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T.G.I.F

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Today is finally bloody Friday and I am so grateful. For some reason this week has really been a long one and I am absolutely shattered and to be honest a little low. As much as I love Uni sometimes it is really full on and I get absolutely exhausted. 

I’ve just got back from dinner with Ali, his mum and her boyfriend. They came to pick us up from Kingston after Ali’s lectures so we ended up eating pretty late! I am finally home though and it feels so nice, especially as I didn’t plan on being home this weekend. So tonight it is only a sort post as I am just so tired! Really though thank god it’s friday! 

Happy Thanksgiving Jamie!!

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Today was Thanksgiving! As my flat-mate Jamie is so far away from home we decided to head into London to celebrate. We ended up eating American food and buying London souvenirs for her to take back home to the states in  few weeks. I actually really enjoyed actually going out tonight and seeing London as well as getting to know Jamie better, we’ve become really close in the past few weeks and I’m really going to miss her when we go on Christmas break. 

To get into the spirit I wanted to list 5 things that I am thankful for: 

1. My Family and Friends 

2. My Health 

3. Chocolate 

4. The ability to go to uni…even though I am now in debt..

5. Last but not least, Ali ❤

A very special date

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Today I woke up full of excitement, after 5 years I still get stupidly excited about date night! I got Ali to myself for a whole evening in town! Since we’ve moved it’s been hard to have time alone because there is always something we have to do, so by the time we get to be alone we both end up falling asleep! Now it was nothing special tonight, we simply went into town and enjoyed each others company.

Ali did, however, prove that he is the best boyfriend in the entire world. After taking him into the sweetshop to show him what I had found he uttered the words every girl wants to hear ‘pick out whatever you want, I’ll pay’. I am a total fat child inside,so believe me, this was better than Christmas. We left with over £20 worth of sweets between us before getting a quick McDonalds for the journey

Opinion piece: Should we boycott Lost Prophet’s music?

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Music fan or not you cannot fail to have noticed todays news that Lost Prophets singer Ian Watkins has pleaded guilty to child abuse charges,including the intent to rape a baby. Although this has come as little surprise to some the initial allegations have shocked both the music world and the general population to their core. The worrying thing is that now the name Lost Prophets has now been dragged through the mud and as social media shows, it is clear they will never regain their former glory. 

Within minutes of the guilty plea Twitter and Facebook appeared to explode with a hatred for not only Watkins but also the band itself. Although not a hardcore fan, I myself, would find it difficult to listen to Lost Prophets due to it being his voice through my ears. I find it silly though that people who have never even encountered the band are now slamming Lost Prophets not Watkins on his own. This is a common problem when one person in a band (particularly the front man or woman) becomes the centre of negative attention, they often are seen as ‘the band’ let alone the other 4 members. 

What people don’t understand is that when making it to the level that Lost Prophets did there is a lot of hard work from all members. Going into a studio and making a best selling album is simply ‘done’. So now Jamie Oliver, Lee Gaze, Luke Johnson, Mike Lewis and Stu Richardson have all not only had to question someone they thought they knew but they have also lost what they had spend over a decade building, because of one selfish individual. 

My argument is that although Watkins is now a convicted paedophile, that does not mean that all of Lost Prophets have something to be ashamed of. The remaining members have lost their band and the reputation of that band for something they could not control. If you listen to the fans they all say the same thing, ‘if you move on without him we would still support you’. So just to put it out there guys, Lost Prophets was not just one man, there are four very talented others. And you know what? I can’t wait to see what they do next. 

 

Getting things done

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Just a quick update for you all after a very productive weekend. I’ve sat down in my room (haven’t seen anyone since Friday) and just gotten on with the work I need to do. It’s been quiet here, in the day and as usual noisy at night so my sleeping pattern is a little crazy at the moment.

10 Things to know when you move in to halls

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So here are some things they don’t plan on telling you..

1.  Your contract is now your bible 

It’s the old ‘you break you buy’ policy when you get into halls. Read through your contract before you move in to check what you need and what you don’t. It’s also a good idea to know what is banned in halls, I had some really odd ones this year such as fairy lights. Another handy tip is to take pictures of any marks as soon as you move in. That way if something has been missed you can’t be charged at the end of the year.

2. Think about what you NEED to bring and can you bring more up later?

You only have so much room so try not to bring everything. If you don’t live too far you may be able to go home and get things, if not you could always bring things back after Christmas break.

3. Have money spare

There is always something you forgot/want/need oh and there is also the possibility of there being issues with student finance (this is not a joke I now people who still haven’t had any money though in November). Even £50 could really do you a favour in an emergency.

4. Your flatmates don’t have to be your best friends 

I got quite lucky with my flat mates, we don’t want to kill each other just yet. I do, however, know people who hate their flat mates because they are so different (some Uni’s try and match you up…I don’t think Kingston went down that route). Just remember you only have to deal with them for a year and if it gets really bad talk to your halls management or someone at the uni about how you feel, someone might want to switch!

5. Make sure everyone knows where they stand

This is key in living with strangers, we have a ‘flat agreement’ that was sent around where everyone writes down their preferences over certain issues. Also if you have a problem try and talk to the person! One of my flat mates had to call home at really odd times, after I spoke to her she said she had no idea I could hear and she would try and keep it down. We now get on great!

6. Buy earplugs, or insomnia is your best option

For the first 6-8 weeks of uni I didn’t sleep very well at all. Constant noise, a new place and taking everything in were to blame in my situation. I didn’t think to buy ear plugs and I don’t know if they would work for me but take some with you just incase…you don’t know who you’ll end up living with.

7. Make your room feel like your home 

I found this really dificult but it is important to make the room your own. Bring pictures, stuffed animals, books etc to make you feel more at home. If you like being cluttered then so be it as long you you feel comfortable in your environment.

8. Only bring a few sets of knives and forks 

Trust me, if you don’t you wont wash up until it gets to a small mound and you have to spend ages getting it all done. I brang 3 sets, enough for people to come over but not enough so that I can be extra lazy.

9.Your room is going to be small…no matter how big it looks in pictures 

We all found this out the hard way, I know two people who got bigger rooms than they expected out of EVERYONE. My room is absolutely tiny and often feels messy when I do the slightest thing, another reason to think about what you need to bring.

10. People do stupid things

You learn this eventually. Sometimes it’s funny other times you wonder how the hell they going into uni in the first place.  You have to remember that you don’t need to be the idiot…it’s much for fun to laugh at them.

When the past catches up with you

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It was inevitable that at some point in the next few years my past would crop up. I didn’t think the time for this would be in a playwriting workshop that would completely throw me. I was speaking to a friend the other day about things in your past that you could hide at university after becoming a new person and she told me it was harder when unexpected things made you stumble. I found this out in my Creative Writing lecture this afternoon after the topic of bullies came up and the victims. We were supposed to write about our school and write a scene based on it. I had already started to squirm and decided I wasn’t writing the exercise, I wasn’t even going there. It got worse as the lecture went on as descriptions of school days came to light, what the bullies did and I could feel dark mood spreading. People started to laugh at the ‘antics’ finding the mental abuse funny.

Needless to say I left that lecture, I just couldn’t handle it. Quite frankly it’s not funny, it damages lives and can cause suicide. All the little tricks that were played never ever leave you. I know that because it’s still in my damn mind and it still makes me angry. I feel like maybe I should spit ball all those who laughed in the lecture, hide their notes before an important exam, create lies about them or just make them feel useless? Because that people is what it does to someone when you bully them because that is when it’s not funny.

Ask my Mum how she felt when her daughter would hysterically cry and beg not to be sent to school. Ask Ali how it felt watching me struggle for years with how I felt about myself. How about you ask my little sister if she understood why I was so sad when I came home from school. Funnily enough when you bully someone it doesn’t just take over their life but it takes over the lives of the people who love them too.

All this said I don’t hate the people in my lecture, I don’t believe that they are bad people but I was upset. I’m sure if they knew it, wouldn’t have been as funny but that is my whole point. Why should your perceptions change because someone is in the room, surely you should just find it awful in principle?

I’m going to try as hard as I can not to dwell on this because I have been doing so well in getting over my past. I’m finally trying to talk about things and sort out my feelings. Luckily I had a very special friend in that lecture who understood and helped get me out as soon as she could, and for that I am grateful.

It’s just a thought for you guys, although I know many of you will understand why I feel this way.

5 ways to make sure you are on top of your deadlines

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The time of year is rolling around that has students stressed, tired and caffine addicted. Just as some mothers will be making ruthless trips to Toys ‘R’ Us and hasty calls to Santa when toys arn’t in stock, students will be taking their frustratoins out on the uni/college library and that can of redbull (I am one of the lucky ones who has red bull sold in the library..score!). One thing is for certain, both of them want the run up to Christmas to slow the hell down. December/Janurary marks the first set of deadlines for me and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t strressed about one particular module, the key thing is I still have time.

This is where my total pain in the arse organizational skills come in handy, I’ve been reading these lists for a few weeks. I’ve tried to memorise when work is due in so that I’m not caught off guard. Luckily my module guides have been handy and I’ve also picked up some tips along the way.

1. Know when your work needs to be handed in

I think the absolute worst thing is having no idea when everything has to be done by, it can mess with your grade at the end. Now all of my deadlines are pretty close together at the moment, in fact I’ve just written them all out to see how much space I have between each. The whole point of knowing these isn’t so you can stress out for months on end, it’s so you can fit things in. Just make a note of big deadlines in a diary or notebook (believe me I am religiously obsessed with noting things down in my academic diary!)

2. Plan when you are going to do things

As I hinted at above I like to plan when I am going to do things. Not everyone works well with pressure, so why not write a to-do list. I find these help more as I can put things in order of what needs to be done and I feel satisfied when I tick it off at the end of the day. I also do a rough plan of when in the week I need to do things and what I have on that week, I’m not goign to lie and say that this can be concrete because things change but a rough guideline can make a world of difference.

3. If you are unclear on what to do ASK!

I think I drive my tutors mad with questions but apparently they think it’sa better idea than getting stuck. Tutors will be much more willing to help you two weeks before the deadline NOT two days. It’s a good idea just to get clarification if your unsure of what it is you need to do.

4.PRIORITISE

This is something I struggle with sometimes, I know that I have to get my Creative writign work done but it doesn’t mean I don’t try and skip. Try and stick to what is due in soonest not what you want to do first. It works both ways though don’t try to get ahead so much that you forget what you have to do for a particular week. Also consider going out, it is still important you know…

5.Make sure you have time for work and play

Which leads me to my last point. It’s all well and good to work hard and get a good grade but you need to have some fun. Fun for you  might be going to Hippodrome and getting so drunk you forget about that assignment until tomorrow or it might be reading a book. Basically whatever you do to relax/have fun make sure you do this too because otherwise you’ll wonder why the hell you’re here.

Waking up with a smile

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This morning I woke up with a smile. I finally woke up happy and looking forward to the day ahead. Last night I had a lovely evening of what I can only describe as grown-up couply things such as an exciting trip to Asda followed by Ali cooking me a lovely meal of Steak and Potatoes. As you can imagine after a night like that I was an incredibly happy girl, the day got better after a successful driving lesson. Today’s post is only short but I hope you enjoy it anyway! 🙂