decide

(laughter)

I c-

and then I couldn't decide where to go for uni either

oh

I just applied to four five different random things cause I didn't know what I wanted to do

did you?

something science or history related, I'll apply to them and see what happens, got accepted to them all, then it came to results day and I didn't know if I wanted to go to uni or not and do you remember, we were in your car? And I was

Oh yeah, we went together!

I couldn't decide what I wanted to do and I'd been accepted to do Criminology, Forensic Science and just sort of went with it cause I didn't know what else I wanted (interruption) to do

(interruption) (laughter) (pause) yeah (pause) did you apply to Oxford or Cambridge then? Or

No (laughter)

No I didn't either

I knew I wasn't going to get them grades because I knew -- I always knew that when it came to the final exams I wouldn't study as hard as I should have

yeah

I just was (pause) too scared by it because

yeah

then I knew I'd have to work really hard and I wasn't even that taken by it, like I wasn't fussed about going to Oxford or Cambridge like

no

some people, like (NAME) (NAME)

yeah

he was just like 'I will go to Cambridge, or Oxford, wherever he went and I will do physics and live in this part of it (interruption) and everything!'

(interruption) he's there now! Living (interruption) where he wants

(interruption) and he

doing what (interruption) he wants

(interruption) yeah he is, he is, he went there so (pause) but I just didn't have that stronger desire

no

I did have a d- desire to do well though

yeah, I know some of my friends that went like, three of them that I know have, have, th- they did the first year and everything but they've, they've quit and transferred to a different

mm

uni (pause) up, like further up north 'cause they said like, it's too much work, like they weren't allowed home at weekends and stuff and it

yeah

it was too much for them

yeah it's got to be fun as well, like uni's supposed to be fun

yeah

it's not supposed to be -- like my friend, (NAME), she's doing dentistry at Newcastle and she's got to be in uni nine till five every single day of the week!

really?

and so she was asking me when I got my -- a new timetable 'oh so what hours are you in?' and I was like 'oh I'm in nine hours a week' and she was like 'are you actually kidding me?' She's like 'I'm in nine to five (interruption) everyday!

(interruption) nine hours a week?

nine hours a week, it's (interruption) ridiculous but

(interruption) I should not have left uni

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) (laughter) but hey join my course, it's 'cause you've got to read so much, I think

yeah

because, I just spend my entire life reading all the other things.

yeah, and we don't even get a reading week! (pause) what's that all about?

I think we get like a revision reading week but it's like after the exams

yeah

so this it's pointless

just a week off

yeah it (interruption) really is

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) for fun

(interruption) woo holiday!

(laughter) yeah (pause) yeah, erm (pause) have you still (pause) kept in contact with people that you went to junior school with?

(interruption) ooh

(interruption) like

like primary school?

yeah (pause) or secondary school

I don't keep in contact with anyone from primary school, I think some of them have added me on Facebook and I've been like oh yeah and I've accepted them but

yeah

I don't talk to anyone

yeah when I left primary school I was -- two people from my school went there from my secondary school and I didn't really speak to the other girl that went and em I just didn't speak to anyone from primary school, the odd little hello until er

yeah

I finished secondary school one, who -- he used to be my best mate when I was younger er added us on Facebook and then since then I see him every week now

really?

yeah, I've got back in touch, started going to the gym with him, been really good mates for the last three years now

aw (interruption) brilliant!

(interruption) who's that?

(NAME) (NAME)

oh really? (interruption) oh ok I didn't realise

(interruption) yeah, have you met him?

I don't know if I've met him but I know who he is, you've talked about him before, it's like how I met, how I met (NAME) and (NAME) but I know who he is

yeah all my friends now are pretty much, I only see a few people I went to school with at all now, most of all my friends are from work

yeah

and I'm by far the youngest I think, a good two or three, maybe four years younger than everyone else

really?

yeah that I hang about with now

does that make any difference? (pause) like

na (interruption) all the

(interruption) I don't

oh really?

like if we get new starters at work they always think that I'm the same age as the people I'm with and that, cause I'm with them all time, I must be (pause) like twenty four like the rest of them

aww that's good!

I've got -- I keep in touch with quite a few from secondary school, the girls (pause) mostly, and (NAME)

(pause) (laughter)

and erm now, I see like s- (NAME), I bumped

yeah

into (NAME) the other day actually and (NAME) but they were in HMV, but they'd bought shoes, but I don't know why, they musn't have bought them from HMV

obviously

oh no 'cause they're sh- (laughter)

(laughter)

never mind, erm but I keep in touch with like my good group of girlfriends and we meet up and have girls nights and get pizza and watch movies and

aw

things like that, so that's still good but erm (pause) sometimes I think that (interruption) I don't like

(interruption) I do that like every night with (interruption) er my three house mates and stuff

(interruption) (laughter)

(laughter) I know but it's different for us 'cause we're all (pause) like (pause) dotted about

yeah

but I've never like (pause) made loads and loads and loads of effort, I just think if you want to keep in touch with them you will

yeah

because other people just drift, and sometimes I feel bad about that, about letting people (interruption) drift

(interruption) yeah

but then you can't keep friends with everybody (interruption) 'cause you're going to have like

(interruption) no

new friends like uni friends and

see I don't, I don't really make new friends hardly

you can't be bothered though can you

no, I've just like got

you're just like, you like the friends you've got and that's it

I've got a close group of friends and I get on really well with them, see them all the time and I -- I don't really need any more friends

no, if you're happy then

yeah

(pause) doesn't matter then does it

I mean if I meet someone new then, and I get on well with them than that's fine but I'm (interruption) I don't go out looking for new friends

(interruption) yeah (pause) no (pause) erm (pause) erm (pause) what did you want to be when you were a -- younger?

This is a funny question because my gran the other day, she came round my house and it was about, no it wasn't about ten ye- yeah it was about ten years ago now when I was ten, we'd all filled out these sheets for her, she was just going to keep them all in like a memory book for all the grandchildren, 'cause my gran's got about fifty grandchildren

wow!

'cause there's so many of us (laughter) and erm so we'd all like filled out like our names, like our favourite colour and stuff like that and it was like what do you want to be when you grow up? And I can't ever remember filling this out but it was me and I said 'I'm going to be a famous singer and travel the world and sing to everyone!'

aww!

and (interruption) I -- I don't even sing!

(interruption) do you sing?

no!

(laughter)

I don't even sing! that's the thing like I never even sang in choir in school or anything

really?

so I don't know why I wrote that

aw bless

as my thing! But I used to always -- I say to my mum now, I could have been a mint ballerina if -- 'cause my mum never le- sent me to ballet school and I just wish I had, but she said she didn't like it 'cause I used to gymnastics, and they used like force me

oh

sometimes, to do the splits and I -- and my mum was like 'oh I think it's a bit too much for you'

yeah

'cause I -- I just wanted to prance about really

have (interruption) you?

(interruption) have you?

yeah

why?

for kickboxing, (interruption) trying to get

(interruption) (laughter) oh no!

(interruption) oh really?

more flexible

I ha- (pause) there's no way I'd ever be able to do the splits, I can't do them, but I don't know when I was little I wanted to be like everything really

yeah

I

I think I just wanted to be a princess

(laughter) yeah

I had a few real- realistic things then er, I remember being a y- young kid and wanting to be a wrestler (pause) (interruption) pro wrestler

(interruption) (laughter) well (NAME) you're (interruption) well you're doing your

(interruption) yeah

yeah but I wanted to be

your mixed martial art training now

I wanted to be like a show wrestler er, WWE style

(laughter)

Em, I th- it never really died out actually I'd still love to be one now but I'm

yeah

A bit more realistic now, I know it's not going to happen

(laughter)

(laughter)

(laughter) (pause) erm (pause) we've talked about religion, like how does that affect your life? A- Are you religious?

I'm not religious at all, no, no I never have been er (pause) I don't even know if I believe in a religion

(interruption) no

(interruption) I remember when

no I don't, I just take everything, every day as it comes a- and just get on with it

I remember when we went to see, what was it, Angels and Demons at the cinema? And afterwards you were (interruption) like

(interruption) oh yeah I

I want to be the Pope

(interruption) (laughter)

(interruption) I think that'd be the best job, and tha- that's what I'd like to be

(laughter)

a wonderful job!

(laughter)

erm I'm very religious, I'm very like actively involved with Church and that does take up a lot of my time an- but I enjoy it, it's not like, w- I was brought up going to Church on Sundays

yeah

and my parents did take us but people ask me now like do you just go (pause) or believe just because your parents do?

yeah

and I'm like no because I like it 'cause they would -- they would never, even when I was little force me to go with them o- on Sundays, but it is fun, and also since like all my side of the family are like (pause) churchy as well it

yeah

ok

it's just nice, I like it

yeah

(pause) was erm (pause) did your -- was it your mum or your dad that, or were they the same religion?

erm (pause) well like my grandparents joined my Church when,

ok

like erm, I think when they were newly married or something so then my mum was brought up

ok

going to Church and stuff like that but my dad, I keep asking dad about this 'cause he was brought up in Hong Kong so it's all about Buddha and everything, and he used to to say that h- they used to go on school trips to go to see the massive Buddha on the top on the mountain and they were (interruption) like all praying

(interruption) I would love to see that

oh it's absolutely amazing, I went, when I went in the summer and it's just amazing, it's

oh

it's just amazing how devoted people are

yeah

to the religion, 'cause it had like, it had about, I think it was like a hundred and fifty stairs to the top and some people who'd, on every step, would kneel and pray and then like get up and kneel (interruption) and pray!

(interruption) really?

'cause I remember been up and down and they were still only halfway up!

(pause) wow!

and they'd be li- and they took it so seriously and I was jus- I -- I kind of respect people like that who have such strong religious beliefs

yeah

but erm my dad is a member of my church now but I don't know if he just did it just because, because he wanted to marry my mum in that church and stuff like that, so he did that, but I -- I asked him if he was ever very (pause) is it, is Buddhist? (interruption) Is that th

(interruption) yeah

Is it (interruption) Buddhist? If he was brought up really Buddhist but erm he wasn't really

(interruption) Buddhist

oh right

I mean in Hong Kong c- cause when you go to worship the dead people and your ancestors you've got to do like a full on ritual for them 'cause every time we go we always have to do it and erm th- they like, because everyone's cremated there 'cause there's not enough space to

oh

bury them, you go next to where the crem- th- the plaque is for them and then you've got to give them like a full cooked meal, then you like pour wine over it and then you have incense burning and then you bow and

really?

then they have like a big furnace and what happens is, you cut out, this is erm, you cut out of magazines, things that you want them to get in the afterlife, which is really interesting so like my grandma, 'cause like my granddad's dead, my Chinese one, erm so my grandma would cut out pictures of erm like (pause) cars

some (interruption) nice new pair of trainers

(interruption) cars

like trainers, mobile (interruption) phones

(interruption) really?

and like loads of material, l- like possessions and then they'd have erm fake gold just like erm (pause) like shiny gold paper and shiny silver and they like throw it in the furnace and in Chinese they like receive these gifts grand (interruption) father

(interruption) wow!

you see (interruption) I

(interruption) and it's

could not do that, I w- (interruption) no

(interruption) what, would you laugh?

yeah I w- like most people would think that's a big joke

like that's not to do with my religion but, it's, like we have to take it seriously when we're there because it's th- it's my dad's (interruption) family's traditions.

(interruption) do you believe, do you believe it makes any difference?

I -- I don't think they're going to get it

no

at all, no they're just burning paper, w- why would they even need that in heaven?